Chapter 22 Moving
twenty-two
Moving
*GWENDOLYN*
Everything happens incredibly fast, and in the space of two days, I quit my job, said goodbye to Donna and her friend, who I am house sitting for, and packed up everything.
Faye is excited and happy about moving to a new pack; it certainly helps that Charlie is there to entertain her and make sure she knows it’s a great pack we are heading to.
Another proof of how desperately she needs this move, and to be surrounded by other pups. I hope this time they will accept her and show her she is one of them.
“How did Dario manage to organize a car that fast?” I ask. We decided to leave my car somewhere safe and pick it up later. Just a safety measure in case anyone is following me and knows what car I am driving.
“That’s typical for him,” Felix says. “He is really good at organizing things. In my family, he is probably the smartest.” He sounds proud when he says it, and happy for his brother. “So, Gwen, there is something I wanted to talk with you about.”
I eye him curiously. “Go ahead.”
He rubs the back of his head in a bashful gesture. “This is going to be a lot now, I am sorry. I just… we are driving off tonight, and I wanted to talk to you about this in private and not in the car with anyone else around.”
His helpless muttering makes me smile. “It’s okay, we can talk about anything. I am ready to hear you out.”
“We haven’t talked about where you are supposed to stay,” he says. “Well, obviously, I would be over the moon if you stayed with me, but it’s okay if you want your own place. Whatever you want, I will make it happen. We have a lot of options in the pack.”
I am surprised to say the least. I expected something along the lines of keeping our relationship a secret or maybe me having to live outside the pack.
“How do you live?” I ask curiously.
“I have my own apartment in the packhouse,” he says.
“My three older brothers moved out, and into their new packs, so Dario and I each took over one suite. It’s pretty spacious.
Obviously, it’s just for now. With the pets, it would be better to move to a cottage with a garden.
Oh, we can even have a small pool for the otter and capybara!
I can talk to my mother about it – she studied architecture, and she has a thing for animals.
She will make sure you get the place of your dreams.”
I am stunned by what he is saying. Is he truly going to do all of this, exactly how I want it? “What about what you want?” I ask. “I would hate for you to move out of your space and into a more private cottage.”
“Oh, I don’t mind! The place in the packhouse was always just a temporary solution for me.
I love spending time outdoors. We would need to stay within the proximity of the packhouse due to my position, but if that’s okay with you, I’d love a small place of our own.
” His eyes are sparkling with joy. “Does that mean you are considering the option of us moving in together? I know it’s fast, but I’d love it.
” He grins that boyish grin that makes my heart flutter.
“I am pretty easygoing, and promise I can clean up after myself. We can take it slowly and just get to know each other while living together. Learning by doing, you know?”
I feel like the biggest idiot ever, but I can only stare at him with an open mouth. He seems to truly be into the idea of living with me and my pets, and to just be with me. And the best thing about it is that he isn’t embarrassed to say it.
“Oh, and I know we have Marina and Faye to consider as well,” Felix continues. “I’ve been thinking about them a lot, and I wanted to see how you‘d like to proceed.”
“Marina and Faye?”
“Yes, obviously, they are coming with us to the pack. You mentioned Faye really likes to stay with Marina, right?”
I nod. “She is her mom, and I think Faye is still feeling this connection to her. I’d hate for her to be forced to stay somewhere else.”
“Right,” he smiles brightly. “So, it depends on what you want. They can stay with us, of course. Or, I will have a small place prepared for her right next to ours. I already briefly talked to my mom, and she said if that’s what we want, she will organize a maid and a nurse to stay with them.
Of course, it would also be an option for Marina to stay in the infirmary, but maybe it’s worth trying the first option for now and seeing if it will work out.
We can always change plans and have them move in with us again, and if Marina’s health gets worse, we do have great doctors in the pack. ”
He talked to his mom about Marina and Faye?! Wait… he told his mom about me?! And she is eager to help?
He is considering Marina?
“Like I said, Faye and Marina could also live with us, if that’s what you prefer. I’d love to have them around. Or at their own place, if you believe it will help them strengthen their bond.”
He pauses when I don’t answer, looking at me thoughtfully. “Everything okay?” He shows me a loop-sided smile. “It was too much at once, right? I am sorry, when my hyperfocus kicks in, I can’t stop talking. I-“
I drop the box I‘m holding and jump into his arms, before bursting into tears. If I had any doubts about all of this before, they are gone now. I still so vividly remember school, when all the girls were dreaming about meeting a heartthrob mate, while all I wanted was a good guy. I can’t believe the goddess truly granted me that wish.
Felix wraps me in his arms. “That’s a good reaction, isn’t it?” he asks, a hint of wariness in his voice.
I laugh, peppering his face with kisses. “Yes, it’s good.”
