Thoreau - Chapter 47: Chapter 47

After Spring explained the idiom, "Show someone the ropes," I felt much better about following Azure to the storeroom where I'd load up my cart every afternoon.
"There's an ice maker and water dispenser at the end of each hall," he said. "Everything else is in here."
Opening the door, he motioned me inside with one hand, and I walked into what looked like a mini store. There were shelves full of snacks, sodas, books, and magazines. The push cart was against the wall closest to the door.
"I was going to set it up for you, but then I thought it would be better to show you how." Azure rubbed the back of his neck. "My pops always says you learn best by doing."
"My papa says the same thing!" I grinned at him.
"So we start by finding a variety of magazines and putting them on the top shelf of the cart. Then we put some books on the second shelf. Again, you want a variety. I started at the top of the library a few months ago, and now I'm right here."
He walked over to the wall of books and showed me the piece of paper he used to mark his place, and I nodded to show I understood to choose books from after the marker.
"The magazines are replaced every Sunday, so you don't have to worry about the residents getting bored with the same ones. Since it's Tuesday, I'm about a third of the way through the new ones."
"What happens to the old ones?" I asked.
"Well, some of the residents ruin the magazines they borrow, so I throw those away—"
"They ruin them?" I screeched.
"They don't mean to. They're old and have accidents. Mr. Nygard, for example, is very shaky and usually tears his without meaning to. Just don't give him a book."
"Okay. No books for Mr. Nygard." I nodded with wide eyes, hoping I'd remember that.
As you get to know them, it will be easier to remember, Spring said, and I'll help you.
"The rest of the magazines go to the pack daycare for the older pups to cut up or use in projects or whatever." Azure picked out a few and arranged them into the holders on the push cart. "You want to grab some books?"
With another nod, I pulled out two armloads of books and carried them over, then he showed me how to arrange them so they didn't fall off as I pushed the cart. Once we were all done, he gave me nod.
"And that's it. Easy, right?"
"Yes," I agreed, "but why not put some of the snacks on the cart, too?"
"They change their minds all the time. Mr. Davis wants chocolate one day and chips the next. You can't predict what they'll ask for."
"And they are allowed to have whatever they want? Even what my papa calls junk food like soda and chips?"
"Reau," he sighed, "I don't know if you realize this or not, but they're dying. If it gives them something to look forward to each day or makes them happy, what does it matter? A handful of chips isn't what's going to kill them."
"I know they are dying," I said in a very quiet voice. "Dad made sure I understood that yesterday before he agreed I could take the job."
I won't tell him about Binda, or how I regret leaving her to die alone, I whispered to Spring.
She wasn't alone, my wolf reminded me. Briar stayed with her until she breathed her last.
I know. My bottom lip popped out and wobbled. Still, it wasn't me, and I didn't get to give her a hug good-bye.
"Don't cry, Reau!" Azure's dark blue eyes widened. "Arch and Wayne'll kill me if you cry on my watch!"
"I won't cry." My throat felt tight, so I coughed a little to clear it. "Sorry."
"Not going to lie," he said slowly, "it is hard when you get attached to them and then they die, but it helps to think that you made their last days a little better, even if it is only reading to them for a few minutes or shifting and letting them pet your wolf."
"I can do that?!" I hopped up and down. "Spring, did you hear that? You can shift and let them pet you!"
I heard, little one, he chuckled, and that's fine with me.
"Axel has never really enjoyed pets and wouldn't agree to shift very often," Azure admitted, "so that will be a nice change for the old folks. Usually, it's the ones whose own wolves have already faded who ask, but some of the others would enjoy it, too."
"Sounds great!" I cheered. "I can't wait to get started!"
"Then let's get started," he chuckled.
There were nine rooms per wing. Nine rooms times three wings equaled twenty-seven residents to visit. Azure said he spent an average of five minutes with each resident, some longer and some shorter.
"And some of the rooms are empty right now, which speeds things up." He pointed to the first room on the left as we entered the first wing. "Mrs. Myers passed away this weekend. She's Grey's grandma. That's why he hasn't been at school."
"Oh!" My hands flew up to cover my mouth. "That is so sad!"
"It is, but he and his family were expecting it." Azure patted my shoulder. "These are the residents whose wolves have already faded back to the Goddess, so I always start here first. They all know it's only a matter of days and, to be frank, they're ready for the relief."
