“I’m going to check in on her,” Indigo said, pushing past the other female.
She had to stoop low to enter the cave, and the inside wasn’t much better. The cave was small, with only one chamber at the end of a short, narrow passageway. The smell of unwashed sweat made her queasy as she stepped into the room. Coral was lying naked on the bare floor, her body scrunched into the fetal position.
Indigo was at her side in an instant, covering Coral’s trembling form with a pelt. Indigo brushed damp strands of pale blonde hair from her face, and Coral looked up at her through sunken eyes.
“I’m so tired of this,” she said in a dry, scratchy voice.
Indigo noticed that Coral’s lips were cracked, and after a quick search of the room, she found a flask of water. She helped Coral up, supporting her with an arm around her back, and brought the flask to Coral’s mouth. Coral drank eagerly, but when Indigo mentioned getting her some food, Coral retched and then sagged back down onto the floor.
The last time Coral had been fertile, it had been Marl who’d stayed with her and cared for her. Marl had never spoken about it in any great detail, but more than once she’d told Indigo how fortunate she was to not have to go through the thrall. At the time, the comment had seemed ignorant and had upset Indigo a lot, but now she could see what Marl had meant.
“I hate him,” Coral sobbed. “And her. I hate them both.”
Indigo knew that she was referring to Zane and Ginnifer. Coral had been promised to Zane on the day she was born, less than a year after Indigo. If not for Zane falling love with Ginnifer this past spring, Coral probably would have been with Zane this very moment, enjoying the pleasures of the mating thrall, instead of languishing with unspent need.
Indigo wiped sweat from Coral’s forehead with a damp cloth. “It’ll be over soon enough. Is there anything I can get for you?”
Coral didn’t seem to hear her. “This is all because of him. It’s his fault I’m like this.”
“That’s not fair,” Indigo said, wiping Coral’s tear-streaked face. “This was going to happen to you regardless of whether Zane took you as his mate. And you will have a mate eventually, someone who—”
Coral cut her off with another sob, fresh tears welling up in her red-rimmed eyes. “You really don’t know anything, do you?”
“I know that you’re being ungrateful,” Indigo said, tossing aside the cloth.
She instantly felt bad. She didn’t know what Coral was going through, but she knew that it had to be a heck of a lot stronger than the pull that she herself felt towards Sten. And now, she knew exactly what it was like to not be in control of her own body. She picked the cloth back up, and ran it over Coral’s neck. Coral shuddered in response.
“I’m sorry,” Indigo said after a moment. “I should get going.”
She moved to stand, but Coral grasped the hem of Indigo’s dress. “Don’t go.”
As much as she wanted to get back to Sten, Indigo stayed, quietly cleaning Coral and getting her settled onto a makeshift bed. She stayed with her until Coral fell into a fitful sleep. For once, she was able to look at Coral without wishing she could take her place.
* * *
Sten glanced at the overcast sky, and then back at the hill. He had meant it when he’d told Indigo to take her time, and he was thoroughly enjoying the time with Halley, but being apart from Indigo made him feel unsettled.
It had happened earlier as well, when he’d gone to his room to find that she and Halley had already left. He’d gotten an uncomfortable feeling in the pit of his stomach that hadn’t subsided until he’d seen her in the main room. When she’d approach Sylvestre, it had come back twofold, this time accompanied by his enraged wolf. In the instant before he’d gotten a grip on himself, he had never felt more violently possessive of any female in his life.
That should have been a warning that he should take a step back, but instead he had all but invited her to join him in bed tonight.
Halley was sculpting snow into an impressive likeness of a wolf. She had already told him about her week, and they had talked through her concerns about Astrid’s health. After a while, they’d fallen into an easy silence, with Sten occasionally commenting on her work and Halley pausing now and again to smile at him.
After another moment of watching her, he looked towards the hill again. He could hear sounds coming from up there, voices that he couldn’t distinguish. He began drumming his fingers on his thigh.
