Under the Skin

Chapter 6

Preparing the meat was one of the main occupations of the pack during winter, along with making clothes. Hunting was also important, but it was a task that wasn't given to everybody because the pack had to keep strong able bodied warriors to protect the pack in case of an attack, and so those who wanted to hunt had to prove themselves once they became mature enough.

The smell of blood and seasoning hung in the air of the meat house, but the open windows which were close to the ceiling provided a slight draft. 

Zoe told Jonah that the smell was even worse during summer because of the heat. However, when the warm season arrived, the pack relied mostly on the crops they harvested in the fields they had around the camp. 

Overall, Jonah enjoyed his time there. He listened to Zoe talk about important members of the pack, as well as different traditions they had depending on the season and the occasion. The boy was also happy to help as much as he could, because it gave him a sense of purpose. 

The day passed quickly like this, and soon enough everyone who was working began to store the rest of the salted meat in the storage outside and cleaned up their working area. 

Jonah went inside the storage, placing the last piece of meat he had salted on one of the designated shelves.

"Hey! You there!" 

Jonah jumped slightly as he turned towards the voice. He saw a man with a gruff beard, who shoved what appeared to be the skinned leg of a deer in a man's chest before approaching him with determination and his fists clenched in anger. 

"You're the rogue who attacked my mate!" Before Jonah could even say a word, the man was onto him. He threw a solid punch to his face, making Jonah fall to the ground.

Alec did intend to hurry back to Jonah as soon as he was done talking to Moira, but as he walked outside he saw some packmates who were busy renovating their cabin. They were struggling to carry several heavy logs, so Alec rushed over to help them. However, what started as a quick affair turned into a few hours since he ended up helping them some more.

He was just starting to make his way towards the meat house when he heard commotion coming from there. He got into a jog to see what was happening. As soon as he got close he saw someone beating up another person while the people around tried to restrain him. It was only when he realized the person being hit was his mate that he went into a rage. 

He grabbed the man throwing punches by the collar and threw him onto the ground. He tried to stand up again but Alec held him down and snarled at his face. 

"Stay. Down." Alec was struggling to reign in his wolf that begged to be let out and make the man bleed. 

"No! He attacked my mate! he should be killed for what he did!" It was then that Alec recognized him as Eric, the husband of the woman who Jonah had attacked when he came into the territory. 

Just then, he felt a hand grab his shoulder and push him back as Zoe came into view. She helped Eric stand up before turning to Alec. 

"I'll take him to Thomas, go help your mate." Two other wolves joined them as Zoe escorted him away. Alec turned and went to kneel beside his mate, who appeared to be unconscious. His nose looked broken and he had other contusions on his face. Alec felt his heart clenched at the sight of his mate in this state. 

He scooped Jonah in his arms and began walking to the healer's tent.