123

123
Astella's POV

Watching Liam and his warriors settle in the hastily-arranged guest quarters on the eastern wing of our newly expanded pack house, I turn to Thane. What could have sparked the end of months of fear as to how this challenge would play out and a huge rift in what we've built now dominated our conversations regarding community over what appeared might be an extended visit. He pushed past the other Enforcers to stand with her. "When I felt his anger and determination through the old pack bonds, I knew he was coming with those warriors …I expected the worst."

Paternal pride shines through in Thane's voice as he bounces our son gently and the baby, only three months old, watches with bright green eyes that seem more curious than they should be of everything going on around our new little corner of the world. "Our little boy is a charismatic genius at getting people to see past their own obstacles and recognize what is actually important. I get the feeling, however, he receives that type of gift from his mother.”

From the kitchen window I can see Liam laughing with a few of the visiting delegates and he looks…happy, more relaxed than he's seemed in years that I've been fucking monitoring him. What started as a formal competition that landed him here has yielded so much more — authentic friendship and the potential for actual mending. His eyes are a lighter shade of blue than they had ever been during our marriage, seeming to indicate that perhaps the fact that it's all finally out in the open has only hitherto lifted a weight from him.

I chuckle and watch my sister-in-law, who almost seems to be playing matchmaker, as she starts introducing him to Lady Catherine from the Northern Territories. "Since she got here last week, that cunt has been inquiring about who the Alphas are," Hayley muttered under her breath. "The way she's eyeing Liam, I'd say causes for concern are mounting up.”

" And Liam actually sounds intrigued as well," Thane says, finally showing the same amount of shock I am. “He's done this before, not in that desperate 'I need a Luna for political reasons' way he used to approach relationships, not with that calculating assessment of bloodlines and territorial advantages, but like he's genuinely intrigued by the idea of getting to know her as a person. See how he's actually listening to what she has to say instead of just waiting for his chance.’

Watching my ex husband transform has been amazing. The bitter, jealous bastard who showed up yesterday morning demanding a duel has given way to someone almost… buoyant. It is almost as if, telling the truth of our relationship, owning his part and no longer placing everything on me has suddenly liberated him from a yoke…the weight of which was slowly crushing his soul.

“Well, I should go see about getting dinner ready," I say, sliding into my more familiar role of hostess on unexpected guests. “Now we have twenty-three more mouths to feed, and I'm sure the kitchen staff wasn't ready for what was supposed to be a formal challenge turning into an impromptu festival. Elena's most likely having a heart attack trying to figure out how to deal with the dietary needs of Vampire along with Werewolf appetites and Fae cuisine. ”

And, of course, Thane responds: “I will help.” He has to deal with being the Alpha King of a supernatural alliance determined to expand, as well as all the interdimensional politics and jockeying for territory that involves–and he still insists on contributing what he can to run our own household. I kind of love this about him — that he's never too big for house work.

“Goes with taking care of a baby,” I point out, grinning as I reach over to run my fingers through D's soft, dark hair. "Our little boy gets fussy when he's away from you for too long, and we need him in a good mood tonight. Most of these delegates were still worried about his power, to say less and have a child that could influence reality simply by being proved to be disturbing even for non-invoking stakeholders; the magical brat's not going out helping in diplomacy.”

In response to my words, Draco lets out an excited gurgle and happily clamps onto his father's inky hair with the fervent clumsiness that never gets old, not even for a moment. It's a small display of power — nothing like the world-bending forces we saw earlier, not on the scale necessary to influence external, but just brief happiness as an infant plays with his mother.

"See?" I say, planting a brief kiss on each of my boys before I make my way to the kitchen. Our little diplomat behaved perfectly. I have a feeling, though, that he knew exactly what he was doing when Liam confessed to him.

As expected, the kitchen is chaos controlled Elena, our head cook, has been assisted by volunteers from the visiting packs all morning as they work to create a meal that can cater for werewolves, vampires and fae with their various dietary requirements. The sight fills me with a kind of wonder—creatures who may never have been able to discuss anything at all before this, who might have thought of each other as mortal enemies or competing for the same territory, now work together over spices and portion sizes in a camaraderie familiar only between old friends.

Elena waves me over, her flour-dusted hands offering a tired smile that is somehow kindled by even weariness. Her hair, all gray now and pulled back in a bun for out-of-the-way efficiency, was tied one-handedly; her apron bore the splattered remnants of an afternoon spent hunkered over counter tops full of ambitious cooking projects. “The meal is cooking and it smells delicious, the vegetables are just about finished and they ought to be appropriate for even those finicky fae palates.Lady Morgana brought some type of honey that the fae diplomats seem to find a delicacy. Don't know what it actually is, or how she got it.”

