Page 12 of Homecoming

“Andyou’retellin’ me you like it? That you really enjoywatchin’him touch her? Hell, I know you’re into some fucked up shit buttorturin’yourself bywatchin’them together when you haven’t touched her in months… Yeah, well, that’s pretty hardcore even for youcuzI know that’s gotta hurt.” Digby laughs as he sips more beer.

“I didn’t say I liked it. I just know I have to find a way to live with it—just like you’re going to have to.” Darius sighs and finishing up hisbeer,he plucks another from the tin tub filled with ice.

“You know, maybe you should slow down on thedrinkin’tonight. I mean, we don’t want a repeat scene like the one we had a few weeks ago,” Digby teases.

“That was a one-off,” Darius snaps. “I was just… I amnotgoing to make a scene.” Darius’ brow wrinkles and they both look up, watching as Kat disappears towards the forest, Evelyn cradled in her arms and Noah following.

“Where the fuck’s shegoin’now?” Digby can feel his chest tighten and as his anxiety gets the better of him, he calls across the grass. “Hey… Hey Riley…” he gestures towards the trees, “where are theygoin’?”

“Digby, relax. It’s fine. Kat’s just going to let Luna feed Evelyn.”

“Oh… Oh, okay.” Digby nods with a sigh of relief. “Sure. That’s fine. I get that.” He takes a large gulp from the bottle, wipes his mouth with the back of hishandand grabs another beer from the bar.

“And you told me to slow down. Maybe you should heed your own advice?” Darius sneers.

“Yeah, whatever. Do you find it a little strange she’s not shifted yet—the pup? I mean Evelyn, she didn’t shift when Kat did.” He frowns, looking up as Zak peels away from the rest of the group and joins their conversation.

“I don’t know. I guess it’scuzthe moon waned, or officially it does tonight. Maybe she can choose now and it’s her choice, and she’schoosin’not to?” Zak shrugs. “You know what women are like,” he laughs.

“Yeah, that’s what Kat said—about hershiftin’. It’s just I guess I waslookin’forward toseein’what she looked like, as a baby, if you know what I mean?”

“Yeah, well perhaps because she can move around moreasa wolf or… maybecuzshe was born a wolf…” Zak offers an explanation, not realizing the depth of Digby’s troubled thoughts, “… she just likesbein’one more? Hell, look at Lukas: you can’t hold him back most of the time—unless you take him to that ice cream place. He soon shifts then because you can’t take a wolf pup in there,” Zak laughs. “Oh uh… not that I… take them there often. It’s just a treat, now and again. What? Don’t look at me like that. I still always take some clothes when we go out—got caught out acouplatimes and let me tell you, naked children don’t go down well in public places either… Yeah, I should shut up, right?”

Digby sighs and shakes his head. “Yeah, well, I guess you could beright, butit doesn’t really matter. I’m just glad we have them both home.”

“Cheers to that.” Darius raises his bottle, clinking it with Zak as he concentrates on Digby; one eyebrow cocked, watching across the lawn. The forest lies in the distance, away from the house. The trees are tall and bush thicker, and Kat is soon hidden from view. “Now what’s wrong?”

“I don’t know.” Digby pivots on the spot, his eyes scanning the forest. The wind picks upandhe twitches his nose, taking a long and deep sniff of the air. A breeze rolls through the trees, and the rustling of the leaves sound like a voice. “Either of you get the feeling we’re being watched?”

“This lot… yeah, they just love to gossip. I guess they’regettin’their fill with Noah and Kat,wonderin’what’s going on or what you’re gonna do about it—is there gonna be a fight?” Zak smiles. “Just ignore them, they’ll be ontosomethin’else tomorrow.”

“No, I don’t mean the people here. I mean, out there, in the forest. Do you sensesomethin’? Somethin’ feels off to me.” There’s a faint smell in the breeze that again catches his attention. “It’ssomethin’I’ve smelled before, but I can’t quite make it out what.”

Digby licks his lips. The air is still, and the taste of the wind is crisp and clean, but there’s a lingering essence and it tastes and smells like nothing else.

Watching the concern as it creeps across the alpha wolf’s brow, Darius turns and stares into the darkening gloom of the forest beyond the garden. “What is it? You sense something?” He focuses his mind and concentrates on the clearing of trees where Kat disappeared. “Wait, now that you say it… Yeah, yeah, something does feel off.”

Darius stands tall and beckons Digby and Zak away from the rest of the crowded lawn. “Zak, tell everyone the party’s over for the night. Don’t be alarmist. Just keep it calm. We don’t want to alert the rest of the villagers to anything. They’ll only panic.” He takes a deep breath and flexes the tense feeling filling his chest. “Diggs, you go find Luna—keep an eye on her and the pup. Zak… gather the rest of the team, take Bud and Oz and some of the pack alphas to do a scout of the forest—you’ll cover the ground more quickly. I’ll do a recon over the far side of the house. It’s probably nothing more than poachers hoping to strike lucky with one of the youngsters, but it can’t hurt to be cautious. With Kat and the pups’ home, we need to be sure. Hey…” he grabs Zak’s arm, “like I said keep it low-key, I don’t want to worry anyone unnecessarily.”

The two wolves take their leave and as Darius stares into the darkening trees beyond the garden, his chest is filled with a rising tide of trepidation. He takes a deep breath and the scent of sweat, dirt and…wolflies in the air. Dirt from the forest floor that never sees a blade of green grass and sweat from something exerting energy—running. There’s also a different scent, one of something stronger. The smell rapidly disappears and is now replaced with something sweeter and cleaner and an undercurrent of arousal forms inside him as the faint fragrance of pheromones fills the air. “Kat,” he smiles.

“Hey…” Marco hurriedly strides towards him. “What’sgoin’on?”

“I don’t know, but something doesn’t feel right. I sent Digby and the pack to check it out, just to be sure.” Darius’s voice is hushed and deep, but he speaks with a calm, firm tone.

“Okay, so what do you want me to do?” Marco’s brow furrows with a concerned deepness.

“Why don’t you help Zak round everyone up. Put Riley and QT in the picture and tell them to take the older pups back inside the house. Tell QT I want him on over-watch until we get back—just precautionary.”

“I’ll bet it’s those damn poachers again. The alphas sent them away a few weeks ago. Dee, it’ll benothin’.” Marco turns and stares into the dark trees. He sniffs the breeze, tainted with a smell he also doesn’t recognize. “Do you really think there’s someone out there?”

“No, you’re probably right, but it can’t hurt to check it out. We need to give Kat as much peace of mind as we can. I don’t want anything to worry her right now. So keep this between us.” Darius turns his purple eyes to focus on Zak and Oz, herding people back to the village. “Best to keep it under the radar for now.”

“Speaking of Kat.” Marco takes a breath. “Did she talk with you—about wanting to rejoin the team?”

“No.” Darius’ brow crumples. “Why? Did she say something to you?”

“Not exactly. Riley said she’d been discussing it with him. So I just thought I’d give you aheadsup as I’m sure she’ll want to talk to you about it at some point.” Marco shrugs his shoulders. “Riley said she was going to talk to Oz aboutstartin’a newtrainin’plan and he told her she should speak to me first. She’d asked him if he could get me to do a psych evaluation for her and pass her fit for deployment—off the record—before she puts in for one officially.”

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