Page 22 of Violet Moon
Startingthatafternoon,Seraphinewas going to be a top-notch, modern Beta.She was going to wake up early enough to take care of her plants without rushing and make coffee for the pack on her way to the greenhouse.She’d have plenty of time to pick flowers for Parisa.She was also ready to tell Emmaline she was ready to take her up on her offer to learn how to bake.
With her new baking book and red binder in hand, she strolled through the hallways of the pack house with a bounce in her step, passing Benny helping Olive study for an exam in the living room.The sight made her happy, but it also picked at her heart in a way that stung and she wasn’t going to let anything slow her down.
In the kitchen she made a new pot of coffee before pouring a cup for herself and heading to the greenhouse to carefully pick out a small bouquet of autumn mums for Parisa.Content with how they looked tied up with some silver ribbon from the bakery, she headed for Parisa’s office and knocked on the door.
“Ready for me?”
“Always,” Parisa replied.
Sera walked in with a smile, presenting the flowers.
Parisa held them close to her face for a long moment, looking at the little blooms intently before she finally put them away.“They look perfect.Thank you.”
Sera felt her cheeks warm.They hadn’t been able to chat as often by the fireplace lately, so Sera wanted to talk as much as she could about anything other than pack business before Wilma arrived.She landed on the first thing she could think of.“Hugh tells me a new family of cat-shifters recently moved here.Bobcats, he thinks.”
“Are they attached to any groups?”
“They came here on their own from the sound of it.”
“I hope they find a community here.”
“We’re a welcoming bunch in Hickorywood.”
“Some of us anyway.”Parisa said.Her shoulders tightened as she sat forward and tented her fingers.“There’s always a few bad eggs who seek to ruin things unnecessarily.”
Sera hated the change in tone, but thought she might be close to finding out what had been bothering Parisa for so long.She drummed her fingers on her leg but tried to calm her heartbeat before Parisa noticed.“Has there been anything like that recently?”
“It’s always something.”Her gaze drifted back to the mums.A smile flickered across her face before it faded.She turned to Sera.“But nothing a little brightness can’t fix.Thank you.”
“For what?”
“For doing this every day.I need it more than you’d believe.”She paused.“What’s that under your arm?”
Sera had forgotten she was carrying the book.“I’m going to learn to bake,” she said, feeling self-conscious.“Finally.That way I can help out more than I can now.”
“Azizam, you do more than you give yourself credit for, but if you want to learn how to bake, I’d never stop you.It’s one of my greatest joys.I’d love to share it with you, too.”
“Maybe one day I’ll work up to helping you out with your bread.”
“I don’t usually like anyone around me when I bake, but for you, I’d make an exception.”
“A Beta exception?”
Parisa grinned.“Something like that.”
Wilma walked into the room and stopped short of the chairs, glancing between the two of them.She hung around in the doorway like she had stumbled across something she wasn’t meant to see, but Parisa welcomed her in and she took her seat.
As their afternoon meeting began, Sera was ready to take notes and crush this whole being a better Beta thing.
“The most important thing for us to get through today is full moon preparations,” Parisa announced towards the end of their time.“Seraphine, do you have a preference between assisting me with bakery affairs or house affairs before we go?”
Sera gave her a puzzled look.“Typically both are within my role.”
“With Wilma here, I thought it was a good opportunity to take a few things off your plate.”
“Of course.I’m happy to share.”Having less to worry about as her emotions and wolfish tendencies flared before the full moon would be fantastic, but that silly part of her that she couldn’t silence felt as though Parisa must be disappointed with how Sera had handled things in the past.“Which would you prefer?”
Wilma considered it for a moment.“I’m still picking up more tasks at the bakery, so maybe it’d be best for me to help out at home.”