“Do you like Indigo?” Halley asked.
Sten had been waiting for the question, and he countered with one of his own. “Do you like her?”
Halley didn’t look up from her sculpting, but her lips puckered in concentration. “She’s nice. And she’s friends with the pups from the new pack.”
His lips slanted into a smile. “I do like her, but it’s important to me that you like her as well. Things will be different with her. I want Indigo to spend time with both of us, not just me.”
The details had been only vague, disjointed ideas in his mind, but as soon as he voiced them, they made perfect sense to him.
“Will she stay here when you’re away?”
“Most likely, yes.”
“Will she sleep in our room?”
“Do you want her to?”
She paused before replying. “I think so. Astrid doesn’t sleep in our room now that Uncle Erik is back. I liked sleeping next to her. She’s very warm.” Another pause. “Is Indigo going to be your mate?”
He knew she was asking if he and Indigo would have pups, and so he told her no. The one time she’d expressed interest in having a sibling, Sten had not been ready to even contemplate taking another mate, and he had reacted poorly. She had not brought the subject up again, though she lacked the subtlety to hide her desire to be a sister. Hopefully, having the other pups around would be enough to satisfy her.
“Can I have a mate one day?”
Sten grinned. “Perhaps. Do you have someone in mind?”
Halley made a point not to look at him. “There was a boy I saw yesterday… He was very handsome.”
Sten relaxed a little. He was unaccustomed to having other pups around the den, and it reminded him that Halley had missed out several social milestones, such as her first crush. He imagined most fathers would find such a thing objectionable, but he was glad she had the opportunity to experience such things with others her own age.
His conversation with his daughter gave Sten a lot to think about, and he was still deep in thought when he saw Indigo trudging down the hill. She was beautiful, even with that grim look on her face.
Certainly not my own age. But at this point, could it really be helped?
“Is everything all right?” he asked.
She shook her head. “I don’t like this. The way everyone’s handling Coral, it’s not right. I’m going to have to have a talk with Zane.” She twisted her hair around a finger. “Not that he doesn’t have enough to worry about as it is.”
“What’s wrong?” Halley asked, meeting Indigo at the foot of the hill.
“My friend isn’t feeling well,” Indigo told her. “But don’t worry, she’ll be better soon.”
Sten liked that she didn’t dismiss Halley’s question, and he took notice of the easy way they spoke to one another. Halley had always been quick to attach herself to females, but just as quick to shut them out if they showed signs of being disingenuous.
Sten shifted and carried them both to the den on his back. He would have liked for them to walk the short distance, but there was too much to be done at the den, especially if he wanted to spend an undisturbed evening with Indigo.
Chapter 18
Indigo parted ways with Sten when they arrived back at the den. He didn’t say where he was going, but a few minutes after they arrived in the main room, she saw him leave the den again, this time with a group of males.
He had told her that she could leave Halley with a female named Malina, but as soon as Indigo suggested it to Halley, s
he made a pouty face and asked if Indigo could take her to play with the other pups. After a quick trip to Sten’s room, they headed to the upper chambers in clean, dry clothing.
It was her first glimpse of the place where most of her pack mates were residing. Instead of one long hallway like in the Siluit den, the upper consisted of a half dozen passageways, all narrow and winding, with the rooms spaced far apart. The area was faintly illuminated by blue light from above ground, negating the need for torches and lamps during the day, but there was a bitterly cold draft that seemed to sweep through every few minutes.
There were enough rooms for everyone to sleep in small groups of two and three, but most of the wolves had converged in five larger chambers. Boaz speculated that they’d probably spread out more once their irritation with one another outweighed their discomfort over being in a strange den.
Boaz and Tallow shared a room with the pups, a wide chamber that was sectioned into two layers, a low area where the pups played and socialized during the day, and a high loft with scattered pallets for sleeping.
