Page 79 of Her Reborn Mate

“That’s how much faith we had in you to begin with. We knew that you’d somehow save us all, you and Alexis both. And also, we felt like the last surprise engagement party didn’t hit it big. We wanted a do-over. There’s plenty of cause to celebrate. We have a new mayor, we saved the town from being blown up, and tomorrow is going to be a new day for the pack. Also, we’re super amped that Alexis is alive and well!” Vince said, and as soon as he finished saying it, the rest of the crowd cheered him on.

Will looked at me with amusement. “What do you say?”

“There’s only one thing I’d like to say,” I said. “Let’s party!”

As the pack members broke into song and dance, Will came up to me. I placed my hand on his neck and pulled his face closer to mine. “The pack needs this. They’re right. There are plenty of causes to celebrate. Tonight, be their Alpha. Celebrate with them. I understand that you’re feeling conflicted with Fred dying and all, but look at the scope of our achievements. We’ve done something big. Why not celebrate it?”

After a long time deliberating, Will held my face in his hands and kissed me, saying, “And celebrate we shall!”

Chapter 34: Will

She was right, of course. There was nothing to gain by being sad. Before I joined the festivities, I reminded myself that the man I was being sad over had conspired to keep me imprisoned, had tried to have me murdered, and had attempted to blow the entire town square with bombs.

Not really a good person to become depressed over.

When the first of the drinks was in my hand, I immediately forgot why I was being so sullen. The people who mattered were still alive and well and dancing around me. Vincent had pulled the stops on this celebration. A DJ booth was blaring party music, and a giant strobe light was flashing multi-colors in the night sky. People were drunk, festive, laughing, and dancing.

Alexis was also dancing with a few of her friends, talking to them, and laughing without reservation as they told each other jokes.

As the Alpha, it was customary to make rounds around the party and meet with everyone. I went to Vincent, who was manning the DJ booth, and took him aside. I told him about Fred and how he had died.

“You know what? I was really depressed when dad died. It doesn’t matter as much to me that grandpa bit the dust too. I mean, he was the entire reason you were captured by Edward Beckett, right? So why mourn some bitter asshole who died in vain? Tonight is not for the dead. Tonight is for the living! We celebrate! A new mayor has been elected. Within a few months, this town will actually change for the better. We made this possible. You, me, Alexis, and all the members of the Grimm pack. Now put your party face on and celebrate with all of us!”

When Vince spoke those words to me, I felt them in my heart and let go of the pain I was carrying around. After all, Fred had been a relative to him just as much as he had been a relative to me. If Vince wasn’t feeling upset, why should I?

I wasn’t feeling hungry at all, even though the food being arranged in the courtyard was ravishing to look at. There were mutton chops, beef steaks, barbeque, shrimp on a stick, and so many different salads and veggies arranged in a neat array on tables that I almost reconsidered wanting to eat. But when I saw Alexis dancing there under the strobe light, I felt like joining her and dancing to the tune of whatever pop song was playing in the background.

I grabbed another drink and downed it in one before heading back to the dance floor.

“Hi!” I said to Alexis, feeling much more lightheaded now that I was somewhat inebriated.

“Hi there yourself,” Alexis said, wrapping her arm around me as she danced around and swung me with her. We danced for many minutes, holding each other close, letting song after song play as we swung and moved and jumped and danced along with the rest of the younger members of the pack.

Seeing Alexis like this, especially with the engagement ring on her finger, made me feel quite turned on. I whispered into her year, “Do you wanna get out of here?”

“In a little bit. The night is still young, and the crowd expects us to be here with them,” she said, then kissed me. “But don’t think I’m not going to do the hottest things to you when we go into our bedroom. I’m going to rock your world.”

“Not if I rock yours first!” I said, planting a kiss on her lips before leaving the dance floor.

By now, after dancing so much, I was practically ravenous. I headed to the tables where the food platters were placed and helped myself to a little bit of everything, piling up everything on my plate and sitting in a corner with Vince as both of us solemnly ate and talked and drank while watching the celebrations all around us.

“You should think about pursuing event planning as a proper profession,” I said to Vince. “You have a knack for these things.”

“Thanks,” Vince said. “It just comes naturally to me.”

“What about sorrow? Isn’t that coming naturally to you right now? Your grandfather died. Doesn’t the juxtaposition of the festivities going around you with the news that Fred’s dead confuse you? Like, he was always there. He was a fixture around this place. This is the first celebration we’re doing without him.”

“Will. I’ll tell you what’s happening with me right now. Just a few hours ago, I thought we were all goners. The entire pack was taking bombs, disabling their timers, and throwing them onto the ship. We didn’t know if we’d survive. It was either us or the town. We couldn’t leave Fiddler’s Green alone to deal with such a calamity. We prevailed. Fred did not. We succeeded. Fred, on the other hand, died. You lost a brother but saved a pack and a city. Now, weigh those feelings. Does sorrow feel like it’s the right emotion to feel right now?”

“You’re right,” I said. “But a party seems too premature, don’t you think?”

“No. I don’t think that. Neither should you. We’re all alive, well, and in one piece. The town is safe. The new mayor is working on changing Fiddler’s Green for the better. This means good things for you and Alexis too. With the vampires gone, Blair in the wind, and my dad and granddad dead, there’s no more danger to the town. You can retire, you know. You can get married to Alexis and move away from here. Live your life. That’s what’s important. Consider this a celebration of that. Every single person here dancing and singing and eating and drinking has a legitimate reason why they’re celebrating. And so do you. Alexis is alive. You are alive. That’s all that matters. Now, go to your woman. She’s looking at you from across the crowd,” Vince said.

I saw Alexis staring at me and waving from the other side of the dance floor, beckoning me to join her.

I placed my empty plates back on the table, cleaned my hands, and went back to her.

“What’s up?” I asked, holding her hands.

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