Page 8 of Scarred Resolve

“That’s good. Good plan.”

“What were you and Niko talking about? I know I came up,” she said.

“Uh…” I glanced at Niko. We had just talked about how we weren’t going to mention it to her, ever.

“How did you know?” Niko asked, and it was probably the best thing he could have done. Question for a question.

“Magic, of course.”

I wasn’t sure if she was teasing with the truth or just plain messing with us.

“Fair. Jacky was asking about how you keep busy in your territory. I was telling her how we just trust you’re doing what you need to be doing and don’t pry.”

There was a long pause, and the energy in the car changed.

“Want to know a secret?” Subira asked softly, a teasing note in her voice.

Suddenly, everything was electric.

“Yes,” I answered before Niko could say anything.

“I already knew what you were talking about,” she said. She sounded like the entire thing made for a great joke. “Love you both. Have a nice evening.” Then she hung up before I had a second to process anything she had said.

I put my phone away and looked at Niko. He was just as stunned as I was.

“Well, that…” Niko didn’t finish his statement.

I didn’t ask him to elaborate.

4

CHAPTER FOUR

Ilet Niko go home once he dropped me off, still a bit stunned and certainly shaken by Subira’s phone call. I didn’t think she was threatening us, but I knew a warning when I heard one.

“Wow. Okay. What now?” I didn’t want Heath to find me sitting on the couch or in my office alone. I knew Carey was doing her own thing and didn’t want to be bothered. For her, the pack meetings were now a chance for her to be alone, and I wasn’t going to take that away from her. It wasn’t her responsibility to make sure I wasn’t lonely or bored.

I didn’t head inside. With all the werewolves at the weekly pack meeting, I decided to walk the trails around my house instead, opting to spend some time alone with my thoughts. Once I entered the trees, my mood shifted quickly. Something about being out with my trees in my little piece of forest made me comfortable.

“It’s only Monday,” I said to myself, running my hand over bushes and branches as I walked. “Can’t believe Niko kept where he was living a secret for long and hasn’t been looking for a territory… He won’t be able to stay secret forever. If he wants to be in Dirk’s life, I’ll need to talk to him about the BSA. They’regoing to figure out he’s not human, and it would be better if he spoke to them before they go to him. I should have brought that up today, but I’ll invite him for a proper meeting about the official stuff tomorrow.”

There was so much I had neglected over the last month and a half, which was frustrating, considering I had also been pretty busy over the last few weeks.

“Tomorrow. I’m going to enjoy this walk right now and think about everything else tomorrow,” I decided.

I tried to quiet every intrusive thought as I trudged through the forest in tennis shoes, jeans, and a t-shirt. The only thing that protected my arms from getting whipped by the vegetation was my jacket, but it was hot to wear in June. It wasn’t appropriate nature walk clothing, but it didn’t slow me down. I walked until I reached a stream, then found a rock to sit on. Enjoying the quiet, I reached into the inner pocket and pulled out Fenris’s letter, rereading it a couple of times.

I must have lost track of time as my eyes adjusted, and the sun started to fall. I didn’t move, though. I felt all the werewolves leave their meeting and only paid a tiny portion of my attention to what they were doing. Heath went back to our home. Dirk and Landon went with him, but Landon broke off. The others went home, to work, or to hang out with friends. A couple went to an open bar in town.

It was Landon who kept me somewhat mindful because he entered the woods as well. I tucked the letter away as I felt him getting close.

“Hey, Landon,” I called out, knowing he was only twenty feet behind me without having to turn around.

“Hey, Jacky. I caught your scent and told Pa I would come out to check on you. You know, your favorite person to hike around the forest with and all that.”

With a snort, I looked over my shoulder. He was closer, and I hadn’t heard his footsteps. I didn’t need to hear him, thanks to my territorial magic, but it was interesting to notice this evening.

“How are you?” I asked him before scooting over to offer him a spot on my rock. He didn’t say anything as he hopped up and took a seat next to me, the golden sky peeking through the trees over us.

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