Page 70 of Blood Pearl

“You’re waving now? What brought that on?” Her frown turns into a smile.

“Don’t tell me you aren’t feeling a little less stressed these days? Having Gerry on board has taken a huge amount off both our shoulders. Come on. Let’s get to the packhouse. We can get a bite to eat and sit in my Luna office.”

“Food sounds good to me. I’m starving. I think I’ve got what Gerry suffers from. Eternal hunger pangs. If I didn’t know better, I’d think I was eating for two these days.” Raina blurts this out and I almost fall over in surprise.

“Is there something you haven’t told me? Eating for two?”

“Unless the Goddess grants us a virgin birth, there’s no chance of any pups coming from here!”

Grabbing a small selection of food and a bottle of water from the dining room, we make our way to my newly acquired Luna office. I refused to have a guard at my door all the time. I compromised and I mind link with Wallace when I’m going to be spending more than a couple of hours in here and he sends someone to ‘watch over me’, as he likes to put it. If his sense of humor doesn’t watch out, I’ll be seeing him in the training area. That would wipe the smile off his face.

Sitting in two comfortable chairs, we finish our meals and Raina surprises me again with her next statement.

“When you told me you had taken a chosen mate, I was going to step down as Beta. I didn’t see myself as someone else’s Beta.”

“What would you have done then? I would have been lost without you, Raina. We’ve been damn near joined at the hip for so long, I’d fall over without you being there.”

“I doubt that, Aurora. You have been a pillar of strength to us all. Your example alone has given many the confidence to battle our own demons. It was only your success in the challenge circle that prevented many of us from abandoning the pack. There was no one that could have held the packs' respect the way you did.”

“We have been friends for a long time. If you have any thoughts of stepping down, please speak to me or Gerry. I know Gerry holds you in the highest regard. You are similar in many ways. Has he spoken to you of the pack run he is organizing?”

“He has, and I think it’s a great idea. It is time there were more of these pack events. I suggested we hold the next mating ball. Oh, and you should speak to Crispin.”

Looking confused, I ask, “Why should I speak to Crispin?”

“Trust me. Speak to Crispin about Gerry. It will make your heart sing. I have to go. I have things to do for the new Alpha. He’s going to prove to be a bit of a slave driver, I think. More so than the last one.”

Laughing together, Raina leaves the office. If she had stepped down as Beta, that would have surprised, and I think hurt, Gerry. I certainly had seen no signs of that. She dodged the question of what she would have done then.

Sitting at my desk, I spend the next half hour completing paperwork for the areas that I have just audited. I want to keep records of these things so I can watch for any trends or discrepancies.

The phone rings and I consider ignoring it, but that’s not my nature. Answering, I’m glad I picked up as I hear Taria’s voice, and she’s excited about something.

“Slow down, Taria. I can’t make sense of what you're saying.”

“He said yes, Momma, and he called me Sweetpea. He has his own name for me. I love that. Isn’t it just so cool?” Listening to her, it’s obvious that whoever she’s talking about, I assume Bronze, has made her day.

“That’s fantastic, Taria. What did Bronze say yes to, exactly.”

“He said yes to…Bronze? Where did he come into this?”

“You said he said ‘yes’.” I’m beginning to get confused already.

“Momma. I never mentioned Bronze. Gerry said yes, not Bronze.”

”Oh. Well, that makes perfect sense now. Silly me! What did ‘Gerry’ say yes to?”

“To being my Pops, of course. We talked about it and you told me I had to speak to him. So, I did. And then, while we were all excited about it, he called me Sweetpea. It was the most natural thing in the world and I just loved it.”

“It seems like you two are hitting it off straight away. I’m so happy for both of you. Gerry told me he always wanted a daughter, and I was hoping it would be good for both of you. I’m sorry it took so long for me to…”

“Whoa, Momma. Stop right there. You did everything you could for me. Not having a father figure was never a fault of yours. I’ve had a great childhood with just the two of us. This is like the icing on one of Cook Ivy’s cakes.”

“Well, I’m sure everything will be special between the pair of you. I look forward to seeing the father, daughter bond take hold. I believe you’ll be good for each other.”

“Thank you, Momma.”

“You know that Asher will be speaking to Maya all the time, don’t you? He’s not going to give her a moment's peace.”