"What about beverages?" I wonder, ticking off the complicated prerequisites for doing anything with this eclectically wide ranging group. “We have to also be sure that everyone has something they can actually eat, and a few of those diets are more severe than arbitrary preferences.”

My fellow impromptu catering crew member, a visiting werewolf the other packmasters keep calling Janet confirms my guess of his identity with a knowing nod of her own. She has pushed her sleeves up, and her cheeks are pink with that nice weariness of a long day in good company. “Our usuals, whatever that fancy wine Lord Valerian stocked for the vampires that apparently doesn't hurt their blood diet, and some sort of moonlight infused seltzer for the fae.”

"Moonlight-infused water?" I repeat, raising an eyebrow. "That's actually a thing?"

Janet laughs along with the rest of us, "Don't ask me how that works. But, I suppose it is real and Queen Titania was pleased we considered it. She was very polite and said how few mortals are able to accommodate a diet that supports the fae but that was…was…complimentary I think.”

I am amazed as we work together to arrange the evening celebrations at how, when all are working towards a single end instead of a decades old enemy, naturally supernaturals function cohesively. The same species diversity that had led to territorial battles and generation wars was now enriching our common endeavors. A vampire nimbly wields a knife, a werewolf deftly moves heavy pots around with the strength of his muscles and a witch sets each dish on tables in conditions optimal for serving.

"Luna," Elena says quietly to me, grabbing my arm and moving me on a side as the other helpers move around doing their thing. The cautious diplomacy of the expression is typical; it suggests an individual eager to touch upon a potentially controversial topic while evading offence. "I have something to say. A few of the werewolves that had come to visit asked about… my staying. Permanently. They ask, Can there be a place in the pack organization for wolves not so easy to define?”

"What kind of traditional mold?" I hope to, but given the way she is treading so cautiously has led me to believe otherwise.
Wolves with different species partners, she explains without sounding like a judge. “Or wolves that are interested in the unity magic we practice here, who desire to be part of something bigger than their nature. Or just a group of wolves that is tired of the territorial battles and wants to be part of something more cooperative, something that fosters growth instead of serving merely as sentinels.”

I'm not surprised by the request, as we've been getting them from various supernatural groups since it was discovered we had some kind of weird truce and have established trust between traditionally known feuding races. That is not a shocking realization, but rather how easy it all comes to us: how extremely right it feels to take in others who might also want more than the kind of peace we have been lucky enough to secure.

“Schedule a meeting for this, first thing tomorrow morning,” I quickly decide. “Whoever is interested in being at least a part of our community can meet either me or Thane to talk about options. Certainly, we will need to set up rules in place as well as work out the logistics of territory and pack rank redistribution, but … you know what… I believe that yes… we can take some wolves who seek more than just the regular format.”

"Even former enemies?" Elena sidles up to me, casting an eye toward Liam's warriors dispensing with food prep duty, the sound of their laughter blending with those of our pack members. A few of these wolves we had been at war with over territory not long ago.

“Especially ex-enemies" came my surprisingly solid reply. “People who were once opponents but who came together to create something bigger than themselves, that is one of the most powerful connections you can have. It makes perfect sense that the enemy-turned-ally has the greatest appreciation for what peace truly entails, what cooperation genuinely demands.”

“It's effective,” I'm smirking to myself watching the vamps and fae hauling tables together, while weres from three packs are organizing the performance area for whatever post-dinner festivities follow.

"What's working?" Draco is sound asleep in his father's arms, small fingers curled into fists that rest on top of Thane's chest as he asks, coming to stand beside me at the window.

"Everything," I say, pointing towards the scene outside. The alliance, the unity spell; different doesn't equal bad. One year ago, these types of meetings would have been engulfed in gunfire before the first hour ended. It's going to end tonight with new pals and likely a happily-ever-after for generations to come.

“...Speaking of love stories”, Thane shifts slightly on his heels, giving me a wicked smile and gesturing with his head towards Liam near Lady Catherine by the decorative fountain which separates our lands…”For all I know, your ex-husband may finally have found peace. Genuine happiness, not that which he had attempted to evoke by means of duty and compliance.”

“Look, Holt is hanging up the stars already,” a vampire and fae team up to bedizen tables beside werewolves from three different packs assemble a dais nearby for after-dinner entertainment.

Then I look at the way they interact, the way their expressions show so much genuine interest and I see that sometimes endings aren't about choosing the right one to get what you planned but rather forming new ones out of simple kindness instead of conquering.