Page 133 of Meet Your Maker: Part One

Then, my wolf stirs. He rises from his spot, shaking out his fur until it resembles a sky of ragged storm clouds. Then he trotsaway, disappearing into the underbrush, and for a moment, I think he’s off to do something serious, something noble—or maybe just pee on stuff. I don’t know.

He returns with an offering: a rabbit—still twitching.

“Oh, hell,” I mutter, my stomach clenching.

He sets it at my feet, his molten eyes gleaming with pride. The rabbit gives one final shudder and goes still.

“Uh… thanks?” I manage, my voice wavering between amusement and horror.

Shadow snorts. “Fantastic. Breakfast in bed.” They poke it with a bare foot. “Very fresh. It’s exactly what every woman wants, verdad?”

But there’s no real heat in their words. They kneel beside me, their hand slipping beneath the blanket to squeeze mine, as if to say, We have you.

And I know it’s true. In all this chaos, in the messy journey that brought us here, they’ve never faltered—none of them have. With every challenge, we’ve grown stronger, closer. If we make it through this, if we carve out a peaceful existence for my family and our House, it’ll be because of these bonds we’ve built.

I glance down at the blanket wrapped around me, the raven holding the sun in its beak—a light stolen from the darkness. I let that light seep into me, warming me from the inside out.

“Let’s go home,” I whisper.

Xavier shifts back into their jaguar form, their sleek body moving with quiet grace, while Ben’s bear falls into step beside them. My wolf nuzzles my hand once, a fleeting touch, before trotting ahead to lead the way. Somewhere in the distance, the hum of a car accelerating over a paved road drifts through the trees.

I follow, the blanket trailing behind me, its edges brushing the earth. Each step takes me closer to a future I can’t quite see—and further from the girl I once was.

***

The moment we step inside the packhouse, I almost reel from the explosion of scents. It’s like my nose has been upgraded from black and white to technicolor—every aroma sharp and vivid, layering over each other until it’s almost dizzying. But in this case, I couldn’t be happier.

The scent of syrup, warm butter, and yeast-raised waffles wraps around me like a hug. The tang of fresh strawberries cuts through the sweetness, bright and juicy, mingling with the faint bitterness of dark chocolate. And beneath it all, there’s the addictive aroma of freshly brewed coffee and the faint, now familiar musk of my mates.

This is the smell of home, and it hits me hard. Not Granny’s house, not Colton’s, not Daddy’s, or even my sad little condo in the desert. This is our pack’s home, and it smells like all the best things. The realization steals my breath for a moment—I’m so gosh darn lucky.

Shadow nudges me towards the kitchen, ‘accidentally’ pushing me against the hallway twice on the way there and sucking on my neck before leading me to the breakfast nook.

The table is already set with plates piled high with waffles, golden and steaming. Strawberries glisten like rubies on top, nestled beside clouds of whipped cream and delicate curls of chocolate shavings. Syrup pools in glossy amber puddles with butter islands floating atop them.

“Everything smells so good! But who in the world cooked us breakfast? We were all sleepin’ in the woods not thirty minutes ago.”

I narrow my eyes at Shadow—the most obvious suspect, culinary skills,check.Ability to move really fast,check.Enjoys stuffing me with sweets?Double-check.

Shadow smirks, a glint of mischief in their green eyes. “You think I did this all by myself? Your family pitched in. Your dad brought the supplies, and Sue made sure everything was ready for when we dragged our feral selves back.”

“Oh bless Sue,” I say, sighing dramatically, “for the food and for leaving before my walk of shame.” My eyes slide to Tomas who shakes his head.

“I’m absolutely starving I could eat a horse and the buggy too.”

Ben grins, “In shifter culture, we always have a big after-bonding breakfast.” He pauses, letting the implication settle, his smile widening. “You know, after a mating run, you’re wiped out. Hours of chasing, shifting, biting—letting your animal take over. It burns through every ounce of energy you have.”

He laughs softly, his gaze flicking to Tomas and back to me. “You need mountains of food—eggs, bacon, waffles drowning in syrup. Enough to replenish what you lost… and then some.”

His hand brushes my hip, a playful squeeze, his voice dropping lower. “It’s a way to celebrate, sure, but it’s also survival. Our animals demand it. And let’s be real, after a night like that, you’ve earned it.”

“Speaking of,” I interrupt, narrowing my eyes, “what exactly did I shift into last night?”

Shadow leans back, their grin spreading wide. “Oh, you know, a wild creature.”

“Very wild,” Ben adds with mock seriousness, his eyes gleaming as he stands.

Tomas finally chimes in, his tone deceptively mild. “Untamed, even.”

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