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The pack house was getting crowded. There was no other word for it. ESPECIALLY tonight; the full moon.
Pyrrha had a habit of letting anyone who needed a home come into the house, and it wasn’t always when she was in heat with her judgement very clouded. Camilla would occasionally have something to say on the matter, but more often than not, she trusted her fellow pack leaders' judgement. Gideon often had too much to say about the hotness level of potential pack members, but she knew when to shut up, which was actually personal progress.
Unlike other packs, however, everyone had a say in what happened with the house, no matter their position, and, given the chaos that the twins had left when all hell had broken loose, it made sense to do this. Harrow was still nursing the wounds she had received at the sharp end of Ianthe’s claws. No one had felt sorry to see them go. Except maybe Gideon lamenting Coronabeth’s magnificent bosom, but she acknowledged that that was her dick talking, not her brain, or even her heart. Her heart had already been spoken for.
The 'Mama wolf' herself had watched as Gideon and Harrow had bonded over their mutual ‘hatred’ of each other. There had been one or two fights between the two that needed separation, and Gideon had even needed pinning once or twice as a reminder as to who was in charge; what it meant when someone said ‘stop’. Despite her small stature and lithe build, Harrowhark was a vicious fighter, and never gave in when she was challenged, rank aside. She was an ‘Omega with Alpha vibes’, or that’s how Nona had put it, anyway.
It was no surprise to any of them when Palamedes had walked into the library to find them dry humping each other against a wall while making out. Needless to say, he had walked straight back out and reported to the Alphas, however, anyone with a nose (which of course, was all of them) could smell what had happened. There was something about the scene of the now mated pair that just made sense, and Harrow and Gideon together smelled like sweat, damp forest and blood. No one asked questions about what they got up to during heats, but the blood smell somehow got more pronounced. Pash would often try to corrupt Nona by telling the beta stories about the more sordid sides of life, but a glare from Pyrrha usually got her behaving… for about five minutes before she was back to her boisterous antics.
Right at that moment, the boisterous antics in question included trying to punch every tree and convince Nona to do the same. Luckily, sharp eyed Camilla had managed to save Nona from any broken bones. The pack were walking through the forest around the house, towards the large clearing and the lake. Pyrrha led the way, carrying two large baskets full of food and drink and other celebratory delights. She had continued on a few of Wake’s traditions after her mate had passed away, and this was one of them; full moon picnics. Gideon trailed close behind with a third basket and a giant, folded picnic blanket, Harrow very close to her side, looking far too serious for something that was supposed to be a celebration. The omega’s heat was going to start in the next few days and Harrow always grew slightly more sullen as it approached; completely at odds with the happy hormones running through her mate.
Palamedes and Camilla walked apart from the pack a little bit on the left side, talking quietly in the way that they had; as if not even aware of others around them. The two had found each other very early in life and had imprinted, destined to be together. It had been no question when Camilla had joined the pack that Palamedes would follow her, and as far as any of the others knew, they’d been in each other's company every day of their lives. Their steadiness brought a good stability that this pack full of big personalities needed. They had both taken a special interest in teaching Nona what it was to be a beta, especially given Palamedes being the other active beta.
As they got closer to their destination, maybe a brisk 15 minute walk from the house, the smell of the forest got damper and Harrow started to relax a little bit more. There was something about the wet that relaxed the omega, and even as they walked, she nuzzled her nose gently against her mate's cheek, making Nona audibly ‘aww’. Pash punched her playfully in the arm for being a ‘total sap’. Pyrrha tried not to let the chuckle escape her chest at the antics of her pack, reminding them that they were almost there. Camilla and Palamedes moved ahead with an unspoken command, scouting out the clearing and finding nothing untoward. It would take a foolish predator to try and squat on the Canaan packs land, but stranger things had happened. It was better to be safe than sorry. Pyrrha slowed her pace a little, giving them enough time to come back and report that, as expected, the coast was clear.
Nona broke into a run as they entered the clearing, and Pyrrha didn’t even have a chance to tell her not to do it before she was jumping into the lake, clothes and all. Letting out a sigh, she put the baskets down and asked Gideon for the third basket, getting the others to lay out the blanket and the food. She pulled out three towels she had stowed away, somehow knowing that this would happen. Indeed, no one was surprised when Nona emerged from the water 10 minutes later, shivering in the cold night and complaining that she was freezing. Pash helped her best friend strip off her clothes and wrapped her in one of the dry towels, cuddling up to her for warmth as they sat and started to eat.
A self taught cook, Pyrrha was good at it, and as the pack tucked into the meal, under the white light of the moon illuminating the scene in shades of blue and black, the pack leader basked in the compliments and love she was shown from those she cared for. This is why she did what she did; she had a family, and it didn’t matter who had what dangling between their legs (or not), or how big or small the house was; a pack was a pack. This one was pretty damn awesome.