46. A Midnight Quietness

Seff ran. She shredded the dress and ran. She wondered, *Whywhywhywhywhy*? *Why me*? Why *them*?
Was it so wrong to mate and marry Hawthorn, move into his apartment, have a few pups, and grow old together? Was monotony what she wanted? She’d had plenty of thrill. Two Alphas fighting tooth and claw over her was certainly a thrill she absolutely did not like.
But she had given herself away. She’d expressed her interest in Selene, and that had triggered their fight. Now she was running and she decided it was for the sake of both Alphas.
Her wolf’s legs were burning by the time she made it to Castle Night. The front facade was unmanned but for a black wolf with its head resting on its paws. Seff snapped a stick underfoot, and the wolf lifted her head, ears perked. “Seff?” Lona the Delta whispered.
Seff came out from behind the tree and trotted to meet Lona halfway. Unexpectedly she touched her nose to Seff’s muzzle, an action wolves with a close relationship used to share their comfort at their safety. She retracted as if it was normal. “Come, you’re safe now. Follow me.”
Seff shook her head. “I’m waiting for Selene.”
Lona’s ears flicked but she agreed. They sat together in the sunlight-casted shadow of the castle in the company of rustling rowan trees. When a figure emerged over the hill, they both bolted to catch Selene between them before she collapsed.
“Seff,” Selene huffed in relief, leaning her head on top of hers. “I’m glad you’re okay.”
“But you’re not.” Seff’s nostrils burned with blood and wet fur, and the Luna’s pain was tangible. She refused to
“Take us to the pool, Lona.”
“Of course, Luna.”
The trio made their way slowly around the back of the castle until a large greenhouse structure appeared. A stream seemed to flow straight into its glass walls—a branch of the Crystal River, perhaps. A door was wide enough for them to all miraculously fit through.
Seff refrained from gasping. The space was massive in width and height, the glass ceiling soaring high and absorbing the brilliant sunlight. Greenery thrived along the perimeter and edged the stream that flowed from a glassless pane into a natural circular pond, which fed out another channel out the opposite side of the room. The water was calm and gray-blue, swirling in a contained current.
And there were two wolves making out in the center of it.
“Find somewhere else to suck on her face, son,” Selene barked irritably.
The two broke apart and flushed with embarrassment. The male was clearly Selene’s offspring, with black hair and blue eyes, but the female had light brown hair and pale blue eyes that marked her as Sky pack. The lesser Alpha shielded the Omega with his body as they hastily climbed out of the pool and fled through a door connected to the castle wall.
Selene snorted and shook her head. “Alphas will put their cocks in anyone.”
The “floor” was actually mossy ground. Selene lowered herself carefully down onto her belly, wincing at any contact. “Selene…” Seff began, laying beside her while Lona trotted off to find first aid.
“We built the greenhouse right on top of this resource. Nothing is wolf-made but the glass. That was my lesser Alpha son. No, the female is not one of my Chosen Omegas. There is casual crossover between packs, especially between Moon and Sky. Sometimes when I visit Sky I bring some of my elder pups. They either stay or bring a Sky back with them. The Moon pack is very large, but not all of them are my offspring.”
The rapid answers taxed her, but she managed a wolfy smile at Seff, who tried her best to mirror it. “That does answer all my questions,” she said with an attempt at a light tone, “but you’re hurt. Don’t…don’t talk too much. Your muzzle…”
Selene seemed ready to argue before giving in. “Ah, this bag of bones has been mangled before.”
“Mangled?” Seff repeated in horror.
“Being an Alpha means fighting for power. Being an immortal means that fight for power is ongoing in effort to stay relevant.”
“That must be exhausting.” *Living forever is lonely.*
Even after the night they made love, Seff couldn’t shake her prejudice of the Alphas being selfish and brash. Selene surprised her by saying quietly, “It is worth it if there is a just cause. Protecting my pack is my priority. My skin and fur will heal, I promise. Over time, even the deepest scars heal.”
An unbidden image flashed in her mind: her parents’ bodies lying on the street, hit by a human’s car that was speeding through the College one day. A truck. Eight years later, it was still a mystery as to what a human was doing driving through. *Not emotional ones*, Seff thought, *not mental ones.*
“What are you thinking about?”
Seff shook her head. “Nothing.”
“Liar,” Selene said with a smile that made her flinch. Seff had the urge to lick her slashed muzzle. Werewolves’ tongues contained bacteria, of course, but they had superficial healing capabilities. The slices were from Kiran’s claws; *mangled* was the correct word. Her chops were pink and still bloody, exposing some of the flesh, most of her whiskers on one side ripped out, her nose nicked with a thick sliver of a peeled layer. It was gruesome. *Was she really used to this*? “I’m smart enough to recognize someone reminiscing bad memories.”
Seff didn’t know what to do with her body. Lona still hadn’t returned. Though it was midday, there was the…intimacy…of a midnight quietness, as if the rest of the world was asleep and it was only them, untouchable. “My parents,” she admitted softly, ears swiveling back. Selene tracked every small movement without breaking eye contact. “You’re injuries…reminded me of theirs.”
Selene’s muzzle was the only part of her face that sustained immediately noticeable injury. The rest of her body was hard to judge. “Plenty of broken bones?”
Seff’s ears flattened and she felt the smallest flare of anger. She said it so matter-of-fact, as if their deaths were ordinary, insignificant. “Yes.”
The Luna didn’t seem to notice, though Seff had an inkling that nothing went unnoticed. She licked her right forepaw. “My ankle is broken. Until it is healed I cannot Shift to my human form.”
*Then I will stay a wolf as long as you*, Seff thought immediately, chasing away the negative emotion. What was done, was done. Seff learned to live with the guilt of her survival. Now she had to focus on the present—and the Luna who was churning up her thoughts and feelings. It was as if Kiran barely existed. “How can I help?”
Selene turned her neck toward Seff, ears half-perked. “You can lick. I know you want to.”
It wasn’t possible for her ears to flatten any more. Embarrassment was one of those churned-up feelings. “O-okay.”
Wolves’ tongues were rough, so Seff took care to lick lightly but thoroughly. Alphas were strong in more ways than one. After decades of fighting, apparently, Selene was used to dealing with the pain. She didn’t flinch or make a noise of protest. She simply closed her eyes and let Seff cleanse the blood and river water.
She didn’t even realize she’d taken to grooming her cheek and ears too, as if the act of care was natural. The sour stickiness coated Seff’s tongue, filling her nose, but it didn’t bother her at all. She just listened to Selene’s breathing and heartbeat and felt her worry unspool in her chest.