Chapter 126
[ 848 words ]
The minx
126: 126.
The minx Liam
Hazel steps up to me and takes the metal gloves off my claws.
“Well now all that let is for Felix and I to do our thing.”
“And then I’ll be a super wolf,” I joke.
“No, but you will be a hot one,” Felix laughs.
“We’re going to work on infusing Aria’s fire into the metal,” Hazel says.
I whistle softly.
“Good luck with that.”
“Thanks for the confidence,” she teases.
“You’re welcome. You’ll need it.”
Hazel sticks her tongue out at me.
I want to bite it, to play and suck and lick at it.
From the glimmer in her eyes she knows exactly what I’m thinking.
The minx.
Hazel and Felix gather their notes and books.
“We should have something ready tomorrow,” Hazel says.
“We’re done for today?’
Hazel smirks.
“With this yeah.
Ransom and I signed up for the next roofing shift and were going to go do that.”
“l join you,”Elliot says.
“Yeah that sounds like a good time.” I say.
Hazel rolls her pretty jade eyes at me.
“Do you really think we don’t know you’re just tryna push up on us in some weird male wolf display?”
“Don’t really care if you do.
I’m still coming.”
“Sure,” she shrugs like it doesn’t matter if I do or don’t.
Elliot siddles up to Ransom whispering something I can’t hear in his ear as Felix says his goodbyes.
We turn down the forge, putting away the tools and killing the fire before we head out.
The last few weeks have been exhausting.
Between the sickness, the traitor hiding among us, and preparing for whatever comes next, everyone is running on fumes.
Since separating the sick from the healthy population, most of us have relocated to the western wing of the mountain.
It has helped.
At least a little.
But tension still hangs over my head, especially with a traitor somewhere in our midst.
That reminder that some here, or several someones, are actively trying to attack us from the inside brings my attention back to Elliot.
Today gives me the perfect opportunity to figure out exactly where his loyalties lie.
Because if his pack is involved…
My wolf bares his teeth.
Then we deal with it.
Hazel stretches momentarily distracting me from my thoughts.
“Come on, we don’t have all day now.”
We make it to the ground level quickly, Elliot and eye walking behind Ransom and Hazel.
The cool mountain air hits my skin like a blessing.
Outside, Ransom waits near the trailhead with several woven baskets.
The foraging teams will be critical over the next few weeks.
With resources stretched thin, and hunting parties having to go further to get game to replenish our stores, every edible plant matters.
We head into the forest.
Birds chirp overhead.
Sunlight filters through the dense canopy.
The scent of pine and damp earth fills the air.
Hazel immediately kneels beside a cluster of leafy plants.
“Fucking Ace.
Wild garlic.
I bet Aria would love some garlic knots.”
“Hell so would I.
Now if we could convince Greta to do a pizza night I think everyone would be happy,” Ransom says.
He and Hazel begin harvesting the bulbs carefully.
Nearby, Elliot crouches beside a patch of mushrooms, inspecting them.
“Lionsmane.These are good.”
For the next hour we move through the forest stumbling across hidden treasures, including some bushes of wild blueberries that Hazel seems especially excited about.
Elliot identifies edible mushrooms with surprising accuracy earning him praise from Ransom that makes the male’s chest puff out.
I gather roots and scout ahead whenever the trail narrows.
All the while, I watch Elliot.
Observe cracks in his mask.
But I find nothing I can discern.
Not a single thing.
Even when he’s speaking to me the usual disdain is no longer in his eyes.
The male genuinely cares about Ransom, about his people.
He wants this to work.
My wolf studies him as closely as I do and can’t sense any malice from his animal.
By the time we stop beside a small clearing, I’ve reached the same conclusion.
Elliot is innocent.
Which leaves a different problem.
The real traitor.
The one hiding among us.
Hazel and Ransom move farther ahead toward a patch of berry bushes.
For the first time all afternoon, Elliot and I are alone.
He glances at me.
“You’ve been watching me.”
Straight to the point.
Just as I expect of him.
“I have.”
“Why?”
I lean against a tree.
“ What I say goes no further.”
His expression hardens.
“Alright.”
“We suspect there is a traitor among us. From the way the poison was put in the food supply, it’s safe to assume it was placed there.”
For several seconds he doesn’t speak.
“Who has been cleared?
“So far, our pack and yours. We need to flesh out the traitor as soon as possible before they can try something else.”
Then Elliot sighs.
“You’re not the only one investigating.”
That gets my attention.
“What do you know?”
Elliot steps closer.
“I’ve been tracking supply shortages from the garden.
And I’m in the medical room.
Several things have gone missing.”
“What?” The knot on my stomach tightens.
“The leaks all originate from the same area. So it’s safe to assume it’s someone who has access to both areas, who helps in both.”
I hear what he isn’t saying, it’s possible the person who put the poison in it is one and the same.
I make an executive decision.
“Can you keep an eye on who goes in and out?”
He nods.
Whoever has the balls to betray us made one mistake, underestimated just how far we will go to protect what is ours.
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