Bear with Me (#2, Completed)

47. No more running Pt. 2

SCARLETT

"Starting what?" My gaze darted from my friend to her mates and then to my own one, but all I got was a baffled bear and a sheepish-looking Alpha triad.

"Oh, crap," Riley exclaimed before her hands flew to her mouth.

Her little slip made my little rascals burst out in an uncontrollable giggle, amused by the fact that one of the Windfire Alphas used a naughty word. 

"Language, love, there are kids here," her dragon mate nodded towards my little entourage, which only made Riley look even more guilty.

Rafe, on the other hand, cheered from her other side. "That's my girl."

The situation would have been quite amusing if it wasn't for the fact that I was totally confused about what was going on and, frankly, I didn't like being kept in the dark. 

"I'm sorry- someone should have warned me it's a secret." My best friend scrunched up her features.

But before Callum or I could ask any more questions, it was Mara who rushed towards us.

"There you are! Come with me, both of you," and she began to pull us towards the stage where Fergus and Jack were standing, not even allowing me to say bye to Riley.

Had everyone gone mad today, or was I just experiencing after-effects from my injuries? Both options seemed equally likely.

"Right," my mate gave the three bears a stern look when we finally came to a halt, "somebody better start talking soon. What's going on here?" 

But none of them seemed to crack under his narrow-eyed scrutiny. They all just kept looking at the two of us like Callum hadn't said anything. 

"You look beautiful tonight, Scarlett," Fergus smiled at me as he took my dark green floral wrap dress in after a couple of minutes.

I had to admit that despite the little time that the kids gave us to prepare earlier, we did our best to look good for their surprise. I opted for one of my favourite dresses and flats, while Callum went for that pair of black jeans that always made me want to jump him because his butt looked ridiculously sexy in them, together with a fitted white t-shirt and a beige cardigan.

Yeah, we scrub up pretty well, I thought while I cuddled up to my mate. 

"Thank you, Fergus."

It was so lovely to see him fitting in with the sleuth instead of standing on the sidelines like he used to do before. He seemed genuinely content to be part of the crowd tonight for whatever this was, and I couldn't help but feel relieved that his mother was no longer around to torment him.

Callum's burrowing gaze, however, told a different story. "Don't change the subject, Fergus," he said sternly, but all he got was a smirk in return, which only irked my mate more. "Okay- spit it out, you three."

"Don't ask me," Jack finally dared to speak up. "I'm just here for the free food and booze."

Yet, his wide grin was wiped off his face within seconds when Mara swatted him behind the head. "Oh, goddess, Jack- you and your jokes."

"You love it really, baby," he winked at her, clearly not realising that he was not doing himself any favours.

Their banter was amusing to watch, but my mind was too busy trying to unravel the mystery of tonight's gathering to follow their conversation. When I finally took the time to look around, it dawned on me that everyone was dressed up pretty nicely. The decorations, the smart-casual dress code, even the bottles of champagnes that were chilling by the drinks tables screamed celebration; yet, I had no idea what the occasion was.