4. Tested Patience
Sona fell in step with Amaris and Arden, Raff secured on her hip. “You look grand,” she told her childhood friend.
He snorted and glanced down at his indeed fine-quality outfit, certainly made for a male as good as a prince. “This? Look at you.”
“Never miss a chance to flirt?”
“Or compliment your wardrobe. Completely unrelated. How dare you assume.”
Sona matched his sly grin. She loved when he wasn’t in his usual shy mood. “Will you hunt with me tomorrow night?” she asked.
Arden blinked, stumbling on the cobblestones of the Main Street that they’d reached. “Won’t Conri mind?”
“You’re brothers and he’s my mate. Why would he?”
Though Conri was far ahead, Arden lowered his voice, “He’s been acting strange when you’re not here lately.”
Now she matched his furrowed brow. Different around her, different without her. “How so?”
Amaris’ hand gripped Sona’s lightly. “Let us go find your grandfather, shall we?” she interrupted, equally light. “No need to listen to all this male bellowing.”
They’d reached Mona Square where a wooden platform for announcements such as this was constructed beside the stone fountain spewed water from the maw of a howling wolf. A crowd was already gathering, drawn by word of mouth, to wonder how Artem was going to address the border issue. Artem was already gesturing for his son to join him and Conri.
Arden was, in all ways that required him to be, ready to become the Alpha when Artem passed. All ways except his actual desire to be a pack leader. Which was lacking.
With a rueful glance back at her, he jogged up the steps. Sona let out a sigh. Despite being so close to the Alpha family—the three most powerful males in the entire pack, at that—she knew very little about anything remotely close to politics. She’d let them handle whatever, and then she obeyed the advice they gave her. This seemed different, though.
Everything suddenly seemed off.
She was glad to lead Amaris to Herb Street. She traded Raff to open the door to Goldhealer’s Cure Shop. Her grandfather was doing inventory.
Sona clicked her tongue, marching over to get the glass jar he was just shy of reaching. “Pa, I told you I would do this tonight.”
He made a noise back and harrumphed, “I’m bored.”
“Good thing I brought guests.”
Auryn’s shoulders straightened a little. “I knew I smelled something lovely.” He hobbled toward Amaris, who looked more than pleased by his compliment. Sniffing again, he added gruffly, “And a stinky pup.”
Raff keened with laughter and Sona hurried to take him to the bathroom. “Will you two be alright?”
“Of course,” Amaris assured with her own delicate laugh, letting Auryn, the flirt that he was, kiss the back of her hand. “You know we always find good topics.”
It was true. They were both busybodies who knew far too much to not let it go unsaid. She saw them walk into the dining room as she ascended the steep staircase to the second floor, which held Auryn’s bedroom, her own that she shared with Conri and sometimes Raff if he couldn’t sleep in the one on the other side of the wall in his crib, as well as a small bathroom.
She was thoroughly drenched when she finished bathing Raff, and by that time, Amaris called her to notice that Artem’s address was over and her farewell.
Auryn came up the stairs. “Nice female she is. Is the whelp ready for bed?”
Sona buttoned up his little outfit and set him in his crib. His giggling was exchanged for a scowl and crossed arms. “No bed.”
“Yes bed,” she told him, kissing his forehead before turning around and guiding Auryn toward his room. “You bed too.”
“Are you expecting Conri?”
“I disagree with that impish tone. Yes.”
“So much for you staying the night. Did your talk go well?”
Sona sighed at the threshold. Candles were lit around his bedroom, the wood walls aglow with the light, leaking out the two windows that looked out onto Meat Street and Dye Street, which were drenched in evening blue.
“For now. He’s promised to make dinner.”
“Hmm,” was all Auryn said.
“Why does that sound so unconvinced?”
Her grandfather shrugged too casually. “He’s often made promises, Sona, and he’s kept a hell of a lot. I told you to comfort him, no? If you did, you’d seem happier and you’d likely be together right now.”
He was right. Her shoulders sagged as she fished for excuses. “Artem must have called his attention, or…”
“I was on his side this morning,” Auryn interrupted, crossing his bony arms. “Now I’ve tossed him to the side.”
Sona fought and failed to hide her smile. She hugged him gently. “Your support is appreciated, Pa.”
“Damn right.” He patted her cheek. “He’s not coming tonight, granddaughter. There’s deer on the kitchen table. Chop it into bits for Raff and then rest for tomorrow.”
She’d forgotten about her anger at Conri, but now it was starting to nibble at her heels. She nodded and retrieved Raff, still opposing bedtime, to take him downstairs and indeed fed him dinner, which he was surprisingly well-behaved for.
And luckily put him into a sleepy mood, so when she placed him in his crib, he promptly flopped down. When she became a mother, a new kind of love had found its way next to all her other kinds of love. She envisioned them as categories like bubbles, all the wolves she knew somehow occupying them. They grew and bounced off one another, glimmering brighter when she felt a rush of emotion when she was with one of those wolves. Right now, her love and pride and hope and even sorrow for her son made his own bubble expand enough to make Conri’s shudder.
She would stay up a little longer. Leaving the shop’s front door unlocked, she slouched into the waiting chair facing it. She’d left only a single candle burning and though it cast dancing shadows that made her jump every time they caught the corner of her eye, she just wanted peace and darkness. And maybe the dark ambiance just reflected her mental state.
Conri never left her waiting like this. Never left her desperately hoping. She’d taken it for granted, apparently, because his absence left a sudden hole in her gut.
He used to be prompt, and if he was ever late, he always made up for it in one way or another—fresh herbs she was out of, a bouquet of flowers, a new outfit, or a new toy for Raff… Sona had a feeling she wouldn’t receive a make-up gift this time.