"Will you see Grey before tomorrow?" I dropped my hands to ask, knowing the two of them were best friends like Bridger and Elijah. "I could give you the notes and assignments he missed. I noticed he wasn't there, so I've been getting his work for him."
Grey Myers and I were good friends. We'd met in Number Sense my first year at Five Fangs, and he'd been in a lot of my classes ever since, except math, which was funny because that's where we'd met. We always had English, science, and history classes together, and our teachers paired us up a lot - and we were smart enough to know why.
Except for math, I struggled to understand things the first time and usually needed to have concepts retaught. Grey, on the other hand, needed extra practice and time to process what he learned.
"Yeah, I'm going to pop over there and pay my respects after I pick my nephew up from daycare," Azure answered me. "If you want to give the work to me, I'll pass it to him. Thanks. I'm sure he'll appreciate you thinking of him."
"You're picking up Patrick?" My eyes lit up. "He is such a cute little pup! And so good! When I tried to work at the daycare, he was one of the few who did not cry or pee or spit up on me!"
Azure laughed at that.
"He's a good boy, all right," he agreed. "He likes to hang out with Arch and Wayne's baby brother, Walker, but I think his best friend is probably your nephew, Drew."
That's right! I was an uncle already! Zia Beatrix and zios Zayne and Zayden Maxwell had two sons. Drew was two and Jack was one. Zia called them her Irish twins. I kind of understood the twins part because they shared the same birthdays just one year apart, but I didn't understand why she called them Irish when her family was all Italian.
Maybe the Maxwells are Irish. I tapped my chin with my index finger as I thought about it.
"Whenever Rosalie Price is around, though, Walker ditches them both for her," Azure chuckled, bringing my attention back to him.
Alpha Mason Price's mama and papa surprised everyone by having a pup a year ago. Little Rosalie was so cute and sweet, and Walker was obsessed with her. Whenever I was over at the Barlow house, he talked on and on about his Rosie.
And yes, he called her his Rosie.
"It's so cute, isn't it?" Grinning, I flapped my fingers into my palms.
"I don't know, Reau. The way he stalks her is almost creepy."
"He isn't stalking her!" I argued. "He's only two! And she's the only girl close to his age that he gets to see regularly. Gamma Nick and Reggie don't let Essie out of their sight, let alone send her to daycare."
Gamma Nick Sylvestri's mate was one of the fairies who ran Fairy Cakes. She had soft lilac hair and beautiful dark skin that glittered silver. Her luna moth wings were stored in what humans would think of as a tattoo on her back. She was very shy, but sometimes she'd play with Chime Karma, Bubble's dragon, and watching the two of them flit around in the sky was awe-inspiring.
No one really knew what kind of children would come from an inter-species couple, and Gamma Nick and Regina had been as surprised as everyone else when their first pup, Esther, was born with her mom's lilac hair and a very faint outline of wings on her back. Of course, no one would know if she'd get a wolf until she turned twelve, but most people thought she wouldn't since she smelled like fairy, not moon, magic.
Regina's twin sister, Georgina, and her mate, Gamma Adam Bishop, had their first pup a month ago. Rafe inherited his mom's mint green hair and dark skin and his dad's pale blue eyes. He didn't have any wings outlined on his back, but he smelled like delta blood and moon magic, so everyone figured he would have a wolf.
Even my zias, who were bird shifters and witches, were surprised by what their children were blessed with. For example, Drew and Jack both smelled like moon and fire magic, but Zia Maria and Beta Matthew Rose's first pup, Maddox, was three months old and smelled of only fire magic. Then there was Trace, who was ten days old, and Zia Ariel and Beta Tristan Harrington first pup. He smelled of moon and water magic, and beta was already asking Papa about raising a water witch.
The other day, I overheard Papa tell Dad that he was happy at least only one animal spirit was present in each of the babies, then started muttering about furry birds with teeth and feathery wolves with wings, which made me giggle.
"You're right about Essie, although my brother said luna spoke with Reggie, and Gamma Adam had a word with Gamma Nick about keeping her so isolated," Azure said.
I nodded. It wasn't good for a pup not to socialize with others her age. Wolves craved pack, and pups needed the comfort of puppy piles the most.
"I mean, I get that they're just trying to protect their little treasure," Azure went on, "but Rio said Gamma Adam regretted doing that with his little sister because it made her so shy and awkward with her peers, and he didn't want to see that happen with Essie."
"Coach Hall is taking very good care of Sophie now," I chirped with a smile. "They look so happy every time I see them together!"
