Chapitre 3

The crowd dispersed after the wolves howled. The warriors got ready.

"Ephilia!"

I turned around. A wall of red hair jumped up and hugged me.

"Lizzy?"

Her green eyes sparkled with concern.

"Where have you been all morning?" she asked, giving me a stern look. "What have you been doing? You look like a corpse."

"Nice to see them too," I replied sarcastically.

Something tugged at my pants and I looked down. Big brown eyes smiled at me. Any tiredness was instantly gone.

"Tommy!" I called, picking him up and spinning him around.

The children's laughter echoed across the square like birdsong.

"Phiphi!" he laughed. He kissed my cheek.

"Can we go climbing again?" he whispered in my ear.

I smiled at him. He reminded me of my childhood on the construction sites of the houses. Whenever Uncle Theo wasn't looking, I used to scramble up everywhere; and dropped a few times. But that never stopped me. Before I could get a sound out, Lizzy cut me off.

"That will not do. We have to go home."

She glanced at the wolves standing guard outside the packhouse. I could read the tension in her eyes. Because I knew that expression. It was time to duck and wait.

"But..."

"I'll just come with you," I said before Tommy could argue. "I still have to do some shopping."

Why had I let myself be persuaded to cook for the werewolves?

It's correct.

To save Uncle Theo's head.

"YES!" Tommy shrieked, wrapping his arms around me like a snake.

I grinned while Lizzy rolled her eyes.

"Hold him tight. Not that he runs away again and we have to go find him again."

Tommy was a bright boy, which was not only an advantage. We walked through the rows of houses until the smell of freshly baked bread wafted through the alleys. I'd better get to work cooking for the new northern homeowners.

Hungry werewolves were at the forefront of dangers to avoid.

"Unfortunately, I was a little late. Did Alpha Fenrir say anything else important?"

Lizzy pursed her lips and looked at me with a serious expression. Tommy forestalled her.

"The warriors of Iceclaw will move into the packhouse."

"But then why should we rush to finish building the houses?" I asked.

"For Gamma Johnson and Alpha Eros," Lizzy said.

My breath froze in my throat and I didn't choke on anything.

Alpha Eros and Gamma Johnson.

If something in the houses was not to their satisfaction, it would fall back on us.

"I have to cook large batches of food very quickly," I said.

Werewolves' appetites were not to be underestimated. We stopped in front of the grocery store when Lizzy pulled out the key. "Chill out. You can come with us. Mom will surely allow you to use the kitchen. Then you can tell me everything."

"Done," I said, wiping the beads of sweat from my forehead.

The smell of hot apple pie with cinnamon wafted through the room. The oven had turned a normal kitchen into hell, with me in the middle. Lizzy and Tommy had already fled. I untied the apron from my waist and draped it over the chair.

The square basket stood ready on the table. Everything was packed inside: chicken, fresh bread, cake and red wine. Lizzy's parents had good connections with the winemakers who lived in the mountains.

My eyes were finally burning from the exhaustion of the last few days. I just wasn't made for not sleeping. I've been standing for over 30 hours. It was time to deliver the food and finally go home to bed.

I looked outside at the deserted streets. The golden sun bathed the houses in a warm glow. It looked peaceful out there, no sign of war or suffering. But the sight could be deceiving.

A shadow stirred.

It grew until I realized what was roaming the streets there.

A werewolf.

My breath caught as if he could otherwise hear it. The black fur shone in the setting sun. He watched everything closely, as if strutting through his territory. This was no normal wolf. His charisma betrayed his status.

An Alpha.

As if he had heard my thoughts, his head jerked towards me. Clear blue eyes fastened on me and, despite the pane of glass between us, enlightenment swept through me. My eyebrows shot up to the ceiling.

Alpha Eros.

His wolf form was huge, no wonder. He took a few steps towards me. As fast as I could I squatted on the floor behind the wooden table. A loud growl rumbled in from the street and my heartbeat picked up speed.

No sooner had the Ice Claw Pack arrived here than I had managed to piss off their Alpha.

Good job.

Uncle Theo would be impressed.

The growl stopped. But I was too suspicious to lift my head from hiding. Maybe he was still on the street, just waiting for me to reappear.

"Phiphi, what are you doing on the floor?"

Tommy stood in the doorway. His hair was sticking out in all directions.

"I'll wait," I said, carefully peeping over the edge of the table onto the street.

She lay there as lonely as before. Maybe I just imagined Alpha Eros. Tommy's silence drew my attention back to him.

"What's going on?" I asked, looking at him more closely.

He avoided her gaze and looked down. "F-Frido is gone," he replied.

Small tears formed in his eyes. Frido was the little brown stuffed bunny that Tommy had worn every day since he was born and took with him on every adventure. I knelt at his level.

"Where is he?"

"II lost him. Playing in W-Forest this morning and Lizzy says we can't go look for him because of the dangerous W-Wolves. But Frido is all alone out there D-out in the C-cold."

His sobs tugged at my heart. Alpha Fenrir had forbidden us to go into the forest. But Tommy couldn't do without the stuffed animal, even if it now looked more like a sodden, frayed rag than a rabbit. Tommy still loved Frido.

"You know, he's having his own adventure right now. I am sure that he will come back again. After all, he wants to see you again."

His eyes lit up and he sniffed his nose.

"W-really?"

The corners of my mouth lifted into a smile at his words.

"I'm quite sure."

I squeezed his hand and stood up. Lizzy stood in the doorway with her arms crossed.

"So you caught the drama?"

"I'll take care of it," I replied, grabbing my red coat.

"Oh no, we'll wait for the situation to calm down," she said, grabbing my arms. "Look me in the eye and promise me you won't do anything reckless."

"Lizzy, you know me. I don't do anything careless, but carelessness comes to me. I can't fight back."

She shook her red mane, but I saw the smile underneath.

"One day it will cost you your head."

"But not today," I replied, hugging her tightly.

Just to be on the safe side, I checked the street again, just to make sure there weren't any other uninvited guests waiting for me there. I threw the red coat over my shoulders and grabbed the basket of food.

I had a delivery to make for hungry wolves. I had already met one of them.

No advantage for me.

Perhaps Gamma Johnson was friendlier.

"Be careful Phiphi," Tommy said, waving goodbye.

"Goodbye."

The door creaked as I stepped out into the fresh air. Not a soul met me on my way and there was nothing to be seen of Alpha Eros far and wide.

Now all I had to do was go into the forest and deliver the food and then hopefully I could sleep.