Media Citation: Pooja Design Rooms - Plybasket. 2018, https://plybasket.com/pooja-design-rooms/.
Chapter 33
"Found it!"
Eamonn and I both look up from the shrubs and at Addison. She plucks the herb we are looking for and holds it up. The yellow and fleshy plant is unmistakably roseroot alright.
"Good job, Addy!" I call to her. She scampers over while Eamonn sighs loudly. "What's up?"
He shrugs, "I don't know. I just thought that I would be better at finding herbs than Addy."
I grin at the pouty kid, "Sorry, nene. Being a lycanthrope doesn't trump years of being the Healer's kid."
He narrows his eyes at me. But when I poke his nose with a sprig of wild geraniums, he giggles. Just then, Addy joins us and stuffs several bunches of roseroot into the basket I'm carrying.
In celebration of Mabon, the autumn equinox, Nancy and Mallory are leading a ritual with the other pack healers today and tonight. Having another experienced Pack Healer like Mallory means that Nancy can do a far more elaborate ritual. They'll also be performing smaller observances over the pack members that requested their services.
I'm learning a lot about faith from Adrian, but it was Mallory who taught me a lot about the religion the Wolves follow. What I didn't learn from her, I had learnt from staying with Rachel and Jace and Aiden. My understanding is that The Order are the contacts to the Goddesses—the direct lines of communication. They are revered and respected even among the less religious packs, purely because they hold a special standing in the pack hierarchy.
But the religion itself is more like a pagan religion like Wicca or the Greek religions. The Wolves celebrate numerous holidays throughout the year in honor of their goddesses. The equinoxes and solstices usually call for large gatherings and ceremonies like the Diurnal healers are holding.
However, there are little things that regular Wolves do to worship their deities. From what I can tell, no one but the Healers and Priestesses practice something akin to witchcraft—something Nancy often refers to as manipulating Nature (instead of magic). But I often see Wolves praying to The Moon. On Full Moons, the packs all shift and go for a hunt. All the athames that Cynbel had made and sold had been carved with blessings and prayers so that regular Wolves can use them.
Both Breccia and Diurnal seem to be more religious, whereas packs like Palus aren't. Jace always told me that his mother's birthpack, Ameku, is stauncher. So it stands to reason that like most countries, every pack have a different level of faith.
These large ceremonies and rituals call for most of the herbs to be used up from the stocks in storage, so I had taken the kids with me to help restock. We've been out here for hours, but I don't mind and neither do the kids. It's been a relief to step away from the seriousness of my research and analysing, especially with Mallory breathing down my neck.
She has been giving me the stink eye ever since she found out that Adrian had taken me to the forest for a fighting lesson. She had even gone as far to specially request that he no longer take me—"She needs to train, but not in combat, Alpha."
The sun is high in the sky, and I suspect these two are getting hungry, "Let's head back to the truck. Eat those sandwiches Kiana made."
"Yes!" Addison runs ahead, her blond hair streaming behind her. She doesn't even look like she is running; more like she is gliding across the grassland like a spirit.
"We should make sure she doesn't go too far," I take Eamonn's hand and run ahead with him.
When we make it back to the truck, my stomach is growling with hunger. I set the basket of herbs in the Nancy's truck bed with the ones we had filled earlier.
"Here we go," I pass Addison the lunches and help Eamonn up onto the tailgate where we are both sitting.
"Kiana makes the best food," Eamonn tucks into his sandwich right away. His cheeks are pouched out and his nose twitches as he eats, like a bunny.
He and Addison are chatting away merrily. I eat quietly and let my mind wander. All this time, I have been bombarded with mystery and horror and confusion. It's hard to just...let go. But here, in the backdoor of Alaska, my thoughts go to sleep. I can just sit back and enjoy the beauty around me without feeling like I have to glance over my shoulder.
Steph is sitting in the grass with Cynbel. I can only see them when a cloud passes over the sun, or at nighttime...but it's reassuring to see them again. After my vision with Zemira, I was afraid that I had lost my ability to see the dead. But all I needed was rest...
My sister looks up at me and smiles that great, big grin that always used to brighten my day. I smile back at her as the sun washes her away. She's still there though...watching over us.
For the first time in a long time, I feel at peace.
"Amelia," Addison finishes chewing the food in her mouth before continuing, "Are you going to be attending the ritual tonight?"
