zoomed up the stairs, pretending he was an airplane taking off. As he reached the top, the first door he saw ajar was Anton’s. Anton was his friend. He wouldn’t mind if Illarion borrowed a bag or something.
Pushing the door open, Illarion peeked inside. Sitting on a table was a backpack. He ran in the room and picked it up. He unzipped it and looked inside. It was empty. This would work to carry the cookies. He could carry it on his back. He could smell Anton’s mate, Laurel. This must be her backpack. He liked Laurel. She was nice. For a moment, Illarion could hear his mother’s voice in his head.
“We do not take things that do not belong to us.”
But he wasn’t taking it. He was borrowing it. Laurel wouldn’t mind, and he could return it tomorrow when he came by to see Katya. Illarion pulled the straps over his arms and skipped down to Katya’s room. He carefully placed his picture on the pillow in the crib. That way Katya would find it when she got home.
Happy that his picture was delivered, he ran down the stairs and into the kitchen. Illarion upended the plate of cookies into the backpack before letting himself out the back door. Humming to himself, he ran down the path toward his house.
§
Laurel walked back toward the lodge with Anton. He held her hand gently. They didn’t talk, but the silence wasn’t uncomfortable. She liked how they could be together without needing to speak, as if they knew each other so well that nothing needed to be said. Smells of the trees and wildflowers filled the air. Sunlight filtered through the foliage, making patterns across the ground. Her stomach grumbled so loud it sounded like a dog growling.
“Sounds like I need to feed you,” Anton said. “Come on. Mom normally has fresh cookies set out this time of day. Maybe we will get lucky and get to them before Illarion does.”
Illarion seemed like a nice little boy. He was certainly around a lot. She glanced at Anton, wondering what he was like as a child.
“Oh, I was like Illarion, always running around,” Anton said. “Of course, I was trying to keep up with Dmitry and Kolya. Sometimes I felt like the odd man out. Dmitry was older and would be Alpha someday. Alena, the only girl, was treated like a princess. But I knew I was loved. Once I was old enough, my father included me in his outings with Dmitry. That is how I knew about the hunters’ cabin near the festival.”
It always surprised Laurel when Anton read her mind like that. He slipped in and out of her thoughts, and she didn’t even know he was doing it. Anton paused and pulled her to a stop.
“Being in each other’s minds is normal for a mated couple. I am sorry if I am making you uncomfortable.”
“I don’t expect you to know what I’m thinking,” Laurel said. “You answer my questions before I ask them.”
“I will try to stop doing that, but I will not give up our connection. If anything, I hope it grows stronger. I need to touch your mind.”
“Is that a lycan trait?” Laurel asked. Did everyone read her mind? Was she going to have any privacy?
“I guess it is,” Anton said. “Lycans are pack animals, and the links between mates are stronger than those with our children and then the rest of the family. But everyone is not reading your mind. I am connected to you. There are some lycans who are telepathic and others who are not. But all of us connect to our mates. The Alpha has to be telepathic in order to bind the pack together.”
“But, I am a healer, not a telepath.”
“That is why you are linked to me, but do not hear the rest of the pack. When I speak to another member of the pack, you do not hear me.”
“No, just a buzzing-like sound in my head,” Laurel admitted. “I know you are talking, but I don’t know what you are saying.
“That is what others hear when I speak to you, if they even hear that.”
Anton opened the back door to the lodge and ushered her in. He walked over to the table and picked up
Pushing the door open, Illarion peeked inside. Sitting on a table was a backpack. He ran in the room and picked it up. He unzipped it and looked inside. It was empty. This would work to carry the cookies. He could carry it on his back. He could smell Anton’s mate, Laurel. This must be her backpack. He liked Laurel. She was nice. For a moment, Illarion could hear his mother’s voice in his head.
“We do not take things that do not belong to us.”
But he wasn’t taking it. He was borrowing it. Laurel wouldn’t mind, and he could return it tomorrow when he came by to see Katya. Illarion pulled the straps over his arms and skipped down to Katya’s room. He carefully placed his picture on the pillow in the crib. That way Katya would find it when she got home.
Happy that his picture was delivered, he ran down the stairs and into the kitchen. Illarion upended the plate of cookies into the backpack before letting himself out the back door. Humming to himself, he ran down the path toward his house.
§
Laurel walked back toward the lodge with Anton. He held her hand gently. They didn’t talk, but the silence wasn’t uncomfortable. She liked how they could be together without needing to speak, as if they knew each other so well that nothing needed to be said. Smells of the trees and wildflowers filled the air. Sunlight filtered through the foliage, making patterns across the ground. Her stomach grumbled so loud it sounded like a dog growling.
“Sounds like I need to feed you,” Anton said. “Come on. Mom normally has fresh cookies set out this time of day. Maybe we will get lucky and get to them before Illarion does.”
Illarion seemed like a nice little boy. He was certainly around a lot. She glanced at Anton, wondering what he was like as a child.
“Oh, I was like Illarion, always running around,” Anton said. “Of course, I was trying to keep up with Dmitry and Kolya. Sometimes I felt like the odd man out. Dmitry was older and would be Alpha someday. Alena, the only girl, was treated like a princess. But I knew I was loved. Once I was old enough, my father included me in his outings with Dmitry. That is how I knew about the hunters’ cabin near the festival.”
It always surprised Laurel when Anton read her mind like that. He slipped in and out of her thoughts, and she didn’t even know he was doing it. Anton paused and pulled her to a stop.
“Being in each other’s minds is normal for a mated couple. I am sorry if I am making you uncomfortable.”
“I don’t expect you to know what I’m thinking,” Laurel said. “You answer my questions before I ask them.”
“I will try to stop doing that, but I will not give up our connection. If anything, I hope it grows stronger. I need to touch your mind.”
“Is that a lycan trait?” Laurel asked. Did everyone read her mind? Was she going to have any privacy?
“I guess it is,” Anton said. “Lycans are pack animals, and the links between mates are stronger than those with our children and then the rest of the family. But everyone is not reading your mind. I am connected to you. There are some lycans who are telepathic and others who are not. But all of us connect to our mates. The Alpha has to be telepathic in order to bind the pack together.”
“But, I am a healer, not a telepath.”
“That is why you are linked to me, but do not hear the rest of the pack. When I speak to another member of the pack, you do not hear me.”
“No, just a buzzing-like sound in my head,” Laurel admitted. “I know you are talking, but I don’t know what you are saying.
“That is what others hear when I speak to you, if they even hear that.”
Anton opened the back door to the lodge and ushered her in. He walked over to the table and picked up
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