Sarah
We’ve fallen into a normal routine at the manor. It’s been almost a week since the family reunion where Sydney announced our bond. While no formal announcement was made about Blake, it’s obvious who his father is.
I run my knuckles over Blake’s chubby cheek, smiling down at him as he naps peacefully in my arms. His hair has grown thick and lightened up since our time in the manor, turning a soft chestnut brown. And his eyes?
They’re just as rich and blue as Sydney’s. I often wonder what our next child will look like. Will they have eyes like mine? Like Sydney’s? A strange combination of both?
I shouldn’t even be thinking about that right now. We’re still finding our footing, deciding the best course of action. Sydney is at his office right now, and to be honest, I’m starting to grow antsy about doing… something. Something outside of the house. Something useful to his pack–our pack.
Because I’m his Luna.
I look up at the ceiling in Blake’s nursery and watch the late afternoon sunlight play through the crystals in the dainty chandelier and let my mind wander over everything we’ve been talking about lately, and it’s… a lot.
Maddy and Isaac want us to have a real wedding, to stand before the High Priestess in the temple and exchange vows to not only each other, but the Goddess. It makes sense. I will stand in Maddy’s shoes one day as the Queen of Crescent Falls, and the people of this kingdom have expectations of the royals, which includes being allowed to witness and mark these occasions in our lives. Blake needs to be baptized by the priestess as well, and I know for a fact Maddy is already planning that event in length. I’m lucky to have her, honestly. She is a doting grandmother and a really good ally to have while navigating this new, slightly complicated, life beside Sydney.
I have become, in all actuality, a princess.
Which means Cosette is busy training me to act and think like one.
I lay Blake down in his crib and creep out of the room, gently closing the door behind me. The manor is quiet today. No guests dropping in. Sydney isn’t here loudly taking phone calls or meeting with pack members in his office down the hall. Cosette and I sent Dalia down to the village this morning to do some shopping and to see one of her friends for lunch, but I’m sure she’ll be home soon.
I find Cosette in the kitchen where she’s kneading dough on the long kitchen island, her curly brown hair pulled away from her face as music trickles softly from a speaker on the far side of the counter.
“Can I help with anything?” I ask, tucking my hands in the pockets of my jeans.
Cosette’s eyes meet mine and crease as she gives me a slightly exhausted smile. “I could use a cup of tea, but you’re my boss, remember?”
“Have you ever admitted to not being the boss before?” I laugh, turning toward the stove top. The gas range flames to life as I fill up the kettle and start pulling out the herbs she uses in her special blend.
“I can readily admit it’s nice to not be the only one responsible for the welfare of our Alpha anymore.” She sighs, her slight frame flexing as she slaps the dough on the counter and continues kneading. “And you need far less care than he ever did. You sleep, and eat regularly, which is a nice change of pace. I’m no longer hounding anyone to take care of themselves.”
“I think you could use a nice, long vacation, Cosette.”
She chuckles, shaking her head, “To where, exactly?”
“I’ve heard Maatua is very nice this time of year.”
“It’s hurricane season in the spring, darling.”
“Well, it’s better than spring snowstorms.” I glance out the windows beyond the kitchen table at the light, fluffy snow falling in dizzying spirals. It’s nearly April, and it’s still snowing almost daily, although it doesn’t stick to the ground. The forest around the manor is every shade of brown and red, the trees only a week or two away from budding.
I pour the tea exactly how we like it, adding copious amounts of cream and sugar. Cosette continues kneading the bread, her knuckles turning white, as I sink into a chair by the window and close my eyes.
I crack an eye open and watch her, noticing her pitched brow. We haven’t spoken about her weird behavior regarding Hadley last week. Hadley didn’t visit over the weekend like she said she would, and I’ve just been too busy to think about it.
This is honestly the first time I’ve had a few minutes alone with Cosette since Maddy’s dinner party. I sip my tea and adjust my weight in the chair, watching her closely.
“I can feel your eyes burning into my face,” Cosette murmurs. “Is there something you’d like to talk to me about?”
“You have an uncanny ability to read minds.”
“It’s not mind reading, Sarah. I’m an old mother. One day, you’ll be able to look at your children and see exactly what’s going on behind their thick skulls, trust me.”
“Are you saying you consider me a daughter?”
She cracks a smile but doesn’t meet my eyes as she starts to roll out the dough. “Well, I’m all you have in that regard, so yes. Call me Mom if you wish.”
Now I’m smiling, but her eyes meet mine briefly before she turns to fetch her pastry knives. “Cosette… I’ve been wondering why you were acting so weird around Hadley last week. You seemed really cold around her.”
She sighs as she cuts the dough into long, thin strips. “There’s something about her that I don’t like. That’s all.”
“But what is it, exactly?”
“I’m not going to lie and say I didn’t overhear your conversation about Alpha Ryan, first of all. I’ve known Ryan since he was a boy, and I know for a fact that while he’s a prolific playboy, he wouldn’t kiss his Beta’s sister if it didn’t mean something more. He’s very professional. He has a good set of morals, that one. He doesn’t sleep around within his pack.”
