Chapter 357

Chapter 357

Sebastian nodded, then leaned forward in his chair. “Promise. Besides, there’s something else p>

“Such as p>

“The annual harvest festival is in a few days. The pack members have already begun harvesting the crops and preparing dishes. There will be dancing, music, games… Plenty of stuff for kids and adults to do. The whole pack will be there p>

“I don’t know if something like that would be a good idea for me to attend,” I said.

“Nonsense.” Sebastian stood. “It’ll be a good opportunity for you to mingle with the pack. Same with Bjorn. Then, you can see that the community here is caring, and safe. Even if Gideon somehow found a way onto the pack grounds, the pack wouldn’t let him get away with it p>

The idea still didn’t sit right with me. I knew Gideon a lot better than Sebastian did, and frankly, I thought Sebastian was a little too young and naive. He thought that Gideon was just an old wolf past his prime, but he wasn’t. Really, he’d just reached his prime.

But Bjorn, clearly having overheard the part about the festival, entered the room then with a glass of water in his hand. Water was dribbling down his chin and the front of his shirt.

“Did you say a festival?” he asked. He looked at me. “Can we go, Mom? Please p>

I hesitated, but ultimately, I couldn’t bring myself to say no. I decided to accept, and to trust Sebastian, even if I had a feeling he was wrong.

Later that night, after putting Bjorn to bed, I called Claire to check in on business. She started off by saying that I hadn’t missed much at the office, but then her voice dropped, and so did my stomach.

“Gideon was here,” she said. “Looking for you. Security escorted him out, but I thought you should know p>

“He didn’t hurt anyone, did he p>

There was a pause, then: “Hurt anyone? No! In fact, aside from being rather desperate, he was very polite. He didn’t seem dangerous at all. He just begged to talk to you. He almost looked like he would be willing to get on his knees p>

I blinked at that. I’d expected Gideon to rush into my office guns blazing, taking down anyone in his path who he deemed an obstacle. But Claire described it like he was just my desperate ex, begging to see me.

“Well,” I said, “he can be deceiving. If he shows up again, don’t let him into the building p>

“Alright,” Claire replied. I could hear the disbelief in her tone, but she didn’t press the matter. We talked about standard business for a bit longer before we hung up.

Sleep didn’t come easily that night, but eventually, I managed to doze off without having any strange or

1/2

Chapter 357

640

+25 Bonus

unsettling dreams. I didn’t have any dreams at all, actually; or at least, none that I could remember.

I woke the following morning to the sound of activity outside, and looked out the window to see pack members putting up booths and setting up a stage at the far end of one of the fields. The sun was golden and warm.

After breakfast, Bjorn, Sebastian, and I headed down to the field to check out the festival. The pack was all already there, bustling around with excitement. The air smelled like fried food, sweat, and freshly cut

grass.

Bjorn’s friends spotted him almost immediately and waved him over to join some kind of game that looked like kickball. He looked at me, and I nodded, watching as he raced off to play with them.

Sebastian smiled, offering me his arm. “How about a dance to kick off the festival?” he asked, gesturing

to the stage, where a band was playing folksy music.

I couldn’t resist. I took his arm and let him pull me toward the activity, and for a little while, I didn’t let myself worry about anything.

P

Comments

Support

Share

+2

2/2

Editorial Board

Editorial Board Our editorial team works behind the scenes to refine each chapter, maintain consistency, and deliver the best reading experience.