Page 30 of Emerald Moon
“Somehow I actually believe that.”
“You should, because I never lie.”Cass maintained her neutral expression until a quick burst of laughter slipped out.“It was really good, though.”
“Awesome!You want the other one, too?”they asked, but Cass was already chewing it by the time the question left their lips.They pushed the hand pie towards her.“And something savory for after all that.”
Cass shook her head.“I don’t think I want anything else.It might take away the flavor.”
“You’re sweet, but they’re not that good.”
Cass looked over at her, their eyes meeting.“You think I’m sweet?”
Jo hadn’t expected that and felt warm from the sincere question.“Well yeah.You’re nice.You helped me come back from the wolf.”An image flashed in their mind of Cass naked and hovering above them in the moonlight, and they had to look away.“And we had a great time together the other day.”
“Thank you.You’re sweet, too.”She reached for the pie and Jo tracked the movement of her hands instead of looking at her face.“I don’t want to lose the flavor, but this also looks very good.Do you help make these, too?”
“Sometimes, I’ll chop what goes inside, but the meat is handled by my packmate, Lock, and the pastry is made by Emmaline or Billie."
“The meat comes from my pack’s butcher shop.”
“I think I knew that, but hadn’t really put it all together.That’s cool — packs supporting packs.”
“I’ll have to come by more often so I can support you, too.And the bakery.”She took a bite of the hand pie.“This is great, too, but the macaron was better.”
Jo started to deflect the compliment, but instead said, “I was about to say, ‘no, you’re just being nice,’ but then I remembered you don’t lie.”They laughed.“So, you must mean it and I just have to sit here and listen to your nice words without being negative.”
Cass laughed, too.“Exactly.Now you’re catching on.Speaking of catchy things, can we talk about your new additions to the playlist because they’ve been swimming in my head all day?”
Jo lit up from both the compliment and the mention of the playlist, and dove in to a long ramble about the songs they’d added and why they were the best.Cass bobbed her head as she listened, smiling the entire time, and jumping in with a comment here and there.When Jo finally stopped to take a big breath, Cass launched into her own discussion of what she was thinking of adding next, and Jo realized the awkwardness from earlier was gone.
Nope, still no friend crush.Jo was sure they were safe from it this time.They liked their blossoming friendship with Cass.It felt special and, even though they’d only hung out a few times, significant.Cass was going to be important in their life, they could already tell.
A hike in the woods was one of Jo’s favorite things — unless it was nearing sundown with the mosquitoes in full force in the middle of summer.Not even fifteen minutes into their hike with Alpha Parisa, Jo was a sweaty mess, soaking through their t-shirt.Alpha Parisa was glistening, not sweating, and her outfit was as put together as her outfits always were.
If Jo was a raccoon in a trash can doing their best, Alpha Parisa was an actual adult human.While Jo was wearing basketball shorts and a t-shirt from a brewery downtown, Alpha Parisa had traded in her usual vintage dresses for tailored shorts and a cherry red top with a scalloped collar.Jo knew the two of them couldn’t be more different from each other and, while they cared for their Alpha a great deal, she was still intimidating to be around.
Alpha Parisa was a force to be reckoned with.Jo had learned the extent to which that applied when, the previous year, an Alpha challenger had attempted to take control of the Pitch Mountain Pack from her.Jo hadn’t been there at the duel, a werewolf tradition where they fought for control of the pack, but they’d heard stories from Beta Seraphine and it only made Alpha Parisa seem more untouchable than before.
“What are your thoughts and feelings about the upcoming full moon run?”she asked, slowing so Jo didn’t need to take such big steps to keep up with her.
“Half excited.Half nervous.Half embarrassed.”
“That’s three halves.”She chuckled.
“I contain multitudes.But really, I do get excited, like everyone else, but I know it’d be a wholly different experience if I could come back on my own and if I could remember anything we did as a pack.”
“So, same as last month, then?”
Jo sighed.“Same as last month.Nothing’s changing!”
“You are changing, though.You might not notice it yet, but you and your wolf are growing more in sync.”
“Doesn’t feel like it,” Jo muttered, then asked, “Do I at least seem like I’m having fun?From the parts you can remember before the full moon wolf fully takes over?”
“Absolutely,” she replied, tone gentle.“You’re always right in the middle of everyone, having a great time.From our last run, I remember you playing in that river that cuts through the forest with Harry and Wilma.Edgar, too, chased you until you pounced off a tree and landed on his back, tackling him.”She laughed.“These memories you’ll carry with you in time, too.”
“But it’s taking too much time.”
“Your wolf is taking the time it needs, and so are you.It’s not an instant process.We have to grow together.”She patted Jo on the shoulder.“Everyone grows at their own pace.”
