Thanksgiving with a large functional family was unlike anything I could remember doing before being taken. We had dinners but the gatherings were never this big. I'd helped Octavia prepare a large amount of food since she said there would be guests coming. They had friends from other packs and then there were families in this pack that couldn't cook and came by.
As formal as it was, it was just as informal. Octavia had me go back and change into something a little nicer than jeans, so I wore tights and a knit orange sweater dress and shin high boots. I put on Sol's matching harness and orange shoes. He was brushed to perfection and I'd even did a little doggy dental work on him.
Khelan had on brown slacks and a brown shirt with orange stripes. We looked so coordinated and fall like. Misty and Ashton were invited and I was at ease with him being around. He no longer felt like a memory and he was completely dedicated to his mate. The two had a hard time keeping their hands off each other and now Misty did bear his mating mark and he bared hers.
Cody came by and he wasn't comfortable with my decision at first but even he now had to admit that what was, was completely gone now.
It was super cold out now, just barely above freezing. The shifters didn't feel it, and I did feel it but I could easily handle it. Music was started than filtered out into the front yard.
Everyone was outside and it was now just one huge party with everyone fed. I got a lot of praise from my deserts and requests to make more. That really made me smile. I figure I would always love cooking.
I was outside chatting with Misty getting information on how well Ashton was fitting in with the clan. She was pleased because the mate who'd rejected her was really feeling like shit. Apparently, after Ashton claimed her, Misty got her bear and she was a big beautiful bear according to Misty. I smiled at her stories and how Ashton was able to sit that arrogant bear down with one punch.
Khelan came over from his conversation with Cody and Reilene. He'd had his mind carefully blank all day, so I knew he was up to something.
"Let me borrow my girl for a minute, Misty."
"She's all yours." Misty waved with a smile.
Khelan led me over to the edge of the crowd and the music was then cut. The male got down on one knee, confusing the crap out of me.
"Why are you down there?"
Khelan smiled and now I felt nerves. "This is what a male does when he is going to ask his queen to marry him." He pulled a small velvet lined square box from his pocket. "And I'm more than ready to tell my queen, before this entire pack and our family and our friends just how much I adore you, Tehani. I want you to be the first thing on my mind when I wake up and the last thing on my mind when I fall asleep. I am so thankful that I was granted another chance at love and I am here on bended knee, cliche of all cliches, to ask for your hand in marriage."
I was grinning at his choice of words and how much more he was feeling through our bond. My sneaky male. I didn't expect him to ask me though we'd joked about it for months now. I looked at my left and and the ring that should be there.
"Aren't you supposed to put it on my finger?" I asked.
"After you say yes. You are going to say yes?"
The crowd behind us laughed. I smiled. "I think I said yes several weeks ago when you pretended to ask. So I will officially say yes now. Yes!" I screamed the word causing more laughter.
Khelan laughed and put the ring on my finger. It fit perfectly and looked nothing like what I expected an engagement ring to look like which made it perfect. It was set with a black platinum band, a huge flawless amethyst diamond in the middle, easily five carats. It was a triple set with a three carat diamond on each side of the amethyst. The amethyst itself was haloed by little black diamonds, all flawless. I loved it and it was sparkling so much.
Khelan interrupted my perusal of the ring and picked me up. He kissed me hard right there in front of the crowd. Everyone was yelling congrats and cheering in their way. When Khelan finally released me, Cody was there to hug me hard.
"Six months and look at you little sister," Cody was smiling as he studied me. "I have to admit I was a little worried about you."
I laughed. "I was a little worried about me too. But you were right about the pack. Thank you again for rescuing me. Now keep rescuing me from all the females about to surround me to see this ring." I held up my hand and Cody looked at it.
"It's a one of a kind. Now I have to step my game up with Reilene. I need to go have a talk with your fiancé."
I snorted and enjoyed the rest of the evening. The party continued for most of the night. Finally, once most of the food was gone, people started to return to their homes. We had a large crew, including the twins, helping to clean up the house.
While Khelan and I were walking behind our home in the forest. We caught an unfamiliar scent and came into contact with two pack enforcers that were chasing the same scent. Security had been heightened due to recent events.
"I know that scent. It's Oslov ." As soon as I said his name a large dark brown wolf appeared from behind a tree. He was covered in blood and deep gouges from a recent fight.
"Don't hurt him," I said when Marlo, an enforcer, went towards him. " He was an asshole but he didn't hurt me."
Khelan growled. I frowned at him. "I will not stop you from killing this one if he is here for terrible reasons. He was one of the best friends to Sebastian."
The brown wolf whimpered. Sol ran past and approached the wolf. I felt them talking and it was an alarming conversation. Then Oslov collapsed in wolf form and I stopped hearing his heart. I rushed forward, worried and checked the wolf, but there was nothing there anymore.
"He's dead," I said. "There's nothing."
Khelan knelt beside me and he looked Oslov over. "He's been nearly eviscerated and beaten pretty badly."
Alpha Ben and the other enforcers not currently patrolling, came over to investigate and check for any other wolves.
"He had a message for me," I said to Khelan.
"I know." Khelan approached Alpha Ben. Cody had also just arrived. "Oslov had a message for my mate that Sol was able to get."
"What was the message?" Alpha Ben was observing the pack doctors placing Oslov's body into a body bag. He would be cremated tonight.
"They want their money and their witch. He owed them a lot of money and promised them a magical child. They are going to collect." Khelan recited the information word for word that Sol received.
