Page 14 of Autumn After

Cedric had shown me where they kept the few livestock that they raised. There were pigs and dairy goats. Plus, there were a few ofthe fainting goats, though they were mostly just pets because the Alpha’s wife loved them.

We laid the apples in the box, and she turned on the water so it was flowing through. It was quite a clever little contraption. I was sure there was probably something automated and fancy she could buy that would do the same thing, but why? This worked perfectly well, and probably for a fraction of the cost.

At first, I attempted to keep variety of apples separated and organized, but Fern said that wasn’t necessary—they mixed them on purpose to give a better flavor. That made my job exponentially easier. We got into a good rhythm: washing the apples, crushing them into cider, capping the jugs, and repeating the process.

“Most of the cider gets bottled and sold. The rest we keep and make cider donuts with. But some of these we will turn into slushies,” Fern said. “Apple cider slushies… yum.”

“I’ve never had one of those, but it sounds delicious.” I loved cider, but icy-cold cider, that had to bring the flavor to a whole new level. Then again, warm cider on a chilly fall night with a few fresh cider donuts would really hit the spot.

“It’s way better than it sounds, and it sounds delicious, so be sure to save some for the day of the festival.”

I’d be lying if I said I was a little disappointed I had to wait.

The work was simple but time-consuming. We worked well together and fell into a rhythm.

Once we finished with the first few crates, she suggested we take a break and join everyone for lunch. There was a table of sandwiches and salads that different pack members had made. It was like a big old-fashioned potluck.

I filled my plate, and the two of us sat down at one of the picnic tables. Soon, others joined, and I realized for the first time that I knew all of their names. I might not have been here long, but I was already starting to feel like I belonged. People smiled and waved at me as I walked around, and more than one person pulled me into a hug.

I really liked it.

“So, the cider takes a few days to ferment, right? So what we just made won’t be ready for the festival?”

“Correct,” James, one of the other pack members said. “We did a huge batch two weeks ago that’s ready now and will be served up during the festival. Whatever we don’t serve will probably be sold. Except for the stuff we keep on hand for ourselves. The batches you’re working on are just for extra so anyone who visits can watch the process.”

“Oh, that’s so cool!”

He grinned. “It is. It was one of the better ideas we’ve had since some of the younger generation joined the committee. That and letting the kids make their own donuts.”

“Oh. I’ll have to visit where that is happening,” I said.

James smiled. “That was your mate’s idea.

A sense of pride filled me at the mention of Cedric. “That’s pretty cool.”

“What’s pretty cool will be having your food truck here. We can never keep up with the demand. In past years people have left the festival hungry, and that’s never good for business.”

Heat filled my cheeks. “I’d be happy to help.” Cedric hadn’t mentioned anything about it, but I would be more than willing to use my truck for whatever they needed.

James winked at me. “Careful, you say that too loud and you’ll be on the committee for next year.”

That didn’t sound so bad. Seemed to me that it would be a perfect opportunity for me to use my skills. Me and my truck showed up at the perfect time.

Chapter 10

Cedric

It was a busy day in the pack. The festival was almost here, and we were putting together the finishing touches. I wished that I was more of a list keeper or that someone had thought to put our ideas and plans into an app that we could all track. Instead, we all were running around with clipboards.

Willow and Fern offered to make sure the slushy machine was all ready to go for the festival, and I took that as an opportunity to go see what my parents were up to. In hindsight, I should have just stayed home.

Halfway to their house, three of the older pack members—Seamus, Mitch, and Brett—waved me over. At first, I thought it was just to say, “hi”, you know, being social and all that. But as I got closer, I realized it was something else.

The three of them were elder members of the pack with a lot of opinions on how things should be run. They weren’t part of the official leadership, but they had their hands in just about every decision the pack made. Even if their opinion was in the minority, they were some of the loudest voices.

“How are things going with that human?” Mitch asked. Not my mate. Not Willow. That human.

I clenched my jar and forced my wolf back so that I didn’t snarl. It wouldn’t do well to provoke them. Never mind that all wolves knew that emotions were high early on in a mating. The last thing anyone should do is provoke a newly mated wolf by insulting their mate.

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