Page 21 of The Broken Aztec Princesses

“Well, you talk to Chris and I’ll talk to Violet,” I said, making my way out of the alpha office.

“Alright. Put us to work, sis!” he hollered, following me out of the office.

Chapter Six

VIolet

The whole thing was a mess. There was no filing system, rhyme, or reason for how things were sorted. I was beginning to suspect my sister was just dumping things when she was done looking at them, and then moving them to another pile when she needed them more than once, so she wouldn’t be digging through it all again.

She left me alone in the Luna office after showing me where she was inputting the information she needed. I engaged the internal lock immediately after she left, feeling my nerves settle a little knowing I was safe. I tried to get started right away, but I got frustrated and decided to sort everything first. Now, it had been hours, and I had about twenty piles of documents all over the office. I needed to finish sorting so my brain could make sense of it.

Evie brought me lunch, and laughed while I ranted about the disorganization between bites. I knew she understood, knowing how meticulous she was about her digital documents and files.

After she left and I returned to work, I had to admit that despite my annoyance, it felt good to do something productive again. I worked until just before dinner, when Bells knocked on the door. I was so occupied trying to figure out where one of the documents belonged, that I didn’t hear her approaching, and I yelped at the sudden sound.

“It’s just me, Vi. Can I come in?” Bells asked.

I put everything down and unlocked the door. Bells laughed when she saw the office.

“Did the boxes explode?” she asked, picking a stack from the chair and setting it down on the floor next to it so she could sit.

“It was driving me nuts,” I admitted sheepishly. “I just need to organize them first so I can input everything into the computer. I should be done with the sorting tomorrow, and then I can really get started.” Bells bit her lower lip, and I sat down at her desk when I saw the worried look on her face. “What’s wrong?”

“Cory and all the volunteers are heading out in two days.”

The color drained from my face. Was Crescent Moon being attacked? Cory said it was over. Those people were dead or far away.

“What happened?” I managed to ask, feeling the beads of sweat forming on my forehead as I repeatedly told myself not to jump to conclusions.

“You remember Cade? Or, Alpha Cade, I guess is the right term now.”

“Luna Kiara’s son?” I asked.

“That’s the one. His pack grounds burnt down in the wildfires a week ago. They need a place to stay until they find a new property where their cattle can graze.”

“Cory’s going to go help?” I assumed.

“No. Well, in part. Half of the pack is going to stay at Crescent Moon and half of the pack is coming to stay here. Cade agreed to help with the harvest because I can’t house all of his packmembers and the volunteers. Cory is helping me get all the houses ready and then he’s heading back home with everyone.”

“Oh,” I answered, my heart plummeting. That made sense. I looked around the office and all the stacks I made. “I won’t be able to help you. I should have just gotten started on everything instead of spending a whole day sorting things,” I finished quietly. So much for feeling productive.

“No. That was probably a good call. I just dumped things in boxes until I needed them. Then I dumped them in another box,” she laughed.

There goes that theory confirmed,I thought ruefully.

“Would you consider staying a little while, though? I could really use the help,” Bells asked, and my heart started racing.

“Here? With the other pack?”

Strangers.

Strange wolves running around the pack house and grounds. People I didn’t know; that my sister and my brother couldn’t control. Without Cory next to me to hear my screams if someone got past the lock.

My heartbeat skyrocketed and my breaths became shallow. I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t be here without Cory to protect me. I needed someone to protect me. I wasn’t safe.

Bells left her chair and dropped in front of me when she realized I was on the verge of a panic attack.

“Shit! Vi, I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. Don’t worry about it. I’ll be okay. You can go home with Cory. Okay? You’ll be safe with him.” Her words were calming my racing heart down, but the way she was blinking back tears sent a fresh wave of guilt into me.

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