Chasing Tails (Original)

41. Returning

Julie woke up the next morning to a lot of yelling going on downstairs. She threw her legs over Sheila's bed and grabbed the clothes she had stashed from Dresden's room. She got into the shower and then changed, brushing her teeth and hair before leaving to see what all of the noise was about.

In the living room was most of her pack. All of the mothers, some of their daughters included, were working away in the kitchen. They entered the living room and dining room and then returned to the kitchen, carrying plates full of food back and forth. Part of the pack was sitting in the living room, laughing and joking with each other. In the back corner, another part was playing a game of poker on the ground. In the dining room, many more were eating and laughing loudly. Kids ran around the pack house, chasing each other and screaming playfully. In the backyard, a game of football was going on. It seemed Julie slept through breakfast.

"What's going on?" She asked Sheila who was licking her fingers clean after eating a plate of chicken wings. Sheila glanced up at her in surprise and smiled widely.

"Julie!" She greeted, giving the Alpha mate a hug. "We're having a before war party. Drinks and food all around!" The room erupted in cheers and howls, everyone laughing as one of them burped loudly.

"I don't understand," Julie stared at them in surprise. She remembered how they were at the party they had before when things were just getting tense. It was unorthodox then to have had a party. But now was most definitely not the time to have a party.

Kris appeared next to her, holding a plate of cold pasta, a burger and some chips. "Think of it as our time to appreciate what we have while we have it. We don't know what's going to happen tomorrow so we're going to spend our time now being as happy as possible." Julie gave her a solemn, sad look and glanced around the room. They didn't know what was going to happen tomorrow. For all she knew, half her pack might end up injured or worse, dead. She knew exactly the kind of power an all Alpha pack had.

"Hey!" Leila appeared, elbowing her hard. "Don't go dying us off when we're right next to you!"

"Yeah, it's not cool." Sheila agreed, handing Julie a ketchup covered french fry. Julie gave her a smile, taking it and eating it.

"Besides, we're strong!" Leila howled, receiving another round of cheers and howls, screaming through the house. Julie laughed, shaking her head in disbelief. She admired her new pack and their ability to let go and enjoy the moment - even if tomorrow would be their last day. None of them seemed afriad. They weren't terrified. They were all smiles and laughs, enjoying themselves and each other. She wished she could be more like them.

"Julie," She looked over, hearing Dresden's voice louder than every other noise. He gave her a gently look from the kitchen and she bit her lip. Half of her wanted to edge closer to him and the other half was frozen, too scared to do anything but answer.

"Yes?"

"Your sister is here." He gestured to the backyard with a scowl on his face. "She wants to talk to you." Julie nodded, making her way around him. He grabbed her arm and her nerves went haywire. She felt hot all of a sudden, her palm sweating and she was relieved he didn't grab it instead. "We need to talk before tomorrow night." 

She stared up at him, his brown eyes looking desperate. His voice was deep but urgent, surprising her. His posture was tense, she could see his muscles straining. His stressed look sent chills over her. His grip was firm on her arm but it wasn't painful. It was almost as if he was trying to hold on, trying to tell her something without words. She stared at him, her heart racing and her mind going blank. Fear started to edge forward and she wondered what he might have to say.

"Sure." He nodded with satisfaction and let her go, gesturing for her to continue. She left and then stopped before entering the living room, looking back. He was talking loudly with some of the other wolves, laughing and joking. His tense posture was gone. She sighed, shaking all of her thoughts away and then turned, nearly running into Phillip.