Chapter 7 - The friend

I looked on with a smile at the three new houses built and one of them I especially assigned to Lacey and her mother. I could see her old cheery self, coming back as she encouraged her heartbroken mother to be just as delighted as she was. She held her mother’s hand and led her inside to marvel at the furniture we’d managed to bring from the village.

There was so much to feel more positive about now. In just two weeks we’d gotten better and quicker at building more homes and our hunting, along with the traps were keeping us all well fed. But there were still times throughout the day or night when it was all quiet that some of us would reflect on what we’d lost. Lacey’s mum, Annie, would cry a lot, missing her mate more than she could really bear, and of course, she wasn’t the only one to have lost someone she loved. There were quite a few of us here that would talk about the ones who didn’t escape, the guards that put their lives on the line with my parents. None of it stopped us though from trying to move on. I hadn’t told anyone, not even Emma and Max, of my hope to go back when I was strong enough and take back our old home.

My training was improving but I still saw myself as unequipped to do what had to be done to win against an alpha, and that’s even if it was Marco. As time went on, I started to doubt what I thought. If I was so unsure of myself, I couldn’t expect anyone else to think I could do it. But no matter how long it took to better my skills, I wasn’t going to ever walk away from the Sun pack for good. It would be ours again one day, that I was certain of!

I chuckled as Lacey came skipping out of the house toward me with the biggest smile on her face. “Thank you, thank you, thank you!” She beamed, wrapping her arms around me.

“You like it?” I giggled at her enthusiasm.

“I love it! It’s so cosy and warm, I even have my own bedroom!”

“I know it’s not big, but…”

“No, it’s perfect!”. She cut in, still grinning from ear to ear.

I took her arm and looped it through mine as we walked over to the campfire together. The evening sky still had an orange glow from the sunset. I inhaled a long breath, reminding myself to be thankful that we’re here and alive. We sat down on one of the overturned logs as other members talked amongst themselves.

“Do you think we’ll stay here forever?” Lacey asked in a quiet voice as she glanced at our surroundings.

“I really don’t know. We’ve managed to achieve quite a bit here already, so who knows how much better it’ll be in a year or two from now… or five”.

“I do like it here”. She smiled gratefully, but when she finished it with a sigh, I knew there was more on her mind.

“Well, we’re safer here, so it feels less creepy. But would you want to stay here for good?”

“I don’t know”. She replied with a shrug.

“Come on, spill!” I encouraged as I playfully nudged her side with my arm.

“Spill what?” She asked, looking confused.

“I know you’re thinking about something, so tell me”.

“No, it’s nothing, it doesn’t matter”.

“Well, it matters to me. I keep seeing that faraway look in your eyes. Whatever it is, it matters”.

“Ok, but it’s going to sound really stupid and typical Lacey rubbish”.

“I doubt that, so what is it?”

“I just… I guess I’ve had to tell myself to accept that I’ll never find a mate”. She finally explained, then exhaled heavily.

“Oh!” I uttered, feeling saddened for her.

“See, I told you it was stupid”.

“What? No, Lacey it’s not stupid at all”.

“Yes it is, and I feel selfish for letting it bother me”.

“How is that selfish?” I asked, stunned that she was dismissing what she always wanted like it wasn’t valid.

“Because look at us!” She exclaimed as she waved her arms to notion our situation. “Look at what we’ve all been through, and yet here I am when we’re finally safe and all I’m thinking about it not having a mate!”.

“Oh, Lacey!”. I grinned as I pulled her in for a hug. “I can guarantee, you’re not the only woman here that’s thought about it”. I tried to reassure her as I let her go.

“Is this the part where you tell me that you’ve thought about it, and I literally faint from shock!”. She smiled.

“Sorry, but it’s still the furthest thing from my mind”. I told her honestly. “But there are other young and single women here who have probably felt the same way as you, and I suppose it will get to a point where we all want to have that”.

“Brooke, I’ll be an old spinster by the time you’re ready for a mate”. She groaned in amusement.

“Then whoever the lucky guy is can carry my little old ass on his back”. I laughed.

“That would be an honour for anyone you choose”. She jested in reply.

“You know what. Lacey, anyone would be lucky to be with you. I know I’m lucky that I have you here with me”. I told her as we snuggled into each other’s sides.

“Thanks bestie, but I think it’s time I stop imagining myself with a mate and just be content with what I have”. She said with a sigh.

“It might not be soon, Lacey, but don’t start convincing yourself it’ll never happen”.

“I have to, Brooke”. She said convincingly as her voice began to crack. “It’s for the best anyway”. She sniffled, wiping away a tear that fell down her cheek.

“How is it for the best?”

“Because at least that way, I won’t have to feel the hurt of losing one”. She expressed as more tears fell. “She can barely even smile now”.

“I know”. I said in understanding as I put my arm around her shoulders and nestled in.

“That alone should stop me from wanting to find a mate of my own”.

“Lacey, I hate to be even more of a downer, but we’re always going to lose someone we love. A parent, a sister, brother, a friend. But we still love them regardless, so the thought of losing a mate shouldn’t stop you from wanting and loving one”.

“But I need to not want one!”. She croaked as she started to blubber. “I’m not naïve enough to still believe I’ll find one”.

I hated hearing her cry, to see her give up on something she’d wanted for so long. Lacey was a true romantic at heart, always wanting an all-consuming love, someone to sweep her off her feet and love her even on her worst days. The ‘one and only’ type. She deserved a ‘great’ love and I refused to see her give up on it.

“Lacey..”. I whispered, so that no one else could hear what I was about to tell her. “This place, us being here…. This isn’t going to be our forever”.

“What do you mean?” She asked as she wiped away more tears.

“If I tell you this, you have to promise it stays between us!”

“Tell me what?”

“I’m going back to Sun pack and killing whoever it is that’s taken over”.

“WHAT!”. She exclaimed loudly.

“Ssshh, Ssshh!”. I hushed her and we both whipped our heads around to see if anyone took any notice. Luckily they were all too involved in their own discussions.

“What the hell do you mean?” She asked in a shocked hushed voice.

“That’s why I keep training! When the time is right, I’ll take the guards and we’ll put things right!”

“What? Brooke you can’t just storm in and take down all those wolves”.

“We won’t just storm in! I have a plan, ok”.

“Well, what’s the plan?”

“We’ll watch them, bide our time and see what their routine is. How they patrol the borders, how many there are of them. When we have enough to go on, we’ll sneak in and find anyone that they might be keeping captive”.

“Brooke!”. Her voice shook as she stared at me in alarm. “It’s too dangerous”.

“Lacey, I have to at least try. What if they didn’t kill everyone? What if they’re keeping them there? We can’t just live our lives never knowing for sure”.

“Stop it!” Her voice started to tremble. “You’re scaring me, I don’t want you to get hurt. I can’t lose you too”.

“I’m not going anytime soon, ok. I still have a lot of training to do first. But I will be going back, one way or another I will get our home back”. I told her with a determined look.

“But what if something happens to you, what about the rest of us?”

“You stay here, keep yourselves safe, and if you need to move on somewhere else, then that’s what you do. You’ll have Emma and Max, they’ll know what to do”.

“Then you have to promise me that you’ll only go when you know it’s safe enough”. She pleaded with watery eyes.

“Of course”. I reassured her as I wiped away one of her tears with my thumb. “But you have to promise me you won’t say a word about this. I’ll tell everyone when I know it’s time for us to go back”.

“I won’t, I promise I won’t”. She said in agreement, and she rested her head on my shoulder and we watched the flames of the fire flicker, us both mulling over our own thoughts.