“After I give you all a brief lesson on what to look for, all twenty-five teams will go into the forest in the marked-off section and hunt down the herbs and vegetation I will show you today. Please call Simon, Evette, or me if you’re unsure about any plant. We don’t want you to touch something poisonous accidentally,” I continue.
Evette and Simon wave, my two friends excited to share their knowledge of the forests’ offerings.
“Now, pair up so we can get started,” I order with a smile.
With these words, the wolves before me rush to find a partner. Each team comes to Simon to receive a number and a mesh bag while Evette helps me set up the table that the omegas had just finished bringing over.
I’d decided that, for this exercise, we would work with one edible mushroom that is bountiful in our forest and three herbs, one being medicinal. With the teams ready, Evette and I begin explaining what to look for when foraging for the plants, each wolf watching us intently. Some had taken out their phones,taking pictures of each plant after asking permission, and I made a mental note of their resourcefulness.
Once our little lesson was completed, I released everyone into the section of the forest marked off with a bright yellow ribbon, stating that no one was to leave the boundary and that they were to be careful where they stepped so they wouldn’t trample any useful vegetation.
Lucas and Titus took the lead, the two men animatedly discussing the best spot to find the plants. Other teams decided to take the opportunity to get to know each other first, and the air was filled with laughter and happy chatter.
“You know, Kay,” Simon says as we follow behind everyone. Evette and Daisy walked ahead of us—Evette had decided to teach Daisy some other herbs that can be easily cultivated in a greenhouse. “You really would make a strong alpha,” he continues, ruffling my hair.
Annoyed, I swat his hand away, but the smile on my lips is hard to hide. My best friend and sworn brother thinks I would make a strong alpha, and I can’t help but swell with pride.
“I think you would make a great beta,” I admit, catching Simon off guard for a moment. He opens his mouth to say something, but a wolf calling out my name has me smiling apologetically at Simon and promising to resume this discussion later. Right now, I have a foraging training lesson to run.
50
Lucas
Helping Kaylee pack the mesh bags into a wagon, I smiled as I heard many of the Ivory Fangs wolves chatter with the Growling Heart wolves. Everyone had fun learning about foraging today, some even becoming excited when they found a poisonous plant that we could use in the upcoming battle.
Simon was the one to carefully pick these plants, with their red veins and black-tipped leaves, as he explained the use of the poison. The plant was similar to wolfsbane but was called wolfsblood—in high enough doses, it causes a victim’s blood to curdle in their system, leaving them to die a quick and painful death.
“Ready to head home?” Kaylee asks as I place the last bag into the wagon.
“Actually, I was going to find Kurt and talk to him about this morning,” I answer, turning to face Kaylee.
She looks happier, as if the stress from this morning has melted away thanks to the lesson’s fun. I know Kaylee loves to learn and share what she knows—it’s one of the reasons that made me realize just how perfect she is as a Luna and why I left to find her and make amends.
Now, though, I can see the strength an alpha needs to lead within her—her love for those in her pack and her willingness to protect them. I know leaving Ivory Fangs will be rough for her, but it will also be a good thing. The restlessness I’ve noticed in her has settled slightly since we decided to take back Oak Fur.
“Okay. I think Simon is going to check on Maya. Kurt should be with her at her and Marco’s house,” Kaylee says, stepping closer to me and wrapping her arms around my neck, bringing me in for a kiss. I smile when we pull away as Titus, Daisy, Simon, and Evette come to our side.
“That was fun,” Daisy exclaims, a smile on the petite Luna’s face.
“Do you think if we talk to Amelia, she will add more foraging into our training routine?” Titus asks, wrapping his arms around his mate.
“I think she would. We can talk to her tomorrow at breakfast,” Kaylee answers with a smile.
Simon chimes in that he and Evette would be happy to help run the foraging training, stating it was fun teaching a bunch of wolves. Evette agrees right away before yawning. I’m happy my friend found his mate here—happy he could find his happiness.But I worry he won’t want to join us back in Oak Fur because of it and that Kaylee and I will have to look for a new beta pair.
“So, what does everyone have planned for the rest of the day?” Simon asks as we all start to head towards the pack house.
“I’m going to grab my truck from the pack house, then head back to my cottage,” Kaylee answers, her hand in mine.
“My packmates and I are doing a movie night in the guest house. It’s kind of become a weekly thing since we took over,” Titus answers, lifting Daisy up onto his back to carry her.
“You’re not going back home with Kaylee and Lucas, then?” Simon turns his attention to me, and I shake my head no.
“I need to talk to Kurt about something, actually,” I answer, watching my friend perk up.
“That’s great. I want to check on Maya before I head to see how Ash and Devon are doing. Do you want to go together?” Simon asks.
“Sure.”
