Page 7 of Cruel Revenge
In truth, it brought me joy to see how excited she was for the wedding. I could only hope everyone involved with it would be happy. It was my and Heath’s day, but I wanted everyone in our family to think of it as a joyous occasion.
“I’m still stumped by a potential flower girl. We don’t have any baby girls in the family right now.”
“We’ll figure it out,” Carey said, nodding solemnly. “As your maid of honor, I will put myself to the task of finding options for the flower girl.”
“You don’t?—”
“Plus, I have to plan your bachelorette party now!” Carey’s eyes went wide, and I knew to be afraid.
“Carey—”
“Oh my God, I need to talk to Zuri.” Carey hopped up and started to leave. She turned back, clearly thinking of something important at the last moment. I could smell her excitement, quickly halted by a touch of anxiety.
“You do want a bachelorette party, right?” Carey asked.
“I would be fine to have a night with you, my sisters, and my mom, but something tame,” I answered, smiling, glad Carey could still show some level of forethought as her teenage brain was swirling with all the possibilities. She was a levelheaded young woman, but she was still a teenager. “Zuri already knows. I think she was starting some planning, but I’m sure she’ll love it if you take over.”
“Awesome!” Carey then practically skipped out of my office, leaving me alone.
Alone. I didn’t have much alone time anymore. Taking a deep breath, I leaned back in my chair, closing my eyes as I felt my territory. It was like being wrapped in my favorite blanket, curled up in my bed.
I mentally mapped my territory, taking stock of who was where. I knew every single werewolf in my territory well now, able to discern them all from each other. Dirk was in the security building, clearly hiding after he ran out of my office to avoid the topic of Heath and me being a little steamy before coming home. Heath and Landon were at the pack house, definitely in his office, probably already on the phone with the venue. Also at the pack house were Ranger with the boys, Arlo and Benjamin. Shamus was heading there as well with Stacy and Kody. Roselyn and Piper were at home, while Carlos was at work.
Well, not work. He’s volunteering at the animal shelter. Sweet man. I’m glad it’s helping him.
He wasn’t alone there, either. Teagan was nearby, and I knew, with a smirk, wherever Teagan was, Olivia was nearby. I couldn’t track her well unless she used magic, but I had a feeling she was with Carlos, volunteering at the shelter.
I stayed there until Heath and Landon were on their way back. With that, I went to the kitchen and found Carey was already making dinner. She grinned at me and pointed for me to sit down. Dirk came in shortly after I did.
“I could smell the food,” Dirk said, his cheeks a little pink.
“The rest of us have to live with that couch you and Landon insist on keeping in the living room. At least do me the favor of not turning into a teenage boy when it’s me and Heath,” I said, smiling as I narrowed my eyes on him.
“Will do.” Dirk sheepishly smiled, his cheeks growing a bit redder.
“Jacky!” Heath called loudly as he entered.
“I’m right here,” I said with my inside voice. He looked a little surprised, but it was gone quickly with a grin.
“We’ve got the venue.” He came over to my side and leaned down to kiss me. “Dirk and Davor will be able to do everything necessary for security, and you don’t need to worry about a thing… except what flowers you want.”
“Look at you… Member of the Tribunal, strongest Alpha werewolf in the world, and savior of our wedding venue. Is there anything you can’t do?”
“Buy us a quiet afternoon with nothing coming up so we can spendqualitytime together,” Heath said, making us both laugh. Dirk groaned while Landon fully gagged, both of them playing up their reaction. Carey threw something that hit her dad harmlessly. He didn’t sit down, going into the kitchen to help his daughter make dinner.
All the turmoil is worth this. We’ll find our quiet afternoons together after things have settled down.
“Tomorrow, I’m going to check in with Olivia and go visit Niko. Does anyone want to join me?” I asked as plates were being put on the table.
“I need to visit him, see how he’s doing out there,” Dirk said. “I’ll ride along.”
“Awesome. Heath? Anything big you need to deal with tomorrow?”
“Landon and Teagan will be with me going into the Tribunal. I have a meeting with Corissa and her pack about what they might have learned from the captured witches. We’ll see if anything interesting comes of those interrogations.” He looked at Carey. “Arlo, Benjamin, Kody, and Stacy are now your permanent security detail. They passed the final testing today with Landon. Stacy is in charge, with Arlo as her second. She’s the oldest and has done pack-related duties like this the longest.”
“Okay, Dad.” Carey started eating, taking a large bite of mac and cheese, and made a face as she tried to chew and swallow. “Oh no.”
“What is it?” I asked, frowning as I took a bite of the mac and cheese she’s made, realizing the error immediately. “You used sugar instead of salt,” I said quickly, forcing myself to swallow the unusually sweet pasta and cheese.
