Chapter 29
GERRY
With only myself and Aurora left in the office, we move to her desk. Aurora takes her Alpha seat behind the desk and I sit in one of the comfy chairs in front.
“This is quite an unexpected turn of events, don’t you think? Unexpected, but certainly not unpleasant.”
Aurora stays silent and just watches me.
“How do you feel about this, Aurora? I think our wolves have been aware of this far longer than we have. Their secret chats have obviously been about the bond they felt.”
Standing, Aurora walks to the window. Looking out for several seconds, she turns and sits in the chair directly opposite me.
“Gerry... I can’t deny that the wolves are ahead of us on this, and I think that we could have something good between us.”
Leaning forward in my chair, I look directly into her eyes. “I sense a ‘but’ coming.”
“There is a ‘but’. I have Taria to consider.” Aurora’s eyes flash as Aztec makes her presence felt.
Taria? Taria? Have you taken leave of your senses? The girl has never known a father figure. She will be ecstatic to have one such as Gerry. And you forget one important fact. She will be gone in only a few months. Titan is keen for his mate, and Maya is no shrinking violet. She wants pups. Lots of pups. As hard as it sounds, Taria will not have time to be thinking of you in the coming months. She will have her hands full as Luna of the Eclipse pack. Think back to what it was like when you became Alpha of Blood Pearl. You saw Taria only at her bedtime and not every night even then. You were not being a bad mother, but a good Alpha. She will be the same as a Luna.
‘That hurts, Aztec. They are cutting words. I know I wasn’t there for her in her early years. I do not need to be reminded of my failings as a mother.’
Looking at the hurt on Aurora’s face, I see how deeply this has affected her. “Aurora. I don’t believe Aztec wishes to hurt you. She is merely reminding you of the amount of work that will befall Taria when she accepts Bronze as her mate. I have to say that I agree with her. You cannot put off your own happiness for your daughter at this time. She would not want you to.”
“Need I remind you. You are not her father yet!”
“No, I am not. But it seems I know her better than you do. I will leave you to think things over in your own time.” Moving towards the door, I am halted when she cries out, “Gerry, wait! There was no need for me to say that. I’m sorry. You are both right in what you say. It is hard for me to hear and to accept, especially from two so close.”
Walking over to her, I take her in my arms. For a moment I feel her stiffen, but then she relaxes against me. Resting my chin on her head, I gently rub a hand up and down her back. Feeling her breathing slowing and the tension leaving her muscles, I lift her chin, bend down, touch my forehead to hers and then kiss her on the lips, tenderly.
“You realize, of course, that when Aztec next runs with Asher, they are going to be shameless in the woods.” Aurora gives me a raised eyebrow as she says this.
“In which case, I think we should retire to my room and show them exactly what shameless can be like.”
Giving me the most innocent, wide-eyed look possible, she asks, “It’s lunchtime. Wouldn’t you rather devour some food instead of me?”
Grinning, I laugh at her comment. “You remember the darndest things at the darndest times, I’ll give you that.”
Composing ourselves ready for anyone we may meet, such as the office guard, we make our way to my room. As soon as the door closes behind us, Aurora throws me across the bed. For the next two hours, I learn much about not only Aurora but myself. I have never been so abandoned in the bedroom as I am in these two hours.
Finally, resting against the headboard with her head on my chest, I catch my breath.
“That was amazing. I didn’t know I knew those things.”
“You didn’t. I just taught them to you!” Bursting into laughter, she sits across my thighs and looks at me closely. “We need to do this again when we have more time. Two hours are not enough. Now let’s get showered and dressed quickly so we can find out what we’ve missed in the last two hours.”
Showering takes another thirty minutes. When we leave my room, we find Raina sitting on a chair halfway down the corridor.
Aurora does not seem very pleased that her Beta has been ‘on guard’ during our nuptials.
“Well, if you didn’t make so much noise, I wouldn’t have to sit here and stop the pack from coming to listen to the pair of you. The Goddess only knows how many had been here before I found out what they were up to. Everyone is thrilled for the pair of you. So thrilled, in fact, that they all wanted to be a part of it and listen to you two going at it!”
“We were loud?” I ask.
“Gerry. I’m surprised you couldn’t hear Flint cheering you on from the Council chambers, you were so loud.” Raina gets up from her chair. “Now that round one is over, perhaps I can get back to some proper work.”
“Raina. Aurora and I thank you for your discretion.”
