Puffs of snow are kicked into the air, breaking apart to fall as flacks back to the ground. The snows hard packed on the patrol routes, and Kiera’s paws only sink half an inch into the cold powder. Heat radiates onto Kiera’s side, where Chase runs dutifully, careful not to run ahead of her.
It seemed Kiera had only been home ten minutes when Jordan had shown up. Kiera had a double shift of patrols tonight, along with an extra four over the week than any of the other young wolves, except Romy. She and Alex also had more than was meant. Because of her lack of obeisance and respect.
Kiera found it extra annoying when Kiera and Romy had been separated as patrolling partners, now, Chase runs beside her.
Kiera slows, watching her breath turn white in front of her face. At a slow trot the pair continues to walk, not even bothering to scan the walls.
‘I’m so hungry’Chase thinks bluntly. Kiera bristles at the whine in his voice. ‘Is it change over time yet?’ Kiera shakes her head, probably looking ridiculous. Chase lets of whine, nudging Kiera’s side with his nose. ‘You’re really quiet. Talk to me.’
Kiera flickers her ears back at Chase, even though there’s no use. Turning her head slightly, she glances at him. He almost blends into the snows, only his honeycomb eyes stand out, a complete opposite to her. The only thing she can blend into is soot, and even than her lighter markings may give her away. Her grey eyes almost blend into her fur, too light to seem almost black, too light to blend into the snow. ‘What do you want me to say?’ Kiera asks as she turns away. Sunlight flashes through the leaves, dappling the snow in grey and shiny white.
‘I don’t know…tell me about your family? What are they like’
‘Werewolves,’ Kiera says bluntly.
‘What?’
‘They’re like werewolves’
Chase snorts, nudging her harder with his nose. ‘Haha, very funny. Give me more info, like… how many siblings do you have? What are their names, ages? What’s the craziest thing they’ve ever done?’
‘You’re nosey’ Kiera throws at Chase, only joking. She slaps him with her tail, and growls when he nudges her again.
‘No, not nosey. It’s called a conversation. If this was a test, you’d get an F, by the way. So I’ll start than, miss keeps-to-herself. I’m an only child-shocker, I know. My dad was killed two years after I was born, they didn’t want to have another child until I was a few years older. Didn’t happen.’
Kiera frowns and stops, waiting for Chase to be standing beside her before she continues walking. He doesn’t fall back again. ‘What about the boy I saw at you’re house the other day’
Chase shakes out his pelt, sending little droplets of water all over. Kiera growls. ‘You mean Carter? Remember when Tristan and Ally died… 3 years ago now? They had a few kids, Carter was one of them. Jordan asked if mum could take in Carter, the others were being shared between other families.’
‘Why didn’t they all go the same home?’
Chase shakes his head. ‘I guess because it would be a bit of a pain looking after four children who aren’t your own. It would be hard having children of your own when you already have some…’ Chases throughs drift. Kiera pauses, wondering what Chase is thinking. Worry curls in her stomach, but Chase doesn’t ask what she fears.
‘Carter was four when he came to us; I remember hating him so much for a while. I think it was because he seemed to get more attention that me’ Chase hangs his head, muzzle vertical. ‘But…only a week or two with him living with us mum and I had a fight about him. I didn’t want him there, and I ended up shifting accidently, and went outside to sulk. A minute later, Carter waddles out and sits down right in front of me, in the snow, naked. And he sat there a whole minute looking at me, a big goofy grin on his face, until finally, still smiling, he said his bottom was cold.’ The laughter in Chase’s thoughts is almost contagious. ‘Than he tried to climb on top of me and ride me like a horse. I’m pretty sure I had bruises on my ribs for a week.’
Kiera finds herself grinning as much as a wolf can anyway. Unconsciously she moves closer to Chase, until the fur of their shoulders brush. Suddenly Chase halts, and Kiera does too. His eyes lock onto Kiera’s, studying her like a foreign language needing translating. ‘What?’ Kiera asks, nervously flicking her ears around in case a Revoker had snuck up on them without her noticing. She hears nothing but the normal sounds of the wolf community.
‘You surprise me, is all’ Chase voice is low, almost like a whisper.
Kiera pulls away, taken aback by his tone. When Chase says nothing else for a minute she straightens and shakes out her coat, as if it can shake away the awkwardness. ‘Let’s get a move on.’
A lick of cold air rushes over Kiera as she takes off in a run, her muscles working effortlessly under her think pelt. Warmth floods over her skin as she moves, but a second warmth passes over her side, this one nothing to do with the running.
Chase’s paws are almost silent in the snow, as if a ghost is running beside her. ‘You don’t like compliments, do you?’
Kiera pretends she didn’t hear him. He doesn’t ask again.
“You hungry?” Bree asks as Kiera barges through the door, naked and shivering.
“Yeah. Let me get dressed first.”
“There’s a toasted sandwich here when you want it.”
Kiera walks through the house quickly, wanting a woolly jumper and tracky’s. The bathroom door swings open, a rectangle of light climbing the wall. “Turn off the light Hunter” Keira calls, not even bothering to look at the kid.
“Ew! Boobies” Hunter complains. The light flicks off.
“Oh, shut up. You’re going to love ‘boobies’ one day” she calls back as she enters her bedroom.
“No I won’t. Only girls have boobies, and that’s because they like them. And I don’t like boobies, so I won’t get them,” Hunter says from the hallway.
“Really? And who told you that?” Kiera opens a draw, ploughing through it for something warm.
