Page 26 of Curvy Alpha Bride
“Are you okay?” Xavier asks as he pulls out of the driveway and onto the dirt road.
“Not really,” I answer. “I’m tired, hungry, and a bit frustrated.”
“Understandable,” he says. “Don’t worry, we’ll be in town soon, and some breakfast will help you feel better. Remind me that we need some supplies from town, and I’ll stock up before we head back.”
“Wait, didn’t we get some gifts last night?” I ask, suddenly remembering. “Cakes, biscuits, and other homemade stuff?”
Xavier scoffs a little, rolling his eyes. “They are probably still in the trunk,” he mutters. “I completely forgot.”
I chuckle in spite of myself. “So did I. Oh, well, mark that up as a failure from both of us.”
Xavier tries to laugh, but it doesn’t quite come out right, and the tension in the car seems to get worse. I want to make a flippant quip myself, but I’m afraid it will fall flat. And I know exactly why both of us were so forgetful.
It’s not just that I’m completely distracted by him and struggling with my emotions. There’s something else, and I’m sure he can feel it, too.
When we turn into the parking lot at the hall, the others are gathered at the side door. All the elders wave enthusiastically to us, and two of the younger girls hurry over to me.
“Mabel!” Dove cries, hugging me. “It’s so nice to see you again.”
“You too, Dove,” I smile shyly, ducking my head away from her excited eyes.
Lyssa links an arm through mine, Dove wraps hers around my waist, and they march me towards the hall.
“Are you hungry?” Dove asks. “I brought food.”
“I’m starving,” I answer, letting the girls lead me inside. A long table is set with plates of cakes, pastries, and biscuits, with a fresh pot of coffee steaming the air with its rich scent.
“Help yourself,” Lyssa says, gesturing. “We usually put on a bit of a spread for a meeting, but we went to extra effort for you.”
“You didn’t need to do that,” I reply, stacking slices of cake on a plate. “I’m fine with whatever.”
“Let us take care of you!” Dove insists, taking my hand and squeezing it. “It’s been so long since we had a luna, and most of us thought we never would.”
I want to ask her why, but the elders call for our attention and gesture for me to come over. We all sit in a loose circle on comfortable deck chairs as we get our first meeting underway.
“This is our first council meeting as a full pack,” Serra says, smiling warmly. “Welcome, Luna Mabel, to our community. May your presence strengthen and guide us.”
The elders murmur their agreement, and it leaves me blushing a little. Luckily, the meeting immediately becomes less formal.
“Okay, Ivan,” Serra says, gesturing to him. “You’ve been working on opening trade routes to the other towns?”
“As much as I respect your authority, Serra,” Ivan replies, “shouldn’t the alpha or luna conduct the meeting?”
Serra turns back to me, her eyes wide. “I’m so sorry. It was a force of habit. By all means, Mabel, please proceed.”
“No, it’s fine,” I say quickly. “Just go ahead as you normally would, and I’ll follow along. I’m not familiar enough with the issues to lead the meeting.”
“Fair enough,” Serra agrees. “Xavier? What are your thoughts on this?”
“Building a road between us and Gryphon Eyrie is almost impossible,” he says. “It’s all wilderness, extremely rough country. We’re in the process of making a hiking trail. In time, we’ll be able to use it for transit, but it will be slow.”
“We have relays through there now,” Ivan says. “Vehicles go as far as they can, and then foot runners between themountains. There is a workable supply route set up through there.”
“What about Cyan Lock?” I ask. “Are we importing through there, too?”
“We are,” Serra answers. “And we’ve made better progress on building a decent road that links to Lycan Pass, but we really want to solidify links with Gryphon Eyrie.”
Why isn’t there a direct road from Lycan Pass to Valentine Creek?
