Greykin Mountain

| 30 | No Caeleste Welcome

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A feeling of contentment ensnared Jackson for the rest of the night.

          When Damon left, he lay on his bed, staring up at the ceiling like a schoolgirl in love. He couldn't help but feel relieved; for a moment, he'd thought Damon was going to say they would have to ignore their feelings, but the fact he'd agreed to them seeing one another secretly.... That excited him. Not only because he would get to be with the man he'd fallen hard for, but also because there was a part of him that enjoyed the idea of sneaking around.

          He knew he should probably try and get some more rest—he'd been telling himself that all night long, but now, he found himself watching the sun rising through the small holes the eroded bricks left in the wall. Damon hadn't told him what time he'd be heading to the town, but he was sure going back to sleep now wasn't an option.

          So, he sat up, tidied his hair as best he could without a comb or mirror and slipped his fur boots on. Then, he headed out of the room, through the quiet, frosty halls and into the courtyard.

          The first thing he did was look for Damon, and when he spotted the Alpha talking with half the council, he had to fight the urge to head over there. When Damon glanced at him from across the open space, though, Jackson smiled. However, his smile melted away as the Alpha frowned and set his sights back on his packmates.

          Jackson wouldn't let it get to him. After all, he was the one who had suggested Damon treated him like he didn't like him to keep the pack from suspecting anything.

          "There you are," came Tokala's voice.

          He looked to his left and watched the orange wolf make his way over to him, his fur floating in the morning's calm breeze.

          "We're just waiting for them to decide whether Elias or Kaniya is coming with us."

          Nodding, Jackson looked over at Damon again. "What do I need to get this time?"

          "They're also discussing that. In the larger settlements out here, you can usually trade something for another; if we're going to be staying here for a while, it's best we don't get your face plastered on wanted posters for thievery."

          "What am I gonna trade? I don't have anything."

          Tokala glanced at two people over by a bench. "This place was abandoned in rush. Whoever was here left behind all sorts of tradeable stuff."

          Jackson looked over there. From where he was standing, he could see tailored furs, gold chalices, jewellery, a few weapons, and even three bottles of very old-looking wine. He wasn't sure why he felt surprised, though. An abandoned castle in the middle of zombie-infested forests no human dared to traverse—of course it was un-looted.

          He followed Tokala to the table.

          "This is Aiyana," the orange wolf said, nodding at the brown-eyed woman. "And Dustu," he said, looking at the man whose left eye was greyed and scared. "They're Omegas, like you."

          "Jackson," he said with a smile.

          They both nodded.

          "This was most of what we found in one of the master bedrooms in that tower," Aiyana said, pointing to the tower on the castle wall's top right corner.

          Looking down at it all, Jackson frowned curiously. The first thing he inspected was an empty leather quiver. He'd probably need an excuse to turn up in town, and when he spotted an old bow, he thought appearing as a hunter in need of supplies might do well in helping him avoid suspicion.