+25 Points
Jake didn’t bother knocking when he walked into his parents‘ house. He could smell baked chicken coming from the kitchen and followed the scent. Charlotte was leaning over the oven, carefully pulling out a dish.
“Smells great,” he said, leaning against the doorway.
Charlotte jumped slightly, nearly dropping the pan. “Goddess, Jacob! Don’t sneak up on an old woman like that.”
“Sorry.” He smirked, clearly not sorry at all. “And don’t call yourself old.”
“I have two grown sons, one of whom is running the pack I live in,” she replied, shaking her head as she pulled off her oven mitts. “I feel quite old, thank you very much.”
“Dad here?” he asked as he moved to the cabinets for plates.
“No,” she said with a sigh. “When you asked to come over, I told him to make himself scarce. I’m not in the mood to listen to the two of you fight again.”
Jake set the plates on the counter and turned to look at her. “I don’t want to fight with him.”
She rolled her eyes. “And yet you do.”
“He doesn’t listen to me, Mom,” Jake said as she took the plates to dish up lunch.
“He’s worried about you.” She grabbed a serving spoon. “He loves you.”
“He has a strange way of showing it,” Jake muttered, grabbing cups from the cabinet.
She didn’t respond, focusing instead on dishing up baked chicken, rice pilaf, and steamed asparagus. She had always been an excellent cook. Jake took the plates from her and set them at the table while she poured them each a glass of white wine.
“How’s Lyra?” Charlotte asked once they were seated.
Jake looked up, startled.
Charlotte raised a brow. “Am I not allowed to ask about your mate?”
“Just surprised you did, I suppose.” He took a sip of wine. “She’s good, though.”
“I’ve heard you two have been spending a lot of time together.”
He nodded. “She’s my mate. We’re supposed to spend time together.”
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< Chapter 49
+25 Points
Charlotte sighed and pushed her chicken around with her fork. “I’m not trying to make you uncomfortable, Jake. I know your father has been… less than thrilled about your mate. But I’m just happy you found someone. I hope she makes you happy. And I hope you’re treating her well.”
Jake chewed a bite of chicken, watching his mother thoughtfully. “How do you feel about Lyra becoming Luna?”
Charlotte nibbled at her food, not meeting his eyes. “I worry about her. Not because I think she can’t do it, but because people here don’t like her or her brother. She’s going to be fighting an uphill battle.”
“She’s tough,” Jake said. “She can handle it.”
“I’m sure she can,” Charlotte agreed. “If she can handle you and your bullheaded attitude, she can probably do quite a bit.”
“I’m not bullheaded,” Jake scoffed.
She gave him a pointed look. “Please. I raised you. I know exactly how you are.”
Jake laughed quietly, then sobered. “What was her mother like?”
Charlotte set her fork down and leaned back. “Mary was kind. All she ever wanted was a place to belong. For people to accept her. But she was never going to find that here.”
“Mary wasn’t human, was she?”
Charlotte looked away before meeting his eyes again. “You already know the answer to that, Jacob.”
“What was she?”
Charlotte shook her head.
“Please, Mom,” he said, his voice low. “I can’t protect Lyra unless I know everything.”
“There are so many things you don’t know,” Charlotte whispered. “Things that happened. Mistakes that were made. I almost couldn’t forgive him.”
Jake frowned. “Dad?”
She nodded slightly.
“Mom.” He leaned forward. “Lyra is my mate. I don’t want to lose her. I need to keep her safe. Please. Tell me.”
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“Oh, Jake.” Charlotte rubbed her eyes and pushed away from the table. “I want to. I really do.”
“But?” His heart sank.
She sighed. “Let me think about it, alright? Give me a day.”
Jake wanted to press her, to demand the truth, but he knew it wouldn’t work. If he had any chance of learning what he needed, he had to give her space.
**
The new ramp to the training hall gleamed in the afternoon sun. It curved gently toward the entrance, sturdy rails on both sides. Jake stood at the top, arms crossed, w
roll along the freshly paved path from the packhouse.
Donovan
Donovan reached the ramp, head tilted back to take it all in. “Well, damn,” he said with a low whistle. “That’s… not bad.”
Jake chuckled. “High praise. I’ll take it.”
Donovan pushed himself up the ramp, testing the incline. “You really did this for me?”
“For you. And others too. Anyone who needs it.” Jake held the door open as Donovan rolled inside. “But yeah. Mostly for you.”
The training hall buzzed with activity. Warriors sparred in the rings. Others lifted weights or practiced footwork. The familiar scent of sweat, leather, and pine cleaner filled the air. Jake led Donovan to the far end, where a section had been cleared and modified with accessible equipment. Resistance bands, pulley systems, medicine balls, a reinforced mirror, and more lined the space.
“I want you to train here,” Jake said. “Upper body. Balance. Coordination. You don’t have to fight, but I want you to feel strong. Like you could hold your own if you needed to.”
Donovan looked around, then back at Jake. “You think I need to bulk up?”
Jake smirked. “I think you’re part of this pack, and I want you to feel like it.”
Donovan’s expression flickered, hard to read. “Not many people have ever wanted me to be part of anything. Other than Lyra.”
“You don’t need to be a warrior,” Jake said, sitting on a nearby bench. “But we all have a role. I want to help you find one that suits you. Something you enjoy.”
Donovan raised a skeptical brow. “You want me to work for the pack?”
Jake nodded.
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< Chapter 49 “Doing what?”
+25 Points
Jake shrugged. “Training oversight. Strategy. Data analysis. You already spend half your time at Megan’s digging through old journals. Maybe you can help the pack historian. Or teach strategy.”
“Strategy?” Donovan scoffed.
“Don’t do that.” Jake frowned. “You think fast. You’re analytical. That’s more than half of it.”
Donovan looked at the equipment again. His voice was quieter. “You really think I could belong here?”
Jake gave a small smile. “You already do. Now we just need to find where.”
Donovan gave a slow nod. “Okay then. Let’s see what these skinny arms can u.
Jake laughed and clapped him on the shoulder. “Let’s start with the pulley. I’ll show you some
basics.”
Time passed quickly as Jake guided Donovan through a series of upper body and core exercises. Donovan had full use of his body from the hips up. It had only been his legs that were affected by the deformity, so he moved with surprising ease once settled into position.
Jake shouldn’t have been surprised. Donovan had been hauling himself around for most of his life.
As they worked, a few younger warriors wandered over, curious about the new section. To Jake’s surprise, and pride, they began asking Donovan questions, even offering to work out with him and teach additional seated drills.
After an hour, Donovan was drenched in sweat but grinning ear to ear.
“Jake!”
He turned at the sound of Callan’s voice. His friend was striding toward him, eyes dark and mouth set in a grim line.
“What’s going on?” Jake asked, immediately tense.
“It’s Lyra,” Callan said, voice low.
Jake’s stomach dropped. “What happened?”
“She left pack grounds,” Callan murmured. “She’s gone to meet a witch.”
4/5
<Chapter 50
Chapter 50
Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.
