Straightening up, Theo walked over to Smokey, gave him a poke to his chest, and said, “They haven’t claimed each other yet, remember? Ollie insisted on rescuing my parents first, so Mac agreed to wait until afterward.”
Smokey eyes widened as he realized the wisdom of Theo’s choice of bedrooms. A claiming between a wolf and a ghost bear wasn’t something that happened often and with both being high on the list of predators, he could only imagine how loud it would be.
Nodding when understanding finally crossed Smokey’s face, Theo said, “I didn’t think Ollie would appreciate having his aunt and uncle and us listening to his mating.”
“Shit! Good thinking, Shining Star.”
“I just wish Ki were here so he could help me get Ollie and Mac’s room ready.”
“I can help…what needs to be done?”
“I want to make their bedroom into a love den, but I don’t have the time.”
“A love den?”
Rolling his eyes, Theo said, “Yes…a love den…a special place in which they can claim each other that symbolizes who they are. You know, like a wolf den and a bear's den…only combined with lots of flowers, candles, pillows, and…oh, I really need the help of the Love Queens.”
“I got this,” Smokey muttered, pulling out his phone and sending a text to Jackson. Then, after reading the reply, he shoved his phone back into his pocket and said, “C’mon, Shining Star…the person who can help you is waiting downstairs.”
Smiling as he listened to his mates’ voices echo down the hallway, Norm finally located the bedroom they were in and, as he entered, asked, “Who’s waiting downstairs?”
“Someone who can help Shining Star decorate Ollie and Mac’s bedroom for their claiming,” Smokey replied.
“Then let’s go cuz they’re gonna be here soon according to Jackson,” Norm said, linking his hand with Theo’s. Then, seeing an unknown emotion on Smokey’s face, he asked, “You okay?”
“Yeah…just a lot to process…you know about who you might be.”
“I know…take your time and when you’re ready, we’ll talk, okay?”
“Yeah, that sounds good,” Smokey murmured. Then, grabbing Norm’s other hand, he led his mates out into the hallway and toward the staircase.
~/~/~/~/~
Angus stood at the edge of the cliff, overlooking the rock-strewn valley below where the Scottish Wolves had found sanctuary from the war that nearly wiped them from the face of the earth. Thanks to King Ian, new cottages would soon replace the old ones, and he was eagerly looking forward to that. Turning his gaze east, he saw the stones of the old castle that had not only survived their war with humans but was now sitting in its new location facing the cottages.
Finally, he was close to achieving what he had promised the Scottish Wolf Pack members a long time ago. Their king would once again watch over them and, like his father before him, he would ensure the pack’s survival and well-being without having to cope with constant threats of hunger and sickness. It was a gift they would never take lightly, and had it not been for Brian’s support, they might never have had a future to look forward to.
Angus’ eyes fell on the cottage Brian, Reif, and their babies were in and noticed smoke spiraling into the sky from the only source of heat it had—the fireplace. Soon that would change with the new wind turbines King Ian had ordered. Each new dwelling would receive an electric heating system to keep every lad and lassie warm throughout the bitter cold of the Scottish winter.
Hearing footsteps, Angus looked over his shoulder, grinning at his visitor. “Ye alone?”
Logan nodded, stopping next to Angus, and said, “Kieran wanted to see the baby Nessies.”
“Dinnae blame him…they’re pure cute. Did ye enjoy yer tour o’ the castle?”
“Yup…once I’m back home, I’ll run my ideas past Ian and Colton, along with getting them to sign off on the final plans for the cottages and other buildings. After that, Slate can start building them.”
“Did he tell ye how long it’ll take?” asked Angus.
Shrugging, Logan said, “Nope, but considering how fast he moved the castle, it shouldn’t be too long.”
“That's guid.”
“I got a text from the Alpha of the English Wolves asking if I could visit him and his wife tomorrow.”
“How long will ye be gone?”
“Not sure, but I doubt it’ll be more than a couple of days since I have work here that needs to be done before heading back to California.”