Page 42 of The Wolf King's Demand

Both laughed. Tyler kissed and hugged his mate and left for the stables. At the door, he turned and blew a last kiss and a lighthearted wave.

As Tyler rode off down the road with the other men, the last image he saw was of his beautiful mate and her sisters waving goodbye. The image of domestic bliss was seared into his brain.

I will remember this day for the rest of my life. I will remember it all.

TWENTY-FIVE

ADDISON

“Oh my, what a mess!” Addison said as she surveyed the dining table, her morning robe swishing around her.

Luckily, the adults had all eaten, and only the children and the two nannies were about, for every inch of the surface seemed to have a thin coating of porridge.

“Yes, My Queen. The children are still having difficulty with their table manners. None of it was done on purpose. Porridge can be tricky with little hands holding spoons.” Nanny Richelot quickly wiped every morsel she could find, not wanting the servants to have quiet fits.

Addison held a hand over her mouth. She couldn’t restrain her smile, but she didn’t want the children to think their clumsy ways were royalty-approved.

“Okay, you lot. Upstairs. Washcloths, warm water, and soap on those sticky faces, pronto. And don’t forget to brush your teeth.”

“Yes, Queen Mommy!” they all heralded, babbling up a storm as they made their way from the dining hall. With a dour and disapproving face, Nanny Letitia followed the brood in tow.

Queen Mommy, how I love the sound of that.

Addison made her way back to her room to shower and dress for the day. As far as she was concerned, family life, with all its messes, was perfect for her. What was a house, all perfectly aligned, if no hearts lived there? She hummed a merry song as she got ready for the day.

An hour later, Addison made her way to the drawing room, where her sister Madison was watching the children play outside and smiling softly.

“Look at them running. Their energy is boundless.” Addison stood and watched in wonder.

“Oh, yes. If we adults could only bottle it,” Madison replied. “I’d get so much done if I still had that much pep.”

Addison drew nearer to the windows. She searched the busy group for Cassia, but she was nowhere to be seen.

“Nanny Richelot, where is Cassia? I don’t see her with the other children.”

The nanny ran outside. She looked left and right and jogged down the slight hill toward the lake. No Cassia anywhere … the nanny’s frightened eyes put Addison into a panic.

The queen ran to the others. “Children, where is Cassia? Was she with you when you started playing?”

Liddy answered first. “Oh, yes, Mom, but Nanny Letitia took her.”

Addison grabbed the child’s arms to get her full attention. “Where did she take her? Please tell me.”

The group murmured in fits and starts. “We don’t know, Mom. Nanny came and grabbed Cassia and left.”

Timon spoke up next. “Nanny Letitia had a mean look on her face, Mom. I thought Cassia had made a mess upstairs. And she was taking her to clean it up.”

Addison’s eyes popped. She knew no one was upstairs in the children’s quarters. There was no mess in their nursery or playroom. She had just come from there to see if the children were about.

The queen went into rescue mode. She stood in the great hall and called out to every family member.

“Father, Mother, sisters, please come help me. Cassia is missing. Nanny Letitia took her.”

Bedroom, drawing, and study room doors swung open. Addison’s mother called down to the servants' quarters. Soon, the entire household was on alert.

Addison, by now, was in a frenzy and flew through the castle as fast as her feet could take her, calling out the little girl’s name. The heavy material of her dress swished this way and that as she made her way to every floor and through every room.

“Have you found her? Is she there?” Addison would call as she passed the fellow searchers in the halls.

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