Chapter 27
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Aster
Brick and Madi threw a big bonfire to welcome us home. Smell of charcoal, charred cedar, and roasting meat. My mouth waters at the platters of pork, beef, chicken, and even venison weighing down each table.
Three of the Blackthroat’s friends, werebear triplets named Hutch, Bern, and Canyon flew the helicopter and helped rescue us.
They are part of some shifter ops merc team somehow connected to Brick.
Apparently, they requested payment in bacon, which is why there are six whole hogs roasting on a spit–two for each of them.
“Mmm, meat,” Esme hums. She tugs her hair out of its ponytail and fluffs it until it falls down her back in a silky, curly mass. Instantly, all male attention zeroes in on her, but she seems oblivious. “Anyone up for a hot dog eating contest?”
Across the lawn, the three triplets raise their hands.
Noah snorts. “You’re human. You can’t out-eat a shifter.”
“Watch me.”
I sidle up to her and offer her the tiara. Before I let it go, it buzzes against my hand as if excited to greet her. “This isn’t mine.”
Esme produces a black velvet bag from somewhere and carefully enfolds the tiara inside. “I know, I know. I’m going to get you back to where you belong,” she whispers to it and tells us, “I’ll make sure Museo Maya finds this on their doorstep soon.”
All around us, Blackthroat wolves settle in for the meal. Oriana and Liora are seated at the table with the alpha couple and Catherine. It looks like Jake and Nickel and the rest of the Moon Co Bros are entertaining them. There’s room at the table for Noah and me and Esme, too.
The gang’s all here, except for one. Sully is nowhere to be seen. I want to thank him for all his help, but I suspect he needs some alone time. He seems like he’s still grieving Moira, and his vendetta against the Warden has just begun.
I wonder what’s happening to Aiden and the Warden. If I were Aiden, I would use this moment to check the Warden’s power. But something happened to Aiden when the ghost wolf leaped on him.
I nudge Noah so he’ll look at me to read my lips. “Did you see what happened to Hugh?”
“Who?”
“Hugh. The ghost wolf.”
“He attacked Aiden and became real again.”
“Ghost wolf?” Esme asks, leaning in close. “Was he hot?”
Noah chuckles at Esme’s ridiculous question.
“Kind of?” I describe Hugh’s wolf and then what happened at the end. “He sort of spat something at Aiden. It looked like a ball of light.”
“Interesting,” Esme murmurs. “I didn’t see it, but my best guess is Hugh died with a beef against Aiden’s lineage, and his life force was so strong, his soul was able to hang around. And then the eclipse or maybe the tiara helped him take physical form again.”
“That was my guess, too,” I say. “But what did he do to Aiden? And if he’s back on the physical plane, what does that mean?”
“I can look into that.” She accepts a plate of ribs from Liz and rubs her hands together in anticipation.
The barbecue is delicious. I stuff my wolf so full of meat I bet she never feels starved again.
Brick gets up and comes over.
“Alpha,” Noah says.
“Yes. We need to make things official,” Brick says to Noah.
“I’d like that, Alpha.” Noah tilts his head slightly, showing his neck in a sign of respect.
“I want to join too,” I say.
“Excellent. We’re honored to have both of you. The next run will be at the full moon, and the full induction to the pack will happen then.”
Noah accepts fist bumps and backslaps from Jake, Nickel, and the rest of the Moon Co Bros. One of us, Billy signs, and it warms my heart seeing Noah stepping into community.
Liora also watches her son with his new packmates with a small, relieved smile. The lines have fallen from her face, and she looks as serene as I remember her being during my childhood.
“You also have pack protection,” Brick tells her. “You and Oriana and Sophie.”
“Thank you, Alpha,” Liora says. “But I think it’s time I returned home. To Kentucky. Oriana wants to meet her Nan, and all her second cousins.”
“Sophie would like to stay,” Oriana says and signs. Beside her, Sophie blushes and ducks her head.