To Indigo’s surprise, Tallow was out of the den, and had gone hunting with some of the Amarok betas. As much as she hated Henna and her friends, she got along quite well with the beta males. Boaz told her this with no small amount of bitterness in his tone. While Halley wrestled with Wyatt and Piper, Indigo spent a long time gently reassuring Boaz that big, muscular males were not Tallow’s type.
It had just gotten dark enough to light a couple lanterns when her other pack mates finally noticed that she was back. One by one, they came to her with requests, starting with one of Reed’s friends. His back had been giving him a lot of trouble since the trip, and he wanted to know if she could do something to ease his joint pain.
She’d had to go down to Astrid’s room to get her medical bag. The prospect of seeing Erik again had her stomach in knots, but when she arrived, they were both gone. After gathering up her supplies, she headed back toward the upper chambers.
After tending to Reed, Indigo found herself going back and forth between the rooms, mending wounds and answering questions about coughs and headaches. It was rare that there was so much to do, but the journey had been hard on everyone, and rationed food had done little to boost health.
It was late by the time she managed to slip away, and as much as she wanted to collect Halley and go spend time with Sten, she had to check on Ginnifer first. She and Zane were the only ones who were sleeping in their own room. Their eyes were both closed when Indigo peeked in. They laid side by side, Zane’s body curved around his mate’s, with his hand resting on her belly.
She was about to leave, when Zane’s eyes cracked open. He lifted a finger to her, and then carefully detached himself from Ginnifer without rousing her from sleep. Pulling a pelt over himself, he got up and met Indigo outside of the room.
“How’s she doing?” Indigo asked.
Earlier, when they’d been tending to Astrid, Indigo had noticed Ginnifer wincing a few times. When pressed, Ginnifer had brushed it off as Luken kicking her ribs. She’d sounded convincing, but she was a fairly good liar, so Indigo had her doubts.
“Uncomfortable and trying to hide it, as usual,” Zane said, confirming her suspicions.
“Do you want me to examine her?”
He paused thoughtfully, but then shook his head. “No, she needs sleep right now. Be here first thing in the morning, though.”
She nodded, trying not to show her disappointment. So much for sleeping in with Sten.
“There is something I need to talk to you about,” she said.
Zane gave her a flat stare as he massaged his jaw. “I already know what you’re going to say.”
She folded her arms under her breasts. “Oh?”
“You slept in Sten’s room last night, didn’t you? And you’re wearing one of his pelts today. If you came to ask my permission, it’s a little late.”
Indigo gaped at him. “I didn’t come to ask your permission to do anything. Your opinion has no bearing on my sex life.”
“I’ve never interfered with any of your relationships in the past—”
“You’ve interfered with every single one!”
“—but this is a completely different situation. Erik has agreed to let us stay longer, but we won’t be here permanently. Once the winter is over, I intend to find us a new den, and I don’t want you getting too attached to any of the Amarok wolves.”
As angry as she was, Indigo also felt a sliver of guilt. Eventually—soon—she’d have to tell him that she wasn’t going to leave with Siluit. She belonged with Sten, and she couldn’t leave him, especially not now that he was warming up to her.
“I wasn’t going to discuss my relationship,” she said, putting deliberate emphasis on the last word. “I wanted to talk to you about Coral.”
Zane listened as she told him of her visit to Coral earlier in the day. She left out the part where Coral had mentioned hating him, and focused on the poor care she was receiving and how it was apparent that she was suffering.
“Even if it only happens once a year, she shouldn’t have to go through it again,” Indigo said. “I don’t know if we should send her back to Sedna, or help her to find a mate here, but I definitely don’t think that it’s fair to control her like this.”
“I’ll speak with the others and think on it,” Zane said.
Indigo hadn’t expected him to come to a decision quickly. There was no easy solution that she could see either. If they sent Coral back to Sedna, they’d be handing her over to a family that would use her as a pawn. If they kept her in Siluit, she’d end up mated to Roch or Kuva, which would mean losing one of the beta males. Shifter males tended to become aggressive and resistant to authority after taking a mate. Only the meekest of males would be willing to be ordered around by an alpha when he was responsible for a mate of his own.
