Page 7 of Wolves & Watercolors
Hazel nods, her hand rubbing at her stomach in wide circles. “I need to go talk to Sable about my birth plan to see if we can anticipate any problems Aurora's presence might cause.”
Slate rises, helping her when her belly upsets her balance. She swats him away, and he smiles indulgently at her scowl as they make their way out of the room.
Hawthorne leans forward, eyeing Heath. “Do we know how long she’s staying?”
“Until the baby is born, at least.”
“Anything else we should know about her?”
Heath clears his throat, folding his hands on the table. “She’s two years younger than Hazel and she’s a painter. Hazel was always the easy-going responsible one, and Aurora was the free-spirited one. She makes friends easily, so she should get along with the pack just fine. My biggest concern is the fact she’s fearless and sees most things as a challenge. We will need to be careful.”
“Does she have a mate?” I ask, straightening at the look Heath gives me. “I mean boyfriend. Should we be concerned a boyfriend might show up?”
“She isn’t one for serious relationships. Hazel would know for sure, but I don’t think we need to be concerned about anyone else joining us.” His brows crease and I drop my gaze.
“Alright, I’m going to go make the rounds. Cedar, can you go talk to Marigold at the school so she can get the students coached?” Hawthorne dips his head in respect to Heath before he strides out of the room.
“Good day, Alpha,” I say, addressing Heath by his old title. He nods, permitting me to leave.
The meadow is quiet as I jog northward to the school building. Double doors stand wide open, allowing me to slip in silently. Sunlight swirls through the huge windows and highlights the rainbow walls, covered with a wallpaper of children’s artwork.
Marigold perches on the countertop, surveying her students while they scrawl away at lined paper. The older students have already left for their work studies, so it’s just the younger ones spaced throughout the room with their noses to their assignments.
Her strawberry blonde cascade of curls ripples as she leaps down and crosses the room. “Hey, Cedar!” Twisting, she narrows her eyes at her students. “You’ve still got eight minutes of silent writing. We’ll have to redo the time instead of playing soccer if anyone interrupts.” Satisfied her students are cowed, she pushes against my biceps, herding me outside. “So what’s up?”
“We had a visitor show up,” I say.
“Oh, really?” Her face brightens, eyes sparkling with interest.
“Hazel’s sister.”
“Aurora?” she squeals, hands clapping together. I suspected she would be excited, and it brings a smile to my face.
“She wanted to be here for the birth. They set her up in Heath’s cabin.”
“Oh, this is fantastic!” She paces, her smile widening until she’s beaming sunshine.
“They wanted you to prep your students and make sure they know what they shouldn’t say or do.”
“Ah, of course. No problem.” She nods sagely. “I’d better get to it.”
“Thanks,” I say.
Marigold spins on her heel, crossing the threshold before pausing and glancing over her shoulder at me. “Hazel once mentioned that Aurora likes plants. I guess she used to have a lot of potted plants before she moved into her tiny apartment with roommates.”
Unsure of what she’s getting at, I just nod.
“See you at dinner!” She winks, disappearing into the school. My sensitive ears pick up her instructions to the students. She will handle the kids.
Mentally, I review my list of packmates that need to be informed of our visitor. The supply center is closest, and Fern should be working there, so that’s where I’ll go next. It’ll take a while to reach everyone, especially the seniors who could be in any number of places this time of day.
There are only a few hours until the pack gathers for dinner and everyone needs to know before then. When Hazel visited a couple of years ago, we had several weeks to prepare. Aurora is a surprise.
Admittedly, I am looking forward to meeting Hazel’s sister. The way everyone describes her, she seems intriguing.
III. Dimples &
Dinner