“Gerry, you need to inform the border patrol when Asher and Aztec run in the woods. If they make half the noise of you pair the warriors are going to be highly embarrassed when they arrive to investigate. Get my meaning?”
Leaving us giggling like a pair of pups, she walks off. Heading to the dining area, we heap a couple of trays and are very conscious of all the sly looks we are getting. Aurora looks at me and smiles.
“I think I need to make an announcement about the change in circumstances within the pack. Don’t you?”
“In a day or two, perhaps? Does it need to be immediate? Everyone seems okay with us being mates.”
“I wasn’t thinking of announcing that we were mates, per se. More that they had a new Alpha. That is a bit more of a concern to the pack than our bedroom shenanigans, wouldn’t you say?”
“New Alpha? Where are you planning on taking us?”
“I guess you haven’t thought this through, huh? We touched on this before, remember? How we would have made a good Alpha and Luna. So as mates, I become your Luna, which would make you my…?”
“I’d be your Alpha, I know that.”
“Gerry. Not just MY Alpha, you’d also be the Alpha of the pack. This pack.” As realization dawns across my face, she begins to laugh. “There we go. You got it!”
“You’d best make the announcement pretty quick then, huh?”
“I’ll make the announcement at breakfast. We’ll have just about everybody present at that time except on-duty warriors. I’ll get Wallace to ensure they are informed. We’ll have to have a feast, too. I’ll let you drop that on Cook Ivy as one of your first Alpha tasks.” Aurora is enjoying this a little too much for my liking.
Raina appears at the table. “Sorry to disturb you. Councilman Flint has called and asked for Gerry to call him back as soon as possible. He sounded rather short-tempered, too.”
“I’d better see what he wants this time. I’ll speak to Cook Ivy when I’m done with him.” Looking at Aurora, I dearly want to kiss her, but don’t know what to do.
“You’d better kiss me or there will be trouble.” Aurora solves that one for me, and I bend down and kiss her.
Back in my room, and yet again adding a call to Flint to my call list, I hear him almost before the first ring has sounded.
“Gerry. I’ve spoken to the Council, and they are not happy with your response. The order stands. You are not to discuss anything in relation to Eve Planter’s death, whether asked directly, indirectly, or in any context whatsoever. Have I made your position clear?”
Flint does not sound himself. I’ve never heard him like this before. A tap at the door has me pulling it open sharply. I motion for Aurora to step in and take a seat.
“Flint, putting the Council aside, have you heard yourself lately? I don’t know what’s happening, but if you just take a moment and listen to yourself. You would never ask someone to do what you’re asking of me. This is so out of character.” I say this in a calm and friendly tone, meaning no disrespect.
“Well, I’m sorry you find my character so abhorrent of late, but that being said, the order still stands. Is that clear, Council Warrior Gerry?” His voice drips with sarcasm.
“Councilman Flint. I resign from my position as Council Warrior with immediate effect. As I am not completing any form of notice period, you may impose any type of financial or formal penalties you wish. I will not be dictated to in this manner by you, the Council or anyone else. I will not be standing for a place on the Council, either. I am disgusted with their stand on Eve’s suicide, not informing the pack Alphas and demanding my silence. The pack Alphas have every right to know what is happening within their Shifter Council.”
“Gerry, I will not sit idly by while you throw away a life's work defending this Council. I order you to return to the Council, forthwith, and…”
“I’m sorry Flint but that will not be possible. I have a chosen mate and because of that, certain duties have befallen me I cannot ignore.”
“A chosen mate does not incur such duties that cannot wait. You will return immediately. Is that understood?”
“As chosen mate to Aurora Pearl, who is now Luna to the Blood Pearl Pack, I have responsibilities that supersede anything that my former position as Council Warrior may have had. My position here as Alpha of the pack is more important than answering to a Council that has clearly not only lost its way, but also its morals. Take care, Flint, that you don’t all follow in Eve’s footsteps and let power and your own agendas lead you astray.” Ending the call, I stand there shaking with anger and frustration.
Aurora takes my shoulders in a firm grip. Staring into my eyes, she nods her head slowly. “I was right. We will make an impressive couple. I’ll have your back no matter what the Shifter Council tries to do. We will be united throughout the coming trials and tribulations and we will be triumphant.”
“You sound like an advertisement for a warrior position. There’s one going at the Council, I’m led to believe.”
“You’re not thinking of re-applying, are you, my mate?”
“No. Been there, done that, got the tee shirt, my love.”
“My love? Ooohh! I like the sound of that.”