104 - Ben


    I am going to lose my mind. She will be the death of me for sure. I would prefer to die buried inside her than worrying about what she is doing inside the crumbling packhouse with Brianna. I have been standing guard over Jason and Juliette for over an hour now. The steam has finally stopped wafting off of her skin, but she is still clinging to Jason like a lifeline.


    I can''t tell if she''s conscious. Jason has been whispering in her ear non-stop, I''m not sure if she is talking back to him.


    “Jason?” I call out, but keep my voice low. I don''t want to startle her if she is awake. "We need to get her and the rest of these people somewhere safe while we figure this out. The sun is setting and it''s getting too cool to be sitting out here. Is it ready?" Copyright ? 2025 Miss L Writes and Ember Mantel Productions


    He sits for a second before looking up at me slowly. "It''s ready enough. Let''s go." He stands up with ease, not jostling Juliette at all. This girl has been through who knows what hell, and clearly has a story to tell. We may need to force information out of her and I''m not looking forward to that confrontation with my friend. But she did just snuff a blue/green magical house fire with a shout while floating in the air. There is power in her, more than she wants to admit or worse, more than she knows what to do with.


    Without so much as a misstep, we walk the perimeter of the charred packhouse searching until we find the two people who can help us. “Marietta!” I see the warrior in her as she turns. She is formidable in her own right. I understand why so many people are intimidated by her presence alone. “Can you gather up all of the coven members and wolves who need tending? It''s gettingte and there is no need to treat them out here. The pack hospital is better equipped for anyone still needing it. For everyone else we have a temporary solution for lodgings tonight."


    She doesn''t question me at all and we quickly get people organized and moving.


    ra''s pack is small and mostly forest. The town that has been built over time, doesn''t encroach on the naturaly of thend. With the pack having a body of water at its southern border, there is a natural slope leading down to wherend meets water. The ck w pack is built into the shallow valley of that slope, leaving the trees and open ins to grow wild around it. The mountains to the west of us rise ominously disappearing into the clouds.


    Jason and I started working on this project when ra told me she didn''t like the packhouse at all. She told me it felt pompous and wrong for her. He and I discovered there is a lot of downtime and room for your head to spin off in the wrong directions while waiting for a mate to ept you, but not having the strength to walk away from them. He helped me with the project when I needed something to focus on and then took it on in the sleepless nights watching over Juliette.


    We lead the bedraggled group to an area about five miles from the original packhouse, just beyond the treeline, west of the town proper. It''s not hidden, but not obvious. It''s also not a secret, but I asked everyone to not discuss it when ra was around. If she caught on to what we have been up to, she''s said nothing. She''s also been busy being stalked and hunted down by a psychotic witch.


    As the treeline opens up to a clearing, the new packhouse can be seen with a warm glow as the sun is disappearing beyond it. It''s nothing fancy, but I think that''s what ELara hated the most about her childhood home. It wasn''t a home, but a statement piece to show off to outsiders.


    This packhouse has shaped up to be bigger than thest one, but with the functionality of a packhouse that will see regr guests. I have every intention of having my friends and family visit and with the witches in a limbo I want to make sure that all the people important to both ra and arefortable, while still giving us our own haven away from the noise. I''m not sure why her father rarely had guests except to marry her off to some random, well connected wolf. Though, now that I understand pack dynamics better, that was probably an elder thing more than her parents.


    It''s arge ''L'' shaped building that has three stories. The main floor is all of themon areas and sleeping quarters for the Omegas that live in the house. The second floor is for guests and will have a gym and lounge for their use. The top floor will house the Alpha''s suite with enough rooms for a family to grow into on one branch of the level. The opposite side will house other VIP guests, like visiting Alphas and their families. None of the rooms are finished or furnished, but walls are up and fireces can be lit to stave off the cold for the humans.