Heart's Desire

Chapter 11 - Kit

At the alpha's words, the talk and laughter die.

Monty stands. "Dane? What do you mean, 'a fire?' What happened?"

The alpha doesn't answer, but stands with his hand over his mouth, staring at the ground.

"Dane!" Monty shouts, slamming his hand on the table and making the dishware rattle. "Tell us!"

Everyone startles, and the twins begin to cry.

Unaccustomed to the ways of small children, I do my best to shush them, fearful I'll be blamed for their distress.

The alpha takes a breath, lets his hand drop, and looks up at us all, amber eyes flashing in the dark.

"It's the house. Freya said the house burned to the ground."

"When?" someone asks.

"Last night, sometime. Freya said Sasha drove out there this morning and... found it in ashes."

"And Mom and Dad?" Monty asks.

The alpha hesitates, but answers without heat. "Freya said there's no sign of them. But if they were inside..."

"No." 

Noah, the smaller Hunter, rises from his seat. 

"No, Dane. You're their 'next.' If they were... Well, you'd know. You'd feel it." His expression wavers. "Wouldn't you?"

Dane shakes his head. "I don't know, Noah. I've been distracted lately, and... Gods, I don't know."

He covers his face with his hands, and his Fae mate touches his arm, offering gentle strength and support.

Meanwhile, the twins continue to whimper, their strange, mismatched eyes shining with uncertain tears, and I sing to them softly under my breath, hoping to distract them from their parents' distress.

"Down in the meadow, the foxes play,
And if they catch you, they'll take you away.
Little one, little one, cry no more;
the foxes are listening at the door."

It was something my mother would sing to me, I recall, but there's little comfort in the memory. The melody is sweet, though, and with no understanding of the ominous words, the twins quiet at the sound of my voice, turning their bright-eyed attention on me.

I sing as much to soothe myself as to comfort them; for at the news of a fire, my heart nearly froze with fear.

I try to tell myself that it could be an accident — that houses burn — but I know better, and alpha wolves don't just disappear.

The Hunter siblings and their friends continue to speak in low voices, expressing dismay, sympathy and grief. Even if their alphas are unharmed, they've lost their childhood home and everything in it.

"We have to go there," Noah states with quiet composure. "Ambrose and I can—"

"No," Dane interrupts, "I can't leave my territory unguarded. Especially now." He glances at me, and I wonder if the same dark thought that had entered my mind has also visited him. "I need some time to think. Let's all go home for now. Tomorrow... Tomorrow we'll decide what to do."

No one argues, and one by one the guests thank Grace and Chloe for the wonderful meal, and depart in a somber mood.

Monty stays behind to help with the clean-up, and I help as well, carrying dishes inside to the kitchen and drying the ones Grace washes.

No one says much until it's time to leave; then Grace packs up some leftovers for us, and with a final round of hugs (in which I'm somewhat awkwardly included) we depart.