Chapter 53
“We have lunch once a week on Wednesday or Friday. We all have very busy lives, and we deliberately make time for one another during the week. We feel that because all of the Mates are such good friends, it keeps peace on the council. None of the Alphas want to hurt the Mates because they fear the gods’ wrath.” Ian took a third helping.
“Good thing Michelle tripled the recipe,” Colin remarked dryly.
Ian smirked. “Donal, don’t let them stop you from eating by their teasing. You need the fuel.”
Donal’s cheeks heated and he put a third helping on his plate.
“Seriously, you’ll need the fuel for the mating,” Colin said putting more salad on his plate. “You should be eating three times what we eat. First, you have to gain the weight you should have gained during the past seven years, secondly, you’re going to be burning fuel as your metabolism gears up. Eat up.”
Donal looked at Sean. “Alexei said you and Armand have a little girl. From what I understand, you haven’t been together long enough to have a five-year-old.”
“Elena is a special case. Her parents were killed in such a horrific car accident that even a wolf couldn’t have survived. A car was traveling over one hundred miles an hour down the Interstate the wrong way at night. Elena’s folks were doing the speed limit at seventy-five. There was a head-on collision, no one survived.” Sean shook his head. “The guy going the wrong way was drunk.”
“What happened to Elena?” Donal asked.
“Elena was given to her Aunt Adele and Uncle Bernard who mistreated her despite getting a stipend for her care from Garou Industries. Bernard was a gambler in the local casinos and owed more money than he could afford to pay. Armand was looking for a home for Elena when we met. I fell in love with her right away. He wanted her but couldn’t because he didn’t have a Mate. Everything worked out. The gods have their ways. It’s children and loup garou like Elena that the gods have charged you with helping.”
“Sean became a daddy almost as soon as he became a husband and has been fighting a losing battle over Armand’s spoiling Elena ever since.” Kane chuckled.
Sean’s face tightened. “Our mating and adopting Elena put in motion the series of events that brought Alexei over from the Russian council and led to him finding you. Armand had no idea how bad things had gotten in Russia. He’s mulling over what to do. He may take the household to Paris to meet with the European Council to see if something can be done. We can’t go to war against humans for gay bashing, but our governments and separately, Garou Industries can impose additional sanctions besides those already in place. Our councils can also sanction the Russian council for mistreatment of their packs. Let’s talk about something else,” Sean said and stabbed his salad with his fork.
* * * *
The Mates left Colin’s at one. Grigory, Vasily, Ivan, and Vlad waited with Donal for Boris who was a little late because he had to drive downtown on a Friday during lunch hour. Donal wanted to wait in the small park, and Colin said he’d give him the key and sit with him to wait, but Grigory vetoed the idea.
“Ernesto is still out there, and I don’t want to answer to Alexei if something happens to you. I’d find myself an Omega in Siberia just like Armand did to La Farge for kidnapping Sean. I’m a wolf. We are not protected as the humans are. We’ll wait inside the door.”
Colin said, “Gregory is right. They still haven’t found Ernesto despite the fact that the loup garou, the mob, and the NYPD are all looking for him. Ask Alexei to take you to Central Park. He can bring all the Enforcers with him, and you’d have protection.”
“I think he sent for more Enforcers from Colorado. They should arrive today. Roman and Timur probably took the Navigator to pick them up. It holds nine,” Vasily added.
“You, Grigory, Vlad, and Ivan are with me. If Roman and Timur went to the airport, who’s with Alexei. I don’t want him without security because of me.” Donal picked at his cuticles, fretting.
“Georgy and Yegor are home, and Daurensbourg, Armand, and Rémy each sent him an Enforcer, and extra Enforcers stayed with the Mates. Here’s Boris. Walk with us on either side and at your front and back,” Vasily instructed.