Revolting

Daisy watched Hannah disappear into the tree line with one hand over her stomach, before she shuffled back into the kitchen. Heath had moved to the sink and was already washing up the few dishes they had dirtied mixing up the cookie dough, while William was drowning another cookie in milk. Daisy gave a heavy sigh and leaned against the counter. "I've really missed that girl."

William moved closer and put his hand on her shoulder. "You've been a wonderful friend to her Daisy, you still are."

She sniffed and rubbed at her eyes. She stared at the cookies that were still spread out across foil on the counter to cool. After a moment she moved to the sink and washed her hands, and then reached into the cupboard and took down another platter, and began arranging cookies. "William..." she said, her brow furrowed as though plating cookies took immense concentration.

"Mmmm?" He had his mouth full of cookie, and a rather adorable milk mustache over his upper lip.

"I need you to take me back out to the rogues."

He swallowed, and then washed the sweet morsel down with a gulp of milk. "What? Why?"

She avoided his gaze as she grabbed some cling wrap to cover the platter of cookies. "I want to bring them these."

"What? Whoa, whoa, whoa!" William held up his hands like a traffic cop. "Shane said to bring them some provisions. He never said anything about bringing them hot, fresh, home baked chocolate chip cookies! Those are exclusive property of the Rebel Moon pack!" He reached out a hand to take another cookie for himself, but Daisy slapped his hand away.

"Don't be selfish, Will!" Her blue eyes flashed dangerously.

Daisy rarely stood up to anyone. Not that she was a door mat or anything like that, she was just a sweet, friendly, peace-loving creature. But when her eyes flashed, and her temper flared, even William, the son of an alpha, knew to back down. He shot a look at Heath, who only shrugged back helplessly. "Must be the hormones?" he said with a wry smile.

"I am NOT hormonal," Daisy started untying her apron. "Now are we going, or are you going to make me walk all the way out there?"

"Okay, Okay, let me grab my keys!" William threw his hands up in defeat and turned on his heel. Daisy nodded in satisfaction and picked up the plate of cookies.

Heath pushed himself off the stool stuffed his hands into his back pockets. "Do you want me to come too?"

Daisy looked up at him and for a fraction of a second, there was fear and sadness in her pretty blue eyes. She bit down on her bottom lip and shook her head, making her curls bounce around her round face. He reached out and put a hand on her shoulder, his eyes soft and sympathetic before he turned and walked her out to the car.

Boyd sat cross-legged on his ratty sleeping bag. His head was bowed, his shoulders were stooped, and he was so cold. The ache in his chest felt like it would kill him at any moment. Frankie was gone. He had to keep repeating it to himself, because every time he found himself looking around for his brother. Although Frankie was a couple years younger than Boyd, they'd been inseparable since they were kids. And when the Alpha threw Boyd out of the pack at 18, Frankie had packed up and walked out with him.

"There's no way I'm going to stay and pretend to be loyal to that dumbass," Frankie had said confidently.

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Boyd felt hot tears running down his cheeks again. They'd wandered around together like a couple of hobos, picking up odd jobs, hunting, even stealing together. It was a rough life sometimes, but not a bad one. Frankie was Boyd's voice, since Boyd had been injured as a boy and lost the ability to speak. How was Boyd supposed to survive without his brother? And what was the point? Why was he even alive, there was nothing but struggle after struggle and only pain and emptiness?

They were cooking something over the campfire, but Boyd had no appetite. He felt tired right down to his soul, and he wanted nothing more than to curl up and sleep, and never wake up. He let his eyes drift close, but he couldn't turn off all the thoughts and memories that were bombarding him.

"Do you smell that?" Lonnie's loud voice carried across the clearing.

Boyd lifted his nose to the scent the air, and was immediately bombarded by the sweet, warm smell of fresh baked cookies. But then, just under the sweet scent of melted chocolate was something else, something that made Boyd's hands start to tremble. It was a sweet, citrusy scent, like oranges mixed with vanilla. His head snapped up.

The snapping of twigs announced the approach of the two pack-wolves. They weren't even trying to hide their approach. "Its them again," Caroline said, standing and shifting uneasily. "I wonder what they want this time?"

"I smell chocolate," Sarah closed her eyes and sniffed deeply. "Chocolate chip cookies."

Boyd watched the two figures walk into camp. The first time they had come with supplies, he hadn't even bothered to look at them. He'd been crying so much that his nose was stuffed up, and he just didn't care who was coming and going. Hunters could come in and slaughter him, for all he cared. He would just lift his head and bare his throat and wait for the blade.

A tall blond man walked confidently beside a small blond woman. But apart from the color of their hair, they bore little resemblance to each other. The blond man had the powerful aura of high ranking wolf. He seemed relaxed and easy as he smiled at everyone, but underneath that friendly exterior was a fierce wolf ready to attack.

The woman on the other hand... Boyd felt the pain in his chest explode like a volcano. She had quiet, submissive posture of an omega. Her hair curled into uncontrollable ringlets that bounced around her pretty face. She had a mouth that was made for smiling, but now it was pressed into a grim line, and her baby-blues were staring right at him. Her expression was not joyful.

Boyd unfurled himself and scrambled to his feet, his heart pounding wildly against his chest. He'd heard about this, the magic that happened between fated mates. But he never thought, at his age, and in his condition, it would ever happen to him.

And then his eyes traveled from her solemn face down to her very swollen stomach. He stared and could not look away. His ears were ringing so loudly that he couldn't even understand the conversation that was swirling round him. Lonnie must have said something inappropriate, because Caroline looked embarrassed, and Sarah slapped him unceremoniously in the back of the head. The woman kept marching, straight toward him.

His mate, the other half of his soul, the woman he'd been yearning for his whole life... was carrying another man's child.

He took a trembling step backwards, swallowing with difficulty.

The little blond woman stepped right up to him, so close he could see her eyes dilate and her nostrils flare slightly as she breathed in his scent. She seemed to struggle with words as she extended the plate towards him. "These are for you," she whispered, extending the plate. "And... uh... your friends."

He stood stupidly for a long moment before his hands extended and accepted the offering, but he still couldn't look away. How cruel was the goddess? Was it not enough to take Frankie from him? Now this? He finally forced his eyes back into her face. She had grown quite pale, and her big blue eyes were glassy with unshed tears. "I... I had to see you," she whispered again. Her voice was so soft and sweet, like a cool balm over his burning soul. "Please... say something?" He opened his mouth, but of course no words came out, only a small, strangled sound. What would he say, even if he could form the words? What could he say, and she had already been claimed by someone else? His eyes swept over her neck. There was no mark, but the baby in her womb was more than enough evidence. He bowed his head in shame.

"Boyd can't talk,” Caroline said flatly, taking the plate out of his hands. "Don't mind him. Thanks for the cookies though, that sure is a special treat."

Boyd wanted to reach out for her, he wanted to touch her skin, to see if those fabled sparks exploded between them, but one look at her round belly, and he knew he couldn't do it. He couldn't touch something that didn't belong to him. With a silent cry he turned and ran for the woods. He didn't care who was watching him, he tore away his ragged clothes and shifted on the fly, his wolf howling mournfully as he disappeared into the trees.