Page 16 of Emerald Moon
“Why don’t you just go ahead and adopt that cat already?”Billie asked across the kitchen.“I’m sure Alpha Parisa would agree to have her in the house.”
Jo looked down at their blue hands.“Maybe.”
“Just ask.It couldn’t hurt.”
“What?You want me to be happy or something?”
“Never.”Billie narrowed her eyes, trying to look intimidating.She did a better job at it than Jo, but they knew she cared for them as much as anyone else in the pack.
Jo finished the rest of the macarons and tidied their area.They popped a few of the blue treats in their mouth as they cleaned and, while the shapes could be off, Jo knew their flavors were great every time.Putting the remaining macarons into a bakery box to bring back to the house to share, they made their way out the back door to go see Dolly.
They squatted outside, looking around for the cat.“Where’s my sweet girl?”
With a loud meow, the white cat appeared from behind a stack of crates.Jo smiled.That’s where they’d put the house they made for her.They rummaged through their backpack for the tube of fishy cat treat they’d brought.Ripping open the top, Jo held it out for her.The long-haired, white cat trotted closer, eager to accept the offer.
Jo wasn’t sure how long Dolly had been a stray or if she’d always lived outside.She seemed too gentle to have been outside forever, but she was a bit rough around the edges with her matted fur and a scratch above one of her eyes.Her white fur was more off-white in color.She’d been wary of Jo at the beginning, but Jo’s patience earned them the right to pet her and give her a name.
They patted her little head as she licked up the treat.
Billie was right.Asking Alpha Parisa if they could keep her in the house wasn’t a bad idea.It made Jo nervous, though.They’d grown closer to their Alpha, but she was still a bit unapproachable — not because of her personality, but from how put-together and serious she usually was.Parisa was strong, clever, and effortlessly fashionable.Jo was none of those things and got tongue-tied around her regularly.
It would be worth asking to bring Dolly inside, though.The little house Jo had made was better than nothing, but it didn’t come close to being able to sleep on Jo’s bed in a climate-controlled house away from the summer thunderstorms that rolled through the area.
“Do you want that?”They asked, scratching Dolly under her chin as the cat leaned in to the touch.“Do you want to live in my pack house?My room is pretty big.I share it with someone named Wilma.She’s pet you a few times.You know her.I think she’d like you living with us, too.”
Jo spent a little more time playing with Dolly with the wand toy she kept in her backpack and, after making sure that Dolly had enough food and water, gave her a few more pets.They said good night to the cat and started up the path that led to the pack house.
five
“Moveyourfeet.You’rehogging the couch.”
Jo blinked their eyes open to find their packmate, Harry, staring down at them.Lifting their legs in the air, they gestured to the recently-vacated spot on the couch in the pack living room.“See?Plenty of room.”
“You’re just going to put your feet on top of me when I sit there.”
“Probably.”
Harry sighed, but he sat down anyway.Jo stretched out again with a laugh.“Technically, my legs are on top of you.Not my feet.”
He flicked their leg with his finger.“Technically, you’re taking up the whole couch to take a nap when it’s not even close to bedtime.”
“Who takes a nap at bedtime?The whole point of a nap is to sleep when you’re not supposed to.”
He rolled his eyes.“Still.Isn’t it early?We haven’t even eaten dinner yet.”
“Just tired today, is all.”
“Rough day at the bakery?”
“Not really.Just tired.”Jo had a bone-deep tired that they hadn’t been able to shake off since they got home from Violet Moon.Maybe they overdid it today?“I blame the weather,” they joked.
“It was sunny and perfect outside.”
“Exactly.The sun and heat robbed me of my energy.”
“Fair enough.Five minutes out in that humidity and anybody’s ready for a nap, I guess.You do you, Jo.I’m going to watch more of this murder mystery I’m into.You watching, too?”
“I’ll listen to it,” they said, closing their eyes again.
