"Thank you," Victoria whispered, hanging her head.
Claire made her way over and sat down next to her. "You okay?" she whispered. Victoria nodded, her eyes still on the ground. "I'd say I'm desperate to be done with this pregnancy, but that would mean I'd need to have a name for the baby." She let out a long, quavering breath full of held-in tears. "But enough of my moaning. How's the fire stuff going?"
"Really well," Claire said, keeping her voice low. "I can do it every time and almost always on the first try. I'm just worried that my nerves are going to take me down—that I'll fold under pressure at the gathering, you know?"
"I know exactly," Victoria snorted. "I'm so nervous that I'm going to pick the wrong name—ugh. We're both dreading it, huh?"
Beatrice ducked into the clearing, smiling at Marie and Claire before looking worriedly at Victoria. Judith was right behind her, and they all exchanged greetings. Katherine came puffing into the clearing, all apologies as she struggled out of her voluminous fleece jacket.
"Sorry, everyone. There was a huge tree down across my normal path, so I had to cut across the gully." She put her hands on her hips, catching her breath. "How on earth did you get here so fast?" she asked Judith.
"I cut across the gully," Judith said dryly, arching an eyebrow. Katherine turned away from Judith, the scent of her embarrassment wafting through the clearing.
"Well," Katherine said, her voice quiet. "You always were the better runner."
Apparently, Claire wasn't the only one who fell short in Judith's extremely judgmental eyes, though after what had happened at the mall, Claire sort of didn't blame Judith for how she treated Katherine.
Marie glanced up at the sky, which was more visible than ever through the naked branches of the trees. "Everyone's here. That's all that matters right now. Let's begin." There was an unusual sharpness in her voice that made something deep inside Claire snap to attention. From the way the other wolves scrambled into place around the fire, Claire guessed she wasn't the only one. She drew in a deep breath, her lungs aching from the combination of the cold air and the wood smoke.
Marie raised her arms and began the opening chant. Her voice was quieter than usual, touching the edges of the clearing but going no farther. Casting no echo. Still, the words flowed over Claire, and her muscles loosened in response. She rose up on her toes and bounced, feeling relaxed and excited at the same time. For the first time in weeks, she was surrounded by people who were just like her. And even though she got along with plenty of people—human people—better than she did with Judith, there was still a comfort that came from knowing they didn't have to keep secrets from one another. That Judith didn't love her or hate her just because she was a werewolf— and neither did any of the other women around the fire.
Marie lowered her arms, a smile spreading across her face. "You may transform." The smile faded. "But quietly. Caution is required tonight." The rustle of fabric and the thud of paws hitting the ground were the only noises in the clearing. Victoria let out a thin and impossibly high whine. The noise would have been inaudible to any ears less sensitive than a werewolf 's.
It's the last time. It has to be the last time, Beatrice soothed.
Claire snapped at the chill air, her teeth closing over the metallic taste in the wind that promised snow. She wanted to run. Was dying to run.
We'll bring you back something good, she promised.
You'd better, Victoria twitched her tail in a pained sort of amusement.
Those who are able—Marie's ears flicked in the direction of the deepest part of the forest—let us go and hunt.
Everyone except Victoria swept into the woods behind Marie, though Claire could see the reluctance weighing down Beatrice's tail and flattening her ears as she ran.
The pack veered to the left, following a scent that Claire had been too distracted by Beatrice to catch. It was just a rabbit. Disappointment coursed through Claire. She'd really wanted to go after the badger. A rabbit was barely even a catch.
She forced herself to let it go—there would be plenty of full moons in the future, when the pack wasn't so worried about babies and Halloween pranks. She'd make sure they hunted a badger then. A streak of fear-scented heat raced past Claire's left side, catching her off guard and nearly causing her to stumble over a tree root.
The rabbit. Crap. She'd been so focused on the animal she wasn't hunting that she'd missed the one they actually had a chance to get. She broke from the pack and wheeled around, following the hop-skip run of the rabbit. The rest of the pack was close behind her, and Claire reveled in the brief sense of being in the lead—nothing between her and her prey.