Page 32 of Taken By the Alpha Priest

“Figured you’d need these,” he says, his dark eyes glinting in the sunlight.

Charlotte beams at him, raising a hand in greeting. “Fancy seeing you up this early. What’s the occasion?”

“It didn’t seem fair to hand you this task without contributing,” he says, glancing at me. “And I wanted to check in.”

More likecheck up on me.

“I’m not up to anything,” I deadpan. “Just trying to get this grass mowed so we can start your little pet project.”

“Maybe I didn’t come to see you, Tilda,” he says, wrapping Charlotte in a one-armed hug.

She laughs, swatting at his chest. “Uncle Reyes, you didn’t have to come all the way out here just to check on me. I’m fine.”

“Just making sure you’re not slacking off,” he teases, his tone lighter than I’m used to hearing from him.

Ah. That explains a lot.

“Wait,” I say, raising an eyebrow. “You two are related?”

Charlotte grins, her hands resting on her hips. “Yep. Lucky me, huh? My long lust uncle is the boss around here.”

Reyes clears his throat, looking briefly uncomfortable before turning back to the mowers. “Figured I’d lend a hand since this is her project. And maybe keep you out of trouble while I’m at it.”

“Good luck with that,” Charlotte quips, shooting me a conspiratorial look.

“Shall we, then?” I ask, crossing my arms.

Reyes nods. “Ready when you are.”

* * *

We spendthe better part of the morning mowing. It’s grueling, monotonous work, but that’s what starting from scratch looks like. A few more lycans join us as the day drags on, rotating through the push mowers to give each other breaks. Gasoline’s too valuable to waste on anything that doesn’t involve survival, so it’s all manual labor, all sweat and muscle.

By the time I finally collapse onto the ground, my shirt sticking to my back and sweat dripping down my temples, the plot is cleared. The field is small, but with only fifty or so people in the pack, it’ll be enough.

Charlotte plops down next to me, her hair sticking to her forehead as she hands her mower over to Reyes’ snarky redheaded buddy–Grant, I think. She passes me a cup of water, and I take it gratefully, gulping it down. I’ll have to figure out where the well is later for irrigation, but for now, I’m just glad for something cool to drink.

Charlotte tilts her head toward me, her tone casual but curious. “I wanted to talk to you.”

“Yeah?” I ask, wiping my mouth with the back of my hand.

She hesitates, choosing her words. “Reyes says you’re not… that you don’t want to be here. And that something happened between you two.”

“‘Something happened’ is a funny way to say ‘I bit someone and turned them lycan,’” I say.

Charlotte grimaces. “Yeah…I could scent the bite on you. Sorry, but it’s kind of a?—”

“Wolf thing, I know,” I interrupt, waving her off. “That’s what everyone keeps telling me.”

“For what it’s worth, I get it,” she says. “It’s not exactly the same, but I didn’t know I was lycan until I came here. And, unfortunately, I found out during my first heat. Which was…not great.”

“You talk about it like it’s normal,” I mutter.

“It is now,” she says with a shrug. “But it wasn’t at the time. I was real mad at Elijah—my mate—for keeping my nature secret from me, even though he didn’t know himself.”

“Your mate,” I echo, raising an eyebrow. “Is that what y’all call your husbands here? I heard that word last night, too.”

“It’s…kind of like a spouse,” Charlotte explains, twirling her empty cup in her hands. “But different. Like, when you meet them, you justknow.They smell…well, incredible.”

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