Alpha Ben turned to Cody and then to me. "Does that mean what I think it means?"
Cody sighed. "Likely. Vlad bragged about having girls and Tehani was taken because her aunt told them about her powers. He only kept her hoping she would eventually get them and I think he was going to see about breeding her based on this information."
My stomach dropped. "He was going to force me to birth babies that may become Novanians? Oh hell no. I would have never let that happen."
Khelan's arms came around me. "It won't happen now. You are powerful baby and together we are unstoppable with a pack around us. Nothing will happen to you and our pup, when we do get started on him or her." He grinned.
I groaned. "Key, really?"
Alpha Ben grunted. "Anyway. If there are going to be people coming here for Tehani, we will make sure they get a proper introduction. Keep doing what we are doing and if anyone hears, sees or smells anything speak up."
I watched the a couple of enforcers follow the doctors. They were going to ensure the wolf was dead and his body destroyed.
Khelan and I didn't immediately go inside. I checked on the security around our home and I was prepared to use magic to protect my life as well as my future kids. I wanted to have kids with Khelan and if we were able to stick with our plan, in maybe six more months or seven, I would be pregnant.
When I looked at Khelan he was grinning again. I laughed. "Geez. I'm just thinking about it."
"More than thinking." He picked me up and spun me around. "I love your thought process. That means we are getting hitched in April."
I wrinkled my nose. "Hitched. That's so romantic."
"How about this?" Khelan cleared his throat. "We are going to tell the whole world, our world, that we promise to love each other, support each other, have lots of wild sex, have kids and enjoy our existence for as long as the goddess allows."
I burst into laughter.
After the Thanksgiving break, we had two weeks of finals and practice before the winter break. Once we returned from the winter break, a week later, we would be heading towards Orlando, Florida.
The Monday after Thanksgiving, we were only doing finals reviews for the classes in which I had a final. My programming class had a project due for the final in which we created our own original work. I had my game of which I'd gotten some positive information from the students who were doing the beta testing for me. I presented only a small part of the game since it was copywritten for me already and the beta testing results. My professor wasn't expecting this from me and for the program to be so stable.
The other classes had finals that I was prepared for and I only now, needed to figure out how to deal with the band. The moment I walked into practice in my workout gear, I got the nasty look from Shmya and the group. Tracy wasn't in yet, I guessed.
I was warming up on the trumpet when Joniah sat next to me. She'd gotten her second chair back by challenging another. When she started squealing like a woman possessed, I looked around for the threat. Sol had jumped up and was looking around too. The whole band was looking around and then glaring at Joniah.
"What is that on your hand?" She yelled.
That? Oh shit. Well, I wasn't going to take it off so might as well deal with it. "It's a ring," I deadpanned.
Joniah took my hand and I was glad I'd placed my trumpet in my lap. "That is not just a ring. Holy shit that diamond is huge. That is an engagement ring!"
Now that got more attention. "Ah shit, Khelan popped the question? For real?" That was from Bruce.
"Man look at that ring," Cynthia said. "And that is so unique. It goes with your tat."
I took my hand back. "Yes. He asked. I said yes. So, now, can we get back to practice?"
I happened to look up and see Shmya glaring with her hands on her hips. I wasn't going to keep taking their shit.
Mr. Rich had us going to the field right away with the guitar and the full program set up. He wanted finally do a full run and see what it looked like all put together. Time was running short.
There were still a bunch of extra people hanging around and they weren't invited into the stadium. Mr. Rich even had security at the entry points to keep out the trespassers.
We were going to open with 'Let's Go Crazy' now, with me on the guitar and then I would run like crazy with the trumpet to take my place. That song would lead into a section of 'Darling Nikki.' There were several more songs we would play pieces of and then I would run back to the stage during 'Do Me, Baby' and perform a little strip job, hoping not to be another Janet Jackson and take up the guitar again for the final performance which would include 'When Doves Cry' and on into 'Purple Rain,' before finishing with 'I Would Die 4 U.'
There were several stops and starts as the twins were now having to figure out how they were going to do this without their third man. It changed everything they'd planned before hand.
I felt Mr. Rich's regret and I knew he wanted Khelan back but something was stopping him with this whole bull crap age thing. During one of the breaks, I went to Mr. Rich.
"Would it help if Khelan and I weren't just doing the girlfriend and boyfriend thing? What if we were in a more permanent relationship?"
Mr. Rich looked at me. "But, you are just dating."
I held up my hand. "Nope. We are planning our wedding in April. We aren't playing around, Mr. Rich. Despite my age and history, we are committed to each other. That is no different than all of the other relationships in this band. What is the real reason that we had to be separated?"
Mr. Rich sighed. "Politics. The public eye."
I retrieved my phone and showed him videos of how the public took our relationship, the world news who'd picked up our story after the police drama. There was an excerpt from the homecoming dance.
"We are not a public relations problem. This feud is a problem."
Mr. Rich was really looking at the videos and then at me. "You two are really about to get married in 5 months?"
I smiled. "Sooner if we can manage it. We aren't playing around and Khelan has done nothing wrong. He didn't dump Tracy or any mess like that. Your head is being filled with drama that isn't starting with us."
Mr. Rich rubbed his short goatee. "I think I'm starting to see that. You think Khelan will meet with me tomorrow after class?"
I grinned. "I'm quite sure I can convince him to." The male was yelling yes in my head right now he was so friggen bored. I held back my laugh.
"Ok. Let's get this practice over and you are doing an excellent job in the transitions."