Uncomfortable with everything Fenris had shared with her and her gratitude for not allowing Elbner to call her names, I kept my response simple.
“You’re welcome.”
She flashed a relieved smile at me. We drove in silence for several minutes as I navigated the roads toward the pack’s territory.
“I’m not exactly sure where you live,” I said when we got closer.
She started giving me directions that led to a gravel parking lot edged by trees. Through them, I caught a glimpse of an open field and a cluster of houses that looked like a mini town.
“I’ve never been this far into pack territory. If this is where everyone parks, how did Aubrey keep her convertible snow-free, out in the open like this?”
Jenna pointed to several canvas-topped carports hidden in the trees along the parking area.
“She managed to get one of those. And it’s not her car. We’re supposed to share it. Do you want to see a little more?”
“Am I allowed?”
She grinned.
“Given who your guardians are, yes, it’s allowed. For anyone else, I’d probably have to get permission first.”
I glanced at the houses again and let my curiosity, plus Fenris’s repeated reminders to do what I wanted, influence me.
“I’d love to see more.”
We left the car and followed the footpath through the trees. What I’d glimpsed from the parking lot was nothing compared to what I saw when we emerged into the clearing. Smoke curled in lazy plumes from the chimneys of the rustic homes that dotted the open space. We passed a few of the buildings on the outskirts, and I noticed stumps in the tall grass around them.
“We cut down the trees for lumber to build new homes when needed,” Jenna said, noticing the direction of my gaze. “There are a lot of us around mating age, so they built a few extra for whoever’s next.”
“What if you don’t want to live here?”
She grinned.
“We’re a pack. We like sticking together. Although when a pairing happens between a pack here and a wolf from another pack, the pair usually decides together where they want to go. A few leave. A few stay.” She shrugs. “It helps the bloodlines stay strong.”
As we continued along the footpath, I noticed other trails branching off.
“How many houses are there?”
“In this clearing? About thirty. There are others farther away.”
“Do the clearings have names like towns?” I asked.
“Unofficial ones. We call this one Blueleaf due to the trees. Same with Larch and Hornbeam.”
“And you live in Blueleaf?”
“Yep. Almost there.”
A small wolf cub ran in front of us with three more following close to its tail.
“Faster, Tarlen!” Jenna yelled with a laugh.
“Uh, is he going to be okay?”
“Oh yeah, chasing is a game we love from the moment we’re born. I think that’s why we all get so crazy about the mate runs.”
She veered off the path toward a cabin with planter boxes in front of its windows.
“This is me.”
The cabin’s inside was nothing like its outside. I’d expected something like Fenris’s cabin in the woods but, instead, walked into the inside of a house like we’d find in town. I paused, trying to get my bearings.
“Is it just me, or is the inside bigger than the outside?”
Jenna grinned.
“Druid spellwork. It was tweaked a few generations ago to fit the family. My parents updated the inside to make it more comfortable. My room’s back here.”
She led me to a room that looked similar to the one I had when I lived with my dad. A single bed dominated the space with a dresser and vanity off to the side. There was a skylight but no other window. Her space wasn’t littered with clothes and makeup but was neatly compact and tidy.
“You’re the first friend I’ve had over,” she said. “What do you think?”
“It reminds me of the room I grew up in. I like it.” I sat on the edge of the bed with her. “Why am I the first friend? Don’t the other girls you hang out with ever come over?”
A sharp laugh escaped her.
“No. We’re not close like that. Fenris keeps us apart.”
“Fenris? Why would he do that?”
She made a pained face.
“I don’t know how to explain it. Fenris doesn’t tell us not to be friends. In fact, the only time he’ll willingly spend time with any of us is when we’re all together. And that’s what’s keeping us apart. We’re all competing for him, you know? But in a subtle, non-aggressive way. Well, non-aggressive now that Aubrey’s gone.”
“I always thought you were all friends.”
She shook her head and gave me a sad smile.
“I wish he’d pick already. I know it’s not his fault, but I want to be able to move on, find my mate, and have real friends again.”
“Why is Fenris’s lack of mate holding you back from finding your own?
“He’s the last one close to my age here. If it’s not him, then it’ll be someone I don’t know. That’s scary for most of us. We’re pack, you know? Family. I can’t imagine loving a stranger.” She flopped back on her bed and looked up at her skylight.
“I might not have much of a choice after Tuesday night, though.”
With everything that had happened yesterday, I’d forgotten about Fenris and Conall’s conversation in the woods.
“What’s going on Tuesday night?”
“The pack elders are going to try to force a mate run.”
“Force? I thought it either happened or it didn’t.”
“Right. It happens when we meet the right one, which is what they think the problem is. That Fenris hasn’t met his yet. The pack elders have been working with other packs across the states to gather all the single wolves between the ages of fifteen and whatever to meet here for a pack run. One huge gathering.”
“Wow. Fifteen? That’s young.”
“It is a little young, but not unheard of. I do feel bad for the girls and boys that are coming here, though.”
“Boys?”
“Yeah. Some of the elders think Fenris might be mateless due to only shoving girls at him. Same-sex pairings aren’t as common, but they happen.” She shrugged. “I’m just worried some fifteen-year-old boy, barely grown into his fur, is going to take one look at me and start chasing me down. And my dumb instinct is going to make me run because…you know…it’s all about the chase.”
“I’m so sorry, Jenna. Isn’t there any way out of it?”
“No more than there’s any way out of Adira trying to force you to feed on Fenris.”
I looked down at my hands, thinking of Fenris.
“He’s always smiling. I didn’t really understand all the pressure that everyone is putting on him.”
“Yeah, he rolls with it pretty well. I think his easy-going personality is why all of us hope he’s the one. There are some wolves here who can be real tight asses about things.”
“Like what?”
“Who their mate can talk to…what she can wear…where she can go. Real control freaks. Mom told me Dad was like that in the beginning but that it eases over time. She said she felt just as possessive over Dad, though. She didn’t like him going anywhere without her. I just don’t see myself liking that. It feels oppressive, you know?”