Chapter 48

"So, which one do you think should be the flavor of the weekend?" Lizzie smiled salaciously as she eyed the abundance of boys surrounding them from her seat on a soft patch of grass next to her sister.

Josie stared at Lizzie, dumbstruck. "Who ARE you?"

"Oh, come on Jo!" Lizzie whined and grabbed her twin by the arm. "Ever since you and Hope have been doing it doggy-style – ew, I might add – I've been all alone! So, what's the harm in wanting someone to make this atrocious idea of hiking and camping worth it?"

"Lizzie, you're supposed to be dating MG. If you don't pay him some attention this weekend, I'm afraid he might explode into a puffy cloud of feathers." Josie's eyes scanned the crowd until they settled on MG, who had been watching them just as closely from across the field. He had managed to gain some serious ground with Lizzie, and her behavior towards his romantic feelings for her had come a long way, but Josie was still afraid that Lizzie simply didn't consider him as a serious paramour. She hated to see his sad puppy eyes drag after her blonde twin.

"MG knows that things are just casual between us. He should know better than to get his hopes up." Lizzie waved off the notion as if it was nothing, before letting her gaze wander the people who were busy with all sorts of various tasks.

Some were setting up their tents and camping areas, while others were busy building fir pits all around. Some of the wolves couldn't stand the allure of the waterfall and the pool in the hot afternoon sun anymore and were already diving from the lower cliffs and showing off their athletic skills by seeing who could do the most impressive summersaults into the water. Some of the wolves had even found a tree with sturdy branches set close to the deeper side of the pool and were busy tying a rope to it. The hounds were clearly out to have a good time over the weekend.

"You know he has already got his hopes up, Lizzie!" Josie sighed in frustration, but her sister would inevitably follow her own whims and she knew there was little she could do to stop the steam-rolling blonde.

"Don't worry, I'll let him down easy." Lizzie uttered through her teeth as she grinned over to MG and gave him a small wave. The simple action seemed to send the poor vampire into the clouds. Lizzie's gaze then travelled over to where Jeremy was helping some of the boys with their tents, his shirt removed and tucked into the back of his pants and hanging from where it was hooked into the waistband. Lizzie found herself having to make an effort to stop from drooling as she observed the solid mass of rippling muscle that the man was.

"Hmmm what about mysterious hunter man." Lizzie uttered slowly before biting down on her bottom lip.

"Jeremy Gilbert? Lizzie! He's like, almost as old as mom!" Josie's eyes widened at her sister.

"And? What's your point?" Lizzie asked, confused, though Josie knew the confusion wasn't genuine.

"He was in a relationship with Bonnie Bennet. You know? Mom's best friend?" Josie tried to further emphasize the ways in which this idea of her sister's was a bad one.

"I thought Elena Gilbert was mom's best friend." Lizzie muttered offhandedly as she craned her neck to follow Jeremy's movements.

"Yeah, her too, whose brother that is… LIZZIE ARE YOU LISTENING?!" Josie raised her voice harshly in her sister's ear.

"Calm down Jo, geez! Any more of your shouting and you'll start a howling party." Lizzie paused then and glanced to her sister next to her with surprise written all over her face.

"Did you just crack a wolf joke at your own twin?" Josie narrowed her eyes at Lizzie.

"Oh my god I'm so sorry Jo. Maybe it's just because I can practically smell Hope Mikaelson all over you." Lizzie blinked, not sure if she just managed to remove her foot from her mouth, or rather insert it further.

"Oh yeah, and what does Hope Mikaelson smell like?" Lizzie realized she had definitely inserted her foot further once she heard the voice coming from behind her. She didn't need to turn to put a name to the voice, though she was stealthy enough to turn an apologetic smile at Hope as she approached.

"Like my girlfriend." Josie purred up at Hope with her head canted backward as the tribrid came to stand behind the brunette.

"Well hello my love. Is your sister melting your brain again?" Hope smirked down at Josie and gave her a playful wink.

"Cujo, think you can bear to let us continue this very important decision-making process in peace?" Lizzie grinned over at Hope, slightly nodding her head as if to encourage the older girl.

"By no means do I wish to be party to this… sausage selection." Hope rolled her eyes as she swiftly brushed her gaze along the wolves all around them. Not that they were all boys, but the majority seemed to be.

Josie made a displeased face at her mate, but tried to shake the mental image off as quick as she could. "Where are you off to?" She asked Hope curiously, wishing she could just go with, wherever it was.

"I'm going to go mark the parameters just inside the protective barrier you guys put up." Hope offered, but chuckled as Josie lifted one brow, longing for a better explanation. "That way the pack can keep track of my scent from all directions, and if a strange presence passes through into my territory, we'll all pick it up immediately."

"You're going to go piss on trees?!" Lizzie shrieked, her face a perfect mix of grossed out dissent.

"Lizzie! I'm a girl! I scratch the bark off the trees – there are scent glands in the pads of my paws. Geez!" Hope exclaimed indignantly, but it only caused Lizzie to arch one suspicious brow at her.

"So that's why I smell you all over my poor twin." She muttered.

"Are you jealous?" Hope grinned suddenly.

"Why would I be jealous? Because of you?" Lizzie frowned deeply.

"Because your sister is getting laid and you're not…" Hope wagged her brows, causing Lizzie to gag.

"Urgh, just leave and go bark up your trees! Please!" Lizzie begged squeamishly.

"Goodluck baby…" Hope bent down and whispered in her mate's ear before pecking her on the cheek, then walked off slowly as she waved to Josie who was clearly pleading with her eyes for Hope to stay. It didn't help.

