Chapter 6
Alaric Dawnsworn
I did not sleep.
Well, technically I did. For maybe an hour. The rest of the night was spent staring at my ceiling and wondering how my life had somehow turned into this. A werewolf was visiting me.
A werewolf.
And somehow the most concerning part wasn’t that he could turn into a giant wolf. It was that I actually wanted him to come back. Which was ridiculous. Completely ridiculous. I groan and bury my face in my pillow.
“You’re an idiot,” I mumble to myself.
A knock sounds on my door.
“Talking to yourself again?” Valka asks before barging into my room without permission.
I sit up immediately.
“No.”
“That’s a lie.”
She narrows her eyes at me. I narrow mine right back.We stay like that for several seconds. Eventually she shrugs.
“Whatever.”
She climbs onto my bed and plops down beside me. I sigh, “What do you want?”
Val hugs her creepy cat plush against her chest.
“You look weird.”
“Thanks.”
“No, weirder than usual.”
“Even better.”
She ignores my sarcasm.
“You’re smiling.”
I immediately stop smiling.
“I am not.”
“You totally are.”
I throw a pillow at her.
She catches it effortlessly.
Traitor.
“Mom wants you downstairs,” she says before hopping off the bed.
Then she pauses at the doorway.
“Also, if you get a girlfriend before me, I’ll tell everyone you cried because a squirrel looked at you.”
“I was six!”
She leaves laughing. I hate this family.
Well.
Some of them.
—————————–
Downstairs smells like fresh bread. Mom stands near the kitchen table while stirring something in a pot. The fox lies curled up on a pile of blankets beside the fireplace. The moment she sees me, her ears twitch.
“Morning, sweetheart,” Mom says.
“Morning.”
I kneel beside the fox. Her condition has improved significantly over the last week. Her fur looks healthier. Her eyes are brighter. She even lifts her head when I scratch behind her ears.
“She’s doing much better,” Mom says.
“Yeah.”
The fox presses her nose against my hand. A smile slips onto my face.
“She’s still pregnant, though.”
Mom laughs.
“I noticed.”
The fox suddenly stands. Then she lets out a quiet whine. Mom and I exchange a look.
“Was that normal?” I ask.
“I don’t think so.”
The fox whines again. This time louder. Then she lies down and starts panting.
Mom’s eyes widen.
“Oh.”
“What?”
“Oh.”
“What?!”
“Alaric, I think she’s having the babies.”
My jaw drops.
“Now?”
“Now.”
Well.
There goes my peaceful morning.
—————————–
Three hours later, I’m exhausted. The fox is exhausted. Mom is exhausted. But there are four tiny fox kits curled up against their mother. And they are adorable.
“Look at them,” Mom whispers.
One of the babies squirms. The smallest little squeak leaves its mouth. I immediately melt.
“Oh no.”
Mom laughs.
“What?”
“They got you.”
“They did not.”
“They absolutely did.”
The tiniest fox crawls into my hand. I am doomed.
—————————–
The rest of the day passes surprisingly quickly. Father is away hunting. Mom stays busy taking care of the fox family. Valka keeps trying to name every single kit. The names somehow get worse each time. By evening, I find myself heading toward the forest.
Again.
Not because I expect to see Ronan. Definitely not. I just want some fresh air. That’s all. Nothing suspicious about that.
The moment I reach the pond, a familiar voice speaks behind me.
“You’re a terrible liar.”
I nearly fall into the water. Spinning around, I find Ronan leaning against a tree. His arms are crossed. His grin is insufferable.
“How long have you been standing there?”
“Long enough.”
I groan.
“You need a hobby.”
“I have one.”
“What’s that?”
“Watching you.”
My face immediately heats up. I hate him.
Ronan pushes away from the tree and walks closer. This time, instead of stopping several feet away, he drops down beside the pond. Right beside me. Close enough that our shoulders almost touch. I try very hard not to notice. Unfortunately, I notice.
“You’re nervous,” he says.
“I’m not.”
“You are.”
I throw a pinecone at him.
He catches it. The bastard actually catches it. Then he tosses it into the pond. Ripples spread across the water. For a moment, neither of us speaks. The sunset paints the surface gold and orange. The forest feels quieter than usual.
Peaceful.
Ronan watches the water. I watch him. Then quickly look away when I realize what I’m doing.
“So,” he says.
“So.”
“Ask me something.”
I blink.
“What?”
“You’ve been staring at me for days like your brain is full of questions.”
He’s not wrong. Unfortunately. I pick up a small stone and roll it between my fingers. Then I ask the question that’s been bothering me the most.
“Why were you watching me?”
Ronan’s expression changes slightly. The teasing fades. Not completely. Just enough.
“You really want to know?”
“Yes.”
His gaze drifts toward the pond. For the first time since meeting him, he seems hesitant.
“I saw you helping the fox.”
I frown.
“What?”
“The night you found her.”
I freeze.
“You were there?”
He nods.
“I saw everything.”
The memory returns immediately. The injured fox. The dark forest. The feeling of being watched. The footsteps behind me.
“You were following me.”
“Observing.”
“That’s still creepy.”
He laughs quietly. Then his smile softens.
“Most hunters would’ve killed her.”
I glance down at the pond. The water reflects the fading sky.
“I couldn’t.”
“I know.”
Something warm settles in my chest.
“You helped a wounded animal instead of taking food home.”
His golden eyes meet mine.
“That told me everything I needed to know.”
For some reason, that affects me more than it should. I look away first. Because if I don’t, I might start smiling again.
And Ronan would never let me live that down.