"Yep, they sure do."
"And just so you know, Rosalie's as obsessed with Walker as he is with her," I said as he pushed the cart past Mrs. Myers' empty room. "As soon as she sees him, she crawls over to him."
"I noticed that. It's like, when he was around, no one else exists in her little world."
"They'll be mates," I said with a confident grin.
Only the Goddess knows for sure, Spring warned both of us. No one should assume otherwise, or it could create a situation like luna's parents.
"Good point," Azure agreed as he knocked on the next resident's door. "Luna's mom took a chosen mate because she gave up waiting, then found her Goddess-given one a few years later. Look how tragic that ended! And then there's what happened to Bridger. No one wants to see Walker or Rosie suffer something like that."
As we waited for a "Come in" or someone to open the door, I thought about Bridger and his little pup.
Isabelle was two and a half years old now and even more adorable than when I first met her as a tiny baby. At the time, I hadn't asked a lot of questions because Arch warned me not to, but Elijah later told me that, when Bridger and his girlfriend were fifteen, they were convinced that they were going to be mates. Brynn Wessinger and her father moved to Cold Moon so that Mr. Wessinger could take a ranked position, and she and Bridger had stayed in constant contact for three months.
Then she vanished.
Bridger couldn't get in contact with her or her father no matter what he tried, and he thought she'd dumped him. Then, six months later, Alpha Kayvon Quake of Cold Moon showed up at the Five Fangs alpha offices with a little carrot-top baby who looked like Bridger. The alpha explained how Brynn and her father had been in an accident that killed Mr. Wessinger outright and Brynn's wolf a couple of hours later. Brynn herself was in a coma, but hung on until Isabelle was born before she, too, passed.
And that's how Bridger became a single father at sixteen.
If everyone kept saying Rosalie and Walker were mates,they might make the same mistake.
"From now on, I will keep my opinion on them being mates to myself," I decided. "I do not want to do or say anything that might push them in a direction they aren't supposed to go."
They're only toddlers right now. Spring rolled his eyes at me. Just keep it in mind for the future.
I nodded to show I understood as a small voice from inside the resident's room finally called out for us to come in.
"Hello, Mrs. Merriweather," Azure said as he turned the knob and pushed the door open. "I've brought my replacement with me for you to meet."
He looked at me and pointed to the cart. I looked at it, then back at him. I nodded at him so he'd understand it was still there, right where he parked it.
"I meant for you to push it in here, Reau. Do you want to introduce yourself or should I?"
"I will!" I chirped with a smile as I pushed the cart into the room. "Hello! I am Thoreau Ezra del Vecchio, but you can call me Reau!"
A quiet grunt was the only response I got back.
I looked around until my eyes landed on a woman curled up on a hospital-type bed. She didn't look in good shape. She had dark circles under her dull brown eyes and her brown hair was pulled back from her thin face.
Surprising me, she looked too young to be in an old folks' home, and I linked that thought to both Azure and Spring.
She is, Azure agreed. She's only forty-five, but her wolf faded two years ago and she barely survived the loss. I don't know how she's still holding on.
Why did her wolf fade so early? Spring asked before I could.
She was cruel to her only son and chased him away, and her wolf hated her for it.
Merriweather? Spring paused and hummed for half a second. Bram? Gamma Reuben's mate?
I know Bram! I crowed. He's my friend! He is going to be the pack's new librarian when he graduates college!
Yep, that's the guy, Azure confirmed. Anyway, his mom was going to kick him out of the house on his eighteenth birthday, but fortunately he found his mate earlier that day.
I know! I was there! I grinned widely as I remembered that day.
Do you know what happened that night? Why did Gamma Reuben immediately move Bram and himself into the pack's smaller guest house?
No, I don't know what happened that night, I told him as my mouth twisted into a frown.
I did know why Gamma Rube didn't just take Bram home with him. Elijah and Bridger used to be a lot meaner than they are now, and they bullied Bram very badly at school, even though Bram was two years older. Bram wasn't comfortable being around Elijah any time, and certainly not enough to live in the same house as him.
In fact, Elijah told me it took nearly a year before he and Bram could be alone in the same room without Bram having a panic attack.
Elijah felt really bad about that, but I didn't know what to say or do to help him. He and Bridger brought that on themselves and, like Papa always said, they had to live with the consequences of their actions.
Well, whatever happened between the three of them, Azure said, Gamma Reuben also forbade Mrs. Merriweather to have any contact with Bram ever again, so it must have been bad.
