Chapter 16
Gray
“Okay,” Rhett said, handing a list of names to me. “We already have twenty pack members who are willing to let Nix connect them to the barrier. Twenty in forty-eight hours. That’s huge.”
I nodded, giving the piece of paper a short look. The first names didn’t come as a surprise. Oakley, Diana, Jenny, Paul, Jasper, and Angelo. The list went on and on. Ideally, there’d be more in the future, but twenty was a lot.
“That’s good,” I said, handing the list back when I realized one person was missing. “What about Heath?”
Rhett furrowed his brow. “Did he not sign up? Huh. I’ll have to ask him later.”
I shook my head. “Don’t. I’ll ask him. I wouldn’t care about other pack members, but at this point he’s kind of your deputy, and if he wants to hold that position officially, he needs to be tapped into the barrier directly. That is, if you want him as your second.”
Just as I expected, Rhett didn’t answer immediately. Instead, he took a while, staring into orbit, but I knew his mind was racing.
“Heath is sharp,” he said. “His approach often differs from mine, but we come from very different backgrounds. I think it’d be good to have the input of someone who comes from a more ruthless pack.
It’s the same with Angelo. He and Heath are relatively new.
Diana and Jenny have gotten used to our ways and have been here how long? ”
“Twenty years?” I furrowed my brow.
“Yes. So, I think having Heath and Angelo weigh in on our decisions is important. I’m not sure about giving Heath the official role as my deputy, though. Ideally, I’d want it to be Heath and Angelo.”
I snorted, clapping Rhett’s back. “You’re being greedy. I’m offering you the chance to name one deputy, and you immediately want two.”
Rhett laughed, eyes sparkling. “Well, you also wanted my opinion. And my opinion is that I can’t decide between Angelo and Heath.
Heath filled my role more prominently while I was away, but when we’re sparring, it’s Angelo who takes the role of instructor.
So… if you need me to decide, you’ll have to give me time. ”
Rolling my eyes, I nudged my friend. “It was a spur-of-the-moment idea, so take your time. We’ll also have to talk to the Elders about working those positions into our budget. If we get them to agree, maybe they could both have, like, a part-time role?”
Rhett laughed. “Talking budget with the Elders is your job. I don’t want to get involved in that.”
“Fat chance. If you’re the greedy one who wants two people, you’re helping me.”
Rhett actually stuck his tongue out at me, but nodded at the same time. And really, it was logical that he was in on it.
“Fine. We can talk about it tomorrow. It’s already past six.
Sorry, Gray, but I have plans with my mate.
I want to take him out to dinner, and since budgeting is not an emergency, I’m gonna go ahead and grab Levi from Nix’s room.
I bet he’s still up there, pestering your mage about magic.
” Rhett’s fond smile made me laugh. He was so deeply in love with his mate that it was bordering on disgusting.
It also made me feel kinda… icky. Envious. Impatient to have what he and Levi had.
We both got up and left my office, heading toward the dining room.
“You do that. Meanwhile, I’ll grab dinner for me and Nix from the kitchen and head up to him.”
We passed Angelo, who gave us a short nod, as he carried an empty plate from the dining room back to the kitchen.
“He’s still not coming down here?” Rhett asked, voice showing genuine concern.
I sighed. “No. I mean, not really. Yesterday, he sat on the patio for two hours, but he was all alone, and I was in here, letting the kids braid my hair while I watched him.”
Rhett nodded. “He needs time to get acclimated.”
That was what Jasper had said too. Be patient. Give him time. He’s scared.
“You know how good I am at being patient.”
His snort made me glare at him.
“Sorry,” he said, raising his arms. “But you and patient do not go together.”
Which was part of the problem. I wanted Nix to get along with my pack. Wanted to see him mingling with my community. Wanted him to lose that tension in his shoulders and the wariness in his eyes. Scenting his fear every time a pack member approached from behind was agony.
“Maybe I should…” I didn’t get to finish that sentence, the words dying on my tongue as my eyes caught sight of a woman casually sitting at one of the dining room tables, her long black and grey hair put into a simple braid.
There was far more grey than there was five years ago.
I’d seen it in pictures, but having her in front of me made the changes far more noticeable.
“Mom?”
My mother turned her head, a sheepish smile on her face.
“Gray, honey!” She rose, her wide dress billowing out, her sweet, comforting scent surrounding me in an instant, drowning out all the other scents in the room.
She was glowing, her smile radiating with happiness as she hurried over and wrapped me up in her arms. She was smaller than me, smaller than Nix too, but she was strong, her hug fierce.
