Chris
"So how is she today?" Jace asks, sipping his coffee. My Beta sits on the other side of my desk along with Ryker as Derek hovers while we assess structural drawings.
"About the same," I admit with a sigh. "She's been sleeping a lot... Doc's not concerned, given the circumstances..."
"But you are," Ryker says, filling in the gap. I simply nod. "I can't imagine what it must be like to not only have to deal with your own grief but everyone else's."
"It's only gotten worse with the pregnancy." I frown, knowing she still has time left and no guarantees that things will get easier once she has the babies.
"Time brother," Derek cautions. "She just needs time. That woman has been through more in the last two weeks than most people deal with in their lifetimes."
My frown deepens to a scowl, thinking about everything that has happened. I had her ex in my sights, I could have ended him then and there, but I chose her instead, something I always will.
"She's also a helluva lot tougher than the average person too though," Jace counters, arching a brow.
I shake my head and sigh. "I don't want her to have to be," I mumble.
"No one does brother," Derek agrees, taking a seat beside us. "But after this, she just needs to recharge. Nell is happy with where she is..."
"You get updates?" I growl, glaring at my brother. Jess has been talking with Nell for a few weeks now and I see the improvement, but would never pry into that. Derek however, lacks boundaries when it comes to Jess.
Derek laughs and grins at me. "Mack would have my balls! No brother, Vixen wellbeing is her department, one she's made very clear for me to keep my nose out of."
A crooked smirk tugs on my lips watching my brother squirm. As a young man, he slept his way through packs, pissing our father off to no end. That all stopped suddenly when I now know he found his mate and lost her. Never once did I see him with someone afterwards till Mack.
"So, things with Mack-"
"Aren't we here for the plans?" Derek grumbles, cutting me off. "They're nearly done with the repairs... once they figure out how to deal with the keystone."
"Actually, Mira has a solution there," Jace offers, placing a figurine on the table.
I pick it up, realizing the lump of clay is roughly shaped into a man and arch my brow. "Golem?"
"She says two of them will be able to move the capstone in place easily," he replies with a shrug. "Above my pay grade but her and Sasha are confident."
"How long will it take?" I ask, intrigued but the little clay man in my hand.
"They're just waiting for the go-ahead." His playboy grin is in place, already knowing my answer.
"If it makes it easier, why are they waiting for my go-ahead?" I ask, standing up.
"Giant clay men walking around? Gee, what could go wrong?" Derek scoffs, following me out.
The great front hall that was destroyed in the battle has been gutted and is in a state of repair. All of the fancy artwork is away for safekeeping and restoration, the plaster is all gone, even the fine marble has all been removed to fix the underlying structure.
"Sire," the lead Mason greets, walking over to us. "Nearly there."
The skilled stone artisan came the next day from one of the mountain packs to oversee repairs. Percival saw to it that the best of all trades were called in to help as soon as possible. With the mountain pass a mess, a small army of masons were needed.
I follow his gaze to the chiselled octagonal hole in the center of the room, waiting for the capstone. Already, the roof has been repaired, so, after this, the construction will be cosmetic.
"And your men are okay with this?" I ask, raising a brow.
"Hell, none have ever seen it, so it's new to us," he admits, shaking his head. "But if you say it's safe, then it's safe. Besides, that stone weighs a ton, not really meant to be finessed in the front door."
I motion for him to lead the way and he takes the hint, heading for the front door. Outside Sasha and Mira talk as they look at the hulking stone. Willow mills about nearby while Kane and Nex watch.
"You sure about this, big boy?" Mira asks, flashing a wary look at the nearby crew.
"Are you?" I counter. Mira just holds my gaze, bordering on saying more but her sister cuts in.
"She's sure, don't shake her nerve." Sasha pulls off her glove and walks to the far side of the stone and clears a spot in the snow. Satisfied she squats down and drags her finger in the dirt, drawing a symbol as she mumbles to herself.
The ground rumbles slightly as a mound begins to rise. Inch by inch it grows until it reaches over six feet. Gasps and mumbles sound from the crew as they watch the display with wide eyes.
"As you wish," Mira drawls, walking to the opposite side of the stone from her sister and doing the same.
Before long the women are standing in front of two earthen figures. Mira's golem is more stout and lumpy whereas Sasha's is more refined and sculpted.
