Book 13 - Page 67 (1/2)

“We didn’t know that.”

Elizabeth barely breathed. Had Tom and Jake been looking for her article and come across the one she had written about coyotes and wolves? She hadn’t wanted them to read the article. Sure it was available online, but she hadn’t thought they would have looked for Jake’s interview already and found her other article.

Tom stroked her hair. “Gray wolves came first.”

She thought she heard a hint of amus.e.m.e.nt in his tone of voice and looked up at him. He gave her a smug smile, as though he was delighted to learn that he and his gray wolves had been right.

Her stomach tightening, she worried how Lelandi would view it. “You won’t tell Lelandi, will you?”

“She found the article first.”

Her heart sinking, Elizabeth groaned. “I never meant for her to learn of it. I’m so sorry that she saw what I’d written.”

“Don’t be, Elizabeth. She says that makes the two of you even more like sisters. She’s very happy for that.”

Elizabeth took a deep, grateful breath. The reason she had made the trip to Silver Town in the first place was to make things right concerning her rotten uncle, and she had ended up finding a home, a pack, and a mate who gave her a whole new outlook on her kind.

Not that they didn’t still have real problems.

Chapter 27

Early the next morning, the bitter cold and north-chilled breeze stirred up the snow, creating a white mist-like world as Minx, Cody, and Anthony trudged along in their snowshoes to reach Mr. Winston’s house out in the country. Like the others in the pack, they were homeschooled. Some of the pack members had better teaching skills than others, and Mr. Winston was the best calculus teacher anyone could want.

“You know our parents won’t be happy with us if they learn we’re headed out this far when they think we’re skiing at the resort,” Minx said to Cody and Anthony as the two boys hauled a sled carrying groceries—bread, milk, OJ, tuna fish, and a few other items they thought Mr. Winston might need.

“So we don’t tell them. If old man Winston lets it slip, we’ll at least have done the deed, and what would they say about it then?” Cody asked, his jester ski hat jingling with every step he took. “It’ll be too late.”

“It won’t be too late to ground us,” Minx warned.

“You didn’t have to come with us,” Anthony said.

“Of course I did.”

They both looked back at her. She couldn’t keep up with their longer stride, no matter how hard she tried, even though they were pulling the sled. But Anthony and Cody were always thinking up new schemes, and Minx wouldn’t be left out of an adventure for anything. She liked old Mr. Winston, too, and was just as worried that he couldn’t get into town to replenish his food when the snowstorm had hit. Not that several members of the wolf pack hadn’t offered to help him out. He had his pride. Since they were just kids, they figured he wouldn’t mind them bringing him food and giving him some company. As long as they didn’t have to do any math problems while they visited.

Cody and Anthony grinned at her.

“Your parents are betas,” Anthony said to Minx, continuing to move through the deep snowdrifts. “You never get into trouble. When we all fell off that cliff that time, I figured you’d get grounded forever since you’re a girl.”

“Nah, not Minx,” Cody said. “Not even for one hour.”

“Like the two of you should talk. Your parents didn’t punish either of you.”