Total pages in book: 48
Estimated words: 45021 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 225(@200wpm)___ 180(@250wpm)___ 150(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 45021 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 225(@200wpm)___ 180(@250wpm)___ 150(@300wpm)
Rylee tipped her head back to look at Hayes. “Maybe I could get nose plugs.” She giggled.
“It’s not a bad idea, Little one. Especially when Isaac is grilling something you don’t like,” he teased.
Rylee twisted her body to shove at him. “You better not ever tell your brother I don’t like his cooking.”
Hayes chuckled and rubbed his arm as if her aggression had actually harmed him. To continue getting a rise out of her, he said, “So you don’t want me to find out who made egg salad last week and tell them to leave out the paprika next time?” That wasn’t a thing that happened, so he wasn’t worried about offending anyone.
Rylee didn’t fall for it either. She just rolled her eyes. “No mentioning any foods to anyone for any reason.”
“Can I at least ask what everyone ate for dinner last night and breakfast this morning so you’ll start to know distances?”
She sighed. “Yes, Daddy.”
As each Daddy confirmed what he’d cooked for dinner and breakfast, Rylee nodded. Hayes could see her categorizing in her head.
“I think we need a map,” Gavin suggested. “It would be helpful for Molly, too. Even something crude like a crayon drawing would help all the Littles learn where the other houses are with respect to each other.”
Khloe sat up taller. “We could do it! Olivia, Molly, Rylee, and I. Can we?”
“We could make several copies,” Molly added. “One for every home but a few extras for the next mates who will be joining us. Besides helping understand distances, it would be a safety thing, too. If anything ever happens, leaving any of us or a group of us without an Alpha Protector, it would be safer for us to know where to go for help.”
Hayes rose from his chair and nodded toward the kitchen. “Come on. I’ll pull out supplies.”
Five minutes later, the table was littered with paper, crayons, and colored pencils.
Olivia felt around the edges of her paper. “Someone point to the center for me, and I’ll help.” The blind Little never let her vision get her down, and she certainly never wanted to be left out of an art project. She was also capable of giggling at her own work later when she shifted so she could see it for herself.
Chapter Thirteen
Rylee tucked her brown pencil into the box and pulled out a green one so she could start the trees. She was using Khloe’s and Molly’s drawings as a guide to do her own. It was really helping her understand the world around her.
They’d even created a guide at the bottom of the paper to denote distances, and they were including the homes of the other Alpha Protectors and their mates as well as Alphas who were not yet mated and all the elders Olivia, Khloe, and Molly could think of.
“It must have taken you a long time to learn all of this,” Rylee said as she continued coloring. She glanced out the back door to see the Alpha Daddies deep in conversation on the deck.
Khloe reached for the box of pencils. “Actually I learned most of this in one afternoon. I needed to learn who was who, what they looked like, and what their homes looked like. It really helps me understand when I have a vision.”
Rylee nodded. “That makes sense.”
Molly helped Olivia start another house on her paper by pricking the spot on the paper with a pin. It was ingenious. “I also met everyone as soon as possible so I would know what voice goes with which person. Before that, it was all just a dumpster in my head.”
Rylee thought about what she was saying. “I guess I should do the same. It’s not just foods that catch my scent. Every one of you has your own personal smell. Now that I’ve spent time with you, I’ll be able to identify it from a distance.”
Olivia lifted her head. “You’ll learn the same about the bears, too.”
“Daddy says most of them are nice. It’s just a few rogue bears who are making problems?” Rylee asked.
Olivia nodded. “Yes. In general, they’re more evolved than wolves. They can communicate with each other telepathically. They’ve been able to do so for centuries. I’m sure they know that you have arrived and will make an appearance soon.”
Khloe giggled. “Probably today. They have a tendency to show up when we’re all gathered together.”
Rylee looked around at her new friends before focusing on Khloe. “But you’ll know when they’re coming, right?”
Khloe nodded. “So far. I can’t guarantee I’ll always get a vision when they decide to visit, but I have every time since I bonded with Felix.”
Rylee turned toward Molly. “And you’ll hear them?”
“Yes, but for me, I need Khloe or Felix to call me when she gets a vision. I don’t leave my communication ability open all the time. I would go mad. As soon as I know there’s impending action, I step outside and listen for their conversations.”