Was she mean to him because he's gay? My heart sped up and I fought to keep my breathing even. If she finds out I'm gay, she might be mean to me, too!
Strangely enough, no. It was because he's an omega.
But omegas are nice! I protested. They are the sweetest, kindest, gentlest shifters, and they keep the pack calm and happy!
People like Mrs. Merriweather don't see any of that as necessary, important, or worthwhile.
"Well?" Mrs. Merriweather croaked out. "I'd like some ice water, and no, I don't want anything else."
"All right, ma'am." Azure nodded and didn't comment on her mean voice or frowny face.
Get used to it, his wolf linked me. She's always curt and sour.
I hope she's the only one, I said, nervous now. I hadn't expected the residents to be like this!
Most of them are nice and will love you, Axel told me as Azure tended to Mrs. Merriweather. This one's just a damn bitch.
Ax! Spring snapped. Little ears!
Oh. Sorry, Reau.
Thanks, but no matter how much Spring and Arch try to protect me, I've heard every swear word there is, thanks to Wayne's sentence enhancers.
I put my hand over my mouth to smother my giggles as I remembered Arch telling me now Mom Evie fussed at my boyfriend for his vulgar mouth.
So long as you don't use them, little one, Spring gave me a look that reminded me of Dad's Very Serious Face.
I won't, I promised. I don't want a dirty mouth.
Good boy.
Puffing up at his praise, I grinned and opened my arms to hug Azure, but I wasn't sure if he would like that, and I didn't want to invade his personal space without permission. I was so happy, though, I had to hug someone, so I hugged myself.
You can hug my human, Reau, Axel told me. He'll love it.
Spring narrowed his eyes at the other wolf, probably because Axel was smirking, but I shrugged.
If his wolf said it was okay, it was okay, so if happiness surprised me again, I'd give Azure the biggest, best hug of his life!
Azure Graves
"Azure!" Reau screeched. "Guess what?!"
I cut my eyes over at him as I closed the door to the storeroom. It was the end of our shift, and I was in a hurry to leave since I was supposed to pick Patrick up from daycare in ten minutes. Thankfully, it was only three blocks away.
After the last orphan had been adopted, the alphas had turned the lower floor of the old pack orphanage into a second daycare center and renovated the upper floors into dorm rooms for students who lived too far from the pack school to commute every day. There were also rooms for exchange students that the luna was hoping to attract to Five Fangs. She thought it would strengthen alliances with other packs and kingdoms.
So far, she only had one taker: Rhys Winterlight, the youngest daughter of King Brioc of the fae. Why she wanted to do her senior year here was beyond me, but Axel thought she might have been looking for an escape from court life. I just knew my brother Rio and the other gammas had worked hours and hours of overtime with our alphas to organize her security.
When she finally arrived, many of us were wary of interacting with her. I mean, she was a princess and an elf! None of us had ever met either before, although we'd learned about elves in elementary school. They were powerful, far more so than pixies and fairies, and were stereotyped as being easily offended, so none of us wanted to be the one to set off an inter-species incident.
But you can guess who bounced straight up to her and introduced himself and asked if her hair was naturally rose gold or if she dyed it because, if she did, he wanted to know what she used so he could dye his hair that color, too.
We all watched to see how she would react to our special boy. If she was mean or flippant to him, she would have a hard time making friends here. Surprising most of us, she kindly explained that all elves had hair the color of precious metals and even let Reau touch hers.
When he'd squealed because it was so soft, she had plucked one strand out to show him how it hardened into metal, then gave it to him.
I'd exchanged looks with my best friend, Grey, and we both nodded.
He has no idea how valuable that gesture is, does he? Grey murmured in the link.
Nope and, even if you told him, I doubt he'd understand its value has nothing to do with the current price of gold.
Grey chuckled at that as we watched Reau introduce the princess to his boyfriends and his 'best girl friend,' as he called Briar. For whatever reason, the princess and Briar clicked immediately, and Briar and her friends, Ayla Harrington and Leilani Johns, welcomed her into their circle.
The four girls quickly became inseparable. It made Reau a little grumpy at first because he was afraid Princess Rhys was stealing Briar from him, but Briar reassured him that she would always be his best girl friend, and he'd been fine with it ever since.
As for myself, I enjoying seeing the four of them together.
A quartet of cuties, I thought, smirking a little.
Do you have a crush on the princess? Axel teased with waggling eyebrows.
