Chapter 1
Josh
The roof was leaking again. With a sigh, Josh picked up the now-full pot off the floor. Careful of the sloshing water, he opened the window and poured it into the bushes below. Thankfully, the sky was clear today without a cloud in the sky. Hopefully last night was the last of the rain they'd see for a while. He sighed. He wasn't that lucky.
"Daddy!" Jacob called. "I'm hungry!"
"You know where the food is," Josh called back. "Only one slice of bread, though. I'm making dinner soon."
He knew Jacob most likely wouldn't listen. The little wolf would most likely eat an entire loaf and still be hungry for dinner anyway. Jacob had recently started another growth spurt and his stomach never seemed to be satisfied.
Looking sourly up at the ceiling, Josh replaced the pot, just in case. He'd climb up and adjust the shingles in a while. Honestly, the whole roof needed to be redone. Something he just didn't have the time to do at the moment. Summer was over and he had too much to do at the moment. He'd have to get it done before winter though.
Just as he predicted, Jacob was downstairs stuffing his face with bread and smoked fish. Josh cleared his throat and Jacob spun around, looking like a rabbit caught in a trap.
"I was just so hungry," he said with his mouth still full.
"Don't talk with your mouth full," Josh said. "No more food until dinner, alright? Can you go get some firewood?"
Jacob nodded, swallowed the rest of his first dinner, and hurried away. Once he was out of sight, Josh rolled his eyes and turned to the stove. There was another thing he needed: coal for the stove. That was one of the downsides of not belonging to a pack. Electricity was out of the question and batteries had to be used carefully.
Many might call it archaic, but he didn't really care. He liked their lifestyle and he knew that Jacob loved living out in the bush. It made his heart ache sometimes, thinking about how Jacob didn't have any other pups to play with, but at the same time, he knew that alphas were bad news.
He didn't know whether or not Jacob was an alpha or an omega yet. He'd have to wait until his son was about ten to tell. Either way, he didn't want his son growing up in an environment like that. Where omegas were sex toys and breeding machines. This was better. It had to be.
There was also that constant paranoia that the wrong people would catch wind of their existence. And that wasn't something that Josh was willing to risk. Not even for the comfort of a pack. Especially not for a slightly easier life.
The sound of small footsteps and grunting caught his ears. He watched as Jacob stumbled inside and dropped a load of wood by the fireplace with a crash. He came into the kitchen with a piece in his hand and held it out. "This one good?"
"Perfect. Thanks, honey." Josh pushed the wood into the bottom of the stove on top of the nest of coals. He listened as Jacob hurried back outside for another armload. Jacob was always so full of energy. Unwilling to ever just walk, let alone stand still.
What a good kid. Josh didn't know how he got so lucky to have such a good kid, all things considered.
He picked a handful of kindling out of the box to his right and pushed it under the log. It caught fire easily and he carefully blew on it. It wasn't long before he had a good little fire going. Soon the coals would glow red and he'd be able to get supper going.
"Stew sound okay tonight?" he asked.
"Sounds good," Jacob replied.
Once he was sure that the fire wouldn't go out, Josh closed the stove door. He went to the living room where Josh was playing on the floor with his favorite toys. A small set of aluminum figurines. Six wolves and five bears, all in various forms of combat. It had been Jacob's fifth birthday and Josh had been stressing. The trader who had stopped by that day just happened to have bought them from another pack and Josh had gladly taken them. Jacob had been delighted.
"Dad!" Jacob said. "You want to be the bears or the wolves."
Josh chuckles. "I think I'll be...the wolves."
Jacob scowled. "But I'm always the wolves!"
"Alright, I'll be the bears then," Josh agreed.
They'd play until he had to make dinner, and then some more after he had a fire going in the hearth. All in all, it was a good day.
"Hey, Kira," Josh called, waving the courier down.
The van came to a stop in front of him and the omega stepped out. For an omega, Kira was a bit on the bigger side. Not like an alpha, but he could probably hold his own in a fight. The bear shifter was probably the most common traveler on the narrow road. He and Josh had built up a bit of a comradery over the years.
"Hey, Josh," Kira said. "What's up? Where's the little guy?"
"He's having a nap," Josh said. "He didn't sleep much last night. I'll be home long before he wakes up." And even on the offchance that Jacob did wake up, all he'd have to do is call and Josh would hear him. "How're you doing?"
"Same shit, different day," Kira replied with a shrug. "Heading for Morra now. What do you need?"
"More tools," Josh said. He held out a folded piece of paper. "I've got it all here."
Kira took a look. "It's gonna be a bit expensive."
