The Feral Alpha(3)
All three girls broke into huge, brilliant smiles. Jay shared their smile, despite a subtle sadness that swelled through his thoughts. Being a Sentinel wasn't in the past, a part of him knew. But, for now, he could pretend. He shoved the feelings down deep, hoping Kristi didn't get a whiff of his thoughts.
He stood as the girl tore back into the cavern, at the beck of today's child-wrangler. Jay watched Kristi from the corner of his eye. Did she feel that sudden surge of loyalty toward Goldbridge?
“You're good with kids,” she murmured. A muddled cacophony of feelings swirled inside her. She couldn't separate what was hers and what was Jay's, let alone precisely figure out what each feeling was. All she knew for sure was her heart ached with sudden, maternal desires. She clamped down on them, knowing Jay watched her intently. Did he feel her parental urges? A flush started to crawl up her face. Never before had she so desired pups. Her ears burned in embarrassment as she charged into the cavern. “Come on, Jay. Selene assigned us to livestock.”
Jay watched Kristi hurriedly charge into the cavern. Subtle wisps of emotion lingered behind, though. His heart pounded in excitement and uncertainty. He wasn't quite sure if he read her sudden flare of longing correctly. Perhaps it was his own ache for a family, a clan of his own, that weaseled into his head under the mask of Kristi's feelings. He shook his curious thoughts away. He had a job to do. He took off after Kristi, following her intoxicating scent as thoughts of the future danced in his head.
CHAPTER TWO
The cave seemed to be an endless network of tunnels. Even if Goldbridge ever found the feral pack, Jay wasn't sure if they'd be able to navigate through the corridors. The feral wolves must have some sort of navigation tool they used to keep from getting utterly lost in their own home. Jay followed close behind Kristi, lest they get separated. Soon, the rock of the cavern dropped away and sun gleamed around them.
Before him, stretched small fields of vegetables. In the gentle breeze, Jay caught a whiff of livestock. He threw Kristi a curious look and she shrugged, “My pack found farming to be helpful during winter – even if that means a more omnivore diet.”
As the two of them trudged down a dirt path, Jay noticed berries were also cultivated among the vegetables. As they headed closer toward the scent of livestock, he noticed hutches. The delicate smell of rabbits wafted to his nose and his wolfish appetite grumbled. When was the last time they had eaten?
Kristi's stomach gurgled in reply to Jay. Over her shoulder, she chuckled, “We'll get something to eat after tending to the animals.”
“What do we have to do?”
“Report to Lydia. She's in charge of the livestock.”
“What will she have us do?”
Kristi gave a one-shouldered shrug. It had been a long time since she was on animal duty. As a Beta, the alphas mainly had her on hunting, territory patrol, and raid duty. “Probably some cleaning, feeding, maybe some bathing.”
Jay sighed, his nose already recoiling from the scent of dirty animals, “Great.”
Kristi didn't have a chance to reply. A freckle-faced brunette with thick sinews of muscle bulging from her arms paused halfway to her. She stood tall, eyeing Jay critically as he approached, “So, you're the Sentinel my daughter's been yammering about.”
He paused, his head listing to the side. She reminded him of a fresh face he had just met. There was something similar in her scent, as well. “Are you Hazel's mother?”
“Sharp eyes,” Lydia conceded with pursed lips. “Good to know. Well, Sentine–”
“Jay.”
“Jay,” Lydia spat the word out as if it would sting her, “You're on mucking. Have fun.” She thrust a pitchfork toward him. He glanced toward the stables, where he could smell the undeniable scent of horses.
His eyebrows furrowed as curiosity pinched his expression. He hesitantly took the pitchfork from her grasp, “Why do you have horses?”
“For work or distance travel. Now stop dillydallying and get to shit duty!”
As Kristi and Jay moved toward the horse barn, Lydia stopped Kristi. “You're going to help me plant seeds, Kristi.” Something seemed to soften in Lydia's tone. Kristi and Jay exchanged looks. Lydia didn't even attempt to hide her disdain for the Sentinel and a preference for the former Beta.
Kristi cocked an eyebrow at the woman, who blatantly ignored the curious look. Lydia hauled a sack of seeds toward a freshly tilled field, without even requesting Kristi's assistance. Just as Kristi opened her mouth to call out Lydia's obvious favoritism, Jay raised his hand. “It's all right. Just go do your job.”