My cheeks color a bit. I’m tempted to bring up the strange conversation I had with him at the castle, but I’m still trying to understand the weak bond I share with him that ties us to Sydney. It’s a twin thing, apparently. At least I’m telling myself that.
“I was honestly shocked when Hadley told me she’d kissed him. She initiated it.”
“And do you think that’s normal behavior? You’ve known the girl for years.”
“We were teenagers when we met, you know. We lived in the same boarding house while her brother was off at warrior training, and we attended the same high school. She’s different all of a sudden.”
Cosette starts dropping what I hope are those sweet, honey and cream filled pastries I love onto a baking dish. “Different, how?”
“I guess I never knew her to be so reckless. Her brother basically keeps her in chains–”
“Beta James?” Cosette laughs, holding my gaze. “What gives you that impression?”
“She was never allowed to go out. She got in trouble often for visiting me in the NZ.”
“I’ve known James for several years now, Sarah. I can tell you with confidence that the picture she’s painting is far from the truth.”
A heavy feeling settles in my chest. I sip my tea to try to banish it, but it spreads, my shoulders going painfully tight. “Hadley has been my only friend for a while now. I just feel like maybe I didn’t know her as well as I thought, or maybe I’m the only one who is changing.”
“Well, you’re mated and a mother now. That does change relationships.”
I tilt my head. “Can I tell you something in confidence?”
“Of course.”
“I think Hadley and Ryan are mates. I can feel it. Does that make sense?”
She sighs and shakes her head in defeat, turning for the oven with her tray of raw pastries. “Ryan has known who his mate is for years now, Sarah.”
“What? Really?”
“Kenna asked me last summer if I knew who she was. I guess Ryan mentioned something about it. I figured if that's the case, it had to be someone younger, still unable to feel the mate bond. Has Hadley given you any inclination that she’s felt that, or her wolf powers, yet?”
“We’ve never talked about it. She’s only twenty, though. Her birthday isn’t until next winter.”
“Then she very well could be Ryan’s mate. Time will tell. I would just… tread lightly with her.”
“Do you not like her?”
“I don’t trust her, Sarah. But I might be… well, after everything that's happened and continues to happen, I don’t really trust most people right now.”
I decide that I’m going to talk to Hadley about it, whatever it is. If anything, I’ll tell her how I feel like there's a weird rift between us. Maybe I’m the problem. I went from party girl to poor girl to a mother to a Goddess-damned princess in the space of a year.
Hadley might be the same as she always was, but our friendship is changing.
Blake wakes up two hours later, and I go about our usual early evening routine. I’m just getting him out of the bath when Sydney gets home. I meet him at the top of the stairs. He gives us both a kiss and says something about a shower before disappearing into the recesses of the house. I hear his phone begin to ring as his footsteps fade out of hearing range.
Blake and I settle in the sitting room downstairs while Cosette finishes up with her dinner preparations. He likes being on his belly now and can almost roll over.
But just as Sydney walks down the stairs to join us, a knock sounds through the foyer, and Sydney walks to the front door, checking his watch.
“I hope I’m not interrupting,” Hadley says as Sydney opens the door wide enough to allow her to enter. She stomps her boots on the floor mat and shrugs out of her coat as I walk out into the foyer with Blake in my arms.
“We were just about to have dinner,” I tell her but catch Sydney’s eyes.
“Actually, I have to go to Silverhide tonight. I just got a call from Ryan.”
Hadley looks between us then at Blake. I fight the disappointment brewing in my chest as I look up at my mate, but then I notice the nerves playing behind his eyes. “Is everything okay?”
“I’m sure it is. He just needs my opinion on something. I’ll take Blake with me so you two can have some time alone, if you want.”
I nod, handing Blake to him.
“Are you sure? He could stay here, with us,” Hadley cuts in.
Sydney gives her a soft shrug. “It’s fine. I’ll enjoy it, and I’m sure Ryan wants to see him.” He steps around Hadley and brushes a kiss over my forehead, whispering, “I’ll be home in an hour or two. Apologize to Cosette for me about missing dinner.”
“I will,” I sigh, and with that, he’s gone, carrying a very happy Blake with him. I turn back to Hadley, noticing the shadows under her eyes. “Are you okay?”
“A little tired.” She shrugs but reaches into her coat pocket before hanging it on the hooks beside the door. “I got you something, though.”
“What is it?”
“Do you remember that chocolate shop that opened up in the NZ for, like, a month?” She steps toward me and extends her hand. A small, glossy piece of something wrapped in gold paper falls into my waiting palm. “It’s the turtle kind, with pecans. Remember how much you liked them?”
I dig through my memory for any mention of this chocolate shop and my preference for this specific kind of candy but come up short.
“I–”
“You probably don’t even remember, seeing as you were so busy setting up your shop at the time,” she laughs, wrapping her arm around mine. “Come on, try it.”
I unwrap the chocolate and pop it in my mouth, chewing slowly to see if it will jog my memory. If anything, it reminds me of sitting at the kitchen table eating Cosette’s famous chocolate cake after starving for several months, finally feeling warm and whole again.
“Now, about that dinner,” Hadley beams, tugging me across the foyer. “I’m starving, and we have a lot to talk about.”