"Show off," Mira grumbles at her sister, who just laughs.
"Eeepppp!" Willow squeals, racing over to Mira and her golem.
"Willow, wait! Jezus get away from that thing!" Kane bellows as she crashes into the golem, hugging its waist. "What the fuck are you doing?!"
"Relax, it won't hurt her," Mira chides as Kane stops in arms' reach of them.
"Forgive me if I don't share your ease... The last one tried very hard to kill me!" His gaze never leaves Willow as the beast returns her hug.
"See?" Mira teases.
"I swear to Christ I'm gonna die one day saving her from petting something she shouldn't," he groans, running his hand through his hair. Kane shakes his head but his shoulders relax slightly as he watches them closely.
Mira laughs and nods. "Probably, but what an exciting life in the meantime." Kane laughs at her joke but doesn't dispute it. "Come on big guy, time to go to work."
The golem joins the other at the stone and lifts it with little effort before moving it towards the door. The entire crew and all gathered onlookers are silent, watching the golems work.
"Goddess above," the lead Mason breathes. "How can I get one of those?!"
I laugh at his hungry grin. "Befriend a witch," I reply with a shrug.
He's gone a moment later, directing the golems to position the stone just right. With a final nod of approval, they drop the stone the last few inches, shaking the entire floor as it snaps into place.
"It feels like the whole place is coming down," Ethan calls, walking over to me. "Should have warned us."
"Sorry bud." I hold out my arm and he happily slips beside me letting my arm rest on his shoulders. "So what do you think?"
Ethan is quiet for a moment as he assesses the room. "They're cool, but a little scary..."
"They're safe, I meant the construction," I say with a laugh, guiding him to the now vacated center. Having done their task, the golems are back outside.
"It's different," he finally replies. His face falls as Percival makes his way over. I squeeze his shoulder and turn my attention to my advisor.
"The plans Highnesses," he offers, unrolling the first. It's a rendering of the hall, done up much the same as before with marble and plaster that makes Ethan frown.
"Not a fan?" I ask arching a brow. Ethan simply shrugs.
"King Leon's design," Percival explains. "He wanted to update the look to elevate status..." The advisor trails off, noticing Ethan's lack of interest and shifts his attention to me. I slightly shake my head, nodding to Ethan.
This will be his home, after all. It should be what he wants.
"Of course... If his Highness were to want to implement some improvements... perhaps something to reflect his own style?" Percival leads, trying to get Ethan to take the bait. "Well, there's hardly a better time than now, with it being a blank canvas."
Ethan tilts his head and looks at me. His golden gaze is guarded, like he feels like this is a test.
I chuckle at his reaction. "Bud, someday this will be all yours... I'm just a placeholder."
"You're not a placeholder to me," he mumbles, annoyance lacing his tone.
My throat tightens, catching his meaning. "You know what I mean," I reply with a smile. "If you could make it look like anywhere, what would you do?"
Ethan chews on his bottom lip as he mulls it over. Like a switch flipped the answer comes to him and he smiles. "Home... Still Waters," he clarifies.
"Very good Highness, but what made that place stand out to you?" Percival leads, a pen in his hand and the drawing flipped to take notes.
"It wasn't bare like this," Ethan replies with a shrug. "It reminded me of the forest..."
I grin at him, appreciating his feeling. "My forefathers built it from the forest and earth around it," I clarify. "Timber from the surrounding forest, rock from the earth... No plaster, no marble, just what nature had to offer."
"Nature, hmm?" Percival muses as he purses his lips. "Let me bring that to the designers and I'll have a new plan for your consideration by the end of the week."
"Thank you."
Percival bows and heads back out leaving us alone in the center. Looking at Ethan his gaze is unfocused leaving him looking a million miles away. "You good?"
He shrugs.
Great...
"I'm always here to listen, but can't help if you don't talk." I try to keep my tone light but even I hear the scolding tone.
"It's just... what if I'm not ready?" He trails off, barely a whisper.
"Ready? For what?" I ask, shifting to get a better look at him.
"For this," he grumbles, deliberately looking away from me. "What if I'm a shit king?"
I can't help the laugh that escapes me. That draws Ethan's attention and an angry glare, which only makes me laugh more.
