Celestial Bodies: Of Runts and Lycans

Chapter 59 P.1: Alpha of the Paramount Pack

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Lycer's POV

The snow is starting to get heavier.

Celestial shivers, pulling the coat tighter around herself. I tried to offer her mine but she refused. I regret not taking the offer of shoes. Even if they didn't fit either of us, it must have been a better option than our toes freezing. I consider taking us off course to get to a human town I somewhat remember as nearby. Stealing some socks from a store. In the end, I decide it's too out of the way. Her mate is out there, looking for us, and we should stay on an expected path.

"Lycer?" I look up. Celestial's hair is damp and covered in melting flurries of snow. "Are you o-okay?" Her teeth are chattering; she tightens her jaw to try and hide it.

"Yeah," I shrug off her question. Even now, amidst our found freedom, I think back to how it was just a bit warmer in the caves. Part of me wonders if I made the right choice in taking us out of there but then I remember what drove us here. What drove me to shift. I remember the small girl I once met, small and not yet of age. Outcasted and abused. And I remember vowing to save her. Even here, in the snow and dark, I do not regret saving her.

"I know it's cold now," she says almost in a hiss through her teeth, "but the pack house is warm. When we get back there, Hanna, one of the cooks, she'll make us soup." There's a dreamy tone to her voice now. "Something hearty. Wild rice with chicken or turkey. And carrots. And celery." She pauses and I nudge her forward with my shoulder. She grabs onto her shoulder and I wince. She doesn't say anything about it. "With a nice toasted sourdough."

"That sounds nice."

"Hanna and Xavier have been teaching me to cook." I nod. "I think Xavier learned from his mother." I hum. "Hanna wants to open her own restaurant. I know she will. It'll be the best in the pack. And we can go." We.

She's so excited. I don't know how to tell her that it's probably best that I don't stick around. Malum will still be after me. If I'm smart about it, I can drag him and his experiments far away from her. And Xavier and her pack can keep her safe then. I hope.

"Lycer?" She grabs my arm. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing, Celestial. I'm just cold. Let's keep going." She doesn't say anything but she lingers a step behind me for several moments before catching back up.

We're maybe another hour or two into our walk when I nudge her again. I give her a smile when she turns to me. She smiles back.

"Um," I say, clearing my throat. "When I was a kid, my mom and I used to go ice skating."

"Ice skating?" Looking at her, her brows are furrowed. "What's that?"

"Um, it's like gliding across ice. With bladed shoes."