The Woodland Packs

Grayson.

I smiled at my mom and watched her frown right back.

“You didn’t tell me, Grayson.”

I fought to stop myself from bowing my head in shame. “We only found out yesterday. She was at Claire’s house.”

“We? You mean she’s your pack’s mate? Like with Dexter’s pack?”

My mother sounded surprised.

“What’s wrong, Mom?”

She crossed her arms over her rather large chest. “Oh, nothing. I just… Some of elders thought this may be a pattern, one mate per triad. I wasn’t sure. But now…”

The curtain to the dressing room moved aside and a woman stepped out.

One with long, flowing brown hair, thin legs and perky breasts that lifted her tank top.

Whoa.

“Everything’s too tight.” Nevaeh said as she tugged at her tank and the jeans that hugged her ass.

“No,” my mother said, her tone one of someone who is not to be trifled with. “They fit your thin, perfect body. Not strong yet, but you will be if you stay here with us. Now, go home, stay warm. There’s a storm coming and everyone needs to get indoors.”

Mom packed the few extra clothes in a bag and handed it to me. “Take these. And, Nevaeh, put this on. The temperature’s dropping.”

My mom handed Nevaeh a thick wool jumper.

“How do I pay for all of this, Sharon?”

My mom stepped over to where Nevaeh was staring up at her like she was some mythical creature to behold.

Mom cupped Nevaeh’s face and spoke softly. “You look after yourself and my son. Now, go.”

“Your son?” Nevaeh looked at my mom, probably assessing her face and seeing the same blue eyes that ran in all of my mother’s sons.

She looked over at me with the softest expression. “This is your mom?”

“Yeah.” I sighed heavily as Mom shoved us towards the door and flung the “open” side over to “closed.”

“I wasn’t joking about those storms, Gray. Get going.”

I nodded and pulled Nevaeh into the street. My mother was never wrong about these sorts of things. The wind had turned, the air now biting into my skin with the sting of snow.

“Let’s hurry.”

We jogged across the street and towards our house. I held Nevaeh’s hand. The smallest, warmest hand I’d ever been able to touch.

“Almost there,” I yelled over the wind.

People were running everywhere. I pulled Nevaeh closer as we pushed towards my house.

She cried out as she fell, tripping over something on the ground.

I turned and swept her up into my arms and walked on.

When we got to the house, I ripped open the door and had to walk in and push my back against the heavy wooden panel to get it to close.