Catherine leans in, putting her hand on Sophie’s shoulder. “You can stay with me. I’d love the company. That is, if you allow it, Alpha.”
“I’ll allow it if it’s what you want, Sophie,” Brick says.
“Oh yes, please,” Sophie says eagerly. I can imagine it’s heartening to have such an elegant older wolf take an interest in your well-being. As a former Adalwulf defector, Catherine is the perfect person to help her adjust to her new pack. “Thank you, Alpha.”
“Don’t thank me, thank my mother. And mind what she says. Speaking of which, Noah,” Brick glares at my mate. Noah doesn’t flinch. “I’d like to offer you your job back. On the condition that you submit to punishment for the stunt you pulled at the museum.”
“Excuse me, that heist was perfect,” Esme mutters, making everyone but Brick and Noah grin–although Noah wouldn’t have heard her. I pick up a piece of cornbread and munch on it to hide my smile.
“I accept your offer, Alpha. Thank you.”
“Ugh, I was hoping you’d say no, so I could poach you,” Madi says as she signs, “I’ll make you an offer you can’t refuse.”
“Maybe I like being a Moon Co Bro.” Noah sits back and rests his arm around me.
Madi groans. “Noooooo, not you, too. That office has way too much testosterone.” She wrinkles her nose at Brick, who grins back.
Brick looks more relaxed than I’ve ever seen him before, with his arm around his mate’s shoulders.
Every once in a while, he drops a kiss on her shoulder.
Right now, he’s resting a hand on her belly as she says, “Aster, as soon as we get back to the city, I’ll introduce you to my friend Aubrey, Billy’s mate.
We can have a ladies’ night out. Esme, you’re invited too. ”
“Sweet! I’m in.” Esme says.
“Excellent,” Madi says. “We can show Aster all the best spots in the city.”
“Will you work at Moon Co, too?” Oriana asks me.
Suddenly everyone is looking at me. “I don’t know,” I gulp, feeling my cheeks heat. “My skills aren’t really in the tech field.”
“I know of a psychic who runs an investment firm,” Jake says. “I’ll introduce you if you think stock market stuff might be your thing.”
I don’t really know what “stock market stuff” would entail, but that’s okay. I’ll ask Noah later. “I haven’t thought about what I want to do. I guess I’ve just never had a choice before.”
“No rush. Take your time,” Noah says, and I nod, relaxing against his arm. It’s nice knowing no matter what I decide, my mate will support me.
“My family’s always looking for help at our antique shop,” Esme says. “You’d be good at handling the artefacts, even the feisty ones. But honestly, they’re a nightmare to work with. My family, not the artefacts. Forget I said anything.”
“But you’d end up with some great stories,” Noah says.
“That is true,” Esme says, and at everyone’s prompting, launches into some of the most fur-raising stories I’ve ever heard.
That goads Jake to tell another weredragon story, and then Nickel shares about his ancestors' exploits involving the royals of England and several other European countries. By the end, everyone’s lying, but we’re all laughing too hard to care.
I eat and eat and eat until I can’t eat anymore, and then I just sit back, surrounded by my mate and newfound friends and family, and just take it all in. I can see myself doing this for years, no decades to come. And that’s not a vision or a premonition. It’s just a fact.
“Thank you,” I whisper to the Grandmothers. I don’t know if I trust them fully, but I do know it’s a great gift to hear them. I’ll call on them for advice and consider what they say, but from now on, my life and my choices are my own.
And I choose Noah.
By the time the sun’s setting, Esme and the triplets are the only ones still eating.
Finally, Esme tosses the bones onto the empty platter. “All’s well that ends well,” Esme smacks her lips and belches. The three werebear triplets’ heads rear up and swivel towards her as one. Their eyes light shifter bright with excitement.
Then they start trying to out-burp her, and the next few minutes turn into a belching contest.
Esme wins.