Fates Entwined

29

I shrugged. “Your wolf looks a lot like Jordan’s wolf.”

He eyed me for a few heartbeats before speaking again. “Are you that Ophiuchus who is staying with Jordan?”

“I am.”

Griffin nodded and then looked away again, messing with a loose set of pebbles that sat on top of one of the bigger boulders. I remembered telling Jordan that I would talk to Griffin sometime, to try and see what was up with him. I sat on a large boulder and took another sip of water.

“It’s quiet out here,” I said. "A nice place to get away for a while."

“I guess."

“Jordan says he never sees you anymore. He says you’re always out here as a wolf.”

Griffin snorted and flicked one of the pebbles onto the ground. It skittered across the sandy basin and then landed close to the trunk of one of the trees. “Yeah, like he cares.”

I raised my eyebrows. From just the few surly words Griffin had said, I was pretty sure I knew what was up. “Of course he cares. He misses you.”

“No, he doesn’t,” Griffin said, flinging another rock into the trees. “He’s so busy being alpha that he doesn’t have time for me anymore.”

“I know what you mean. My older brother is the alpha of the Ophiuchus pack. I know it can get pretty lonely sometimes, but being alpha is a lot of work. He has a lot of stuff to figure out, especially after the Sun Witches left the Leo pack in chaos.” Griffin glanced at me, and I offered him a tentative smile. “But Jordan still cares about you a lot. He talks about you all the time.”

Griffin shifted uncomfortably. “Whatever."

“He does,” I insisted, leaning forward. Griffin had his head c****d toward me, and I knew he was hanging onto every word I said. “He told me all about how you guys used to read graphic novels and play video games together.”

Griffin shrugged. “We’re not kids anymore. I grew out of that stuff, and he did too. We have other things to do.”

“What, like hang around the rocks just outside of the village?” I asked, keeping my tone light and teasing. Griffin didn’t smile. “Just because you're not kids anymore doesn’t mean you can't still do those things together."

“I guess,” Griffin said, but he didn’t sound very convinced.

“He got that new game you wanted." Jordan had shown it to me last night, over our empty bowls of chili. It was still in its packaging. He’d said he wanted to save it for Griffin, so they could play it for the first time together.

Finally, Griffin looked up at me, eyes wide with surprise. “He did? He didn’t tell me that.”

Gotcha, I thought smugly as I leaned forward. “Yeah, he’s been waiting to play it with you. But if you’re not around, I might have to get in there with him. And that would be really bad.”

Griffin frowned. “Why?”

I grinned. “Because I’d totally kick his ass."

Griffin wrinkled his nose at me. He looked startlingly like a younger version of Jordan. “You’re a gamer?”

“Yep. My brother and I used to play too, until alpha stuff got to be too much for him too. Trust me when I say that I know what you’re going through a little too well.”

“Huh,” Griffin said.

“I miss it a lot, actually,” I said. “Maybe the three of us could play it sometime? I saw Jordan had an extra controller.”

“Maybe,” Griffin said with a shrug. He didn’t look as angry now, and I knew he’d think about it for a bit. I bet he’d come around.

“It’ll be good to remind Jordan that he has a life outside of being an alpha,” I said. “Sometimes it’s important to unwind with your family.”

Griffin threw another rock. It rebounded off the trunk of the closest tree, chipping some bark off. “Fine. But I want something in return.”

“What’s that?”

“I heard Jordan talking to some of the other pack members. He said you were the best tracker in the Ophiuchus pack, and that you taught others. Including Ayla."

Had Jordan been bragging about me? “That’s true."

“Can you teach me?”

Something warm burst in my chest as I smiled at him. “I’d like that a lot. It’s a good skill to have.”

He c****d his head at me. “Does that mean you’re sticking around for a while?”

"For a while, yeah."

“Cool,” Griffin said with typical teenage nonchalance, but I saw a hint of excitement in his blue eyes.

I smothered another smile and picked my water bottle up. “Be careful out here, okay?”

“Yeah, yeah. See you around." He shifted back into his wolf and loped away before I could say anything else.

I shook my head as I watched him leave, smiling to myself. Teenagers. Then I took a bigger drink of water and began summoning moon magic to create the wards. It was time-consuming and energy-sucking, and a faint headache started behind my eyes as I worked my way around the village. The sun magic and moon magic worked better together than I expected, my wards weaving together with the previous ones to offer added protection against anyone who might do harm to the pack.

By the time I made it back to the rock formations and placed the last ward, I was sweating, parched, and bone-tired. The sun was high in the sky and my stomach rumbled as I considered the walk back to where I’d parked Jordan’s car. I should have brought something to eat.

“You look a little tired,” Jordan said.

I jumped and glanced over toward him. He grinned at me and lifted two plastic bags. My nostrils flared as I caught the scent of food, and my stomach rumbled again, louder.

“You have perfect timing,” I said. “I was just thinking that I needed lunch."