Second Chance Luna (Phoebe and Jason) novel Chapter 2

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Five years had passed since then and Phoebe continued to avoid the packhouse. The only difference now was that her parents had passed away leaving her alone to maintain the cottage and garden. Now whenever Graham and Kristie mated she only felt a dull ache and thankfully those times were few and far between.

The alpha pair had yet to produce a pup and heir but that wasn’t completely unexpected. Chosen mates were less fertile than fated ones. While a fated pair could easily produce four or five pups, chosen ones would only have one or two in the same amount of time. Given that Phoebe felt his betrayal less often she could only assume the pair didn’t mate as often as they used to making it even more difficult to conceive.

Though she wondered about the pack’s future stability it wasn’t her place to question their alpha. No one knew she had been his fated mate and no one would listen to a wolfless unranked she-wolf anyway. If you are not reading this novel on Jobnib.com know that it’s some paragraphs are not complete. Visit Jobnib.com to read it for free. So she focused on what she could do for the pack: namely educating the pack pups.

* * *

“All right, gather around,” Phoebe laughed as the kids swarmed around her.

Phoebe carried the two-year-old on her hip while the others waited for the rules of their game. Sometimes it felt as if the pack treated her as a glorified pup-sitter but she didn’t mind as it allowed her to spend time with them without interference. She used their numerous outings to teach them various bits of practical knowledge.

She had brought them to a wide clearing filled with wildflowers. When they arrived, a pair of deer spooked and leaped back into the safety of the forest shadow. It was a promising sign that no one from the pack had sullied the area so they should have no problem with their scavenger hunt. Piled off to the side were several baskets woven from wild grasses. The pups immediately noticed them and fidgeted with excitement.

“Okay, so did everyone bring their herb book?” Phoebe asked holding up her own.

Eagerly the pups held up their homemade pamphlets they made during their craft project earlier in the week. Taped to each page was a medicinal herb that had been pressed and dried specifically for the application. Each page also included the plant’s name and most common uses written in Phoebe’s neat scrawl for the younger pups while the older pups wrote theirs themselves. Over the last few weeks they had learned about herbs, how to identify edible plants and poisonous ones and where to find them. Now it was time to put that information into practical experience.

“So today we are going to have a scavenger hunt!” Phoebe announced to excited cheers. “As I’m sure you’ve figured out we are going to collect herbs. I want you to split into pairs because…why?”

“Safety first!” the pups answered in chorus.

“That’s right. So in pairs you will take your baskets and collect as many herbs from your books as you can find,” Phoebe said. “I will award special prizes for the most herbs picked, the biggest variety of herbs collected and for the rarest herb found.”

The pups bounced on their heels eager to begin.

“Remember to stay in the boundaries of the clearing. Ready? On your marks. Remember our safety rules! Go!”

Squealing the pups darted to the pile of baskets before dispersing through the clearing. Phoebe smiled cooing at the two-year-old pup in her arms. He was too young to take part in this event but he would still benefit from being able to run around in the fresh air.

“Miss Phoebe! Miss Phoebe!”

She turned as an eager pup hurried up to her holding a sprig with bright yellow flowers.

“Is this wormwood?”

“No. That’s mustard,” Phoebe answered kneeling down to the pup’s level. She never liked to talk down to them. “Let’s see what wormwood looks like again, shall we?”

The pup dutifully opened her book to the appropriate page for comparison. Phoebe was always patient with the pups and never lost her temper. They were young and still learning so it was natural for them to make mistakes.

Once the mini-lesson about the difference between the two herbs was over the pup returned to her brother and continued their hunt. The pups were free to ask her any questions but she wouldn’t help them find the herbs. Phoebe smiled at the young pair.

Blake and Emma were brother and sister born one year apart so they were close. Their parents had also been unranked members of the pack. Their mother was the alpha’s maid and their father an architect who designed most of the packhouse as well as many of the private homes scattered throughout the territory. Unfortunately both had been killed in a rogue attack two years ago leaving the pups orphaned.

Since then Phoebe did her best to look after them, taking them shopping for clothes and school supplies as well as making sure they were included in activities. Orphans could easily be ostracized by other pack members and that was something Phoebe wanted to avoid. Strong bonds kept a pack together and she wanted the pups to maintain and cherish those bonds. So far her efforts seemed to make the difference. The others included the orphaned pair in their games and didn’t bully or belittle them for what they lost.

After an hour the pups gathered around her to show their efforts. Phoebe led the group to the pack hospital where Bridget waited to receive them. Bridget separated out the herbs and gave the pups what appeared to be an impromptu lesson in first aid demonstrating how some herbs could be used with minimal handling and how to bandage injuries.

Like Phoebe, Bridget was on the petite side though slightly taller than the former. Her hair was a rich chestnut with a hint of an auburn sheen and her skin a soft tan color as was usual for werewolves. She had a round, pretty face and a small, pert nose.

Bridget was another unranked wolf that kept the pack working. A couple years younger than Phoebe, they met shortly after the latter’s rejection. In fact the young, talented nurse was the only pack member who knew about it. She didn’t know who rejected Phoebe but she knew they were a pack member and assumed they were fairly high-ranked given Phoebe’s aversion to the packhouse and official ceremonies.

As one of the few Phoebe considered a close friend she often turned to Bridget when she was in need of assistance. Luckily Bridget was a brilliant herbalist and talented chemist so she had plenty of practical knowledge to share. Once the demonstration was over Bridget handed out her homemade lollipops made with medicinal herbs. If one peered through the semi-transparent, jewel-like creation they would see whole leaves or petals of the herbs used and now that the lesson was over the pups could even identify them.