Page 64 of Broken Arranged Mate
Sarina lights up, lifts onto her toes, and kisses her dad on the cheek before turning and walking at a brisk pace toward the stand. When she and Veva first showed up in Ambersky, Sarina was still scrawny, just a little girl. But now she’s a teenager who walks with purpose, her sights set on attending college in the Llewelyn territory—but considering going to the one here, if it gets good reviews after opening later this year.
The college isn’t the only thing open—I turn and look at the large house just past the city center, higher than the other buildings, visible from almost any point here.
What used to be Jerrod Blacklock’s house. The place Oren grew up, where he ran away from when he was old enough to get out. The place his father died, the place Oren killed Mhairi Argent, the place he became the alpha leader of his pack.
And now, instead of being a home for a single man and his family, it’s the Grayhide pack hall, offering all the services we wanted. A kitchen that serves meals multiple times a week, aclothing bank, free childcare, classes on the weekends for people who want to learn to cook, to sew, to change the tire on their car.
When Kira heard about it, she laughed. “Maybe I’ll come teach a cooking course there—that would really be full circle, huh?”
Now, we stop to order some chicken from one of the food vendors. This time, they’re notably without bars over the windows. Instead, a cooler sits outside that saysfree water,and there are several chairs and tables scattered around, their yellow checkered pattern bright and fun in the sunshine.
I sweep my gaze around the market, trying to take everything in. Of course, I like coming here because it’s fun, but I also can’t deny the enjoyment I feel seeing how much of a success it is.
Behind us, an order beta woman pauses to chat with a vendor selling handcrafted Amanzite jewelry. She doesn't flinch when a group of young alphas walks by, doesn't clutch her bag closer, or hurry away. Instead, she smiles and nods at them. They return the gesture respectfully before continuing on their way.
Near the center of the market, where we installed the large sandstone fountain, a small crowd has gathered to watch a street performer. Behind him, the mosaic of the fountain twinkles in the light, sending beams of light throughout the space, little rainbows dancing on the walls of the buildings around us.
“Spicy?” Kira asks, raising an eyebrow at me, and I nod. She steps forward to make the order, and I turn, going back to people-watching.
Shifters from Ambersky mingle easily with Grayhides, their scents intertwining without the undercurrent of tensionthat once permeated every interaction. A young couple—one from each pack—walks hand in hand, stopping to sample dried fruits from a stall. No one gives them a second glance.
A moment later, Kira turns and pushes a stick of spicy chicken into one of my hands, and a thick, sweet mango drink into the other. I take both, laughing when she spills a little and licks it off her hand.
“Hey,” Sarina says, appearing beside us again, this time in a simple shimmering blue dress, her smile wide. “What do you think?”
“I’ll have to hem it a bit, here,” Kira says, reaching out and pinching part of the fabric, “But other than that, it looks wonderful.”
“Thanks,” Sarina laughs, gently rolling her eyes.
“I think you should wear it to the party,” I say, and Veva swears under her breath, nearly impaling herself with her chicken stick.
“The party,” she says, blinking at us, then pointing to her watch. “We’re going to belate!”
Together, we make our way out of the market and back to our cars. I help Kira load the twins and triplets up into their car seats, then slide in with Emaline. Emin brings their baby back to the car, and we all caravan out of the city, toward home.
***
“Happy birthday!”
Emin makes sure to blow particularly hard on a horn as Raegan leans forward and blows out her candles, holding her hair back and grinning up just as I snap a photo of her.
“Ew,” she says, laughing, “you’d better delete that.”
“It’s cute,” I counter, ducking out from under her reach when she tries to take it from me. In the span of a few months, I managed to pick up a new sibling on this side of the territory, and Oren is already getting tired of all the girls-only slumber parties we’ve been having in our bed.
Moving into the kitchen, I take down a new bottle of wine and start to fill the glasses. When I find the girls in the corner of the room and start to pass out the glasses, Kira holds up her hand to me. “No thanks.”
Veva sucks in a surprised gasp, “No—Kira, really?”
“What—oh,” Emaline smiles, her eyes going a little dreamy. “Congratulations! I thought I was getting that vibe from you.”
“Oh, for fuck’s sake,” Kira rolls her eyes, laughing, too. “I can’t keep anything from you lot. I missed my period, but I’m not…certain about anything yet.”
“Do you…” I swallow, look up to meet Kira’s eyes. “Do you mind if I…?”
Her eyes meet mine, and she nods, something misty moving through them—the knowledge that this is Beth’s power I’ll be using.
Slowly, I press my hand to Kira’s belly, and gasp at the information that moves through me with certainty.
