Chapter 187

Ava

I woke up early the next morning, feeling refreshed despite the late night and what was perhaps a bit too much wine. Chris was already up, packing our bags and bustling around the room by the time I climbed out of bed.

“Morning, sunshine,” he said with a grin, glancing over his shoulder as he stuffed a sweater into his suitcase. “Ready to head to Moonshine pack?”

I nodded, stretching languidly and swinging my legs over the edge of the bed. “As ready as I’ll ever be. Let’s hope things go as well there as they did here.”

We finished packing and headed downstairs, expecting to say our goodbyes and hit the road. Instead, we found the butler waiting for us in the foyer.

“Good morning, Alpha Chris and Luna Ava,” he said with a slight bow. “If you would please follow me, the Alpha and his family are waiting for you outside. They wish to speak with you before you leave.”

Chris and I exchanged puzzled glances. Curious, we followed the butler through the house and out into the crisp morning air. As we approached the garden, I saw Bernard, Clara, and Patricia standing near the massive redwood stump.

Bernard was holding something in his hand—it only took me a moment to realize it was the seed that Chris had given him. My heart began to race as I made the connection. Was he…?

“Good morning,” Bernard called out in a surprisingly light voice as we approached. “I hope you don’t mind the early start, but I thought we might do something together before you leave.”

Chris’s face lit up as he, too, saw the seed. “You mean…”

Bernard nodded, a small smile playing at his lips. “I thought we might plant it together. A symbol of our new... friendship.”

I felt a warmth spread through my chest at his words. Friendship. This was so much more than I had hoped for when we first arrived.

“That’s a wonderful idea,” I said, smiling at Clara and Patricia. They both looked pleased, and Patricia gave my arm a gentle squeeze as I strode over to join them.

Bernard handed Chris a small shovel. “Shall we?”

As the two men knelt by the stump, I watched from the sidelines, just allowing them to have their special moment. It was hard to deny the tears that sprang to the backs of my eyes—the scene was too meaningful, two men overcoming their differences and planting a seed together.

They continued to work in companionable silence for a few minutes, carefully digging a hole by the base of the dead redwood stump. A new life in the place of death. I glanced at Clara, who was watching her husband with a soft expression on her face. She dabbed at her eyes with a handkerchief.

“This visit meant a lot to him,” she said quietly to me, sniffling. “More than he’ll admit.”

I nodded, feeling a lump in my throat. “It meant a lot to us, too.”

Finally, the hole was ready. Bernard carefully placed the seed inside, and together, he and Chris covered it with soil and patted it down. As they stood, brushing the dirt from their hands, Bernard extended his hand to Chris.

“Thank you,” he said simply. “For the seed, and for... everything else.”

Chris shook his hand firmly, both of their palms still dirty from the soil. “Thank you for giving us a chance.”

As they shook, Clara stepped forward and pulled me into a warm hug. “Take care of yourselves,” she said. “And don’t be strangers.”

“We won’t,” I promised as I hugged her back.

When we pulled apart, I found myself face to face with Patricia. There was a moment of awkward hesitation before she surprised me by pulling me into a hug as well.

“I’m sorry for how I acted when you arrived, hiding from you like that,” she whispered. “I was hurt, but... I can see now that you and Chris belong together.”

I felt a blush creep up my cheeks. “Thank you, Patricia. That means a lot.”

She pulled back with a small smile on her face. “If anyone else had married Chris, it wouldn’t seem right. You’re clearly his soulmate.” She lowered her voice then so only I could hear. “And if you two ever decide to have kids, you can always talk to me or my mom…” Her voice trailed off, but she didn’t need to finish.

My blush deepened, and I struggled to find the right words. “I... thank you,” I finally managed. “Really.”

Chris came over then and wrapped an arm around my waist. “Everything okay here?” he asked, looking between Patricia and me.

Patricia nodded and shot me a knowing look. “Everything’s fine. I was just wishing Ava well.”

Chris smiled. “I’m glad. And thank you, Patricia, for everything.”

We said our final goodbyes, promising to keep each other updated on the blight, the infestation, and the growth of the seed. Just before we left, however, Bernard caught my arm.

“Ava, if I may…”

“Of course,” I said, following him a few paces away. Once we were out of earshot, he cleared his throat and rubbed his hand along the back of his neck.

“I want to apologize.”

My eyebrows shot up. “You don’t have to—”

“I want to.” Bernard sighed, looking a bit sheepish. “I was bloody awful to you, and you’ve been nothing but kind. I was so upset over my daughter’s minor heartbreak that I assumed you were nothing more than… Well, I won’t say it.”

He paused then, his deep brown eyes meeting mine with a gentleness that I hadn’t seen before.

“But when you offered to help us, despite your own troubles back in your pack, I was completely taken aback. And then, seeing you and Chris work together so well during that game last night, silly as it was…” He smiled slightly. “I’m glad that Moonstone pack has a Luna as special as you. And I’m glad that we’re on the road to becoming friends.”

I couldn’t help it; his words touched me to my core. Without thinking, I threw my arms around Bernard and hugged him tightly. He stiffened momentarily, but then chuckled and patted me on the back. When we pulled apart, I could have sworn I saw tears in his eyes, although he quickly blinked them away.

“We’ll keep in touch, Bernard,” I said, shaking his hand. “Together, we’ll eradicate both the infestation and the blight. I’m sure of it.”

Bernard nodded and patted the top of my hand. “I’m sure of it, too.”

As we walked back to our car, my mind was already racing with thoughts of how we could help them to eradicate the infestation, as well as how they could help us to kill off the black fungus. But when we pulled out of the driveway and onto the road leading to Moonshine pack, Chris reached over and took my hand, pulling me out of my reverie. “Ready for our next adventure?”

I laughed. “As long as I’m with you, I’m ready for anything.”

We drove for a while in comfortable silence, the scenery changing from the lush forests—or what was left of them—of Crescent Moon to more open country. Soon, we would be seeing the landscape become more rocky as we neared Moonshine, but that wouldn’t be for several hours.

After about an hour, Chris directed the driver to pull over at a scenic overlook. “Fancy a picnic?” he asked with a grin.

I raised an eyebrow. “Did you pack one?”

He chuckled. “Of course. I’m always prepared.”

We got out of the car and Chris retrieved a basket from the trunk. He spread out a blanket on a grassy spot overlooking a beautiful valley.

“Chris, this is amazing,” I said, sitting down and helping him unpack the food. “When did you have time to prepare all this?”

Chris shrugged, a mischievous glint in his eye. “A good Alpha never reveals his secrets.”

I playfully swatted his arm. “Oh, come on.”

He laughed. “Okay, okay. I may have asked Clara for some help last night while you were in the bath.”

“Sneaky,” I said, impressed. “I like it. Although, if this is another setup for a fake proposal…”

Chris shook his head, smirking. “I’m done with the pranks. Next time I get on one knee, it’ll be for real.”

My cheeks flushed at his words, and it was all I could do to look away as if that would somehow hide it. “So,” I said, wanting to change the subject, “next on the itinerary is Moonshine pack. Are you nervous about seeing Alpha Fabian again?”

Chris shrugged and reached for a piece of cheese and a cracker. Behind us, the security detail was having a picnic of their own by the vehicles, and we could hear their laughter carry toward us. I wished that Ophelia and Leonard were with us, but I knew that they were doing their best back in Moonstone, managing the pack in our stead.

“You know,” I said, breaking the comfortable silence that had fallen between us, “I can’t help but wonder…”

Chris glanced over at me. “Wonder what?”

I grinned a little sheepishly. “I wonder what sort of trouble we’ll encounter in Moonshine?”