Chapter 28 Ch 28

"Where are we going, exactly?" I asked, fidgeting with the flowy ends of the dress.

Lee capped her scarlet red lipstick and turned from the mirror to face me. "Beats me. Tandan said it's a surprise."

I smirked. The house still reeked of their rampant love-making fest from last night. "A surprise for you or everyone?"

Her cheeks flushed but she smiled. "Yeah, yeah, it's for all of us. We're having some nice lunch at this mystery place with a nearby pack."

"Is this that thing Tandan was talking about? Where Basileus tells the whole world about me?"

"No, but the introduction ceremony is coming up. Basileus reached out to the packs this morning on the Alpha Line."

"That's what he left me for," I grumbled with an eye roll. "What's the Alpha Line?"

"It's a secure phone line specifically for every Alpha. It's been up for a few days now." She looped her arm through mine and tugged me out of the bedroom. "Let's see if the boys are ready."

Boys. I wanted to snort at that.

The men who had been outside the house earlier were gone. Basileus was nowhere to be seen, yet again, and the residuals of his scent barely clung to the air. He'd been gone for a while now. Something felt heavy in my chest that I shied away from acknowledging. Tandan paced by his Infiniti in the driveway, dressed in a black suit and pale blue tie. He was chatting to someone on a cell phone. I wondered if any other phone lines were working. Maybe I could call my parents.

Tandan motioned for us to get in the car as he continued to speak. "—two days from now, yes. I'm not that worried, I just think additional security wouldn't be a bad idea—"

"I'll take the backseat," Lee said, pointing at herself. "I've got the short legs around here, I guess."

Chuckling, I watched her climb into the backseat of the car, and then I took the passenger seat. "Who's Tandan talking to?"

"He's hiring wolves from allegiant packs for security purposes. For the introduction ceremony. Just in case some psychos try to disrupt the tradition."

"Humans?"

"Humans or dissenting packs who don't want to submit to a central authority."

I didn't exactly blame either group, but I didn't get the whole politics around packs yet. It wasn't my position to decide if a centralized authority would be better or worse, though anarchy didn't seem like a great option either. Look where that got Savannah.

Tandan joined us a moment later and sighed. "Alright, ladies." He cranked the car and reversed away from the house.

"Where's Basileus?" I asked.

"He's already at the—at our destination." His dark eyes flickered up to the rearview to look at his mate. I turned to the side to see her reaction, which was a posed eyebrow. "It's still a surprise. Don't give me that look."

I licked nervously at my lips. "Is he avoiding me, Tandan?"

He snapped his head at me before quickly looking back at the road. "What? No."

"Okay, well you're obviously lying to me."

"I'm not lying!" he spoke, two octaves higher than usual.

Rolling my eyes, I crossed my arms. Why the hell would Basileus be ignoring me? Was it the sex? I glared out the window.

"If it means anything," Lee piped from the backseat, "I have no idea what is happening, Anna."

"I'll find out soon enough," I growled.

Tandan stiffly shifted in his seat and turned the radio on. I could have demanded what he knew and wasn't telling me—I reserved that power as Queen, right? But I didn't want to have to demand anything from him. He was supposed to be in my inner circle. I should not have had to threaten him for answers.

We drove in remote silence and I distracted myself by taking in every detail of the scene passing by through the window. Cars and people were out and about. Everything looked so normal that I struggled to piece this reality with the one I left behind before my abduction. How did people function anymore? Were these all wolves or were these humans too? I might have asked Lee, but I didn't want to talk to anyone at the moment.

Fifteen minutes later, we turned off the main road and onto a residential neighborhood. Lee leaned forward to peer through the windshield. She squinted at her mate.

"I know where we are," she said. "This is where the Spanish gable is. My house. Well, the one I wanted anyway."

His eyes were gleaming when they glanced at her. Suppressing a smile, he turned onto another street. A long line of cars parked in the street led to a muted yellow stucco house with a red-tiled roof and landscaped lawn. Dark green vines cradled the house like long, slender fingers. They melted into black, furry, clawed hands in my mind. Shaking my head, I rubbed my eyes. I didn't care if it messed up my makeup. The vines were just vines when I looked up again.

