Her Pack by Tamara White
Chapter Thirty-Four
Peteand I make it back to the party in no time at all. I catch the eyes of my mates as we walk among the pack members, and each of them are filled with amusement. I guess my scent doesn’t exactly scream of just me anymore. Still, no one interrupts to pry me from Pete, leaving us to walk together.
He has stuck by me, refusing to leave my side, something that pleases me immensely. It’s a possessive behaviour, and I thought it would annoy me as the night progressed, but I’ve enjoyed it way more than I would have in the past. Maybe I’m finally adjusting to pack life and the closeness the members share. Which I guess is a good thing. I worried I would never acclimate to pack life after spending most of my life among humans.
Pete and I are sitting on a log that has been placed near one of the smaller fire pits, each of us snacking on a small plate of food. Only rather than paying attention to my mate like I should have been, my gaze is fixed on two other pack members. Two that shouldn’t be at the pack.
“Dani? The Elders will be here at any moment,” Pete whispers into my ear.
He most likely didn’t want to make a point of the fact I’m staring at Sarah and Blaise. I can’t quite believe that Vivienne is allowing her freedom at an event that is supposed to be a celebration. How do we know she won’t use this as her chance to tell another contact of Luke’s all that has been happening here?
I blink slowly, turning away from Sarah and Blaise. “How do you know? No one is acting any different.” I glance around at the other people gathered, no one stopping what they are doing. I would expect that if the Elders were arriving, there would be a lot more hype than this.
He taps his head, a knowing smile on his lips. “Jason sent a message. They’ll be here soon. We figured you would want to go meet with them as they arrive, before there are too many eyes on you.”
That actually makes a lot of sense. “Okay, we can go meet them,” I tell him with a strained smile.
I can’t help but glance back at Sarah and Blaise before rising to my feet. They’ve been on the edge of the party most of the night, many couples coming over to congratulate them. Vivienne said Sarah would be locked up again in Blaise’s house after the party, but that she was going stir crazy.
Still, it annoyed me that she was using a baby to avoid being punished for her crimes. Even Viv has expressed her displeasure over it, but unfortunately she’s right about the fact that we would be judged more harshly if we didn’t account for her child. It leads me to wonder just what will happen when the baby is born. Will she still use it as an excuse to avoid dealing with her actions?
My head is filled with all these thoughts, and it makes me wonder just how I will deal with other issues like this in the future. If word gets out that she got special treatment just for being pregnant, who’s to say other women won’t try to get away with the same thing?
I shove all that to the back of my mind. I can think about all that later. Now it’s time to greet the remaining Elders; Jax, Sammy and Lance. I wonder how they are coping with Erick’s loss?
Hell, even the loss of Sonja could throw them for a loop. Just because she was evil at the end of her life, doesn’t mean she always was. They could have been friends at one point in time.
Pete and I weave through the pack members, towards where my other mates are congregating. Even Tim, Laura, and my grandparents are heading towards the pathway.
A hand grabs me, and I jump in shock, relaxing when I see it’s just Aiden. He’s dressed in a light blue button up and jeans, and holds a beer in his free hand.
“Shit, sorry, Dani. I just wanted to grab you for a sec before your night gets too overcrowded. I’ve tried a few times now to grab your attention, but it seems you are one popular girl,” he smirks over at me.
I relax, my heart still racing though. I need to be more alert of what is going on around me. Just because I’m in the pack, doesn’t mean I’m safe. Especially if Sarah is still roaming about.
“Sorry, Aiden. I’ve been meaning to pop by and talk to you. So much has been going on, though.” I sigh and give him my full attention, even though I know the Elders are probably arriving any minute. “Have you made any progress on Luke’s location? Do you need anything from me to help your search?”
“No, I’m all good. Unfortunately though, I’m not making any headway into Luke’s location. Someone is blocking my attempts any time I get remotely close to narrowing the search down. It may be better to send search teams to all the locations, starting at the closest than eventually reaching the farthest. We’re going to have to rule them all out one by one.”
“Ah, man, that sucks,” Pete groans, his face displaying his displeasure. “How many locations are we talking?”
“At least twelve at this stage,” Aiden frowns, his eyes filled with his disappointment. I imagine after he bragged about his hacking abilities, only to come up empty, it would be very disheartening.
“Anyway, that’s not I wanted to talk to you about Dani,” he smiles at me, his expression morphing into that of one filled with glee. “The other project you had me working on has yielded some interesting results.”
“Really?” I can’t help the bubble of excitement that is rising within me. The only other project I had him working on was finding Jason’s mother. If he’s saying it yielded results, he must have found her.
“Yep! I thought you would like to know immediately. Actually, if you have the time tomorrow morning, perhaps we could meet?” He’s filled with just as much enthusiasm as I imagine I am. Well, maybe not. He doesn’t know what this would mean to me. To Jason. But I imagine giving me some good news is better than none.
“I’ll come by the house around nine, if that’s okay?”
“That’s fine. I’ll see you then.” He offers Pete a polite nod before walking away without another word.
Pete frowns, his eyes questioning. “You going to tell me what this other project is that you have our resident hunter working on?”
I just smirk and keep my lips sealed. I’m not going to say a word that will risk spoiling the surprise. Besides, I may not even have anything to say until after I’ve spoken in depth with Aiden. For all I know, the stuff Aiden has to tell me isn’t even remotely good news and I would hate to get anyone’s hopes up. Especially Jason’s.
