Page 15 of Red's Beast

There are dishes piled everywhere on the counters while food is splattered on the walls. Their latest kill lies across the butcher board, but only bones and guts remain. It’s just waiting for me to take care of it.

I take a closer look and realize it’s a rabbit. “Well, at least it’s small. It must have hopped out of the woods and they plucked it right off the ground.”

“Do you see something you want?” Corbin asks as he walks into the doorway and leans against the frame.

“No, I do not want your leftovers,” I say as I glance over my shoulder at him.

With a knowing smirk, he smiles at me before slinking off to do who knows what.

I let out a deep sigh of relief and feel grateful for the moment of peace. As I take in the sight of the kitchen again, it’s clear to me that there is a lot of work that needs to be done.

It takes several hours to clean the kitchen and right as I’m putting the cleaning supplies into the bucket, I take a moment to wipe my sweaty forehead with the back of my arm. What was once an ugly disaster is now a beautiful kitchen where you could eat off the floor without worrying about what disgusting things had been there.

Honestly, in this house, I’d rather not even chance it even when I know I have cleaned it thoroughly.

I head toward the living room with the bucket in tow and place the bucket down next to the other bucket. The sound of it landing against the floor reverberates loudly.

My stomach chooses that moment to grumble almost as loudly. I haven’t eaten a single thing all day and I’m starving.

I reach up to grab my cloak and gently toss it around my back to tie it around my throat.

“Going somewhere?” Corbin asks as he stands at the top of the stairs.

“Yes, I’m going to grandmothers. I have finished everything your father asked for.”

My stomach growls again, which causes his gaze to narrow as he stares down at me. Right as he opens his mouth to say something, his father calls his name.

“Next time, little alpha.”

I want to fuss at him and tell him to stop calling me that, but I relent. With a swift motion, I turn and grasp the knob.

I stroll across the porch and down the steps of the porch, but can’t help rolling my eyes at the entire situation. “No, I won’t say a word. Nothing at all.”

Once I’m home, I throw open the door and take a step inside. One breath is all it takes to make me relieved to see home. It’s empty, but clean and doesn’t smell.

I reach back and quickly shut the door. My basket is in the cupboard where I left it last night. Grandmother will be waiting for me and she will be eager to hear all the details and gossip, though there are parts I’ll leave out.

In a matter of minutes, I have the basket packed with whatever I have left in the refrigerator since I haven’t had time to cooktoday. I quickly glance out the window to ensure what time it is and see the sun is already setting according to the way the shadows move across the ground.

Crud, I have to get there before dark.

I take one last glance around my home to ensure I have everything I need. Anxiety is already coursing through my veins at the thought of walking down that narrow path to her house.

With the basket in my arms, I quickly make my way out of my home and head for the path.

Even though the sun hasn’t fully set and there is some dim lighting, the pathway is already shadowed from the trees on both sides, making it even creepier than in the daylight. The birds and squirrels, or any little creature in the woods, are quiet as well. Normally, they are still playing at this time of day, but right now, there is not a sound that can be heard out of them.

Trembling, I step forward, but my eyes dart around in anticipation of what might happen.

Oddly, all that greets me is deafening silence.

No one bothers looking at me as they pass by on their way home, and before I know it, I’m standing at the entrance.

Here beasty, beasty, beasty.

“Hush, wolf. I don’t know what you are trying to do, but now is not the time to scare me like that.”

Grandmother’s house is thirty feet in. She tells me I have nothing to fear, but why am I scared out of my wits?

---