Winter Wolf

Chapter 32

"We have to wait for our scouts to return to make any decisions anyway. And set up a meeting with Rafe and Hutch." Tristan said.

Tristan glanced at his mother. He could see the worry in her.

"I'll send a messenger tonight. See when and where they want to meet." Noah said. Tristan nodded.

"We'll decide what to do from there." Tristan said. He wanted to get out of there and get home. He had no idea if her friend returned. But something about her potentially being alone was bothering him.

He should have sent enforcers there. Tomorrow he'd have some stationed nearby. Just in case. If anything, for peace of mind..

It was making him nervous. Anxious to get back.

"It's late, let's continue this tomorrow." Tristan said as he headed for the door without looking back. No one stopped him.

Tristan made his way back down the path that would take him home, when distant arguing from familiar voices caught his attention. He abruptly stopped. It was dark. They were out in the forest, where there were no houses.

...why were his cousins out there?

He listened hard for a moment.

"-the hell were you thinking?!" Jake snarled.

"Jake?" Tristan shouted. Both went quiet. He glanced down the path that led to Lo, before looking back to the forest

Dammit...

Could anything just go right tonight?

They started heading back toward him, Tristan went to meet them half way, and the moment they came into view, shock hit him hard at seeing the state of them.

"What the hell are you doing?" Tristan growled. Both Jake and Will looked like they'd been physically fighting. He'd never seen them so much as raise their voices to each other...

"Nothing." Jake growled. He looked furious. Tristan looked at Will. His cousin had grown quite a bit. He was taller than Jake now and with his age, he likely wasn't even done growing yet. Will was avoiding his eyes.

"What happened?" Tristan asked furiously. What the hell?

"Nothing." Jake growled and brushed past him back onto the path. He continued on without looking back. Tristan looked at Will expectedly. He rubbed his shoulder awkwardly.

"Just a misunderstanding. Sorry we missed dinner." Will said.

"Doesn't look like a misunderstanding." Tristan began angrily. They couldn't have fighting within their own, not now, of all times. Will stared at him for a moment.

"It's not what it looks like. Okay? Can we just leave it at that?" Will said. Tristan studied his face. He seemed genuinely uncomfortable.

Tris wanted to say no, he really did... but he had somewhere to be.

"Fine..." Tristan said as he turned to keep going. He'd figure it out later, for now he just wanted to get home.

"Don't let Edith see you like that." Tristan growled back at him.

What the hell could have caused that? His cousins were even tempered and rationales males, at least they used to be. Jake was losing that reputation in the last year... but still. That didn't look like a small little scuffle.

His aunt was going to be furious when she found out.

Tristan abruptly stopped again as he approached the house when he caught Emma's scent. He looked back toward the trail, where Jake and Will were arguing wasn't that far back.