Page 57 of Clash of Kings

“Any words of wisdom on that front?”

Kaya grinned. “It’s often like herding cats and wrangling toddlers. Seriously though, it’s the easiest job in the world because you have a strong King. Sebastian learned by watching his papa, and all you have to do is stand by his side and love him.”

“Yeah, that’s easy enough. I know the mate bond makes things more intense, but I fall more in love with him every day.”

“That’ll never go away. I’m not saying it’ll always be easy. Look at what lies ahead this weekend. But you’ll get through it together. You already have Tony and Lydia willing to burn the world down for you. That, as much as anything, lets me know you’re perfect as our Queen. Plus, you’re a shifter. When I first met Rafe, I knew nothing about the paranormal world. Heck, I thought he was a mass murderer, and I wanted to lock him up.” Dakota listened as Kaya explained how she and Rafael met and the trouble that ensued. “It was a trying few years for a lot of us. Both Anthony’s and Lydia’s parents went through something similar, as did all of Rafe’s brothers and cousins. Every one of us came out the other side together. I won’t say unscathed, because some of us were injured, kidnapped, drugged, and nearly died. I’m not telling you this to scare you. I want you to see that our Clan sticks together and fights for one another. It’s why so many are willing to accompany you and Sebastian to Panther and face your old pack. There are hundreds of Gargoyles who would show up if called upon. Rafael mentioned some of the Gryphons are coming too.”

“And wolves. Since this all started because of the shifter council, Bas wants to show a united front between the species.”

“Hey, you two,” Sebastian called out as he walked toward them. “I don’t mean to intrude on your girl time, but Papa wants to get a room at the hotel, then go somewhere for lunch.”

Kaya hugged Dakota and whispered, “We’ll talk more later.” Dakota was looking forward to it. She wanted to be around the former Queen as much as possible. Dakota felt more at ease about leading their Clan knowing Kaya had done so as a human. If Kaya could learn how to handle hundreds of shifters without having prior knowledge of their existence, Dakota felt she already had one advantage her mother-in-law hadn’t. She also wanted to be around the other female because Kaya exuded love. Diana loved Dakota, but it was nowhere near how Kaya treated Bas. Dakota chalked that up to having Rafael as a mate. Kaya wasn’t required to bare her neck to her mate simply because he was the alpha of the family. Hell, he’d been King of all their Clan, and Kaya was treated as his equal. The wolves could learn a thing or two from the Goyles.

While Rafael and Kaya checked in and got settled, Bas took Dakota to their room for a few quiet minutes. They didn’t have time for sex, but they sat on the sofa and made out like teenagers, until someone knocked on their door. Lydia and Anthony joined them for lunch at an authentic Mexican restaurant they had yet to try. Afterward, Kaya requested they walk around and visit the shops in the quaint town. The more time Dakota spent with his parents, the more in love with them she fell.

After a couple hours, Rafael led them back to an empty store. “What do you think of using somewhere like this as a temporary office space? It would probably be easier to conduct business here than amid a construction site.”

Bas cupped his hands and peered through the window. “From what I can see, it looks perfect. Dakota, what do you think?”

Dakota wasn’t used to offering her opinion on important matters. “Why don’t you call Missy and ask her to look at it?”

“Good idea.” Bas winked as he dug his phone out of his back pocket. While he stepped away to ring up the realtor, Rafael and Kaya talked quietly, and Tony had stopped a few feet away to take a call, so Dakota took the opportunity to chat with Lydia.

“Thank you for the wedding surprises.”

Lydia knocked her shoulder into Dakota’s. “You’re welcome. It was fun. Here, look at the photos I took.” Dakota was amazed at how Lydia had captured the moment so perfectly. Her favorite was where she and Bas were grinning at one another.

“I’d like to print this one. Can you maybe email them to Sebastian since I didn’t bring my laptop?”

“Already done.” Her phone chimed, and Lydia checked the message. “Crap. That’s a client requesting a change to the website I’m working on. I’m going back to the hotel and work for a bit. I’ll catch up with you all for dinner.”

“Hang on. I’ll walk with you. I need to talk to Harlow, and the conversation would be better suited in private.” Anthony hugged Kaya before hooking his arm through Lydia’s.

