Snowmelt

XIV

I wake to Firetail sitting beside me and a squirrel laying, dead, barely out of reach of my muzzle. I extend my neck, trying to reach it, and Firetrail jumps, startled, before pushing it towards me. I sit upright, shaking my head when he offers to help me up. 

"I'm fine! Don't worry about me. Thanks, though. For both the offer and the prey." I smile, and it is soon mirrored on his face.

"No problem. It was kinda nice to not be rushing around for once."

"How long was I asleep?" I ask, cocking my head to the side, curious. "I haven't felt this relaxed in a while... Now that I think about it, I can't think of the last time I was anywhere near this relaxed..." He looks at me, slightly concerned, before answering.

"Well, you told me yes yesterday, so..." He smirks, amused by both his own joke and my eye-roll of a response. "You slept through the last half of the day and most of the night." My eyes widen in surprise.

"No wonder I'm so rested and relaxed... Did nobody notice I had disappeared?" When he shakes his head, I can barely suppress a snort of laughter. "Go figure. I'm slightly surprised Paleleaf didn't notice though... She seems to have something against me, and I feel like she's always watching me." He looks at me, concern tinting his gaze, though it disappears in barely more than a moment.

"If anybody noticed, they didn't say anything. Even if they did, you don't have to tell anybody anything you don't want to, even me. No matter a wolf's rank, they have no power over your mind. Your secrets are your own to share, and it's up to you to decide if or when you reveal something. Don't forget that." I smile at the irony of his last few words. You truly have no idea...

"Don't worry. I won't." I reply, barely managing to keep my mouth shut after I finish my sentence. He nods, appearing far away despite the small distance between us. His gaze blank, he continues to nod, though I stop talking.

"Everything alright?" I ask, and he jumps, snatched back from wherever his mind had taken him.

"Yeah... Yeah! Everything's fine." His eyes meet mine, then unfocus once more.

"Whatever you say..." I murmur, and he nods absentmindedly. "Well, I should probably get something done today, and so should you." I shoot a sharp glance his way, and his dark eyes meet my own pale ones, cautious.

"I was thinking... Maybe we should announce to the pack that we're... that we're mates. What do you think?" He stammers, looking sheepish. I smile before answering, all traces of anger and annoyance gone, voice calm.

"We should probably do that, shouldn't we? You might want to tell me what kinds of things I'll have to get used to though, as well as what I should do during the announcement, just so I don't embarrass myself, ya know?" I reply. He nods, deep in thought once more.

He turns to face me, and his jaws part, slow and controlled. After taking a deep breath, he sits on his haunches begins to tell me everything I need to know for my new role as Alpha female.