The Wolf Inside Us

s i x

"SEVEN MOONS SHE'S DONE IT AGAIN,"  Wyn groaned from his spot on the rocking chair beside her.

Naomi raised her eyebrows as they watched from the porch. Iago and Astra were arguing, some distance away. Though Astra was considerably shorter than the wolf, she made up for it with the fire in her facial expression.

Naomi suppressed a smile.

"I'll be back. Hopefully in one piece." Wyn left the porch of the Big House to saunter over towards the arguing wolves. Naomi saw Iago roll his eyes at Wyn's arrival which caused Astra to shove him in the arm. Naomi wondered what they were arguing about.

She walked back into the cool, silent house. It was late afternoon and she would start supper for them soon. But before that, she wanted to explore the house.

Astra had shown her the solar panels behind the house. She had said that the pack tried to live as sustainably and off the grid as possible. All of the power was supplied by solar panels and water. They raised their own livestock and grew their own crops. Some farmed, others fished. They all contributed to the pack in some way.

Naomi stumbled over the end of a rug. She looked around, glad that the house was empty. The first floor consisted of the large living area that rolled into the dining room and kitchen. There was a large pantry and bathroom. Down the hall towards the right was an office. And directly across from that, was a room with a door firmly shut. Naomi figured it was a bedroom and didn't open the door.

She found the laundry room. There was a washer and sink, but no drier. Instead, a clothesline ran from the wall towards the window outside. It had some sort of pulling contraption that caused the line to rotate. Naomi was about to leave the room when a shirt thrown into a basket in a forgotten corner caught her eye.

It was a soft white cotton with a tear in the collar. As she brought it up to her nose, Naomi knew whose it was. She grabbed the shirt and searched the cabinets in the room, until she came across a box with various items in it. She found a needle and thread and smiled.

Returning to the living room, she sat down on the couch, pulling a blanket over her bare feet. As the sun got lower in the sky, the air grew more chilly. Plus, she loved the feeling of coziness that a blanket on the couch always seemed to bring. Naomi carefully threaded the needle and fell into the familiar pattern of mending.

It soothed her.

She was just about done when she heard the front door open and shut. She heard a sigh and then the footsteps paused. Naomi craned her neck as she turned to see who had entered.

It was the alpha. He did not look surprised to see her. Instead, he offered her a small smile, one that barely tilted up the corners of his lips. Naomi smiled back, raising her hand in a hello.

The alpha came around and sat on a nearby armchair. His long legs were splayed out in front of him and he ran a hand through his hair. He sighed again before he lifted a stack of papers in front of his face that Naomi hadn't noticed before.

Naomi went back to mending the shirt, but couldn't help looking up every few minutes to watch the alpha. His dark eyebrows were flattened into a stern line as he read the papers in front of them. Naomi wondered what they were.

She hissed as the needle pricked her finger. The male across from her immediately looked up at the sound, hands clenched, poised for a threat. The sight made her laugh even as she stuck her thumb in her mouth.

Needle, she signed to him a moment later. The tension in his shoulders visibly lessened. He could hardly beat up sewing equipment. The alpha leaned his head back in chair and shut his eyes.