An hour later, Sebastian had signed papers to rent the vacant space. When they arrived at the hotel, the four of them met Anthony in his room. It was time to finalize their plans for meeting King. Where Dakota had first been nervous at the thought of returning to Panther and facing her old pack, now she was filled with surety as well as pride. This was her Clan, and she would be leading her new pack into battle.

Chapter 22

Saturday was awhirlwind of action as all those who were flying in to help arrived in West Virginia. Sebastian didn’t want that many strangers to converge on Carlton, so he tasked Anthony with finding a nice hotel in one of the larger cities halfway between Carlton and Panther. Harlow had expertly handled getting everyone flown in on either a Clan jet or a chartered plane, and Rafael had taken it upon himself to hire a private car service to drive everyone to the hotel. He also rented enough SUVs to accommodate them all on the drive to Panther the following day. Once Anthony secured enough rooms, Sebastian called the hotel and reserved a conference room large enough for everyone. He inquired into having dinner catered for the group, fully expecting to be turned down with how last minute the request was, but the coordinator assured him the hotel kitchen could handle a group of their size.

Sebastian and his crew arrived early so Bas could pay for the rooms and retrieve the key cards to hand out when everyone arrived. Harlow had staggered the times of arrival, that way there weren’t twenty shifters hovering around the lobby. It had been a good plan, but once they arrived, everyone either hung out in the lobby or the bar like they were having a reunion. Seeing all the smiles and hearing the laughter, Sebastian rolled with it.

All Sebastian’s male relatives had shown up. Rafael’s brothers, Dante, Gregor, and even Sin, who had flown in from the West Coast, were there along with his cousins, Frey, Julian, and Nikolas. Dante and his son Deklan, Frey and his son Jon, and Nikolas, Sophia, and their son Locke, arrived first. Torfinn and Bodi, two of the Norse crew, flew in with them from Atlanta. Next, coming from New York, were Gregor and Tessa, Julian, Maveryck Lazlo and one of his twin sons, Major, along with Kayden, Nikita’s brother.

Harlow flew in with Nikita and her mate, Madsen Payne, and Alpha Knox Millard. Over the years, Bas had personally met everyone in attendance except for Alpha Millard, Madsen, and Kayden Lazlo. Knox was as genuine in person as he was over the phone. Madsen, who entered the hotel with several silver cases in tow, couldn’t keep his eyes off Nikita. If cartoon eye hearts were real, they would be floating around Madsen’s head. They were a hacker match made in the stars. Kayden was a broody Gryphon/dire wolf hybrid, and Sebastian would be lying if he said he wasn’t curious as to what forms the male could take when he shifted. Harlow and her siblings were the only other hybrids Bas knew of, and they were badass.

Bas had planned to make introductions when they gathered later in the conference room, but everyone handled that themselves as they grabbed a drink and mingled. Dakota stood with Sebastian until Lydia pulled her away to meet someone. She would return only to have Lydia take her away again. Her smile never waned, and whenever he checked her mood, Dakota was truly happy, not faking it. Hearing his mate laugh at something one of his family said filled his heart. As though she knew he was watching, she’d wink at him before returning her attention to whomever she was chatting with.

Tessa, not giving one shit they were in a nice hotel, whistled loudly, garnering everyone’s attention. “Let’s move the party to the bar and clear out the lobby. There’s a private room where we can hang out.”

Anthony, who was standing with Bas, grinned. “Gods, I love that woman.” Anthony didn’t hesitate to follow his mother. Tabby was stuck on a case, so she hadn’t been able to meet them, much to Tessa’s dismay. The twin’s younger brother Andy had stayed behind with Tessa’s parents.

Bas and Dakota joined the others in the private room where an impromptu wedding reception went on for several hours. The booze flowed, music was piped in so they could dance, and someone managed to find enough cupcakes for everyone. Sebastian’s face hurt from smiling so much. When it was time for supper, it was Dakota’s turn to whistle loudly, getting a thumbs up from Tessa.

“Please join Sebastian and I for supper in the Magnolia Room. It’s down the hall past the elevators, and there’s a sign outside the door with our name on it.”

The tables were set in a U so everyone could see each other. Sebastian had ordered a buffet instead of plated meals so they could serve themselves. Once everyone filed in, Bas shut the doors for privacy. Everyone went through the line, filling their plates and finding a seat.

Madsen opened one of his silver cases and pulled out several black devices, placing them around the room. Nikita went to the same case and came up with a pair of headphones, which she offered to Kaya, the only human in the room.

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