He grins over at me, but doesn’t push. “Alright, keep your secrets, but if you need to talk, then you can trust me.” He drags me in the direction we headed before Aiden stopped us.
“I trust you.” I tell him, frowning that he would think I don’t. “I just want this to be a surprise for everyone. If the news isn’t too good, then I’d prefer to wait. If it’s great news, then you guys will find out soon enough,” I grin, unable to hide the giddiness in my voice. I truly hope that it is good news.
We reach the edge of the party and trail after the rest of my mates, who are walking the path that leads to the houses. I imagine Vivienne is having the pack guide the Elders towards this path so they can come to the party with everyone else.
We reach the end of the path between two homes and I find myself in between the rest of my mates. I end up in Jason’s arms, finding myself unable to stop from radiating towards him with the news that Aiden has information on his mother. He may not act like it’s bothering him, but I know if it was me, I would be unable to concentrate on anything else, regardless of what else is happening in my life.
Pete comes to stand beside us. “Aunt Lily won’t be here till later. She said she got anxious about leaving Leon alone, for the first time, so she ended up staying back and gave him detailed instructions.” Pete chuckles softly, gripping my hand in his. “I honestly feel bad for the guy. Aunt Lily’s lists are a little extreme.”
“Really? How extreme?”
“Well, one time I had to clean the house, and for each task she listed detailed on instructions underneath on how things were to be done. Then if I didn’t do the things she wanted the way she had written them down, she would just come back and do them ‘the right way’ she said.”
“Damn, that sucks,” Jason says, though his chest is rumbling against me with laughter.
I say nothing, knowing that when it comes to cleaning, I would have created such a list. Dad used to say I’m obsessed with the way things have to be cleaned. But it literally doesn’t make sense to clean one room at one end of your home, then a room at the other end. Your house should be cleaned systematically from back of the home to front, or front of the home to the back.
A black SUV suddenly comes into view down the road. It’s crawling at a slow pace towards us and past all the homes on pack land. I guess now it’s time to greet the Elders.
The car stops in front of us, each of the Elders getting out one by one. I’m not sure how best to greet them, so I just wait for them to get close, before stepping away from the other people gathered. Vivienne joins me to greet them, most likely because of her position as the pack’s Alpha.
“Elders, I’m glad you could make it.” I bow my head a little, showing them my respect. “It’s very appreciated that you came here, to help me and my mates.”
Lance smiles at me, his eyes filled with pure joy. Before I can comprehend what is happening, he has me wrapped in a bone crushing hug. I can tell it’s not only me who is surprised by his reaction. “Um, are you okay?” I ask, my arms at my side, unable to move with Lance encasing me.
He quickly lets go, jumping back with an embarrassed expression. “I am sorry, Dani. I just, it’s great to see you. I worried when you left that things would not turn out for us, that you would not accept the mantle of Queen.”
I give him a guilty look. “To be honest, I considered turning it down. There were days I felt you would all be better,” I admit, the surprised eyes of everyone around me making me uncomfortable. “But, I knew it was stupid of me to give up without even trying. So, I’ve spent my time here trying to better myself, to ensure I can be the best Queen you all deserve.”
Jax offers me a kind smile. “All you can do is your best. No one is expecting you to be coronated and be the best ruler we’ve seen in centuries. That takes time, and practice. I trust you will do what you can and ask your mates for guidance when needed.” He gestures between the three of them. “We are of course at your disposal whenever you need.”
“I thank you for that. I’m going to take you up on that over the coming days, if that’s okay? There are a few things we need to discuss. Such as the mating marks that have been shared between my mates and I before any ceremony has been held.” I glance back at the mates who I’ve already bonded with, smiling at each of them.
Jonnie, Cam, Eli, and Jason are the only mates left. But I imagine it won’t take long until I’ve made them mine. My wolf hasn’t pushed a heat on me again, which I think is to do with the fact I’ve relaxed and just let things happen with my mates. I haven’t pushed them away. I haven’t shut them out since they arrived, I’ve let them in, let them be apart of everything that is going on. Those things seem to have made my wolf settle down a little and just let me do things when I felt I was ready.
Sammy is the one to speak this time, a small frown on his face. “Normally, we would prefer a mating ritual to be performed either after the coronation, or on the same day. However, we realize that nothing about your being Queen is normal. No Queen before you has had to fight for the right to rule. Nor have they had to go into pack life and fight for everyone’s approval. So while this is not exactly conventional, we’ve decided that it would be horrible to reprimand such an action when you haven’t had the chance to create your own bond with your mates because of the legacy you are being handed.”
“Thank you,” I murmur, glad that they see the whole situation is crazy enough as it is, without adding in all of their perceived rules too.
“You’re welcome. Now, we will have plenty of time to talk about the more serious natures of things, but tonight is a celebration. Let’s not focus on the annoying side of being a ruler. Go, have fun with your mates. We will talk tomorrow.”
I frown, unsure if Sammy is being serious. I glance around to each of the Elders, sure one of the others will take back his words, but they’re all smiles. “You’re sure?”
I thought for sure they would isolate me from the celebrations and demand we talk about what is going on with the cleansing, and all else, but it appears they may have relaxed a little. When they all nod, I grin back at them, a sense of relief enveloping me.
“Right, then I’m going.” I turn around, pulling Pete after me. Jason lets me go, knowing this is the time for me to spend with him. Sure, I will enjoy my night with them too, but to have some freedom with Pete, to talk to other members and develop much needed connections. I’m not going to look this gift horse in the mouth.