"I figured. I think this should be enough," Josh said. He stepped to the side and picked up the large bundle. "Antlers and hide. And--" He picked up a large bag. "--venison. Salted and smoked."
Kira looked over the cargo. "This should cover it fine. You know how the humans can't get enough of this stuff."
That was for sure. For some reason, despite having access to cotton, silk, and other luxuries, humans loved feeling "rustic". Stuff like this always got a good price the deeper into their cities you got.
"That's great. When do you think you'll be back?" he asked.
"Actually, I should be back in about three days. I'm only doing a quick drop off. So say three days at around noon?"
"Sounds good," Josh agreed. "Stay safe."
"I always am," Kira replied. "You too. Oh! And here, for the little guy." He pulled a small brown package out of his pocket.
"You didn't have to-" Josh started to say but Kira cut him off.
"It's no trouble at all." Kira waved him away. "I'll see you later."
"See you." Josh shook his hand. He watched as Kira got back in his van. The old thing growled and sputtered before taking off in a spray of dirt and dust.
Josh looked at the little package. He decided to wait and let Jacob open it. He took his time walking back along the small trail to his house. It was a nice day: birds were singing, and the air smelled fresh and clean. There were dark clouds on the horizon, but it would be a couple days before the storm arrived. Plenty of time to prepare.
The sound of the river reached his ears before the house came into view. He'd chosen to build his homestead near because the river was always filled with trout. On days when a hunt was less successful, the fish were always there as a food source.
Of course, raising a small, energetic pup near a large river like that caused no end of stress for him. One of the first things he had done as a parent was teach Jacob to swim on his first summer when the river was calm and gentle. In the fall and spring the river wasn't nearly as gentle. Jacob had nearly drowned when he was three and wandered too close despite Josh's warnings to stay away. It was the only time Josh had ever spanked him.
He pushed the memory out of his mind. Even to this day it caused an ache in his chest.
He had also taken the time to create a garden. Wolf or not, living on meat alone would have gotten very old very quickly.
He still remembered when he first planted it. He'd had absolutely no idea what he was doing. Thankfully, he was just outside the border of the Foxhold pack. He'd ended up finding a kindly old she-wolf who had volunteered her time to teach him the basics of gardening.
As soon as Josh stepped through the door, he knew his son was awake. Jacob's footsteps sounded upstairs. "Hey!" he called. "Come down here for a second!"
More footsteps, and then the little wolf appeared at the top. He jumped down the stairs three steps at a time and landed in front of Josh with a thump.
Josh held out the small package. "Kira sent this for you."
"What is it?" Jacob's eyes lit up as he took the package.
"I don't know. Why don't you open it and find out?"
Jacob was pulling the paper apart before Josh had even finished the sentence. He leaned over to get a better look. Jacob let out an excited squeal. "Look!"
It was a new set of figurines. Three little metal dragons, painted in blue, green, and red. Jacob hurried into the living room to add them to his collection. "Can we play?"
"Just for a bit. Who are you going to be?"
Jacob thought for a second. "The wolves and the dragons."
Josh shook his head in amusement. "Alright."
As Josh predicted, the storm began to draw nearer. Somehow, he'd found the time to climb up onto the roof and do a quick patch job, all the while listening to Jacob's movements below. Last time he'd done this, Jacob had insisted on helping and tried to climb out of his bedroom window, giving Josh a heart attack. Josh had finally threatened to burn his toys if he didn't get down.
Afterward of course, when Josh was left with a crying son, he'd gently explained to Jacob that his father was a worry-wort and that Jacob would be able to help him on the roof in a couple more years when he was bigger. He'd also reassured the kid that he would never burn his toys. Thankfully, Jacob seemed to understand and they had made a cake together in an effort to cheer the kid up.
Thankfully, the young wolf was too occupied by his new toys to pay Josh any mind. Josh would have to make sure to bring Kira a blackberry pie or something next time the courier came around.
He managed to get the loose shingle back into place and sighed, taking a seat. The roof was his favorite place to think. It gave him privacy, but at the same time he could hear Jacob. It was a good place to go when he really needed to think. And right now, his thoughts were going a mile a minute.
The roof really needed to be redone before winter. Josh had a bit of money stashed away. It was meant for emergencies, but if he didn't find time before first frost, he'd probably have to go to Foxhold and see if he could hire someone.
Then there was the smokehouse. While it still worked, it was getting old. He would need to tear it down and build a new one at this point. What Josh wouldn't give for a brick one. Too much money and too much time, though.
The clouds were close now and Josh could feel electricity in the air. There was a storm coming. One that he wasn't ready for.
From inside, he heard Jacob calling him. He sighed again. He had so much work to do.