Pest Control, page 16
Feeling as giddy as a child, Rhys practically skipped up to a particularly large patch on a nearby hill where it was less muddy. He sat in the middle of it, stroking the soft, delicate petals lovingly. A few bees, buzzing around him, thankfully didn’t mind his presence.
Humming under his breath and picking a few flowers, he remembered childhood neighbors he used to play with. Every spring, he and the girls would hang out at the nearby park, picking the prettiest flowers to weave into crowns. It had been many years since he’d made one, maybe not since elementary school. But after having faced death, he decided there was no point in denying himself things that had once made him so happy.
Due to his trembling fingers, it took him much longer than it had as a child, but by the end of the hour, he had two colorful flower crowns sitting in his lap. His neighbors would’ve been proud of his beautiful creations, especially since his skills were so rusty. Just as he picked one up and placed it atop his curly hair, he spotted Everett dashing back from the tree line.
“Everett!” Rhys called out, cupping his hands over his mouth. “C’mere! I have a surprise for you!”
It took about thirty seconds for the wolf to reach him, panting heavily. His eyes widened when he spotted the flower crowns, and he cocked his head to the side as if to ask what they were. Chuckling softly, Rhys held the second crown up and placed it onto Everett’s head.
“It’s a flower crown! And don’t you look cute with it on.” Rhys scratched behind Everett’s fluffy ear—which soon morphed into a smooth human ear.
“What about now? Do I look even better wearing it as a human?” Everett exclaimed.
Rhys couldn’t hold back his snort at his mate’s appearance, completely naked and covered in mud with a flower crown sitting lopsided on his coiled hair. But Rhys had to admit, the bright colors did compliment his dark skin and hair perfectly.
“I think it looked cuter on a wolf,” Rhys teased with a sly smirk.
Everett’s wide grin fell into a pout. “Really? It doesn’t look good on me at all?”
“Nah, I’m just kidding; don’t look so sad!” Rhys pushed the crown up and placed a kiss to his lips. “I mean, like, it’s cute on a wolf. But on you…you look handsome, Everett. Stunning, really. I just can’t take my eyes off you! Not that I want to, of course. I’d stare at you all day if I could.”
“Sh-shut up!” Everett squeaked, jerking away, jostling the flower crown off his head.
Rhys let out a tsk. “Oh, come on, I know you love praise. What, you don’t like being called pretty? Hmm, what about beautiful? Dashing? Gorgeous? Breathtaking? Hot? Attractive—”
“I-I’m gonna go wash myself off in the river. Bye!”
And with that, Everett stumbled onto his feet and raced off, giving Rhys a good look at his bare ass.
“Yeah…I’d say attractive for sure,” he snickered to himself.
Chapter Fourteen
The only thing Rhys disliked about spring was how damn much it rained. Before he left for the day’s hunt, he had been quite pissed off to see how his garden beds had flooded, washing away many of the seedlings he’d planted the other day; they’d have to replant them later. Though the rain had tapered off, as he trudged through the woods, his boots squelched in the deep mud. An hour into the trek, the sound was beginning to get on his nerves.
Everett, on the other hand, seemed to think the opposite. The wolf was practically prancing. Each time he kicked his paws out, he splattered mud everywhere, caking it in his fur. But Rhys did have to admit, despite being muddy as well, he enjoyed watching Everett have so much fun. They were following the scent trail of a small herd of deer that Everett had picked up that morning, and he led the way like a bloodhound. He estimated about four deer, which hopefully promised them multiple chances at securing a kill.
Eventually, Everett slid to a halt, pointing with his snout toward a clearing just up ahead, blanketed with brightly colored wildflowers and green grasses, which the deer were ravenously munching on. It had been just as rough a winter for them, leaving them too focused on filling their bellies to notice the men carefully approaching.
Rhys set himself up behind a large berry bush and pulled out his compound bow as he scanned his potential targets. At first glance, he feared that all four were does—prey he’d sworn he would never take a shot at. During this time of year, most does would’ve given birth, hiding their fawns in the foliage as they ate. If Rhys were to kill a doe, he’d be killing a mother—basically becoming the evil hunter who’d killed Bambi’s mother in the movie. Thankfully, though, the largest of the group had tiny, almost imperceptible horns growing from its skull, signaling that it was a buck, something Rhys had no qualms in killing. It must have had one hell of a rack of antlers before its rut, ones Rhys hoped he might one day come across while hiking.