After giving Zane a quick goodbye and a promise to check on Ginnifer in the morning, she left before he could bring up Sten again. When she arrived at Boaz’s room, the pups were all asleep. She grinned when she saw Halley, a slender brown wolf in a torn blue dress, dozing with sleeping pups on either side of her.
Tallow was back. Laying on the bed with Maia sleeping on her chest, she stroked the pup’s back and softly hummed a tune. She acknowledged Indigo’s presence with a tight-lipped frown, that turned into a scowl as soon as Indigo started talking to Boaz.
“Do you mind if Halley stays here for the night?” she asked.
Boaz looked up from cleaning his camera. “Not at all. She’s actually been a pretty big help today. She’s independent, polite, and best of all, Jada listens to everything she says like it’s gospel. I’d have her here every day if I could.”
She felt a little nervous about leaving Halley with Boaz. She knew he and Tallow would look after her, the same as they would with any of the pups, but she wasn’t sure if Sten would approve of her leaving his daughter with her pack mates. She would have to find a way to smooth it over, and she was certain that by the end of the night, he’d be glad that they were alone.
Sten’s room was still empty when she arrived. It felt strange being there alone, surrounded by his and Halley’s things, but it wasn’t unpleasant. She took one of the pelts from the couch and lifted it to her nose. Her body warmed as she inhaled his scent.
She put her bag down beside the couch and lit the candles on the table. As much as she wanted to snoop through Sten’s things, he had a habit of sneaking up on her and she didn’t want to be caught. Instead, she busied herself with tidying up. Halley’s room was particularly messy, not dirty, but cluttered with toys and clothes that hadn’t been put away.
Indigo saved Halley’s bed for last. Making their beds had always been one of her favorite things to do for the pups. She enjoyed organizing things, but there was something particularly satisfying about smoothing out a pup’s bed furs, fluffing their pillows, and laying their favorite stuffed toy on top of the pallet. She wasn’t sure which of the myriad stuff
ed animals Halley liked best, so she went with the one that appeared the most worn.
As she was standing up from the bed, she caught sight of herself in the mirror. She ran her fingers over her freckled cheeks and traced the line of her jaw. She had always thought she was fairly pretty. Sure, the males didn’t flock to her, but that was Zane’s fault. And, if she was being honest with herself, her own personality had been overbearing at times. It probably still was.
Her fingers trailed over her breasts. They were small, not like the little bumps on Lake’s chest, but certainly nothing close to what Kya or Ginnifer had. She didn’t think they would even fill Sten’s big hands.
Her hand stopped on her abdomen. Would she be able to carry Sten’s pups? Would he even want her to? She wasn’t sure she wanted to know the answer to that. If he said yes and she wasn’t able to, it would be all the more painful. She let her hand fall to the side.
* * *
“Are you good now?” Sten asked, licking the blood from his lip.
Sylvestre thumbed a deep cut on his cheek and grinned. “You aren’t usually such a bastard.”
The snow that they stood in had been violently upheaved from their sparring, and Sten could see dark places where it was stained by blood. He had fought more aggressively than usual, though it was only in response to Sylvestre’s own heightened aggression. He’d merely been matching the other male blow for blow.
They were both sweating, despite the cold. It felt good to be overheated, but Sten knew it wouldn’t last. Any moment now, the frigid winds would turn sweat to ice on his human skin.
He stretched his arms out and cracked his knuckles. “Who did you spar with while I was gone? Beau?”
Sylvestre was brushing the snow from his pelt. “I love Beau like a brother, but I don’t trust him not to try to fuck me.”
Sten rolled his eyes. “Ciel, then?”
Sylvestre nodded. “He was a poor substitute for you. I know he won’t kill me, so it’s just not the same.”
Chasing the Alpha: Shifters of Nunavut, Book #3 Page 15