The anger nipping at her heels was now gnawing at her ankle. Her mind started to play happy memories—and the anger would eat it up right away. It happened several times before she realized it was just fucking stupid to lose sleep over someone who wasn’t going to show up. She bolted to her feet to storm off.
And then the front door knocked and creaked open. She whirled. “Conri?”
It was Arden who peered around and stepped inside. “It’s me.”
Sona wouldn’t deny her deflated disappointment, but at the same time, she was flooded with gratitude. If Conri ever failed, Arden would not. She flung her arms around his neck and buried her face in his shoulder. It was all she needed to do for him to understand the situation.
He sighed and rubbed her back. “I wish I knew where he was, too, Sona.”
That did anything but ease her mind, but she had to push it aside. “Stay the night?” she whispered. She didn’t care how pitiful she sounded.
He hesitated—not because he didn’t want to, but because they hadn’t shared a bed in many, many years. They’d had so many sleepovers, the three of them, but as they grew older, the less it happened.
“Alright,” Arden whispered back.
He guided her up the stairs after blowing out the candle, pulling back the quilt for her to climb under. Once he was under, Sona nestled close to him, cheek against his shoulder, arm draped across his chest as he lay on his back. She felt him tense, and she smiled before wishing him goodnight. The last thing she was aware of was the barest touch of his lips to her temple.
When she woke, Arden was gone and Raff was in his place. She didn’t know what to make of his leaving until her son offered a saliva-damp piece of paper with his writing on it.
Epsilon came knocking for me sorry I couldn’t say goodbye I’ll see you tonight.
Sona sighed and smiled at it before placing her full attention onto Raff, who was gnawing at the blanket. She poked his pudgy belly. “I’ll give him a pass. But not your Da.”
“Da?” he repeated excitedly, attempting to stand on the lumpy mattress.
She steadied his underarms before pulling him back down to coddle him against her. “You’ll see him soon, my perfect offspring.” She pressed a dozen kisses to his face and neck, making him squeal with laughter. It was the most shrill and wonderful sound. “Right now he doesn’t deserve you.”
“Didn’t show, eh?” Auryn harrumphed from her open doorway.
Sona sat up with Raff in her lap. “No. Arden?”
“Artem’s Epsilon near broke down the door looking for him. Trouble was stirred up from yesterday—so-called ‘rebels’ throwing food and shit at the manor—”
“What?!”
Auryn sighed. “Don’t push past me, Sona. It’s the Alpha’s problem to deal with. Ours is treating one of them who—”
“Fine.” Sona handed Raff over, squeezing around her grandfather despite his protest, and marched downstairs, where two males loitered—one of them an older Epsilon, the other just a young male, forced into a chair by the former.
The smell hit her first. Then she recognized exactly what Auryn was talking about: there was fruit and literal shit on his face, though he obscured half of it with his hand. She did not want to know where it came from. “What in the goddess’s hell?”
The young male slouched and looked away. The Epsilon huffed and said, “We must teach our descendants that vandalism gets no one anywhere. Move your hand, Vail.”
“Do I have to? This is embarrassing.”
Sona crouched in front of him, half tempted to yank his wrist. “Let me guess. You have shit in your eye.”
Vail dropped his hand. “Yes,” he muttered.
“And did this teach you a lesson?”
Quieter, he mumbled, “Yes. Can you wash it out? It burns.”
“In exchange for you telling me what this is all about. Epsilon, you can go.”
The older male dipped his head to her and pointed a warning finger at Vail. Sona went to work gathering water in a bucket and a fresh towel. Silently they cleaned him up until he was clean-faced and his eye healed without hindrance.
“Out with it, please. I haven’t heard what the Alpha’s speech even was, and now I regret that I was robbed of a peaceful morning by troublemakers.”
Vail nodded. “The Alpha and Gamma’s speeches were real inspiring, actually—”
“Conri spoke too?” she asked sharply.
His green eyes widened. “You’re the Gamma’s mate! Ah, fuck. I’m sorry, Mistress Sona, but I sided with him. Our borders need to be better protected with more force and less diplomacy.”
Sona crossed her arms, dread seeping into her skin. “They each voiced their opinion beside each other?” When Vail nodded again, she gave a shuddering sigh. “And it split the public’s view?”
Another nod. “Disagreements all over Valleytown. Gamma likely don’t approve, but we’re just showing support! Maybe it’ll make Alpha listen to reason.”
Artem, like most—all—werewolves, was stubborn to the point of annoyance, also not likely to approve of the disagreements of his pack, but also not willing to change his mind any time soon. Compromise, though? Debatable.
“What would you rather Artem do?” she asked curiously.
Vail shrugged. “Be more…gutsy? Follow Gamma’s suggestions to shore our borders against all packs—mainly Redbone. Gamma says they’ve been spotted lurking, like they wanna infiltrate us or something.”
Sona hated that she mistrusted that claim. She sighed. “I understand your worry and loyalty. Just…don’t vandalize. It’ll get you nowhere except the infirmary with shit in your eye. Warn your friends of that, hm?”
Vail nodded emphatically and hopped to his feet. “Yes, Mistress. Thank you. And, uh, might I stay anonymous when you gossip to your friends?”
She barked a laugh. “Lucky for you, I don’t have many friends. Unfortunately,” she added, ruffling his hair, “the wolf I will tell is Gamma Conri.”
Horror dawned on his face, but she laughed again and told him, “But I’ll just tell him it was a young whelp caught up in the desire to protect his pack.”
“That’s all that anyone wants, isn’t it?”