Page 5 of The Quiet Alpha and His Fox
The kid probably wouldn’t say anything, and if he did, who would even believe him? Besides, he seemed to be on his own, so what could he gain by blabbing?
With no choice but to distract myself from the doom thoughts on a carousel in my mind, I shifted back to my fur and set out on the morning rounds.
Strangely, I hardly ever saw shifters out here. I didn't know if there just weren't many around these parts, but I figured my pawflower crops would've attracted them if they were around. No obvious shifter community usually meant people weren't too welcoming of them, and if there was one thing I had grown to value more than anything, it was my solitude.
Last thing I wanted was to attract attention to myself.
For the rest of the day, I tried to keep my mind off the lone omega as I focused on my work. But my thoughts always strayed to memories of falling asleep beside the boy, and waking up with his warm breath on my cheek. It was worse when I was in my fur because my nosy coyote just wanted to run back to him, bring him gifts, and maybe spend another night beside him.
I needed to spend more time in my skin.
That evening, it took all my willpower to stay away from the willow tree. From my porch, I inhaled deeplying, scenting the air. But no campfire or cinnamon made its way to me.
Eventually, I managed to get to sleep, but I tossed and turned all night. And the next morning, though I didn’t realize it until it was happening, I passed the tree three times when I was running my rounds.
Each time, I stopped and sniffed the ground, but there was no sign of him. It didn't look like he'd been back. I sniffed his trail out and followed it to the fence, to the spot he'd climbed over.
I wanted to follow his trail beyond the fence, but instead, I turned and headed home. It was better this way. I didn't need the complications of…of what? Of him.
The next day it rained hard, which meant a lot of work for me to keep the top-heavy plants from toppling over. I spent hours running the rows, bracing stalks, and righting fallen plants. Then I took advantage of the weather and caught a good haul of fish. I spent the evening fileting and smoking the fish and all of the next day occupied repairing damage from the storm.
That worked for a few days. But my nights were spent tossing and turning until I woke up sweaty from restless dreams.
Then one evening, just as the sun was setting, I caught his scent in the air. Before I could even think of what I was doing, I was in my fur and running full speed toward the willow tree. As I got close, I walked more cautiously until I caught sight of his frame, bent over and setting up camp.
Hidden on the other side of the tree, I settled behind the long branches so I could watch him from the shadows.
He’d gotten thinner in the past week.
The omega laid out his blanket and sleeping bag slowly, and then he unrolled two small rations of salmon from the newspaper and ate them slowly, savoring each bite. The boy was hungry.
A pang shot through my heart, and I turned back toward my house. Half an hour later, I was back with a basket full of food—smoked fish, bread, jam, cheese, apples, and some of the chocolate chip cookies I'd baked while trying to distract myself from thoughts of him.
I'd been rehearsing what to say as I carried the basket over, but nothing sounded right for the occasion. "Hi, I think we met the other day." "Hey, so about the whole coyote thing…" But when I got back, he was already asleep.
I pulled his sleeping bag up over his shoulders and frowned. The ground was still a little wet, and I didn't think his blanket was enough to keep him dry.
I hung the basket from a branch near the tree, built a fire, then I shifted and curled my furry body around him as best I could. For the first time all week, I slept soundly.
Just before dawn, I awoke before dawn and reluctantly snuck off the blanket. Something had kept him away all week, and I was worried it had been me. I didn't want him to feel afraid. Before I left, I picked a purple lupine with my teeth and dropped it into the basket.
It was a simple gesture, but my heart leapt at the thought of him finding the gift.
Chapter 4
Joe
The chorus of birds woke me up. I was surprisingly dry and warm after sleeping on the damp ground. After the storm, I'd spent a few nights in an old barn that I thought was abandoned, only to be run out of there by a terrifying group of teenagers. I guess it was their hangout spot, and a transient omega didn't fit the vibe.
I came back to the willow tree because I didn't know where else to go. I admit I was a bit weirded out by the naked man who had been in my camp the last time I slept here, but he didn't seem dangerous, so I was willing to risk it.
After stretching my arms over my head, I rolled over and hugged my sleeping bag around me. It was still cold, and I didn't want to get up. Getting up meant remembering my empty belly and facing the fact that my plan to live a nomadic lifestyle wasn't working.
That's when I spotted the basket hanging from a tree branch that definitely wasn’t there when I went to sleep.
I thought it was a basket of flowers because all I could see from my angle was a tall purple flower sticking out the top. Nervously, I looked around to see if whoever had brought it was still there.
When I didn’t see anyone, I plucked it from the tree and saw that it was filled with food. The flower had been placed on top. This was a gift. For me.
