Page 6 of Ruined Wolf

NOVA

“Hey, Nova.” The man behind the counter looked up as I entered the shop and smiled at me. “Tall flat white and a decaf vanilla latte to go?”

I smiled, feeling a rush of warmth at the greeting. “Yes please, Terry. That would be great.”

I handed over the cash, then leaned against the end of the counter, watching as he busied himself behind the machine.

“Oh, Terry. I spoke to Eleanor, and it’s absolutely fine to move your stall to the corner for the festival. You were right, it will be much better if you get a queue and we can direct it down the side street and keep the main street free.”

“Oh, that’s great! Thanks, Nova. I appreciate that. Here.” He set Eleanor’s coffee on the counter and then made mine, handing me a larger than normal cup. “Upgrade on the house.”

I smiled at him, tears pricking the corners of my eyes. “You didn’t have to. Thanks, Terry. See you tomorrow!” I left the shop as quickly as I could without coming across as rude. Terry was another person who was treating me so nicely, I could hardly bear it.

I brushed the tears away with the back of my hand. Stupid girl. I was over four months gone now, by my reckoning at least, and this pregnancy was wreaking havoc with my emotions. I felt like I was on permanent PMT, and I was exhausted. Though to be fair, that could be all the incredible sex with my mates. Everything was setting me off now, and I was actively avoiding TV and movies. Last night, I’d gotten teary over a family who struggled with going on long trips until they finally got a specific SUV that could easily fit them, their kids, and all the gear plus the dog. I’d had to excuse myself to dry my eyes in the bathroom.

I wasn’t imagining it though, everyone was being so nice to me, even more than they had been before, and I’d always found Desolation a friendly place despite its reputation. I guessed being the mate of the future alpha makes you more popular, but the feeling I was getting from everyone was relief that Maverick had picked me instead of Tessa. I sighed as I looked out over the small harbour. The tide was coming in, and small boats bobbed on the water. Waves broke against the shore and the rocky barrier, and the spring breeze carried the salty air in from the ocean beyond. Although it was a little chilly, there were still several families on the beach, though spectators were bundled up with warm jackets and those paddling in the water wore wetsuits rather than swimming costumes. Although I wasn’t consciously looking for it, my eyes rested on Maverick’s boat, and my thoughts drifted to him.

I felt so guilty. So many people had congratulated me on our mating, and he was so happy despite the several rows he’d had with Ethan since and the growing tension between the sea wolves and the High Rocks Pack.

It had been a long time since I felt like I was a part of something, and I wasn’t quite the fragile human I had been when I first moved to Desolation. I’d healed, and I had the strength that came with being part of a pack. I knew now that if I’d been honest when I’d first arrived, these people would have taken me in and welcomed me and my baby. Fear had made me keep my secrets, and now I had ruined everything. Maverick loved me, and Lucas, well, he felt something, I was sure of it, but it was all built on lies, and I felt certain that when I told the truth, it would all come crashing down.

I walked slowly back towards the tourist centre, the coffee cups warming my hands. A few people smiled at me or said hello as I walked by, and I was fighting to keep the tears from falling. How could I have been so wrong about them? After all the lies my father had told me over the years, why on earth had I believed him about Desolation, his enemies? He hadn’t managed to kill me, but he might as well have. I was still going to have to leave the island, leave Maverick, Lucas, and Asher, and I knew my heart was going to break all over again, and worse, I would be responsible for breaking theirs. They would hate me, and moons they were going to be so angry and hurt.

I gasped as hot coffee splashed out from one of the lids onto my shaking hands. It must not have been fastened properly, and my pale skin turned red. Speeding up, I hurried the next few metres to the centre and pushed through the door, going backwards to avoid knocking the cups anymore. I set them quickly down on the desk and rushed to the kitchen to hold my hand under the cold tap.

Eleanor appeared at the door. “Everything okay, Nova?”

“Yes, it’s fine. I was a bit clumsy, and I spilled a bit of your coffee.”

She rushed forward and grabbed my hand. “Oh goodness, you’ve scalded yourself. Do you need me to call Rhianne?”

I shook my head. “No, I’m fine, Eleanor, really. Cold water is all I need. Your coffee is on the desk. You can have mine if I spilled too much of yours.”

“Goodness, no,” the older woman said, shuddering. “I couldn’t drink that liquid sugar you do. It’s way too sweet for me. As long as you’re okay?”

“I’m good. I told Terry about the stall.”

“Lovely, I’m glad that’s sorted. We’ve had a few more competition entries, and we need to decide on a band for the evening. Oh, and Kathy from Discovery Tours called. They have a new tour they set up on the east of the island, and I need you to arrange a time to go and do the tour.”

“I get to do the tour?” I looked up at her. “That sounds fun. What is it?”

“It’s one of the boat tours on the coast, but along the northeast section. It’s always been too wild along that area to take boats close to the rocks, but they have managed to figure out a safe route, and the wildlife on that part of the island is amazing. I’d like you to make some notes and take some pictures so we can add it to the website as soon as you’ve got a chance.”

“Of course, that sounds great actually. I’ll give her a call this afternoon—oh!” I gave a start as I felt something strange in my stomach.

“Nova? Are you okay?”

I paused for a moment, but there was nothing. I must have imagined it. “Oh, I’m fine. I just had a small pain in my stomach. I don’t think my breakfast pastry is agreeing with me today.”

She eyed me for a moment, then nodded. “Okay, well, I’ll be in my office if you need me.” She grimaced as she said it, and I followed her out into the main space.

“Much to do?” I asked.

She sighed. “I’ve had more reports of representatives from logging companies snooping about on the island, and I need to talk to Ethan about it. He needs to be aware in case they try to meet with him about it.”

“Aren’t the forests on Desolation protected?” I asked. “I’m sure Asher said something about it.”

Eleanor shook her head. “Small parts are protected by laws that preserve areas that contain archaeological sites. Other parts are privately owned, though I know most of the owners, and they wouldn’t sell no matter the price. Lucas owns a decent stretch, and they’ve offered him seven figures for it, but he turned them down flat. A good deal of the island is in trust for the pack, though, and I know the pack finances aren’t what they were...”