Just because I think a girl is cute doesn't mean I like her like her or have a crush on her, I told him. Besides, you of all people know we're waiting on our mate.
Some shifters dated and had sexual partners before they found their mate, but I didn't want that. I wanted my Goddess-given mate to be my first everything and, despite his obnoxious teasing, I knew Axel would never tolerate me having an intimate relationship with anyone else.
But one of them might be our mate! My wolf's tail wagged with happiness. I hope so, anyway. I like all of those girls, especially that Leilani with all her freckles! And their wolves are sweet and adorable! Chukar even has red fur like Leilani's hair! And—
Calm down, boy. I rolled my eyes, not willing to endure yet another long ramble about the merits of each girl and her wolf. It would only make me even more impatient to finally turn eighteen.
"Azure!" Reau half-shouted, and I blinked to clear my thoughts. "I said, guess what?!"
He sure doesn't like not having attention when he wants it, Axel chuckled, and I snickered in agreement.
"I don't know, Reau. What?"
"Briar just linked me! Mrs. Weber is at the medical clinic! She's having her pup!" He danced around in a small circle. "Isn't that exciting?!"
The littlest things make him so happy, Axel murmured.
True enough.
"It is exciting," I told Reau. "I know you really like Mrs. Weber. I wish I had her for a teacher, but I'm not as good with math as you and Atticus are. If I make it through Algebra II this year, it will be a miracle."
Suddenly, a frown pulled Reau's thin eyebrows together, and his big eyes grew teary.
Uh-oh! What happened? I asked Axel frantically. And how can I fix it?
I wasn't kidding when I said Wayne and Arch would kill me if he cried on my watch. They had been very clear about making sure I took care of their boy.
As if we wouldn't, anyway, Axel scowled. We may not be betas or gammas, but we are protectors, too!
They know that, I soothed him. They're just overly protective, and who can blame them, really? He's as innocent and vulnerable now as the day we first met him. He brings out everyone's protective instincts.
"Mrs. Weber said she wasn't due until Monday," Reau shared what was bothering him. "Will the pup be okay? Is it coming too early?"
"Nah. A week's difference isn't much to worry about." I gave him a little smile. "Did you know Elijah was born two months too early? And he turned out fine. Besides, our luna is the most powerful one on the planet. If the deltas can't help Mrs. Weber or her pup, Luna Posy can for sure."
"That's right!" he said with an energetic nod, sending his dark brown curls dancing around his face. "There's nothing she can't do!"
Well, there probably was, but I didn't want to dim his spirits or knock his faith in her. After all, she'd worked more than one miracle in the past two years. Who was I to doubt her or cause Reau to doubt her?
"Why don't you ask Briar to link you an update when the pup's born?" I suggested. "That would make you feel better, right?"
"Good idea!"
Next thing I knew, two arms snaked around my waist as a lanky body slammed into me. Reau snuggled his face into my chest and smooshed the breath out of me.
What's he doing, Ax?
It's a hug, dummy. My wolf rolled his eyes. Hug him back.
I'm not used to hugs, I growled at him.
It wasn't that my dad didn't love me and Rio; he just didn't show his affection with hugs and kisses. He never had, not even before the sickness took Mom when I was nine. Now that Patrick was in my life, however, I'd slowly been getting used to hugs. He was always glomming his smooshy little self onto me just like this.
I'm not much for hugging, either, Axel sneered, but how many times did you ask me to shift so old people could love all over me?
Sighing because fair was fair, I put my hands on Reau's upper arms and squeezed them a little, hoping that would be good enough.
Not much of a hug, Axel muttered. You need to learn how to do it for real before you turn eighteen and find our mate. I'm sure Princess Rhys, Briar, Ayla, and Leilani have higher expectations than whatever this is.
I'm trying, okay? I told him through clenched teeth.
Try harder.
I grumbled, but wrapped my arms around Reau's shoulders. When he hummed with happiness, I figured I was doing it right.
"You did good today, Reau. You're a natural caregiver." I patted his back awkwardly and wondered how much longer he would be doing this hug thing. "I hope I get a mate who is as kind and thoughtful as you."
"I already know I am sweet and precious, but thank you." His voice was muffled because his face was still buried in the front of my hoodie. "You are a very nice person, too, so I'm sure you the Goddess will give you a mate who is just as nice."
He lifted his face and gave me an adorable grin, and I smiled back.
Hugging isn't so bad, after all, I guess.