An elegantly dressed older couple was walking up the russet brick driveway as Tandan drove the car onto it. Lee's hands rested on the console between us, the skin pulled white over her knuckles. What was the deal with this house?

"This is where you live?" I asked her.

She jumped at my voice and then leaned back into her seat. "Ha, I wish."

Tandan's mouth twitched again but he said nothing. We parked and then unpiled from Infiniti. The couple had vanished into the house now, but I could hear many voices emanating from the backyard. Basileus' scent smashed into me. The mouthwatering earthy smell seemed to drench the air compared to the weak traces back at Tandan's house. My chest tightened and that deep itch in my bones returned. I imagined shifting, letting my wolf take over, and fleeing from here. I felt overwhelmed by Tandan's strange behavior and Basileus' distance. I didn't want to socialize.

"Hey," said Lee. Linking our arms again, she led me towards the house. "I don't know what's going on and I am honestly super perplexed. I don't like being in the dark either." She scoffed. "You and I are supposed to be the ones in charge."

"Oh, there's no doubt that you two run the show," Tandan assured her. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders and kissed the side of her head. "I think you both will like what's in store."

I lifted my nose. At the moment, I wasn't in the mood to like anything. Was I going to start my period? Maybe Lee was right. Maybe I just felt out of control and that was making me pissy.

Once we entered the house through the rounded wood door, Lee's body trembled with excitement. The house smelled like baking bread and sugar. Chocolate, to be exact. Basileus' was severely diminished in here, and I realized I couldn't imagine him inside this house anyway. He was too big to fit and there was hardly enough space for the three of us. Men and women filled the house in groups, talking with plates of finger foods in hand. Some were younger, others quite old. They were all dressed nicely and seemed to be in good enough cheer.

The nearest groups noticed us and we were soon greeted with charming grins. My stomach began to knot up.

"Lee and Tandan, the lovely second-hands of our King," purred a woman in her fifties with a perfectly controlled blonde bob. "Such a pleasure to officially meet you both. My name is Beatrice. I am Alpha Guinevere's mother."

"It is a pleasure," Tandan replied with a charming grin of his own. He kissed her wrinkled hand. "Where is our hostess? I need to thank her for putting this all together for us."

"She was delighted to do it, Beta Tandan. The whole pack was, quite frankly. I believe she's in the backyard with Nathan. They wanted to speak with Basileus about some things."

My heart stuttered at the mention of his name.

"And is this who I think it is?"

I jumped at the feel of a cool palm on my arm. Beatrice smiled up at me and I remembered she had said something.

"Anna," I told her, unable to keep the stoniness from my voice. "Nice to meet you, Beatrice."

"You are a beauty, aren't you?" She looked me over with a radiant smile. "Basileus got lucky with you. Yes, he did. I can see the queen in your eyes. They're very piercing. Intelligent." Closing her eyes, she sniffed at the air. "Ah, and you are a new wolf. I can smell the molting in your wolf's coat."

I stared at her, stunned. Lee laughed and touched the woman's shoulder.

"She is very new," Lee agreed. "Now, she's been away from her mate all day. I have to remedy this—you know how new mates can't stand to be apart."

Beatrice nodded. "Yes, of course. It has been lovely to meet you all. I look forward to seeing Basileus make his way in this world."

Tandan greeted the pack members while the three of us made our way to the backyard. I made a pit stop at the makeshift bar in the kitchen for vodka and sprite, but Tandan made it clear I wasn't allowed to have it.

"I'm the damn Queen," I muttered.

"The damn Queen has to be sober for this," Lee said before snatching the drink and downing it. I glared at her. "Sorry, but there's a reason I'm glad not to be queen."

Tandan took us both by the elbows. "Come on, ladies. We're never going to get anywhere at this rate."

We made it to the backdoor, where a sprawling brick patio melted into a manicured yard and crystal clear, Roman-shaped pool. Several tables were set up along the deck where more people congregated, drinking and talking. My eyes skimmed over it all. They darted restlessly about until settling on the subject of my frantic search. The burly, black form I had expected was absent, but his lean human figure stood in the yard, encircled by many people.

Matt turned away from the woman he'd been listening to and his gaze landed directly on me. My held breath rushed out in a single blow. He'd shaved off the scraggly beard and cut back his overgrown hair, the dark blonde strands now gelled fashionably out of his face. His black plaid suit clung to every protruding muscle. My apex spasmed at the sight.

