26. Finley #2
“Gareth, he figured out that Morwyn was trying to get out,” Tabitha answered, passing off the dress to Mason.
“He has no idea she’s working with you or that she’s plotting to kill him as well, but he’s keeping her under lock and key until the gala.
I’m sorry I couldn’t get to you sooner. I’ve been stuck in limbo without any direction.
I was trying to get here, but I didn’t have a valid reason that wouldn’t draw attention.
Then out of nowhere, there was an order being sent to me that you needed a bodyguard for the gala and that was me. ”
“Seems Dear Old Dad figured out a way to get me the information I needed without having to get near Gareth,” I mused as I returned to the kitchen and shoveled food in my face. “Tell me everything you know about what’s happening with her. Wait, let me see if Zander wants to be here for this.”
Tabitha gave me a funny look as I silently reached out to him. “Tabitha is here with news about your mother.”
“I’ll be right there,” he answered, and I could feel him shift heading in our direction.
“He’ll be here in a moment,” I shared and slid over the bowl of fruit. “Hungry? Didn’t want to be rude and eat in front of you without offering.”
“No, no, we are not just going to glaze past the fact you just talked to one of your men with your mind,” Tabitha shot back. “Is that an elf thing?”
“It’s a mate thing. I can only do it with them because we are soul bonded,” I answered. “Apparently, it’s not something many elves can do, especially when it comes to cross species,” I explained.
“Woman, you are full of weird tricks,” Tabitha muttered. “No wonder you were always so much better at things than I was. You’ve always been a super.”
Before I could even get into that argument with her, Zander showed up adjusting a pair of sweatpants he’s slipped on before entering.
Not that Tabitha would have cared that he was naked, but I might have clawed her eyes out.
My wolf might not get upset about much, but that was one thing she couldn’t stand for.
Zander walked up to me, and placed a gentle kiss on my lips before standing behind me and wrapping his arms around my waist so I could still eat. Tabitha cocked a brow at me but didn’t comment, which I was thankful for. I knew our natural PDA wasn’t common to humans, but it was for us.
“You have news about my mother?” Zander asked.
“Your father found out she was trying to leave the Senate for real and partnering with someone to make it happen. He doesn’t know who it is, but to make sure she doesn’t do anything stupid, he has her locked in her room.
She’s only allowed to be escorted by his people and Peter is in a cell undergoing torture to get the information they want out of him.
He’ll die before he talks, but I’m glad we don’t have long before the gala to pull this off,” Tabitha informed us.
Zander’s arms tightened around my waist and I could feel his fear growing.
His father wasn’t a man who knew the meaning of mercy and forgiveness.
We both knew his mother was just a puppet for them in the Senate.
Gareth controlled every choice she made, never allowing her autonomy.
Her one and only role was to be the figurehead that was clean of the dirty deeds they all did in honor of the Senate’s wishes or ensuring no other pack could become big enough to threaten them.
Our pack was now both since the elves started to join us and many were more than willing to fight at my side.
“They will still be attending the gala, correct?” I inquired.
Tabitha nodded. “This isn’t an event they can miss with all the press you’ve now created.
This is their big push to mend the damage you’ve done.
They hope by showing that the Senate welcomes you into their midst, that you’re not a threat to them at all.
If one of the Senators was missing, there would be a flurry of gossip going about. The Senate can’t risk that.”
Looking up at Zander, I leaned back. “We’ll save your mother, I promise, and not just because of our contract but because she is family to you. That means she’s family to me.”
“You know, I thought I would feel sad knowing my father is going to die in a day at the hands of my mate, but now I just was the bastard dead. He’s done nothing in his life but created pain and heartache for everyone who comes in contact with him,” Zander seethed.
I nuzzled my cheek against his bare chest, offering him what reassurance I could. He started to purr and buried his nose in my hair.
“Should I go…?” Tabitha asked.
“Don’t mind them. This is normal for werewolves,” Noah said. “Come on, let me show you the office where she has all the plans laid out. I’m sure that will be far more interesting for you.”
A smile tugged at my lips as I watched Tabitha sag with relief. It made me think about how stiff and cold I must have been when my mates first met me. Shifting so I could look Zander in the face, I settled my hands on his hips. “You okay?” I asked.
“I will be once this is over. Right now, it feels like we are waiting for the world to end and I wish it was just happening already,” he answered, pulling me into a hug.
“There has been so much build-up to this plan, and in some ways, it seems so simple, but if one thing goes wrong, it could be a slaughter of us instead of them.”
“This is something I had to deal with a lot during missions. There was so much work getting to the finish line that I felt like it should have been a lot harder than it was. The benefit of putting in all the work is that plans go smoothly and unexpected bumps in the road don’t derail everything.
They can be managed with minimal damage,” I explained.
“When things are easy, it means we did it right.”
“You realize how backward that sounds, right?” he argued.
Nodding, I slipped off my seat. “Yes, yes I do. Now I’m going to go over everything one more time with a fine tooth comb now that I have Tabitha to catch any mistake I might have made.”
“Terrifying and beautiful, that is what you are, my mate,” Zander commented as he watched me head into the office.
Tabitha and I spent the rest of the day going over the plan time and time again.
Making backup plans to back up plans trying to account for any and all situations that could possibly go wrong.
This reminded me of working on other missions with her and how alike our brains worked, yet we saw different details as well, ensuring we didn’t overlook something.
That night I made up a bed for her in my nest on a luxury air mattress that Zander had for some unknown reason, while the rest of us created a puppy pile in the master bedroom like we had since I’d been shot.
Having them all close helped me relax and sleep better, knowing where they all were if I woke up.
That was the only trauma I’d developed from the whole event and it was mostly driven by my wolf.
It was getting better every day, but with everything happening tomorrow, I didn’t want to risk any reason why I would be fully rested.