Page 31 of Emerald Moon
“Speak for yourself.Some of us stopped growing in the fourth grade.”Jo laughed.“But I get what you’re saying.I know, I know.I’m just impatient.I want to soak up everything about being a wolf already.”
“You are, just at your own pace.”They fell in step together in silence for a moment before she added, “How is everything else?Bakery?Friends?”She paused.“Family?”
“Bakery life is still great.It’s still my favorite job I’ve had, especially now that Emmaline and Billie let me do more.”
“And your macarons?”
“Are a hot mess.”
“Not from what I hear.Sera speaks quite highly of your flavors, and Billie’s noticed that your construction is getting better.They’ll be ready for the cases out front in no time, if that’s something you want.”
“Yes, I want that!”They blurted.“I mean, in time, yes that’s something I’d like to happen.”
Alpha Parisa smiled.“It’s good to have goals, and that’s a lovely one.I take great pride in watching you grow, you know.”
Jo felt a swell of warmth in their chest.“Thanks.And, like, friends are going great, too.I’m getting close with folks in the Crooked Creek Pack, too, which is nice.Family is — family is what it is.Can’t change other people, am I right?”
“No, you surely cannot.”
Jo clenched their fist.“It’s frustrating, but at least I have all y’all.I just wish my mom didn’t make me feel so small and worthless.I’m a totally different person here than I am there or when I have to talk to her.I feel cut in half.I want to be the same person everywhere.I want to be this person everywhere.”They sighed again.“I need to make it through the wedding in one piece, enjoying what I can, and then I’ll be back here with no more trips back there for the foreseeable future.”
The trail narrowed and Alpha Parisa let Jo go first to set the pace.
“Find joy in the small moments, if possible,” she started, “and leave everything else that does not serve you once you drive away from that place.”
“I’ll do my best.”
“We’ll be eagerly waiting for you to return home.”
“Big same.”The mention of home reminded Jo of the other topic they needed to bring up today — Dolly needed a permanent home, something more than a box outside of Violet Moon.They tried to summon their courage, but came up short, and the two of them ended up talking about Jo’s macaron recipe and Alpha Parisa’s Persian bread recipes as they wrapped up their slow hike through the woods.
Jo waited until the pack house was in sight to finally ask.“Have you ever thought about the pack having a pet?”
“The thought has crossed my mind once or twice.Why do you ask?”
“There’s a cat!Bakery!At the bakery.A cat.She’s really sweet, and I don’t want to push it or anything, but I think she’d be a great pet for all of us.I’d take responsibility for her and she could stay mostly in my room until she’s comfortable - or y’all are all comfortable.And her name’s Dolly.I’ve been feeding her for a while now.Wil feeds her, too.I made her a house to keep her dry with all the thunderstorms, but I think she needs a real home.”Jo took a deep breath to fill their empty lungs with air.“What do you think?”
She smiled, and Jo felt hopeful.“I think we’ll have to run it by the pack, like all of our big decisions, and we’ll go from there.”
ten
“Thanksfordrivingus,”Jo said, glancing over their shoulder from the passenger seat to check on Dolly in her carrier in the backseat — again.The cat wasn’t meowing or causing a fuss, and Seraphine was driving carefully enough to not startle her with any potholes, but that didn’t mean they weren’t worried about her.
“Happy to help,” Seraphine replied.”I’m looking forward to bringing home our new family member, too.”
They smiled.“Yeah, I can’t wait to see how she settles in, but I’m, like, a ball of nerves right now.She’s had quite the day already.What if she doesn’t feel comfortable?What if she doesn’t like it at the pack house?”
Coaxing Dolly into the carrier had seemed simple at first — it was easy to tempt the cat to go anywhere with some tuna treats — but then she’d put up quite a fight when actually going into the carrier.Jo had some scratches to prove it.But it had all been necessary to not only get Dolly home, but also get her to the vet for a checkup before they brought her to the pack house.After being poked and prodded, Dolly was in a mood, but she quickly calmed back down once they were in the car and the ordeal that was the vet was behind them.
“I’m sure she’ll need some time to adjust, but you’ve got plans in place that you talked over with Pari, right?”
Jo would never get over hearing Seraphine call Alpha Parisa by a nickname.It was like a weird reminder that your two cool aunts that were roommates were actually sleeping together.They were happy they were together, but thinking of two people they held in such high esteem like that was a bit uncomfortable.
“Yeah, we talked it over.Dolly will stay in my room and bathroom area until she’s a little more comfortable, then I’ll supervise when she explores outside of the room for a while until we’re sure she’s doing okay.”
“Sounds like you’re ready!Anything else you need at the pet store?”
“The trunk is full.I don’t think we could fit anything else if we wanted to.”