That man was mine? I stumbled over an uneven brick and almost face-planted until Tandan caught my arm. Lee had flitted off to talk to a group of women.

"He hasn't been ignoring you," Tandan whispered in my ear. "He's been getting ready for you."

I gaped up at him. Basileus was getting ready for me? My body flushed from head to toe. Why did I ever doubt him?

"I believe that is my woman you're touching," rumbled a familiar voice.

My pulse skipped as Tandan withdrew from around me, allowing Matt to fill my entire field of vision. I was okay with that. More than okay. He smiled, flashing freshly whitened teeth.

"Hi, gorgeous," he greeted. "I know I look hot, but don't look so shocked to see me."

"I—you—" I gave up with a dramatic sigh.

Chuckling, he placed a hand on my jaw and guided me forward. My head automatically tilted back in expectation of his invasion. I welcomed him with a gust of butterflies in my stomach. He stared down into my eyes without kissing me. Those orbs glowed as if lit from within.

"Tonight," he huskily whispered, "it's my turn with you."

My thighs tightened. Smirking, he closed his eyes and the distance between our mouths. I gripped onto the lapels of his jacket and kissed him back. He smelled so fresh and clean and wild. Like an unabated forest. My body buzzed from our connection and I wished we weren't at a party at some strange house.

He pulled back with a daze in his eyes. Another dazzling smile crossed his face as he wiped the smeared lipstick from around my lips.

"I won't forget that you left me in the woods this morning," I grumbled jokingly.

His smile was immediately replaced with bewilderment. "You have it all wrong, Queenie. I told him morning sex was more important than getting a haircut." He paused and then rolled his eyes. "He apparently thinks it was still worth it to see you gawk."

My jaw dropped. "You two can talk to each other?" I demanded.

"Well, think to each other." Lifting his head, he focused on something across the lawn. "Looks like the surprise is about to unfurl."

"What do you mean?" I turned to see what he meant but he kept a deliciously tight grip around my figure.

"Just watch, love."

Tandan was hushing the guests and grinning a mile wide. I didn't think I had ever seen him like this. At his side stood Lee. She looked fierce yet regal, chin high and eyes focused. She looked powerful in her soft, comforting way. I admired her so dearly and I wanted to tell her how much she had not only changed my life but my perspective of it. And that was so much more valuable.

"Alright, we'll get started!" Tandan declared. "I know you all are actually here to meet the King and Queen, but there is another reason we are all here. I reached out to your Alpha and she so kindly moved mountains to get you all here and have this house cleaned up. And really, the house is the best part. Am I right?"

The guests cheered. I leaned into Matt with a silly grin. He squeezed me and kissed my temple.

"Most of you don't know this," Tandan continued, "but I met my mate Lee through my former career as a realtor. She was hired to work as my secretary. We had a rocky start, but this house became a special symbol for me and our relationship." His adoring eyes flickered Lee. "I don't know that she even knew it, but it's true. And so I have spent months trying to picture a future with my mate and our new positions in this world. The only thing that I knew with certainty was that we were going to be together and it would involve this house. I bought this house, this gem, just for you."

Lee gaped at him. Tears shimmered in her eyes. My heart melted into a small ocean at my feet. They looked at each other like they were the last two beings alive.

"You have been my mate since day one," he said to her, "and now I ask you to be my wife, Lee Sanders. I ask you to trust me with your future and your heart because I can't imagine living another day without knowing those will belong to me for eternity." He lowered himself onto one knee and she cupped her mouth. The tears rolled down her cheeks, wave after wave. "Will you marry me?"

The ring in his bare hands was silver with a square cut emerald encrusted by diamonds. I could see the glinting piece from where Matt and I stood in the yard, secluded. My heart swelled for them. Lee deserved this. She deserved happiness.

"Yes," she wept with a laugh. Everyone else laughed too. "Yes! Now stand up and kiss me!"

He did exactly as she asked, but only after slipping the ring onto her finger. We all cheered and clapped. My own eyes spilled over with hope and joy. Broken things could be healed. Relationships could be mended, hearts could be saved. I leaned back into the solid chest behind me and let my eyes flutter shut, a smile of peace gracing my face.