Heart's Desire

Chapter 33 - Monty

After breakfast, I help my dad with the dishes, washing and rinsing them in a pair of big, outdoor basins.

"So, how's it feel?" I ask, handing him a clean pan to dry. "Giving up the alpha, I mean."

He takes the pan and dries it carefully.

"Good, in a way. Like setting down a load I'd forgotten I was carrying. Course, I worry for my boy. Dane's got a habit of picking up loads that aren't his to carry."

I glance aside to where my elder brother sits with his mate and his children, at the table beneath the spreading boughs of the old tree, looking both wild and regal: the Wolf lord and his Fae prince.

"He carries it well, though," I say.

My dad smiles. The morning light catches in his gray hair, and his face bears the marks of many years, but his back is straight, and his spirit is strong.

"That he does," he says, allowing a hint of pride into his tone. "And what about you, Montreal? How does it feel to be Mated at last?"

My face warms, and I plunge my hands in the soapy water, fishing for another dish. "Good. Happy."

"Good. I want to see all my children happy before I'm called to the great Wild beyond."

"Hey now, none of that." I keep my tone light, but my heart constricts at his words.

I hand him a platter and he wipes it dry. "No harm being realistic. You heard what Doc Meyer said."

"She said you'd be fine, long as you take care of yourself."

"Gotta listen between the lines, son," he says, his dark eyes glinting as he looks askance at me. "Lot of 'ifs' in there."

"Dad."

He waves his hand at me. "Stop. It is what it is, and I'm not going anywhere yet. Figure I got a few good years left in me. Best to keep expectation low, is all. Better to be pleasantly surprised than to hope the moon never sets and be disappointed when it does."

I hand him another dish, and he dries it before placing it in the stack.

"Anyways, there are many roads to happiness. Finding a Mate's just one of 'em. Plenty folks – Wolves included – live full, joyous lives without ever focusing all their love on one person. You, though..." He glances at me again. "I think you need somebody to love you, Montreal, and I'm glad you found that in Kit."

I look over to where my little fox lover sits with Noah and Sasha, the former showing him how to download books to a tablet the latter had given him, and my face warms again.

"Me, too, Dad."

He flicks me playfully with his towel, prompting me to get back to work and wash the next dish.

"Hey – once all this blows over," he says, as if all our troubles are a small, passing thunderstorm, "we'll have a proper celebration for you two. Maybe in the spring. I always thought Wolf weddings should be spring affairs."

"I'd like that," I say, feeling my face grow warmer still. I can see it clearly in my mind: Kit, looking like a little slice of heaven, with flowers in his hair.

~ ☾ ~

The following days are busy and exhausting, as Dane puts us all to work, training for battle. Some are already well-honed weapons, like Freya, but some of us are a little out of practice when it comes to Wolf warfare.

Sasha throws herself into it with surprising vigor, finding emotional release in physical exertion, and even the Outcasts join in: Ophelia runs with the Wolves, while Ed watches little Kitka and the twins.