Running Late

Rain's P.O.V.

Zion surprised me with an extremely romantic night at what he's now calling our cliff, where we can overlook our kingdom. We spent all night together in bed on our cliff, drinking champagne, eating fresh strawberries, and talking about our future. We talked about how I'm starting to feel more confident in myself and more comfortable with my title as Queen of the Southern Werewolf Kingdom and my future title of the Southern Witch Queen. Eventually, the sun began to rise, and we had to return to the castle before the guest started to arrive.

I had promised to meet Jess at the orphanage to go over some plans for the renovation, and Zion had a few things to handle in his office and prepare for the arrival of the Super Natural Council. So we shift back to our wolfs and make our way home. As we ran through the woods, I began to feel an overwhelming sense of pride and joy. Dosha is my beautiful, fast, and graceful wolf, and Ryker is our perfect, strong, and kind mate. He was amazing. I can only hope I'm capable of making them all proud.

"I'm already proud of you!" Dosha says, and I suddenly remember she's part of me. Of course, she already knows what I'm thinking.

"I'm not sure I'll ever get used to always having you in my head," I say with a silent laugh.

"Oh, you will. Eventually, it will become second nature for us to talk to each other." She says, and I smile.

As we make our way home, Zion links me to let me know that Jess has already gone to the orphanage to start the process for the new hires and start on the plans for the renovations and new equipment we need to order. Also, after we get to the castle and get dressed, he would have a guard escort Odett and me to the orphanage to meet Jess.

Suddenly, the realization hits me that we would be walking threw the castle grounds naked or in wolf form, and I become self-conscious as we reach the edge of the woodline. Orian comes into view along with Odett smiling when she sees two large wolves approaching her. Apparently, Orian already explained who we were before bringing her with him. He points us to a tent he had set up where we could change. As I walk in and shift, I notice clean clothes he has set out for me, and I whisper a thank you that I know he would hear.

Once I'm done getting dressed, I walked out of the tent and found that Zion didn't shift back yet. He's running around the grounds with Odett on his back, and I can't help but smile as I watch them both. He's a great and compassionate King.

"And an even better father." Dosha chimes in, and I can't help but agree with her as we continue to watch them both with pride.

After about ten minutes, I call out to them. "Come on, you two. We have a busy day ahead of us." And I can hear Odett starting to pout and whine as Ryker runs up with Odett on his back. She slides off his back and wraps her arms around my leg as Ryker nudges me on the cheek with his snout making me giggle before he walks into the tent to shift and get dressed.

When Zion is dressed, he walks out of the tent and joins us, followed by Orian. He decided he would accompany us to the orphanage as he picked Odett up, placed her on his shoulder, and took my hand. But on the way, Zion and Orian get a link letting them know that some guests have arrived early and he and Orian were needed. Zion calls a few guards over and places Odett on the ground beside me. "Sorry, my loves, I need to greet the guests."

"We understand. I'll see you later." I say with a smile.

"Just don't take too long. I wouldn't want you to miss our mating ceremony." He says, returning my smile as he kisses me on my forehead and is on his way, with Orian following behind him. Odett and I continue our walk to the orphanage, accompanied by the guards.

After walking for a few more minutes, we arrive at the orphanage. We walk into the house, and Odett sees a few of the kids she became friends with playing on the playground out back and asks if she can go play with them. I tell her to have fun but also send a guard with her. After the attack in the castle, I've become more cautious of everything pertaining to her. I walk into the office, where I find Jess looking over the plans to expand the playground and the order form for the new equipment. She's definitely started to settle into her new position, and I couldn't be happier for her, but then I hear her grunt. And I can feel her frustration.

"What's wrong, sis?" I ask, and she turns around almost in a panic.

"I'm scared I'll mess something up with these orders." She says, and I can feel how nervous she is. "Can you look at this and tell me if it seems right?"

"Of course, Jess," I say, and she hands me the papers. I call out the numbers, and she shows me the product with the corresponding number as we make sure they all match up. We then go over the plans for each room getting redone. Starting with the nursery, we decide on the Woodlin animals theme and matching furniture with neutral colors. Then we move on to the toddlers' rooms, the five to eight-year-olds' rooms, the nine to twelve-year-olds' rooms, the playroom, the living room, the kitchen, and then the game room. Lastly, we decide to let the teens design their own rooms as long as they agree on the style they want since they will be sharing the rooms with two to three teens in each room.

Jess looks at the clock on the wall and starts to freak out as she realizes we've spent too much time on this today. She calls for Odett and the guard I sent with her while dragging me down the hall and apologizing for taking up so much time. When we make it out the door, we see Odett and the guards already outside and standing by an SUV that Zion sent to pick us up, knowing we would lose track of time while planning.