CHAPTER 34

HAZEL

The next hour and a half flew by in a whirlwind of activity. Everyone was simultaneously sitting, cutting, cooking, and eating, all in an effort to finish early and get a good night's sleep. Sparrow had warned us that we needed to start at three in the morning to make up for any potential delays.

By the time it was completely dark and the stars were out, the pack warriors on duty were circling the small camp and everyone else was either spreading there blanket to sleep or already fast asleep. 

I snuggled deeper into the thin throw, Thea's gift, but it offered little warmth against the biting cold. The chill seeped through the blanket, sending shivers down my spine. I tried to pull the blanket tighter, but it was like trying to hold onto a wisp of smoke. The cold air seemed to find every crevice, every exposed inch of my skin. I couldn't believe how much colder it had gotten.

My head snapped up, curious to see how everyone else was doing. They all looked so cosy and warm, wrapped up in their thick, furry blankets. I glanced to the left and saw Sparrow and Thea, fast asleep and snuggled together under a shared blanket. 

I turned to my right to notice that Thaddeus lay peacefully, his face relaxed under a lion skin blanket. The blanket looked so cosy, I could almost feel its warmth from here. It was the perfect way to end a long day.

I bit my bottom lips tightly trying to push the thought that kept clouding my head. One half of me was telling me to just go slide under the blanket with him and the other half was telling me to go steal the blanket from him. 

Eventually, I decided it was better to slip under the blanket and hope that he wouldn't notice me. At least, it was a better option than steal it and face his wrath by morning.

I snuggled closer to him, careful not to disturb his peaceful sleep. I slid my foot under the blanket, glancing at his face a few times to make sure he was still sound asleep. As I eased myself under the covers, I turned onto my side to take up less space. But just as I was shifting, a strong arm shot out and wrapped around my waist, startling me with a little squeak.

Shit, I was screwed beyond belief.

The arm around me tightened, pulling me closer. I hesitated for a moment, then rolled onto my other side, facing him courageously. He arched an eyebrow, a silent question hanging in the air.

"Hey there," I whispered softly, flashing him my sweetest smile and hoping against hope that he wouldn't shoo me away. The warmth of the cosy space was so comforting.

"Hey there," he said, his voice slow and deliberate, as if he were speaking to a very young child. "What on Earth are you doing under my blanket? This is my spot, you know.”

“Uh, it's freezing out here without a blanket,” I grumbled, mentally cursing myself for not bringing an extra blanket. He rolled his eyes and pushed me back gently. I sighed and rolled out of the wonderfully heated blanket. 

Damn, it was too good to be true. Now, it felt like a bittersweet dream.

Just as I was about to sit up and crawl back to my abandoned blanket once again. Thaddeus gripped my hand and yanked me back down. 

“What the–?" I began to exclaim, but he quickly silenced me with a loud shush. Annoyed, I frowned and lowered my voice to a whisper.

"You can have the blanket," I muttered, my voice barely audible. "I'll just sleep between Sparrow and Thea."

I couldn't see his face, but I could feel his gaze boring into me. A moment later, I was pulled back under the warm blanket, my back pressed against his solid chest. His warmth seeped into me, and I couldn't help but shiver.

“You act so dumb sometimes. I was trying to turn you over not push you away,” he muttered, his breath tickling my neck. I stayed silent as I tried to come to terms with what just happened.

Thaddeus and I were curled up together, his arm wrapped around me. ‘What the hell was happening?’

"Hazelnut, it's late. You need to rest," he murmured, his voice a soothing balm. "You're overthinking everything. It really doesn't matter."

His warm embrace tightened around me, a comforting cocoon. I closed my eyes, a small smile playing on my lips. As I nestled into his side, I let the weight of the day slip away, replaced by the comforting warmth of his presence.

I sighed contentedly, I was seeing progress in my both mate. 

•

•

•

“Hazel, Hazel!”

"Five more minutes, Mom," I mumbled, pulling the covers over my head. "Just five more." I snuggled deeper into my pillow, hoping she'd leave me alone. The warmth of the bed was so comforting, and the thought of facing the cold, harsh morning was unbearable.

“I’m not your fucking mom, sleepyhead. Wake up! We have a witch to visit.”

My eyes snapped open, and I blinked severally as my eyes tried to adjust to the dark. Then, I felt something move beneath me and it took me a few seconds to realize that I was practically on top of Thaddeus.

I also became aware of the fact that his hands were resting on my ass. 

“Can you move your hands?” I whispered calmly, glancing at the rest of the group. I was praying and wishing nobody would catch a glimpse because they were all slowly just waking up. 

“That only depends. Are you going to move or not?”

I opened my mouth to respond when something hard started poking my thigh. Realization hit me, and Thaddeus must have noticed my panicked look because he just smirked like this was a normal thing for him. 

“Why is your dick at full attention so early in the morning? I-i–we didn't even do anything close to—”

He raised his eyebrow while cutting me short in my speech. “Tell me, are uncomfortable, Hazel?” 

I scrambled to get off of him which was pretty much enough to answer his question. He snorted and sat up, slipping the lion skin blanket off of him. 

I gasped instantly as I noticed that the tent in his jeans was huge but he didn't even seem to care. He was just busy sniffing the air. 

“There is a deer nearby.” He muttered and whipped his shirt off. “When the rest of the group are finally awake, tell them I went to go chase the meat down. I’m not sure if we will get a chance to hunt today. Do you want a deer or something?” 

I blinked at him. “Uh no, I will just eat the left over cooked meat from last night. Thanks for asking.”

He simply nodded and disappeared into the woods with his pant on. I decided to take the time to brush my teeth. When I came back, the pack warriors were finished cleaning up and were staring at one another in confusion.

“Something wrong, guys?” I asked, stuffing my thing back into the back pack. 

“Uhmmm, have you seen Alpha Thaddeus?” Gideon asked, his eyes scanning the area.

“Oh, oh, is that why you all seemed so worked up about. He went out early in the morning to go beat his meat down.”

I was so focused on shoving everything into my backpack that I didn't even think about what I was saying. I mumbled something without paying attention, and when no one answered, I looked up to see everyone staring at me with wide, frightened eyes.

I frowned, a slight crease forming between my eyebrows. Why were they staring at me like that? Was hunting in the morning a bad thing or something?

“You guys want to join him?” I asked slowly. 

Their horrified faces morphed into shock. 

“I do not think we would ever be comfortable doing something like that.”

My eyes narrowed. “I thought you guys went hunting yesterday? How can you be uncomfortable with that?”

“Wait, he went hunting?” Gideon asked, looking awfully relieved. 

I gave him a confused look. “Yeah,”

He nodded, a better look in his eyes. With a swift turn, he sprinted after Thaddeus, the rest of the pack warriors hot on their heels as well.

I huffed and shook my head. 

“Those wolves are kinda weird, huh?”