"Now how about deliciously dark wolf-man over there…" Lizzie moved right along as she set her sights on River. He was busy playing with a group of younger wolves in the shallows of the pool, the boys tackling and wrestling one another into the water.

"I thought you disapproved of wolves." Josie asked, only half-interested. She was quite over Lizzie's canvassing, so to speak.

"I just like yanking Hope's chain. The wolves are hot. Especially that one." Lizzie went back to the salacious smiling as she eyed the Beta.

(…)

Hope sniffled through the fallen leaves and twigs from one tree to the next. Every few feet she'd rise onto her hind legs and leave long and deep scratches along the bark of the trees, leaving her scent behind with it. She made sure to keep within about a 4-mile radius around the camp, about a mile inside the protective barrier that the twins put up, figuring it would allow enough space for any possible intruders to get noticed.

As she leaned into another tree and again dropped to the ground, she hit a patch of loose soil, though as she looked down and took a closer sniff, she realized there were feint patches of mud surrounding the small area directly around her. It would be pretty normal, if it weren't for the fact that the particular spot was too far from a water source to form mud while the soil in a wider circle around her was dry.

And it just… somehow… smelled so familiar.

(…)

By the time Hope returned to camp, just about everyone was playing in and around the pool and its waterfall. The afternoon heat had grown quite unbearable for wolves, witches and vampires alike, leading to all alike to have a good splash about.

Hope quickly spotted the twins, her first priority to always check on her mate first and whether she was still okay. Josie was better than okay, it seemed then. She was having a great time, judging by the laughter shaking her from deep within. Her grin was wide as she splashed water back at MG and Kaleb, not having noticed Rafael sneaking up behind her and picking her clean out of the water only to toss her a foot further, sending her splashing into the pool again.

Her head popped out from the surface soon after and she squealed in child-like delight that caused a swarm of butterflies to rage within Hope's belly as she watched from the side. She could not believe that this young woman was not only hers… but was hers forever. Even from the slight distance, Hope could make out the subtle bite mark on Josie's shoulder – the tell-tale sign that she belonged to Hope and only Hope, causing her chest to swell with pride.

"She's quite something…" Hope got a brief fright at the voice popping up beside her.

"You know you shouldn't sneak up on your alpha." She smirked then at Nim, giving her a sideways glance.

"She's incredibly powerful too. She hasn't even started to discover the extent of her magical abilities. I can see it brimming within her when we practice." Nim nodded towards Josie, a small smile on her lips.

Hope smiled genuinely, beyond proud of her mate. "And how is she getting along with her wolf, from your perspective?" Hope knew what she saw from her side, which was mostly the playful and affectionate side of Josie's wolf. But she needed the bigger picture.

"She does well as a wolf. She has strong instincts that have not let her down thus far – extremely intuitive. She can almost sense events before they occur, as if she is completely in tune with the natural world's vibrations. And I've noticed that she seems to siphon magic from herself in wolf form – potent magic, and large amounts of it. She's able to store it in some sort of inner reservoir. The magic she performs after being in wolf form is truly magnificent, perhaps even a little frightening." Nim relayed the information to Hope in as accurate a way as she possibly could.

"All I want in this life is for her to be safe and happy… and all I could ever hope for in this life is to be worthy of her." Hope sighed with a soft smile as she followed Josie's movements through the water.

(…)

By the time the sun started setting and the air started to grow cold, wet clothes was exchanged for comfier tracksuits and hoodies and seats around the campfires scattered around the edges of the camping areas. There was a joyous familial sharing of food and drink, treats and jokes, and even stories told and songs sung together. As darkness settled in upon the group and tiny burning cinders floated into the sky, the atmosphere grew cozy and peaceful, even lazy, as chilled bodies started huddling together, or curling up against one another.

Hope sat on a towel up against a tree trunk, while Josie leaned back between her legs, a fluffy blanket wrapped around them both as they watched the fire dancing some inches away from their legs and feet. They listened on the one side to Kaleb's singing, while on the other side there were some whispers shared between Lizzie and MG. On the other side of the fire Rafael was tossing twigs into the flames, thoughtfully, while Nim and Jade had also curled up together to his other side.

It was amazing, Josie thought, how busy and distracted everyone could be when so lost in thought while staring into the hypnotic movement of the flames and getting lost in the heat that the fire radiated. So lost, in fact, that no one could easily notice what another might be getting up to. And as Hope kept the blanket wrapped tightly around them, Josie felt daring enough to prove that little theory.

It wasn't long before slender fingers skimmed across Hope's thighs and slowly circled their way inwards, creeping up to the apex ever so slowly, the tips of her touches merely dancing lightly along. Hope cleared her throat uncomfortably and shifted a little, not sure whether what was happening behind Josie's back with her hands was on purpose or by happy accident.

So, she gave it another moment or two, just to see where those fingers would dare travel.

"Oh god…" Hope moaned lowly into the back of Josie's neck as soon as it turned out that those fingers knew exactly where they were going and what they were doing. And as they deftly played with all of Hope's buttons, pressing them one by one in painful ecstasy, Hope knew she had to extricate herself from the situation immediately. "I am so sleepy…" She turned her moan into a yawn and clenched her thighs tightly in order to trap Josie's hands and prevent them from moving further. "I think I'll go sleep. I'll be up early to take a run and check out the area."

"I'm coming with." Josie started moving, but quickly had her arm grabbed onto by Lizzie, who swiftly yanked her back down.

"Nuh uh. No hanky panky for you tonight. You're staying with me." Lizzie reminded Josie who, if looks could kill, would have sliced her twin in half by now.

By that time Hope had already wandered off to her tent, leaving Josie to sigh with deep sadness at such a missed opportunity.