"No. I'm afraid I wouldn't know what I would be doing," I smile, unsurprised that she asked. Given the nature of my training with her mother, it's only natural that Nancy's family knows who I am. But I trust them to keep my secret, along with Adrian and Eamonn. "How about you?"
She smirks, "Why would I go to the ritual?"
I raise an eyebrow at her, "I thought you would know what you're doing. You know quite a lot of the things your Mom does, and you seem to enjoy it."
"I don't want to be a Healer," She laughs, "I want to become the pack's greatest Hunter."
Every pack has Sentries—they are the Wolves who permanently stay on patrol duty and guard the territory borders. But the Hunters of the pack are the ones who track and hunt down wanted Wolves of the pack, including Rogues and pack criminals. They're more advanced than Trackers. They also are the ones who lead the Full Moon runs alongside the Alpha and Beta.
"Well, you have the nose for it," I wink, and she grins widely.
"I want to be just like my Da!" Eamonn exclaims, "He says that I'll be a good Alpha. And he's already teaching me—that's why I come with him on his trips sometimes. He also shows me his paperwork and has me learn all about the packs and allies we have!"
"It'd be cool. When you're Alpha then I'll be your Hunter of the central settlement," Addison's words make Eamonn's cheek go bright red. She looks up at me and smiles cheekily, "Amelia, you can be our Luna until Eamonn finds his."
I blanch, "No—where the hell did you get that idea?"
She shrugs, "You and the Alpha are always planning stuff in his office. And you two are already friends, which is what my Mom says is the most important thing. It would be funny! Mac would get his pants in such a knot—"
"Well then I guess it's good thing that Alpha Adrian and I are just that—friends," I clear my throat, unable to shake off Mallory's words from the other day. I glance at Eamonn and say quietly, "I'm only here for a short time."
Eamonn nods and smiles, "Da explained it to me. You won't be here for long. But he said that months ago...so maybe you could stay longer."
Fuck, what am I doing? I understand why everyone has been acting like this. Adrian and I spend a lot of time together...and our friendship is beginning to feel a lot more than what it was supposed to be. And I should keep my distance, just like he tries to. Get it together, Amelia...
I'm finished with my lunch, and I hurry them into the truck. We've found everything we could, and I want to go back. The two kids don't seem to notice how disturbed I am by their words and joke among one another all the way home.
Home. I shake my head and correct myself. This is not my home. This is not someplace I will be staying for no more than a couple seasons. Like everything else, my time at Diurnal and with Eamonn and Addison and Adrian will soon pass.
Even if I don't want it to.
+ + +
Behind you. It's Stephanie's voice.
A pair of large hands take the box of sheets I'm reaching for. I turn around and am face-to-face with a rugged, stocky man with a huge beard. He smiles at me and hands me the basket without a word.
"Thank you," I call out as he carries on down the hallway. He disappears into a double-doored room that I've come to recognize as one of the meeting rooms for the pack leaders and ranked Wolves.
Nancy rounds the corner and lights up, "Ah, I see that Beta Nate just passed through. And you have the sheets! Take them to Holly—she'll know how to set them up for the ritual."
"You guys seem to have a lot of Betas," I comment as I gather the other items I would be taking to the Healers. Candles, spindles of cotton, and a rake to gather some leaves. "Kiana, Mac, Nate...Annika and the Mount Logan Betas..."
She nods, "Yes, I suppose we do compared to most packs. Breccia only has one because Beta Tara passed on—but we're far too large to only have one Beta pair anyways. But Kiana and Mac are our highest-ranking Betas—Primera Betas if you want to use the official term, though it's rarely used nowadays."
"I thought I heard my lovely Nancy," Beta Nate appears again. He sweeps Nancy up in his arms and presses his cheek to hers, "How is my darling sister-in-law?"
"Heavy as a house and tired as a worn-out shoe," She laughs.
"Ah, I was wandering if you had put on a couple extra pounds," He only chuckles when she swats him. As he sets her down on her feet, he glances at me, "You must be the little female that's got Mac all twisted up."
"That'd be me," I sigh. It's incredibly uncomfortable that everyone is aware just how much their Beta hates me. "Though I usually go by Amelia."
He smirks, "Beta Nate. I watch over the Black Moon Settlement."
