Chapter One-1
Chapter One
KARA
I was on edge today. Not for any reason I could put my finger on. The atmosphere around me, inside me, just felt tense, like the air before a storm.
Across from me, on the other side of the lawn, the pack Alpha, Allara, sat with her feet up, watching over the children running about. Although her body language was lazy, I could tell that she was on alert in the way that Alphas always were, scanning for threats over at the tree line and ensuring the safety of pack members, even while appearing relaxed.
Not that she could spring into action right now, though, even if something did turn up to threaten us. Not in her condition. The sundress she wore couldn’t hide her large, round belly. She chewed her bottom lip, deep in thought over something.
Reid, her mate, crossed the lawn to join her, carrying two large glasses of lemonade. Allara accepted one, smiling up at him with a softness she reserved only for him. He bent his head to press a kiss to her lips. His fingers were gentle as they slid through her hair. The way he treated her—as if she were made of glass and the most precious thing on earth—was surprising for such a big man.
Bitterness spiked through my chest and it only took me a second to realize what the feeling was.
Envy.
As Reid and Allara got to talking, I bent my head back over my needlework and tried to shake away the feeling.
Those two had always known they were fated to be together. Ever since we were kids. Back then it had made us all laugh, the way they were with each other.
Not now. Now, it made us all yearn for something similar to what they had.
Unlike Allara and Reid, though, I’d never had even an inkling of that feeling toward anyone in the pack. I’d never experienced the pull they all talked about. That unshakable certainty that this shifter was the one for me.
So, I kept to myself. The other members of the pack didn’t bother with me, which suited me just fine. It ran both ways; most of the time, I was happy enough in my own company.
Since my brother Jason had found his mate Tammy, I’d withdrawn even more. It wasn’t anyone’s fault I didn’t feel right in company anymore. Besides, it meant I had more time to work on my art. I should be happy about that.
I smoothed a hand over the pattern I was working on: dozens of trees embroidered in shades of green. The forest scene would eventually become part of a quilt for Allara’s baby. The room they had planned for him, or her, was spectacular.
Yeah. I have all I need, right here.
Allara and Reid were still deep in conversation. Even from this distance, I could see they were arguing about something. Allara’s brow creased. It was an expression I knew well.
She doesn’t want to hear whatever he’s saying, but she knows he’s right.
Sure enough, a few moments later, Allara threw up her hands.
Fine, fine.
Reid sat back, satisfied, and I smothered a laugh. Allara wasn’t one to lose a fight and she wouldn’t take it well. Reid brushed his hand against hers, and she relented, tangling their fingers together. Like all their disagreements, it was over before it had really started.
I shook my head and returned to my embroidery.
Kids on the lawn played under the watchful eye of half a dozen shifters. Beyond the grass, a group of pack members emerged from the trees carrying a deer between them. No one would go hungry tonight.
At the other end of the village, the vegetable garden was blooming; come Fall, we would be laden with fresh fruit and vegetables.
Everything was exactly as it should be. And yet, there was something I couldn’t put my finger on... Why did I feel so unsettled?
Is it my imagination, or can I smell a storm on the horizon?
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