Page 10 of Soul Fated

"Please don't." Jasper held up a hand. "I don't need a dissertation on the culinary merits of hot dogs. Let me enjoy my trash food." He grabbed a beer out of the cooler and handed one to Finn.

Rowan appeared from behind the tent, his eyebrows raised. "What are we talking about?"

Jasper leaned against a tree. "Finn was going off on how sausages are misunderstood."

“I think your sausage has been very clear about its intentions,” Lana quipped, and I almost laughed out loud.

How long had it been since I laughed? My arm was so calm, I hadn’t thought about it since we pulled up. Strange.

Jasper grinned. “Consistent marketing. That’s my mantra.”

“Hungry?” Finn offered Lana and Callista a paper plate, then pointed them toward the table with buns, condiments, and extras.

I looked at the spread. “I should’ve brought something.”

Rowan shook his head. “Nope. This was extra from the long weekend. Needed to be used up.”

I made up a hot dog and had just dipped the spoon in the potato salad when Blake and Celeste walked up. They both grinned when they spotted me, and Blake strode over, pulling me into a tight hug, nearly spilling the food on my plate. "Hey, Sis."

“Hey. Took you long enough.” I returned to scooping salad. He didn’t have to say anything for me to know what he was thinking. How did they finally get you to crawl out of your shell?

Blake laughed. "Some of us had to work."

“Okay, ouch.”

Celeste rolled her eyes. “He’s kidding. By the way, we would’ve been way later if you hadn't taken care of things at home."

I nodded, my throat tight. "I’m just glad you could both get away. I know it's been a lot lately."

Blake nodded, understanding passing between us. "We also convinced a few other Kitimat pack members to join. We thought it would be good for morale." He gestured behind him, and I noticed a couple of familiar faces unloading gear from another vehicle.

"That's great. The more the merrier." I glanced around the campsite, noting the smiles and nods from our pack members as Celeste and Blake greeted them. This was good. We needed more people from our neck of the woods integrated with Black Lake.

The sun lowered over the peaks behind us, and the campsite lit up in gold. It did look different than I remembered. Both bigger and smaller. The last time I'd been there my world had been the size of Kitimat and surrounding area. Everything had seemed new and fresh, and now it looked a little tired. It wasn't that I was a world traveler, but I'd taken enough trips to make it seem like my town had shrunk.

We finished our food, and I helped clean up with the others, then sat on a camp chair Lana brought around the fire Jasper had made. By the size of the blaze, he was planning to sit there for the next three hours.

Rowan stood by the fire, his piercing blue eyes reflecting the dying light. The flickering flames cast shadows on his face, making him appear even more commanding. He raised a hand, and the ambient noise slowly died down.

The crackling of the fire became the only sound, its warmth brushing over my skin. I understood how Rowan had drawn Evelyn in. He was magnetic. Definitely not the same boy we'd known growing up. But that was the alpha in him, wasn't it? Or had that strength always been there, and we hadn't been looking for it?

My dad always used to say, 'Alphas aren't born. They're made.' Most shifters believed there was something in their genetic code that made alphas, and it was only a matter of time before they presented. But not him. He believed they were born out of necessity. That many were capable, but only a few chose to step into that role. He had so much faith in alphas. I wondered what he would've said about Nathan Black after he'd singlehandedly dragged our pack through the mud.

"Thank you all for coming," Rowan began. "This has been a difficult time for our pack, for all of us. But seeing you all here standing together, it reminds me of our strength. Our unity."

Evelyn sat beside him, her hand resting on his arm as she leaned toward him in her chair. I wanted to be happy for my friend. I was happy for her. That happiness was just buried under something I couldn't quite put my finger on. Jealousy, yes. But not because I wanted someone like Rowan or even that I wanted a relationship. I just wanted...things to go back to normal. I wanted my life before Evelyn left Kitimat. Before Nathan Black lost his sanity.

But it was ridiculous to keep wishing for something that couldn't happen. I'd survived without Evelyn before, and I could do it again. It just sucked that we didn't have some time to figure ourselves out before she mated. Wasn't that what Evelyn was trying to do? Spend time with me? I was the problem now, always pushing back.

"We've faced challenges," Rowan continued. "And we've lost . . . good people." His voice caught, and Evelyn squeezed his arm.

My heart twinged at the thought of the still missing wolves. We knew Nathan was responsible for at least one death but had no trace on the others.

Finn sat on Rowan's right while Jasper poked at the red-hot coals. Blake and Celeste stood at the back, their silhouettes dark against the fading light.

Rowan's gaze swept over the group, landing on each of us in turn. A shiver ran down my spine when his eyes met mine. "I know there are still questions. Things we don't understand." His voice was steady, but I could hear the undercurrent of frustration. "But we will find answers. We will protect our pack. And we will honor those we've lost by standing together, stronger than ever."

The fire crackled, sending a shower of sparks into the air. Rowan's eyes lingered on me for a moment longer before he looked away. My chest tightened with a surge of emotion. I wanted to believe him, to trust that we could overcome whatever lay ahead. But the shadows of doubt were hard to dispel, especially because the evidence of it was burrowed deep in my arm.

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