For now, the main priority was making a clean shot at the buck, which was proving to be difficult since it stood the farthest away, and the does blocked the arrow’s aimed path. Rhys stood back up, forced to venture closer with Everett following. They circled the clearing, careful not to step on a twig or ruffle any branches, signaling their presence. It wouldn’t be a disaster if he lost this kill, but Rhys really didn’t want the eight-mile trek to end up as wasted time.
After what felt like an eternity, the men made it to the other side of the clearing without issue and set up once more behind another bush. The buck, only a few yards away now, gave Rhys the perfect shot. Quickly, he lifted his compound bow, nocked an arrow, and pulled the string back taut. But unlike the previous fall, his hands weren’t steady. They quivered like a leaf in the wind, his muscles barely able to keep the string in the right position, thanks to his nerve damage. He cursed under his breath.
Everett let out a quiet whine, his wet nose nudging Rhys’s hand.
“I’m fine,” Rhys whispered, elbowing him away. “Just be quiet and be ready to chase it down and kill it, got it?”
Everett whined again but nodded in agreement. They turned their attention back to the buck, whose head jerked up and turned, dark eyes looking straight in their direction. It didn’t flee, just stared ominously as if caught in a truck’s headlights, and Rhys knew he wouldn’t get a better chance than this one. He took in a series of deep breaths, attempting to will his brain not to fuck this up. He could do this. He’d killed many of deer, after all. He was a hunter.
Yet his brain didn’t want to cooperate. Just as Rhys was about to let his arrow take flight, it felt as though he’d been struck by lightning, down his entire spinal column, the electric current zapping through his limbs all the way to his fingertips, which let go of the bow with a jerk. Instead of the arrow whirring through the air to lodge its sharp metal head into the buck’s heart or lungs, it impaled straight through the left hind leg.
The buck and does immediately took off running into the forest with terrified calls, sounding almost identical to Rhys’s own pained grunts as he collapsed into the mud. As if shocked into a state of paralysis, he couldn’t move or call out to Everett, who had swiftly taken off to chase after the buck as planned. Rhys could only watch as the wolf disappeared into the thick tree line, leaving him alone, in pain and hyperventilating.
God, he was so damn frustrated with himself. As Rhys tried to gain control of his body, he was able to curl up in a fetal position. He had already been annoyed by his hands constantly shaking, but his nerve damage hadn’t been that much of a hindrance to his daily life until now, acting up at precisely the worst moment possible. Sure, he and Everett wouldn’t necessarily starve without this kill, since there were plenty of other things they could hunt, but this was the first time since he’d learned to use a bow that he had completely fucked up his shot. His perfect shot, one that would have killed the buck quickly.
While a leg shot wasn’t usually fatal, it would certainly cause the buck extreme pain, leaving it lame and suffering in agony. Still, even with its slower pace, there would be no way Everett, a single wolf, could kill it. Only a pack could take down a buck as large and strong as that one. If Everett caught up with it, the buck would surely fight back, striking out with its powerful legs, which could kill him easily. Holy shit, Everett might die, and it would be all Rhys’s fault—
A familiar whine and a wet nose bumped against his hand, knocking him out of his reverie. Rhys opened his eyes to see Everett hovering over him, blood dripping from his snout onto Rhys’s sweater, and the buck’s corpse sprawled out a few feet away, its throat ripped open. Rhys flickered his gaze between it and the wolf, eyebrows furrowing.
“You…you actually k-killed it? A-all by yourself? How—”
Everett cut him off with a roll of his eyes and a huff, as if to reprimand him for even thinking for a second the wolf was incapable of finishing this hunt. He then used his snout to gently unwind Rhys’s curled body, pushing him onto his back, and plopped down on top of him.
“E-Everett,” Rhys rasped. “What are you doing?”
Everett leaned forward to lick a long stripe across Rhys’s face, replacing the tears—ones he hadn’t realized he’d cried—with reddened saliva. Rhys attempted to push him off, sputtering, but was unable to with his weak arms. So, he was forced to lie there, staring up through the treetop’s canopy, with this overly heavy wolf on top of him. To be honest, the pressure was actually helping alleviate his pain, allowing him to close his eyes once more and take in proper deep breaths. He buried his hands in his mate’s soft fur, methodically petting him to the beat of his slowing heart rate.
He felt…safe. He felt like everything was going to be okay.
And everything was okay, despite all of his worrying. Even though Rhys had fucked up his shot, he hadn’t lost his kill—because Everett was there. Even though Rhys was bordering on a panic attack, he didn’t completely spiral into one—because Everett was there. No longer was Rhys a lone hunter living in the woods, only relying on himself to survive, only having himself to blame when things went awry. No longer was Everett a lone wolf wandering through the woods, banished, with nowhere to go. They both had their faults, yes, but their strengths, together, made up for them. After surviving the harrowing winter, there was no situation they couldn’t beat. As long as they were together.
