Chapter 13
Sera spent most of Saturday in the security office behind closed doors, watching footage.
After ensuring that the drones hadn’t made drops anywhere else, and getting that information backed by the security team who checked each paddock for traps, she stayed in the room, eyes on the monitors to watch for anyone who looked familiar among the park patrons.
She didn’t know anyone from Otto’s prowl, but she would recognize Otto himself or her own former prowl members if they entered the park.
Caesar checked in on her frequently, bringing her lunch from the employee cafeteria and spending time with her.
The day passed impossibly slowly, but the paddocks were clear of traps, the dead rabbits had been cleaned up before the park opened, and by the time the day was over and the park was closed, they hadn’t seen or heard from Otto.
She wondered if he knew that Caesar had been hurt by one of the traps and survived. No one had seen drones flying over the park, but there were drones that could monitor and record without being close to the target.
Caesar walked her to the employee cafeteria after the park was closed and it was declared all-clear.
She was antsy from being cooped up all day, and after making love to her sexy soulmate, she’d left him drifting off to sleep and gone into the small kitchen to see what she could do.
The time with Fallon at the farm had been a joy to her because they’d been baking together, pairing up delicious pastries with specialty coffees.
Caesar told her she could get whatever she wanted for the kitchen to stock it how she liked so she could make flavored creamers and special syrup mixes.
And Jeanie had asked if Sera would like to stock creamers and syrups for the employee cafeteria, and Sera had been happy to oblige.
But tonight, after all that had happened since they’d been in the paddock the night before, she was too keyed up to do anything but bake and create, so that’s what she did.
As the cinnamon swirl coffee cake baked and the matching cinnamon-vanilla coffee syrup was chilling in the fridge, Sera texted Fallon.
Are you up, honey?
A few moments later, she answered. Yeah. I have the worst heartburn. The baby was craving tacos and I overdid it.
Sera smiled. Sorry, honey. Did you try ginger ale?
No, but we have some. I’ll get some right now. Why are you up? Are you okay?
She’d told Fallon over a phone call that morning about what had happened, and then Sunny had checked in with her at the security office as well.
Can’t sleep. I think watching the monitors all day was so exhausting that I’ve tipped over onto the other side of hyper-awakeness.
That sucks. Are you baking?
How did you know? She added a laughing emoji.
Because I’m also baking. It’s what we do when we can’t sleep. Must be hereditary.
I miss you, honey.
I miss you too. I’m sorry that Dario screwed us over and caused so much chaos. Dying should have fixed the problem, but it made it worse with Otto.
Otto will be stopped one way or another. He’ll either leave the state and forget about me, or he’ll hitchhike into the afterlife.
I’m glad you found Caesar. I can’t wait to get to know him and his family. Once the danger is passed and all.
He wants to get to know you and Avi better too. Someday we’ll all be free of this danger and can breathe easy.
I can’t wait for that day.
They chatted a while longer until both of their baked goods were cooling, and then they said goodbye. Sera took a seat at the kitchen table and closed her eyes, thankful that her soulmate was sleeping in the next room and that they were safe, together.
She hoped it stayed that way.
* * *
Monday morning, Sera got a call at seven a.m. from Jeanie, asking if she’d like to meet with the other alpha females in the employee cafeteria.
She was excited to get to know them better, especially since she didn’t really have anything to do.
Caesar was busy with security issues and she’d already baked cinnamon rolls, chocolate scones, and made blueberry syrup for iced coffees from berries grown in the park’s greenhouses.
She grabbed a dish and plated the scones, then hurried to the cafeteria to meet with the females.
She found them at a large table and set the scones in the center before taking her seat next to Jeanie.
“Morning, everyone,” she said.
“Oh, wow, what did you make?” Jeanie asked.
“Chocolate scones. I also brought a container of blueberry syrup if anyone wants to add it to an iced coffee. It can be used to flavor milk or even added to sparkling water.”
“I’m Maggie, I’m mated to Alistair,” a brunette said with a gracious smile. She took a bite of scone and said, “Girl, this is amazing! I’m also up for some sparkling blueberry water if anyone knows where we keep the sparkling water.”
“I’m on it,” Jeanie said.
Sera introduced herself to Lori, who was mated to alpha gorilla Atticus.
Jeanie sat back down with four bottles of cold sparkling water and four glasses with ice, and they all made flavored waters with the blueberry syrup.
“Okay,” Jeanie said, taking a sip. “We could definitely sell these. Could you imagine how popular a flavored sparkling water stall would be? Especially in the summer, right next to the burger stall?”
“That would be neat,” Lori said, taking a sip. “I love this, it’s so tasty. And the scone is magic. I’ve never made a good scone.”
“I like to make breakfast pastries,” Sera said. She told them how she, Fallon, and Sunny had made breakfast pastries and coffees for the prowl and how she’d always thought it would be fun to run a coffee shop.
“We’ll have to see what we can do,” Jeanie said. “The alphas are always looking for new ways to expand the offerings in the park.”
“I would love that,” Sera said. “I’ve been wondering what I might be able to do around the park. Well, I can’t do anything until the situation with Otto is resolved, and who knows how long that might take.”
“We’re sorry you’re having so much trouble,” Lori said.
“I was stalked by my daughter’s biological father.
He tried to kill both of us when she was little, and we went into hiding.
He found us and Atticus killed him to save me.
My daughter Novi is half-polar bear. I didn’t know shifters were real until we came to the park. ”
“Wow, holy crap,” Sera said. “It must be so strange to learn the truth about shifters.”
“It is,” Maggie said. “Plus, we have to keep it a secret from our families too.”
“Did you know there were other types of shifters out there?” Jeanie asked.
“I knew about wolves, but other than that, no. I understand there are more than bears, wolves, lions, elephants, and gorillas here?”
“Yep,” Jeanie said. “We’ve got a red fox, a black panther, an owl, a hyena, and of course, Sunny the tigress.”
She smiled at the mention of her adopted daughter. “That’s really awesome.”
Sera was the only shifter alpha female, though since they hadn’t finished the ceremony, she wasn’t technically the alpha female yet.
She couldn’t imagine being human and finding out that not only were shifters real, but her soulmate was the boss of them.
Jaguars would never allow a human to be a mate and stay with the prowl, let alone become alpha female.
The conversation drifted from the park shifters to the food stalls, to planned events for the fall and winter, and gossip that the bird sanctuary in the park was taking in a parrot who’d been part of a traveling circus sideshow that had been disbanded.
As she listened to the females talk animatedly about another colorful bird joining the sanctuary, she let herself relax for the first time in days.
It felt good to sit with other females who understood what it was like to not only be part of a larger group of shifters that were different from them, but what it meant to be mated to powerful males.
As she sipped her sparkling blueberry water and listened to Maggie and Lori tease Jeanie about setting up a sparkling drink empire, Sera smiled. Things with Otto were far from over, and there were possibly dark days ahead. But this? This moment felt like the beginning of something new.
A place to belong and new friends.
And maybe even a future she could help shape.
Not just at Caesar’s side as his alpha female, but as part of something bigger than either of them.