Well," Ethan said finally, taking a step backward. "I should get back before the training master starts looking for ."
"That would be wise."
He pointed at .
"And you."
I sighed.
"What now?"
"Stay out of trouble."
"I don’t look for trouble."
Ethan barked out a laugh.
"That’s exactly what soone who constantly finds trouble would say."
I rolled my eyes.
"I have to go deliver these herbs to the kitchens."
"Fine." He started walking away before glancing back over his shoulder. "Be careful, Ruby."
The teasing was gone from his voice.
For a mont, he sounded genuinely serious.
My chest ward slightly.
"I will."
Only when he disappeared down the corridor did I continue on my way.
The Pack House was like a maze.
Long stone hallways twisted around one another. Servants rushed past carrying baskets of vegetables, folded linens, and trays of food.
Fortunately, I had been here enough tis growing up to know where the kitchens were.
The closer I got, the stronger the scent beca.
Fresh bread.
Roasted at.
Herbs.
Spices.
By the ti I reached the double doors leading into the kitchens, my stomach was growling.
The mont I stepped inside, organized chaos greeted .
Cooks hurried from station to station.
Large pots simred over fires.
Knives chopped vegetables at incredible speed.
Orders were being shouted from every direction.
Standing in the middle of it all was Head Chef Martha.
She was a large woman with graying hair tied in a bun, her apron dusted with flour. Despite her stern reputation, she had always been kind to .
The mont she spotted , her face lit up.
"Ruby!"
A smile imdiately spread across my lips.
"Hello, Chef Martha."
She wiped her hands on her apron before pulling into a quick hug.
"Oh, it’s good to see you, child."
"You too."
Her eyes imdiately fell to the basket hanging from my arm.
"Your mother sent supplies?"
I nodded.
"She asked to bring these personally."
The woman’s shoulders visibly relaxed.
"Oh, thank the Moon Goddess."
She took the basket carefully and peeked inside.
Bundles of herbs.
Bottles of dicine.
Dried roots.
Her expression softened.
"My daughter has been terribly ill these past few days."
Concern imdiately filled .
"Is she alright?"
"She’s improving." Martha smiled sadly. "But only because your mother has been treating her."
I felt relief wash through .
Mother always seed to know exactly what to do.
"She’ll be happy to hear that."
"Tell her I’m grateful." Martha carefully set the basket on a nearby table. "I don’t know what this pack would do without your mother."
"I wish your mother would simply take up the offer of working as the pack healer. There is ample space for all of you. Including your father, too." She said unhappily.
I smiled at her. "You know how mother is. She can never let go of her garden and her ho. She loved working from ho."
Martha sighed. "Alright, Ruby. That’s fine. But do tell your mother that the offer is always available on the table as long as I am here."
I nodded. "I will surely let her know. You know how to make the dicine, don’t you? Or do you want to help you?"
She gently touched my shoulder and shook her head. "You have done more than enough already. I rember how to go about it."
Martha was one of my mother’s kind-hearted friends.
Her daughter had fallen ill a while ago, and her mother had been consistently treating her.
It surprised that the offer for the mother to be the official pack healer was still on the table.
"Well, your parents have always been on the road; I am not surprised she wouldn’t want a restrictive job." She said casually.
I paused. "What do you an, they have always been on the road?"
That took completely off guard.
"Oh? You don’t know?" She asked in surprise. "Well, your parents were gyspies before they moved here. You must have been really young and don’t rember."
This was the first I’d heard of this.
A bell was rung, and that quickly took away our attention.
"That’s the bell." She said, gathering her skirts as she headed towards the oven.
A dozen kitchen staff flooded in.
"Thank you for coming, dear, and do get ho safely. And please don’t fight with anyone."
My face went red, and I tucked my hair behind my ear.
"Mother will co visiting in a week to check on her health," I shouted through the busy crowd, but I doubted she even heard.
I turned on my heel and returned the way I had co.
As I walked down the pack grounds, I couldn’t help notice how much more of a hustle and bustle it was than usual.
I prayed not to run into Aston.
Anything but to avoid that dreadful wolf.
I had never heard of the pack Alpha visiting this place since I grew up here.
Our pack was just one of his many annexed territories.
There had been no cause for him or other mbers of his family to co, so they left it to Aston’s father, who pranced around as though he owned the place.
I was going down the gravel path, trying not to draw attention from the small cluster of n guarding the gate nearby, when I heard an eagle.
I looked up and saw it was not just any eagle. But a golden eagle, and it was hovering around so majestically.
I smiled, admiring it.
Golden Eagles were so rare to see these days, most especially because wolves hunted them down for exotic sport.
Seeing one delighted .
I watched it, and it seed to watch too, when all of a sudden I heard a large swoop in the air.
I turned and watched an arrow fly past.
I gasped, and just before I could turn around and scream to alert the bird, it was shot down.
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