Chapter 29
TWENTY-NINE
VIVIENNE
A little while later, Kor and I were standing in the garage trying to decide which vehicle to take into town.
Carter had collected cars the same way some people collected stamps, so there were half a dozen vehicles to choose from—all lined up in immaculate condition, each one polished and maintained whether it was driven regularly or not.
"What about this one?" Kor asked.
I followed the direction he was pointing and smiled.
The car was a cherry-red 1965 Ford Mustang convertible. The chrome gleamed in the morning sunlight and the white leather interior looked as though it had just come from the factory.
"Carter never drove that one," I said. "He was too afraid of it getting scuffed or ruined somehow. I always thought it was a shame—it’s a beautiful car.”
Kor raised an eyebrow.
"Is that a yes?"
I found myself smiling.
"That's definitely a yes."
A few minutes later we were winding through the twisting roads with the top down and the wind in our hair. The day was warm and bright, and the sky overhead was an endless blue. Kor turned on the radio and after a little searching found a classic rock station.
The next thing I knew, we were both singing along to Fleetwood Mac. Neither of us could carry a tune particularly well but that didn't stop us—we just kept singing. By the time we reached the outskirts of Blackridge, I was laughing so hard my sides hurt.
"You missed half the words," I informed him. “It’s ‘Just like the white-winged dove.’ Not, ‘Just like the one-winged dove.’ How could a one-winged dove even fly?”
He shrugged, grinning at me.
"Not very well, I guess.”
I shook my head and laughed again. I couldn’t remember ever feeling so free. For a little while, I forgot about the Pack and the Council of Elders and the Alpha Challenge, that was fast approaching. I even forgot about the Unbreakable Laws that decreed that Kor and I would never be together.
For a little while, I was simply a woman enjoying a beautiful day with a man who made me happy…but it couldn’t last.
When we parked outside the post office, I pulled down the visor mirror and groaned at what I saw.
"Oh my God—my hair."
Kor leaned over to inspect the damage.
"It looks fine to me,” he said mildly.
"It looks insane."
The wind had turned my carefully arranged waves into a wild tangle around my head.
Kor shrugged.
"I kind of like it," he said. “Makes you look wild and free and even more beautiful—if that’s possible.”
I felt my cheeks warm with a blush.
"Well thank you but you're not the one who has to walk around looking like a scarecrow."
"I think you look beautiful,” he repeated softly and the look in his chocolate-brown eyes made me feel like I was melting inside.
“Kor, you can’t say things like that while we’re in town,” I reminded him. “We have to be proper—we can’t look like…like…”
“Like two people who are crazy about each other?” he suggested.
I felt my stomach flutter. Did he really feel that way about me? The way I felt about him? How could all this happen so quickly? Why did it feel like we were meant to be together?
None of it made any sense and yet I couldn’t deny what I was feeling.
“Exactly,” I said. I wished that I could kiss him, but even though we were parked in the back parking area behind the post office, someone might still be watching. So I gave up trying to tame my hair and climbed out of the car.
To my surprise, I didn't really care if my hair was still a little wild. For once in my life, I felt confident. Happy. Almost invincible.
I walked into the post office with my head held high…and the feeling lasted exactly three seconds.
Behind the counter stood Barbara Finch and Ellen Cooper.
Barbara was the woman who had spent the better part of twenty years convinced that Carter should have married her instead of me and Ellen was her closest friend and enthusiastic supporter.
Also, the last time we’d been here, Kor had put them both in their places.
This wasn’t going to be fun.
The moment they saw me, both women froze…then their eyes narrowed.
Wonderful. They hated me more than ever.
"Good morning," I said politely, determined not to care what they thought of me.
"Lady Jamison," Barbara replied in a syrupy tone. Her smile was sweet enough to rot teeth and Ellen's expression wasn't much better. Clearly they were treating me better because Kor was with me and they didn’t want to be called out again.
I kept my face calm and my expression cool.
"Hello, we're here to pick up some packages. Alpha Korwyn has ordered some things and so have I."
Barbara shuffled through several slips before finally producing a stack of boxes.
"The packages addressed to Alpha Korwyn have arrived," she said. "Yours haven't come in yet."
"Oh." I tried not to sound disappointed. "That's all right. I’ll come back for them later."
The two women exchanged a meaningful look that I chose to ignore.
Kor stepped forward and accepted the boxes. Neither woman said a word to him. In fact, they suddenly became remarkably polite.
Funny how that worked.
"Thank you," he said as he took his packages.
Ellen smiled wider.
"You're very welcome, Alpha Korwyn,” she said sweetly.
Kor and I were almost to the door when I heard Barbara’s voice.
"Just look at her—all high and mighty like she thinks she's a queen."
Heat rushed into my face. Normally I would ignore such an insult, but today I didn’t want to. I wasn’t going to let them keep being nasty to me with no consequences, I told myself. Heart hammering against my ribs, I slowly turned around.
"What did you say?" I demanded.
Both women immediately adopted expressions of innocence.
"Oh, nothing, Lady Jamison," Barbara said sweetly.
I folded my arms.
"Really?"
"Of course." She tilted her head. "By the way, have you seen Father MacKaity around town?"
I frowned.
"No. Why?"
"Oh, he was looking for you earlier." Her smile widened slightly. "Said something about the Council of Elders wanting to meet with you about something."
A cold feeling settled in the pit of my stomach. Beside me, Kor went still.
"What kind of meeting?" he asked.
Barbara gave an elegant shrug.
"I couldn't say but it seemed important."
I exchanged a glance with Kor. Neither of us had any idea what the Council wanted, and I was pretty sure we didn’t want to find out. Not that we’d probably have a choice about it.
"Thank you for letting us know," I said coolly.
Then I turned and walked out before either woman could say anything else.
The moment we stepped onto the sidewalk, I looked up at Kor.
"What do you think that's about?"
He shook his head.
"No idea."
Which somehow worried me more than if he'd had an answer.
We had barely taken three steps when a familiar voice called out.
"There you are, lass."
I looked up.
Father MacKaity was striding toward us from the direction of the church. His gray coat flapped around his knees, and his expression was grim.
When he reached us, his gaze settled on Kor. It wasn’t hostile but it wasn’t friendly either. His look was more assessing.
"I heard you were in town," he said. "I've been looking for the pair of you."
A chill ran down my spine.
"What is it?" I asked. “Is there a problem?”
The priest's expression didn't soften.
"I need the two of you to come with me,” he said, not answering my question.
My stomach dropped. It felt as though someone had poured an entire bucket of ice water down my back, making me shiver with a cold dread.
"What?" I asked. "Why?"
Beside me, Kor frowned.
"What's this about? I need to put these packages in the car first."
“Go on—the Moon Widow and I will wait for you.” Father MacKaity waved him off.
Kor hesitated, as though he wasn’t sure I was safe, but I nodded at him. He walked rapidly to the car and began putting his packages in the trunk. As he did, I turned to the priest beside me.
“Father, what’s this all about?” I asked quietly.
Father MacKaity gave me a long look and the seriousness in his faded blue eyes made my pulse begin to race again.
"I think you know what it's about, lass."
I opened my mouth to protest that I absolutely did not know what it was about, but before I could speak, Kor was back.
“All right, let’s go,” he said. “But where are we going?”
Father MacKaity didn’t answer. He only nodded at us and said,
"Come with me—we've no time to lose." His gaze moved between us. "The Council of Elders is already convened."
And suddenly I knew, with terrible certainty, that my perfect day was over.