"I'm serious!" He growls.
"And you're a bloody kid, already more level-headed and capable than half the Alphas I've met," I say with nothing but sincerity. "Ethan, you were born for this and I have no doubt you will be among the greats."
"No pressure though," he mumbles, crossing his arms over his chest.
I take in his sullen state and sigh before guiding him to a window overlooking training. "I'll tell you a secret my dad told me when I was your age."
His golden gaze flicks up to mine with his undivided attention. I leave him hanging only for a moment so he truly hears it.
"Being a leader or alpha or even king comes down to one simple thing... being the best man you can be."
Ethan considers my words for a moment, his brows furrowed before he shakes his head. "That doesn't make sense, there are plenty of good men that aren't kings or alphas?"
"True, but they are respected and looked up to. Being a bad man in power doesn't last... Look at Rob." My voice takes on a growl as I speak of our former ally, now rotting in a forest somewhere. "He lost the loyalty of his men, they followed Malcom who did what was right and subsequently became alpha."
My chest swells with pride as I watch his wheels turn as he picks apart what I've said. Many men would try and argue a point right off the bat without considering the point offered first.
"And what about Alpha Eric?" I ask, wanting to drive my point home.
"But he's a good one!" Ethan defends.
"Aye." I chuckle seeing his hackles raised. "An alpha of a pack far too small to be messing around with packs our size but he did. He followed his gut and did what needed to be done and it paid off, why?"
"He's honourable," Ethan murmurs. "He proved he was trustworthy and did it over and over again..."
"Exactly kid. Being a good man doesn't mean not making mistakes, it means doing the best you can and fixing things when you have to. That was the lesson my father taught me, one that I now pass onto you..."
His eyes shine as he smiles to himself before turning back to the window.
"There's lots of time yet, we aren't going anywhere any time soon. Enjoy being a kid," I say, ruffling his hair. Ethan groans and bats my hand away.
With our 'serious' talk over, we make our way to the dining hall. Ethan spots his friends, bailing on me almost instantly as I spot Kane sitting with Nex.
"I thought you'd be outside still," I tease with a crooked grin.
The hulking man shivers. "Fuck that! I don't think I'll ever understand it, but I trust your witches and Willow is having the time of her life with those... things." He shakes his head, unable to hide his disgust and confusion.
"She sure is something else," I agree with a chuckle. Kane grumbles and side-eyes me.
"So when are you guys taking off?" Nex asks, his grin tells how much he enjoys taunting his former alpha.
"Maybe tomorrow night," Kane muses.
"That soon, eh?" I sigh knowing how much Jess will miss them.
Hell, I like having him around but he has his own pack to deal with.
"We're having dinner with Connor tonight and she wants a proper goodbye with Jess." He looks wistfully around as he talks, betraying his resolve.
"Admit it, you're gonna miss us," Nex goads, arching a brow.
"About as much as a heart attack." Kane groans.
"I thought I was the old one?" I scoff at his lame comeback.
Kane huffs and crosses his arms over his chest defiantly. "Throwing in my lot with you has sure made life interesting," he begrudgingly admits. "I can't decide if I'm sad for it to end, or relieved for some downtime. Goddess knows I've still got a lot of rebuilding to do back home."
I grin, understanding what he means. "I for one am looking forward to some downtime."
"Enjoy it while you can, you've got what? Two months left?" Kane asks, mischief swirling in his eyes.
"Laugh it up jackass," Nex replies darkly. "Think Willow is immune?"
Kane's grin drops and he sobers instantly. Nex just grins more and takes a sip of his drink having won the round.
"Still want him back?" I ask, struggling to keep a straight face.
"Fuck that!" Kane scoffs, rolling his eyes. "He's your problem now!"
I can't hold back my laugh and the guys soon join in. The lightness I once again feel is relieving, to say the least.
'Chris?' Jess whispers, stilling me instantly.
'Yeah, baby?'
'Are you busy?' she hesitantly asks. Kane just grins.
'Nope, I'll be right up.'
"Duty calls?" Nex asks with a knowing smirk.
I wave my goodbyes among taunts of being whipped but even that can't wipe the smile from my face. The thought of being at my pregnant mate's beck and call leaves me grinning like a fool, optimistic for what the future might hold for us.