And now I’m thinking about the fact that when we’re on the trip we’ll be dealing with more than just our friends, family, and pack members. We’ll be dealing with complete strangers. And we won’t be able to shift while we’re gone.
Shit. What was I thinking?
“Soon as you get back, I’m taking Rikki on a little trip, too. She’s got some shit to sort out back in Marblehead for one of her cases. After that’s done, I wanna take her to the Caribbean and do nothing but eat grilled fish, drink out of a coconut, swim and more than all of that… fuck.”
“Speaking of Marblehead, your in-laws hitting the road soon?” I ask.
“Some of them are already gone. Don’t mind havin’ them around, honestly. Rik’s close to her sisters and always happy when her family is nearby, but I’ll sure be glad when things settle down for us all.”
“You and me both,” I mutter.
Riley’s father comes over and after he congratulates me, they get caught up in conversation, so I grab a cup and pour a coffee, taking in more of what we’ve got going on here.
But then Riley’s mom comes over with Mitch Blakely and his wife, so Riley looks at me and says, “Right. Gonna check that for you right now.”
“Thanks, bro. Appreciated,” I play along.
Riley makes his exit with his teeth gritted.
It’ll be nice when Mitch Blakely no longer has reasons to be here so much, reminding Riley of all that shit he and Erica went through.
Blakely’s not a bad guy, I don’t think. I think things with the SCC are complicated. He’s helped out a lot, but clearly he has other supernatural council members to answer to.
On that thought, I’m not thrilled with the notion of my mate getting entrenched with SCC drama. Though, if she decides to do this project with him, I’ll absolutely support her.
Kids zing by me, giggling. Kids from Brody’s pack that have gone from timid, hungry, fearful, some of them at death’s door to running around and playing like kids are supposed to do.
This shifts my gears to thinking about how far things have come lately. Pride swells. I’m proud of my pack, my council.
The mood here tonight is an illustration of community, of helping others. Kids running around having fun with full bellies, clean water to drink, and carefree faces.
These Moonshine Springs folks are safe because of us. They’re safe, fed, and have done a one-eighty compared to how we found them not long ago in that filthy junkyard. They were sick, feeling defeated, and out of touch with their wolves. Now they’re thriving in health and are about to begin the next chapter of their lives. They’ll be building their community and forging their pack’s future with a new business. Around two dozen members of our pack are going with them. A couple families, a handful of betas that Brody is already tight with.
This means we can bring in some new shifters. We’re gearing up to vote in ten new males who want to join our pack. Strong betas with alpha-leaning tendencies who can thrive here and grow into their strengths. Four of them have construction industry experience, which is good because Riley and Mase are slammed with jobs, have a long waiting list, and they’re ready to start a second crew and take Savage Construction up a level.
There are only a few dozen Arcana Falls people here tonight with the Moonshine Springs folks, keeping the party at a manageable size and making it so we’ve got extra feet on the ground keeping an eye on the perimeter of the village.
Brody sits off to the side watching over his flock the way all of us in the council do.
Riley’s folks and the Blakelys have moved on to the buffet and now I see Riley is back, by the door talking to Linc, but looking blissed out, so I follow his eyes and see that while he talks, he’s looking at his mate.
He watches with amusement as Erica stares at something on her phone, looking like she's concentrating too hard.
He’s finally happy. Truly happy. He’s been to hell and back, but he’s back. He’s back to who he’s supposed to be. He’s the Riley we lost for seven years. Because of her.
I hear Tyson and Mase talking behind me. Tyson’s saying if the pack builds a few low-rise apartment buildings and maybe some rowhouses we could add even more people from our waiting list to the pack.
I pipe up. “That’s a great idea, Tyson. You should draw some plans up, Mase. We can talk about it. Me and Grey could manage it under our property umbrella.”
“I’ll do that,” Mase agrees.
These two have become tight. A vast difference from when Tyson wanted to kill him and Mase had an air of,I dare you to try. They're now like brothers, which works well because their mates are inseparable. And their mates fit here like they’ve always been part of the pack.
Grey and Stacy stroll in and Grey surveys the space wearing a lazy smile, a way about him that every mated alpha in the space recognizes. Because his mate looks like she’s on top of the world and without a care. The scent of fresh sex on them tells me they’re late because they lost track of time while connecting. Lost track of time or maybe just didn’t give a shit.
Grey’s eyes hit me before bouncing to his sister, then back. He grins. I return it. Stacy waves at me with a big smile, thenmoves toward Bailey. Grey heads my way. His approval of my relationship with his sister means everything.
Despite the great vibe, me and the rest of the council are braced. We’re on orange alert around here with Linc by the entrance and Joel by the back door. Linc’s casual stance is a façade. He’s watching for signs it’s his time to hit centerstage while also keeping his eyes peeled for any bullshit.