*FELIX*
“Was that the last box?” I ask before grabbing Faye’s baby-blue box with princess stickers all over it, and carefully placing it in the spot she chose before.
Mr. Dot, Tuesday and QQ are secured in their own pet boxes.
Charlie went out of her way to organize something fitting.
Just Tiger, the bird, and the still nameless otter were harder to place, but Dario and Gwen put together a small box with a tub inside and put it on the backseat of the car that I am going to drive.
As for the bird, it’ll just flutter around.
“What’s the plan in case the police stop us?” Charlie asks.
“I will use my gift,” I mutter. “There is no way we are getting out of this any other way.”
“Your gift?” Gwen looks at me curiously. “You used it back then with the two shifters, right?”
“Yes, I can relax everyone around me. If I don’t have it under control, it can easily tip over, though, and people suddenly get… a little too ecstatic.”
“Let’s just hope no one will stop us,” Dario says. “So, how will we be driving? I guess it’s going to be Charlie and me, and Felix and Gwen.”
I glance at Gwen, wanting her to have the last word on this, especially concerning Marina and Faye.
I have the makeshift otter-transportation-box in my car, so it would be a bit tight to take both of them along.
Gwen gets down on her knees to be eye level with Faye.
“I will be driving with Felix. Your mom will be with Dario and Charlie,” she says, much to my surprise. “Do you want to drive with them, too?”
Faye beams and nods. “I want to stay with Mom.”
I can’t believe that Gwen handed so much trust to us, to allow Dario and Charlie to take her two charges along, especially since I know how much she‘s done to protect them.
I turn to look at her, my eyes widening when I cast a look downwards. “Erm…babe,” I mutter.
“Hm?” she blinks, her eyebrows furrowing slightly when she follows the direction I am pointing at.
“There is a raccoon right behind you.”
Gwen spins around, freezing for a second before bending down to face the raccoon, who is holding an apple in its paws. “Another one of you,” she mutters.
“Man,” Charlie grins. “We are returning with a zoo.”
“Aurelia is going to have a field day with us,” Dario chuckles. “Good thing, Marius isn’t around. He would have teased us for a month at least.”
Gwen takes the raccoon into her arms, for a moment just standing there, but she doesn’t look lost or confused at all, just amused. She turns around to us. “Aurelia and Marius?”
“Aurelia is our sister. She is going to be the alpha,” I explain promptly. “Marius is one of our older brothers. He is the luna, or rather lune, of an allied pack.”
“Oh, your siblings!” she smiles while the raccoon snuggles up against her.
“I will catch you up on my whole family story during the drive,” I promise.
“We should really get going before anyone gets suspicious of the whole zoo,” Charlie points out. “I wonder where these animals are all coming from.”
“They might not even be from this area,” Dario points out. “For all we know, they could be from anywhere and just seek out Gwen’s presence.”
“But why?” Gwen asks.
“Maybe they are lost, hurt or alone,” Dario offers. “Most animals live in groups like capybaras usually do, yet Tuesday is very happy in Gwen’s presence and doesn’t seem to need a companion. Maybe they don’t have their own pack for various reasons, and to them, you are their new pack leader.”
“We will be able to test these theories once we are in Silverlake,” I point out. “If there are still animals seeking you out, you will know they are coming from everywhere.”
Gwen lets the raccoon climb into the car, where he grabs a blanket and snuggles up against the backseat. I am starting to wonder how Liam will react to the many animal hairs and traces in his car. Well, it’s his old car anyway, and I will make sure to get it cleaned before returning it.
Gwen wants to properly say goodbye to her neighbor, Donna, once more before we leave.
She already said her goodbyes to her friends in the club and to her other acquaintances, but it seems Donna is the closest to her.
I make sure to introduce myself to her, too.
Gwen and I came up with a story together, in which I am her long-distance boyfriend who recently returned from his overseas work and proposed to Gwen, now taking her, Faye and Marina with me to live together.
At least the story is partly true, which makes it easier to stick to it. I just hope I don’t make a creepy first impression, but Donna smiles at me, putting my mind at ease.
The two women chat for a while, and Donna hands her a small bag. The delicious scent of freshly baked pastries and bread tickles my nostrils. When Gwen hands me the bag, I cradle it in my arms protectively.
Gwen laughs. “You know you have to share, Felix?”
“I will share with you, obviously,” I say. “But we’ll need to keep it a secret from the other car.”
Donna laughs, too. “I made some cinnamon rolls for little Ann. Give them to her, then you won’t need to share the rest.”
Gwen smiles. “Thank you.” She hugs Donna one last time before taking my hand and allowing me to lead her back to the car. There is a hint of sadness in her eyes, but overall, I can feel her joy through the bond, and her relief.
The worries from the past months must have been weighing so heavily on her. I hope she will like it in Silverlake and will be happy with me as her mate. All three of them deserve to finally be able to breathe.