Chapter 162

Helen’s POV

A larger smile took over my face. “Honestly, I could probably use some help. I was up until 2:00 in the morning last night trying to decide how I wanted to decorate my bed upstairs. It took me hours and I didn’t even come to a decision. And all I was trying to pick where sheets and a comforter. I can’t imagine how much trouble it would be to try and decorate the rest of my house or pick clothes for myself. I don’t think I’ve ever picked clothes for myself. I wouldn’t even know where to start.”

A happy look shone from her face. “I would love to go shopping with you. I know all the best places and we can find you some really cute clothes. You have a beautiful figure.”

“We can’t go too crazy,” I warned. “Our incomes come from the pack and our lands here around the village. I’m not going to drain those resources for my own vanity.”

She nodded. “That will definitely earn you even more respect as a luna because we all appreciate you being conscientious of your footprint with the pack. Allow me to speak for everyone and tell you that none of us mind if you spend a little on yourself, especially after everything you’ve been through.”

Julianne nearly looked ready to cry. “I can’t believe you’ve never shopped for your own clothes. That’s just tragic. I can’t imagine anyone would begrudge you buying your own first wardrobe.”

I finally shifted my focus back to Russo. “Thank you, Russo. Finding me a lady’s companion was a good idea.”

Russo smiled at me. “Randy and I have repeatedly told you our goal is to make your life more pleasant anyway that we can.”

I pointed a finger at him. “Some day, I swear, I am going to repay you for this, for everything.”

His look was honest. “I already told Justin this, but just letting me stay in your pack when I have nowhere else to go is more than enough. If I had my own kind I would want to live with them, but I am alone in the world. You and Justin have allowed me to stay when others might have cast me out, especially after what happened with the wizards. You have my gratitude and as long as I’m staying here with such easy acceptance from those around me, then I will continue to repay that favor.”

I grinned back at him. “Then I guess we’re just destined to be in a constant cycle of repaying one another. Because I fully intend to pay you back for this.”

Julianne giggled. “If I come up with any ideas, I’ll help you, Luna.”

“Call me Helen, please,” I told her. “If you’re staying as my companion and working your way to my friend then it would feel weird to have you refer to me so formally.”

My expression sobered and I looked between the two of them. “I would love to go straight to doing frivolous things like shopping for a new wardrobe or even taking Julianne upstairs and showing her my final two choices for bedding but I’ve wasted almost half the day. I need to get to work researching about the Huntsman. Right now, for all I know, those poor pixies are being tormented and killed off by him. I have to act. I have to bring this to a close. We can’t keep living in fear of who he’s going to choose and torture next.”

Julianne classed her hands in front of her. “I’ll help you do research, Luna . . . uh, Helen. Just tell me what I should look for. Alpha Justin do a good job of shielding us. I know the warriors are out serving with Alpha Justin, but the rest of us live in relative peace and safety because you guys are keeping them away from us.”

“That’s too generous of you,” I said. “I know that the Huntsman has a vendetta against Justin’s father and I’m being used this bait. The only reason this pack is in the Huntsman sights is because of us.”

Russo cleared his throat. “That’s not entirely true, Helen. Remember I am the last of my kind because of the Huntsman. He’s now working on exterminating the pixies and he might be using werewolves to help him reach his goal right now, but do you think that stop once he’s killed those he claims to be his target?”

Russo shook his head. “I have a feeling that the last lycan is just a technicality. The rest of werewolf kind has to take notice of the Huntsman’s previous actions. I firmly believe that your entire species is on his list and this is just an excuse to start the war that will wipe you out.”

A knot sat in my stomach. “Are you sure about this, Russo?”

He nodded. “I don’t have any concrete proof because I’m not in his confidence. But if I look at the facts objectively, it seems like that’s the most logical place for him to go. I can’t imagine why he would kill off all other types of supernatural creatures and yet do nothing with the werewolves.”

Russo fluttered his wings in a thoughtful sort of way. “The Huntsman always seemed to have some sort of plan. I don’t know exactly what order that will unfold in, but the methodical elimination of all creatures possessing magic or supernatural abilities definitely seems to be his MO. You And Justin might have brought this war to the packs a little sooner, but I don’t think they would have avoided conflict with him entirely. I think it was only a matter of time before the Huntsman came looking for them one way or another.”

My jaw tightened. “All the more reason for us to find a stop the Huntsman as soon as possible. And I know exactly where we need to start looking. When I was in the library, one of the times that I snuck out, I ran across a book that glowed when I put a key in it. It was frightening and I didn’t dare continue to look when the apparition of the Huntsman showed up the last time.”

I shook my head at myself. “But I was a fool. I should have taken the opportunity to learn as much as possible about him as I could. I need to go back, and I need to finish going through that book. It’s not exactly reading since it pops up like a hologram, but I think whatever information I didn’t get from it before is probably vital to understanding and stopping the Huntsman.”

“All right then, we head for the library,” Russo said. “I’ll go with.”

“I don’t need a chaperone,” I told him. “And I’ll have a companion. Julianne is going with.”

He grinned at me. “You realize that whether I go or not you’re going to have a tail on you anyway.”

“I know, I know,” I grumbled. “Justin is going to have someone keeping an eye on me no matter where I go, isn’t he?”

“That’s right. But I’m not going as your chaperone or your guard. I’m going as an extra set of eyes to help. A friend. You can be the one to look through that book, but if Julianne and I look around the library while you’re doing that, we’ll be able to go through that much more material.”

“I suppose you’re right,” I said. “Besides it would be nice to have the company. I was surprised living here how quiet things were and how lonely I felt. I’m so used to being in a large household with staff and lots of people living there. Being the only one inside the building was kind of strange.” Warmth crept all through my innards at the idea of companions. “Yeah. Let’s go knock out that research.”