“Mum”
Kiera grins. “Mum’s not always right you know. Besides, how do you know you won’t like boobies when you grow up?”
“Because, boobies are weird”
Grabbing a jumper off the floor, she opens the door. “Fair enough. Besides, they always get in the way”
As soon as the jumpers over Kiera’s head, Hunter grabs her hand. “Mum says that guys don’t like boobies, they like ass instead”
“Hunter!” Kiera shouts, almost laughing.
Hunter just looks up with big, innocent eyes. “Mum said that’s why girls get big ass’s, because men like them”
Kiera glares at Bree when she walks into the kitchen. “I hear you’ve been poisoning this little boys mind. He’s going to grow up gay now,” Kiera lifts the kid onto a stool. She grabs her sandwich, watching her mother’s grin. “You should be ashamed of yourself.”
“He won’t grow up gay, and besides, he has a right to know.” Bree defends.
“What’s gay?” Hunter asks.
“Boys” Kiera says simply, not bothering to elaborate, before turning to her mother. “He has a right to know lies? A girls gonna hit on his and he’s gonna lift his hand all sassy like and say ‘no, you got boobies, I don’t like boobies’.”
Bree grins.
“What does sassy mean?” Hunter mumbles around a sandwich.
“Get a dictionary. You don’t even feel a little bit of guilt do you, mum? Try explain to the Alcrest’s why you’re son doesn’t like girls-hey! That’s my sandwich!” Kiera snitches the sandwich off Hunter who grins cutely. “You little shit” she mumbles, taking the ¾ of a sandwich away from the hungry twerp.
No sooner had she taken a bite than the door swings open.
“Hey Bree, Hunter,” Cody greets.
“Hey guys” Bree grins. “Been a while since I saw you, Kadar”
Kiera almost chokes on her sandwich. She spins around, frowning at the pair standing in the doorway. Kadar’s shirt must have been abducted by aliens, because she can’t think of any plausible reason for one not to be on his chest. Unlike Chase, Kadar had abs. “Nice to see you again, Bree.”
Turning away, Kiera pretends to gag at her mother who winks at her face making.
“Kadar,” Hunter pipes up, turning around to eye him. “Do you like boobies?”
Kiera doesn’t see Kadar expression, but she does see Bree shaking her head furiously behind Hunter.
“Ugh…no mate. Boobies suck” he says evenly.
“See,” Hunter says haughtily to Kiera. “Mum was right, guys don’t like boobies”
She rolls her eyes. “Whatever, Mr Know-It-All.” Kiera turns around to ask Cody why she was here, but Hunter beats her too it.
“Do you ass?”
Kadar laughs, and surprising everyone, grabs Cody’s butt. “Of course. Don’t you, little man?”
Keira can’t help think the difference between Cody and Romy. Cody hardly seems fazed, like Kadar grabs her ass every day. If it were Romy, Bree would need to buy new glass for a window.
Hunter makes a face.
“You coming to the party tonight?” Cody jumps in, pushing her hands into her jeans front pockets. Kadar’s hands seem to have taken up residence in her back pockets.
“Party? Didn’t know there was one” Kiera admits, polishing off her sandwich. Bree turn away to do the dishes.
“Yeah, bonfire and all” Cody yawns.
“Nah, I think I’m gonna crawl under my bed for the night and sleep til next week. It’s too cold outside.”
“Oh, come on, Kiera. It’s a party, the first party for us. We’re adults now. Don’t you wanna get a little drunk and get laid? Or are you scared you’re mummy will say no?” Kadar probs.
Annoyance bristles over her skin, and a lick of fire smoulders through her body. An awakening of the wolf, but she ignores the call, the temptation and anger. “I am not scared. She doesn’t even care.” Bree nods. “And no, I don’t feel like getting drunk or laid”
“Chase’s a dud, huh?” Kadar laughs. “Knew that wimp would be”
“Rich, coming from you” Kiera snarls. She stands up, crossing her arms over her chest. “I think it’s best if you leave, Ka-dud, we’ve got more important things to do than chit chat with a puppy who yapps and can’t even nip.”
Kadar glares. “If you wanna know what a real mans like, Kiera, crawl into my bed anytime; cause Chase-his-tail, doesn’t know what a real mans like; even if one hit him in the face with a sledge hammer.” And then he walks out of the house, slamming the door closed behind him.
Cody smiles apologetically. “Jordan’s been riding on his shoulders a lot. Can you think about going?”
Kiera shrugs. “Yeah, but I doubt I’ll go.”
Cody sighs. “That’s all I’m asking.”
“Is Romy going?”
Cody chuckles. “Nah, she and Alex have patrol this evening. When she found out about the party she almost broke her counter in half, than nearly threw Alex through the window for laughing. Good thing he knows how to duck. I’ll see you around.” The door closes behind to blond quietly.
Kiera turns to her mum, raising her eyebrows.
“Poor Romilda” Bree laughs.
“You mean ‘Poor Alex’”
Bree grins at her daughter. “I wouldn’t worry about him”
“Why?” Kiera stretches, watching Hunter trying to sneak something from the cupboard.
“Let’s just say the Alcrest’s know who to put together to bring out the best outcomes. Although, that Romy is a bit of a wild card…Alex should ground her, but that’s not always the case. Some just...aren’t meant to be tamed. Hunter, get out of the cupboard this second or I’ll cut off your finger”
“Aw” hunter groans. “You’re mean”
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