Page 34 of Rogue If You Want To
The moon was high in the sky when Creven announced it was time to run, swim, and play. Auden stayed behind with Oak and the other children, and my mate and I joined all the others, taking off and running along the riverbank.
We ran, my mate holding back, knowing I was not as fast as he was on land. And we dove into the water on our way back.
I was a whole lot more competitive than my mate. I swam as fast as I could, circling back underneath him, and eventually climbing on top of his shoulders and rubbing my otter cheeks against the top of his head.
This was what pack life was supposed to be. And from now on, I wasn’t going to look back.
I was only looking forward.
19
TORIN
“What do you think?” Creven was speaking to Auden. “Can we repair it or should we tear it down?”
The building we were looking at had stood on the land before Auden had claimed it for his pack, years ago. People came and went, and this huge cabin, that was far from Auden’s trailer and the other cabins, had fallen into disrepair. Half the roof was missing and the windows had been boarded up. It was in a sorry state but Creven had images on his computer of how it could look after repairs.
Creven’s idea was to make it a library, and the pack was in full support. We were a new pack with little history, but what had started out as Auden and a few stragglers in need of a bolthole was now a thriving community. Creven, as Alpha, wanted a place where our history could be recorded and where pack members could spend quiet time and contemplate.
“The foundations are sturdy, and there’s no sign of termite damage.” Auden didn’t have a particular attachment to the place, though neither he nor Creven wanted to spend money unnecessarily.
Otto, especially, was excited about turning this broken shack into a library. My book-loving mate had asked if he could become the librarian, and Creven had agreed. With a full-time job, creating a library from nothing, Otto said he finally had a purpose and could contribute to the pack.
The porch sagged as Otto stepped onto it, avoiding a huge hole in the middle, but as the wind blew, the old wood groaned, and I pulled him away.
“It needs a miracle.” Larkin shifted Oak onto his other hip as he surveyed the damage.
“Or a pack that is willing to get stuck in and restore it to what it once was,” I added, and Otto grinned.
“Don’t think it was much to begin with,” Auden muttered.
“Then it will surpass its original incarnation.”
Names of the people who’d stayed here were carved on the front door, and it reminded me of the height chart Mom had made. The door was part of the pack’s history, and Creven said it had to be saved. Maybe not the door itself which was rotten but the part with the names.
Creven stepped inside, and though I wished my mate would stay where he was, he followed with me at his side.
I knew little about construction, but Auden said most of the support beams were in good condition, though parts of the floor were rotten. None of us needed expertise to know the roof had to be replaced. The inside had seen animals make it their home, probably during the winter.
Auden poked around and said it would take three to four weeks to complete.
Lazlo, a bear shifter who’d joined the pack just before Otto and I did, spoke up. He could supervise the carpentry, as that had been his trade after he left school. As well as his expertise, he had a box of tools in his truck which would save us money.
Another pack member, Noel, had contacts at a hardware store down the mountain and could look into buying old inventory.
We spent the next few days going over plans and pack members volunteered their time, knowledge, and skills. Creven had once lived in a small cabin in the middle of the woods and he was handy with a hammer, while Auden was good at telling people what to do. I did what I was told and pitched in where necessary.
As Larkin was looking after Oak, he co-ordinated the food and snacks, but it was Otto who was head of logistics. He was anywhere and everywhere, helping to remove damaged boards, scrambling up ladders, and making suggestions regarding the design. Seeing him interact with pack members, laugh at their jokes, and give his opinion about the internal layout, confirmed that the trauma wouldn’t define who he was.
I brushed dust off his cheek and kissed him while passing him a tool I didn’t know the name of.
“For the first time in my life, this land and the pack feels permanent. In the bevy, I was marking time, trying to avoid my father and his temper and staying out of Lutris’s way when he was on a tirade about something or other.”
I shuddered when he spoke of his so-called family life in the bevy and compared it to my loving upbringing.
“It’s where our child will be born and will consider the land their home.”
We worked every day from dawn until the sun set, wanting to get the building complete before winter arrived. Otto showed us the layout he’d chosen, with the kids’ reading area near the windows facing east.