A werewolf and a human, together. God, if someone had told Rhys a year ago that he’d eventually fall in love with a werewolf, he would have rolled his eyes and thought them out of their minds. Who wouldn’t? After all, werewolves were supposed to be fantasy. And Rhys was supposed to be destined to live alone in the forest for the rest of his life, never to be loved or truly belong.
Maybe Everett was why Rhys felt so at home in the forest in the first place. Maybe that was why he felt it calling to him—Everett calling to him, begging him to come home, to find him.
Acknowledgements
I, C.D. Habecker, owe the most gratitude to my amazing cowriter, Luna Nyx. We just had our two-year friend anniversary, a friendship that started because she loved my fanfics. I couldn’t have written this without her. Together, we make an amazing writing team. When I’m hit with writer’s block, she’s always there to reassure me and help me work through the difficult scene. She is incredibly creative and comes up with amazing story and scene ideas. She inspires and makes me laugh every day. Thank you for being my best friend. I can’t wait to write more novels with you and be friends for many more years to come. I’m so proud of us! Our baby is a published novel now! They grow up so fast.
Thank you to my roommate/friend for always being there to listen to my rambles about this novel, even though you hadn’t had a chance to read it yet. You always listened when I told you about random wolf facts as well, not once judging me. I’m so proud of you for graduating and following your dreams. You inspire me with your resilience and strength, and never fail to make me laugh even when my depression hits the hardest. You and Luna were my rocks and my first ever non-toxic friends, supporting me through my difficult breakup and beyond.
Thank you to my parents for always being so supportive in my writing career as well as my sexuality. You guys gave me the freedom to be who I wanted to be, whether that meant letting middle-school me put on so much eyeliner that I looked like a raccoon, or reading my pieces that I was comfortable sharing with you.
Thank you to the fanfiction community for all of the love throughout the years and for all the amazing fanfics I got to read that helped to fuel my passion. Fanfiction is often looked down upon, but there are so many incredible fanfics that I hope one day can get published as well. Every time I read comments left on my stories, I can’t help but cry. You guys are so sweet.
Thank you to my second-grade teacher for rewarding me with candy and food when I’d write little horse stories. I still attribute my original kickstart into writing to you.
I’m also very thankful to the NineStar team, specifically my editor Elizabetta McKay, for seeing the potential in this novel and helping me make it even better. Even though this is my debut novel and I had no idea what I was doing in the publishing world, you were so patient and kind with me.
And, of course, thank you to our readers. I can’t wait to share more stories with you all!
About C.D. Habecker
C.D. Habecker is a bisexual woman residing in Portland, where she is pursuing a BFA in fiction writing at Portland State University. Ever since she was a child, C.D. has been an avid writer and reader. Writing fanfiction helped her realize her passion for creating queer romances and spinning familiar tropes. Her favorite trope is any type of animal shifter or hybrid, with magic coming in a close second. C.D. strives to give good representation to the queer as well as disabled communities, often featuring characters who share her mental and physical illnesses. She believes that not every queer story needs to focus on the struggles and hardships of being queer, as there is more to a queer person’s life than that. Everyone deserves a sweet yet deeply nuanced romance they can relate to, as well as swoon, cry, and laugh with.
C.D. spends her days writing, reading, playing with her dogs, listening to BTS, and thrifting for her vintage clothing business. You can find her on Twitter @cdhabecker and on Depop @gmovintage.
cdhabeckerauthor@gmail.com
Author C D Habecker
Website
www.cdhabecker.carrd.co
About Luna Nyx
Luna Nyx is an asexual lesbian young adult living in the Denver area of Colorado. She’s currently studying to become a Vet Tech, and writes on the side as means to pursue her creative passion. She fell out of love with writing and reading as an adolescent because growing up with ADHD made school a big challenge for her, and she’d begun to associate her passions with failure and disappointment. However, after meeting C.D. Habecker, Luna rediscovered her passion for literature. Inspired by her struggles growing up and the lack of decent LGBTQIA+ representation in media, Luna writes stories to show people with neurodivergence and “queer” identities that they aren’t alone.
Luna currently lives at home with her parents and spends her days studying in college, lovingly annoying her three pet cats, and burying herself in her musical and artistic passions. Her email is rabbitdelamoon@gmail.com, and her Twitter account is @lunanyxwriting. Her current website is http://www.lunanyxwriting.carrd.co.
rabbitdelamoon@gmail.com
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C.D. Habecker, Pest Control