I stare blankly at him while Nancy explains, "We have a large expanse of territory. Alpha Adrian split it up into eleven settlements—with a Beta in charge of each—to better manage it. Black Moon is our neighbor to the north, along with the Northern Settlement and the Yukon Settlement."
"Which are we in?"
"Ganymede Settlement," Beta Nate takes the boxes from my hands and sets them down. He then braces his hands on my shoulders and steers me towards the meeting room, "I can't believe they haven't given you the grand tour yet—how long have you been here now?"
"Since the end of June," I dig my heels in as we approach the double-doors, "I don't think I'm allowed in there—"
"If you're what the Alpha says you are then you are allowed to go wherever you choose," He chuckles, but quickly catches the look of complete shock written on my face, "Oh. I thought he told you that he told all his Betas of who you were. Oops."
Before I can protest any further, he leads me into the room and up to the table. Beta Annika is there alongside another female, who both nod at me. I stammer over a greeting while Beta Nate marches over to a massive map strung up across the wall opposite the door.
It's a world map, but packs borders are drawn in place of countries. Not all the spots are filled by territories, which have been filled in with black. Human populations.
But I'm astounded by the number of Wolf packs across the world. Diurnal is among the largest. Prometheus, which covers most of Russia, and Callisto which was the whole of Australia, are among the others.
Diurnal is split up into further divisions. The settlements are all labelled.
"Take a good, long look at that while I help Nancy with those boxes," He pats me on the shoulder, "You should know your way around, girlie, if you don't want to get too lost. Something tells me your Wolf's internal compass is shot after being locked up your whole life."
"I don't know—she's pretty competent compared to me," I murmur as I stare at the vast expanse of land. Black Moon Settlement was about a quarter the size of the Ganymede Settlement, which spread from the western border of Alaska to the Yukon border of Canada.
There are several territories with pretty obvious names—the Northern, Southern, Eastern, and Western Settlements. Others are named off of location, like the Yukon Settlement and the Aleutian Islands Settlement. But there are also ones like the Ogilvie Settlement and—interestingly enough—the Hecate Straight Settlement. I smile and take note...
My fingers float down to Heceta Beach. I trace the border of Breccia and stop where my hometown is. My chest feels tight and tears prickle my nose the longer I stare. I wonder about how Young-Jae and Richard are doing—how the ballet studio is fairing. How did the house look...and had anyone visited my family's graves?
Before I look away from the map myself, I'm torn away from it by another large set of hands. I yelp as I crash into the long table where Annika and the other Beta sit. Mac looms over me with fumes coming out his ears.
"You shouldn't be in here," He seethes, "You shouldn't be looking at that map, lass—why are you?"
"Beta Nate brought me in—"
"Then you should have gone right back out as soon as he left," He takes a step towards me and I scramble across the tabletop, "You don't have our trust yet—you don't have the right or the rank to be snooping on our plans—"
"I wasn't!" My feet touch the ground and I begin to shuffle away from the furious Beta, "I'm sorry, Mac—"
His growl cuts me off. Annika and the other Betas stand up with raised hackles. My skin tightens and my claws push through my fingers involuntarily. I feel my blood pressure rise as I realize that these Betas will side with the higher-ranking Beta. They'll stand by him, which means I'm not just against one Beta. I'm up against several.
But just as the tension is about to snap in a violent torrent, Beta Nate walks in with Nancy beside him. He takes one look at me and charges over, "Time to go, girlie."
I don't need anymore encouragement. And neither does Mac. He seems to agree entirely and snatches me up into his grasp. I think he meant to grab my arm, but I duck and he ends up digging his fingers into the back of my neck. A familiar pain blooms from my muscles and my thoughts darken. Instantly, I seize up and snarl loudly.
"Don't touch me!" I spin on my heel and swipe his cheek before I can think better. Red, swelting lines from my claws mark his cheeks. But thankfully, he isn't bleeding. I'd be dead if he was.
I hold my hands to my chest and bow my head. My heart is racing so fast that I can barely breathe. I want to scream but I'm too scared. What if I lose it—what if I hurt them?
My hand floats up to my neck and I brush my fingers against the pressure point. Everyone is standing still...silent...tense.
"What the hell is going on in here?" Adrian storms in with an irritated growl. He takes it all in, but I quickly escape before the situation escalates further.
"I'm sorry," I bow to Mac before I flee.
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