“What are you doing here?” I asked, not entirely sure I wasn’t dreaming. She and Dad had been in Ireland two days ago.
She pulled away, grabbing my upper arms as she stared at me as if I’d lost my mind.
“What do you mean, what am I doing here? You dropped the news of having found your mate on us and then didn’t answer your damn phone. What were we supposed to do but hop on the plane and come back?”
Rhett snorted a laugh, then quickly hugged my mom too. “He was busy with his mate. It’s a bit complicated. But it’s good to see you, Wendy.”
And not something I wanted to discuss in the middle of dinner when I’d not publicly declared that Nix was indeed my mate, though by now everyone appeared to know. It was obvious, because more and more pack members stopped by, trying to catch a glimpse of my elusive mage.
“Ohh, I heard all about it. Martin filled me in. Apparently, my future son-in-law likes to keep to himself.” She smiled, the wrinkles around her eyes crinkled, telling me she wasn’t put off by Nix’s standoffish behaviour in the least. “Can I meet him?”
I tensed. I didn’t mean to, but I couldn’t help it.
“Doesn’t have to be right now,” she said, patting my arm. “You told me he’s wary of shifters, and I’ve been alive long enough to know why. This continent is not a kind place for mages.”
She knew?
I blinked at her, her hazel eyes filled with anger, mouth set in a hard line.
“I can ask,” I said carefully. Maybe my parents would be okay for him to meet? I rubbed my chest, feeling the bond between us, the ever-present tugging sensation that kept guiding me to my mate.
“Oh, you do that, honey,” my mom said, placing a hand on my cheek.
“Your father and I can’t wait to meet him, but we will.
” She nodded once, emphasizing her statement, then smiled again, her face lighting up and transforming.
“I’ve been waiting for you to find your match for the past ten years; a couple of days or weeks won’t make a difference.
But just in case, your father and I are just a holler away. ”
“You’re not going home?”
They had a small house not far away from mine.
“Gray, honey, did you get our house ready for us to live in again?”
Oh. Whoops.
“I didn’t know you were coming!”
“Oh, sweetie, I’m not attacking you. I’m aware that we came back on a whim, but that’s exactly why we’re gonna stay here until we have a chance to get a look at the house and set things up. Okay?”
“Sure.” I nodded, my mind still whirling. “Wait… where’s Dad?”
Mom snorted. “The teens got to him. He’s in the gaming room trying to beat one of them in Mario Kart.”
I couldn’t help but laugh.
“Dad? Dad is playing Mario Kart?”
My mom shrugged. “Apparently?” She leaned in, turning her head to see if anyone was close before whispering conspiratorially. “Personally, I think he’s hiding from other pack members to evade being asked about pack politics.”
That tracked.
“I’ll find him when I’m done with dinner.” And after I’d told my mate about my parents being here. No pressure at all.
“He means he’s having dinner with his mate in his room,” Rhett chimed in helpfully.
“Oh, go, honey. Don’t let me keep you. We can talk later. Go, take care of your mate.”
I hugged my mom again before leaving her to it. It didn’t take long for her to mingle. By the time I came back out of the kitchen, a tray with dinner for Nix and myself in hand, she was busy talking to Diana, her hands moving rapidly, a bright laugh tinkling from her lips.
I smiled and watched her hug old friends before I headed up the stairs. I met Rhett and Levi on their way down, deep in conversation, with Levi talking excitedly, his eyes sparkling, cheeks tinted red as he relayed something he and Nix had done.
So, Nix really was teaching him how to use his magic. That was good. Maybe their spending time together would help him feel more comfortable here. Maybe seeing that Levi was still moving freely, still liked by basically everyone, would make him understand that we didn’t want to hurt him.
When I was a couple of steps away from the door to Nix’s room, it swung open, and he appeared in the doorway, a smile on his face.
My heart skipped a beat, a weight lifting off my shoulders. He looked happy. Relaxed.
Good, my wolf agreed, tail wagging.
Yes, it was good. Nix deserved to be happy.
“We have company,” he whispered as I walked past him into the room. I frowned for a second, then snorted as I found my two wayward pups lounging in the corner of the room, a board game set up on the desk with Connie sitting on the windowsill and Nick on the chair.
“Hello, Alpha,” they both greeted, tilting their heads a little to bare their throats.
“We’ll, uh, get out of your hair,” Connie said quickly, biting his bottom lip. “We’ll just…” He got up, quickly starting to put away the board game, emptying the desk. “Here, uhm, you can put the tray down. Wow, that smells good, right, Nick? Maybe we should get dinner too?”