赤裸裸的滑稽故事

“What is this?” Ashleigh asked, staring at the trailer full of gear and equipment.

“It’s a gift,” Galen replied.

“What? From who?” she inquired, looking closer at one of the crates.

“Alpha Caleb,” Galen smiled. “There are upgraded mesh skins, made lighter and smaller to be incorporated into standard practice and patrol gear instead of just armor. There are also Emergency Medical Stations and perimeter–“

“Take it all back.”

The gruff voice came from behind Ashleigh. She turned to see her father looking at the gifts with scorn.

“Some of this stuff sounds useful,” Ashleigh commented, “maybe we should–”

“I said take it back,” Alpha Wyatt growled.

Ashleigh shook her head, feeling a deep disappointment in her father.

“Alpha Wyatt,” Galen said with a respectful salute. “With all due respect, it is not your decision whether to accept the gift or not.”

Alpha Wyatt gave Galen an angry look. But, to his credit, Galen did not back down.

“Not my decision?” Wyatt asked, taking a step closer to Galen.

Wyatt was a large man. Though Galen was tall himself, Wyatt still towered over him.

“I am the Alpha here; your boy’s command holds no weight.”

Galen cleared his throat.

“It is not a command from my Alpha, sir. As I said, these items are all a gift,” Galen explained.

“We don’t want it,” growled Wyatt._.

“It’s not for you,” Galen said, then turning to Ashleigh with a smile, “it’s for you.”

Ashleigh blinked in surprise.

Wyatt growled even lower now.

“It is entirely inappropriate for Alpha Caleb to send my daughter a gift. He is well aware of her mate!” Wyatt snarled.

“Yes,” Galen replied, with a restrained level of inappropriateness, “he is very much aware.”

“Then take–”

“He is very aware that Ashleigh holds the only piece of his mate in this world,” Galen stated firmly. “This gift cannot be rejected by anyone except Ashleigh because it is a remembrance gift.”

Ashleigh looked up at Galen. She wasn’t sure how to react.

“Ashleigh, reject the gift,” Wyatt said, his tone calmed slightly.

Ashleigh looked back at her father; his look told her that his words were an order he expected her to follow.

She clenched her jaw as she remembered the wolves they had lost in the rogue attacks.

“No,” she replied with her own look.

One that Alpha Wyatt did not care for.

Ashleigh turned back to Galen.

“Thank you,” she said, “I humbly accept this gift.”

Galen smiled.

“Fine, now leave!” Wyatt barked at Galen. “You have not been given permission to visit. You didn’t even bother asking! Leave my territory, now!”

Ashleigh was shocked by her father’s behavior. She knew there was a conflict between Summer and Winter, but it had always been from Summer, hadn’t it?

“Wyatt, are you sending my guest away?” Corrine’s voice called out.

Wyatt turned to see Bell and his wife approaching.

“Your guest?” Wyatt asked in disbelief.

Corrine nodded with a smile.

Wyatt snarled and walked toward her. However, he stopped when he reached her.

“We will talk about this later.” He growled in a low voice only Corrine and Bell could hear.

“Yes,” Corrine said, turning her eyes on her husband and not backing down. “We will.”

Wyatt huffed and walked away.

Ashleigh stood dumbfounded by the entire exchange.

“Ashleigh, get Saul to help you with your gifts. Between the two of you, I am sure you will be able to figure out the best use for everything.” Corrine smiled.

Ashleigh laughed; she had never been prouder to be her mother’s daughter.

“On my way,” she said as she ran off in search of Saul.

“How did you pull this off?” Galen whispered, leaning down to Bell.

“It wasn’t hard,” Bell smiled, “Corrine and Wyatt love their people. But Corrine loves her daughter just a little bit more.”

***

Showing Saul all the gifts from Summer was the highlight of Ashleigh’s day. His face lit up in a way she could have never imagined. Each crate gave him a new toy to play with.

“With this system, we will be able to coordinate our defenses like never before,” Saul beamed. “Imagine how much faster we could respond to a threat.”

“It’s amazing,” Ashleigh agreed. “But will we be able to set it up?”

Saul nodded enthusiastically.

“We will! Galen showed me while we were in Summer.”

He pulled out different items and looked at each one carefully.

“All I need is four or five of the patrolmen and a couple of hours.”

Ashleigh laughed as Saul was already calling in reinforcements before she could say anything.

It seemed that setting everything up was left in good hands. The mesh skins had already been delivered to the armory. Ashleigh was surprised to learn that they didn’t need to be sewn in. Instead, they worked like a pin attached to any clothing or armor.

Bell had also collected the medical equipment and taken it to the hospital.

Ashleigh smiled.

She pulled out her phone and called Caleb.

“Hello,” he answered with a smile in his voice that made her blush instantly.

“Hey,” she said, “so the gift….”

He laughed.

“Was it too much?” he asked.

“According to my father, yes,” she replied honestly, “But I am very grateful.”

“Really?” Caleb asked. “I was afraid you might feel offended.”

“Why would I be offended?” Ashleigh questioned.

“I seem to remember a conversation where you thought I looked down on Winter as little more than cavemen with pointy sticks,” Caleb replied. “There was a chance you would think I was pitying your pack or saying you weren’t doing a good job without my fancy toys.”

Ashleigh wanted to curl up under a rock and live there forever. She hated herself for the idiotic conclusions she had jumped to about Caleb.

“I’m really sorry about that,” Ashleigh sighed.

Caleb let out a chuckle.

“I’m just giving you a hard time, Ashleigh.”

“Well, I’m being serious,” Ashleigh said. “I have never treated you the way I should have, and I regret that. A lot. You have always been fair to me, always considered my feelings. And I don’t think I have ever shown you the same respect.”

Caleb was quiet on the other end of the line.

“Is everything ok, Ashleigh?” he asked after a moment.

“What?” she said.

“Has Granger done something?” Caleb’s voice was calm, but she heard the dark undertone.

“No, no!” Ashleigh replied quickly. “Nothing’s wrong. Granger’s actually gone.”

“Gone?” Caleb asked.

“He was sent to the Southern Territories for a while,” Ashleigh said quietly.

“Oh,” he replied.

Ashleigh could hear something on his end. It sounded like there was someone else with him.

“Are you with someone?” she asked.

“Sorry, can you give me a minute Ashleigh?”

“Yea, no problem,”

Ashleigh paced back and forth, trying and failing not to listen.

“Is this the most recent report?” Caleb asked.

“Yes, Alpha,” a deep voice acknowledged.

“There is no doubt the movements between them are suspicious.” The voice confirmed. “Autumn seems to be gathering more forces. Alpha Tomas has recently had an influx of wolves from the smaller packs joining.”

‘Wait a minute,’ Ashleigh thought to herself. ‘What are they talking about?’

“Alpha!” shouted someone that sounded farther away.

“What is it?” Caleb asked.

“We just heard back from the scouts near wi–”

The voice was cut off when Ashleigh tripped on a snow-covered boulder.

“Shit!” she cried out as the phone flew from her hands and straight into the creek. The freshly melted, full of running water creek.

“Damn it!” she shouted angrily.