Finally, the meeting ended with promises that they’d come back for the start of the celebrations at noon.
“I’ll go finish up figuring out when we have time for any of this and attempt to prioritize it all.” Alrick closed the door behind the NARC investigators and looked at his mate.
“I wish we knew something of the timeline of how events will play out. I’ll keep you company while you work. I’m tired but I don’t want to have another trip into the Dream Realm again.”
Alrick frowned. “You might get more clarity.”
“What if cl
The morning came to early Jessie woke up to music playing outside. Just as the music got started, it would stop and start again. Someone was setting up the sound system. A peek outside the window showed Jessie that the front lawn was bustling with people. The last steps for the New Year’s Eve Event. She couldn’t believe that things have come so far, so fast, yet there was so much more that need to be done. Jessie needed to remember that there was so much more they’d need to accomplish in the coming days. But today would be for the pack one last hurrah before their expansion would happen. Alrick Came out of the bathroom having just finished showering and stepped into his closet. She figured now was her turn to get her day sta
The two couples spent their time talking with each other as they waited for Rachel and entourage to arrive. It was an interesting time because Jessie learnt so much about Craig and Alrick as they talked about their combined past. Lily, too, seemed to learn things about them as well. The men needed to be pulled away from pack business when Craig brought up the idea of solar and wind generation for the pack. His idea was sound, but not today. If they controlled the electricity and pulled the pack off the human’s electrical grid, the pack would not need to explain the use of their electricity. Wind turbines and grasslands combined wouldn’t need more land and brush wouldn’t need to be cleared. It was a future project for a future that was still a ways away.&
The day slowly ended, and they left any thought of troublemakers and awkward scenes behind. As darkness fell, the pack withdrew to the audience chamber and the dining hall was both open for eating. Jessie had an idea for a better space, but again, it would have to wait until time allowed. There was growing, and they needed to expand to accommodate everyone. Jessie wandered through the audience chamber, smiling and chatting with people. Wishing them a happy New Year and ensuring that they’d everything they needed, we’re enjoying themselves. As dinner ended, they pushed the tables to the side, and everyone gathered again. Alrick took to the stage and paced there while he waited for everyone to assemble. He welcomed everyone to the next stage of the celebration. Introducing a DJ, a well-known Druid musician, who began by filling the room with a variety of dance music as the hours played
Alrick climbed into bedside Jessie and curled up to her. “When do you next see Doc. J.J.?” “In the morning, eight in the morning. He’s going into the office here to let me have some privacy for tests he wants to run. It won’t be an ultrasound or anything special like that. Why?” “I want to go with.” “Don’t you trust me?” Jessie sat up and looked at him through the darkness. “What do you think I’ll do?”
Rachel and Davie returned to their cabin. It’d been an enjoyable evening. It wasn’t their pack, but at least they were welcome, and the evening’s events were familiar. “Well, that was an evening of surprises.” “You can say that again. First, they discover a mine full of… What type of gem was it? To think the Iron Hill Pack failed and died out because of mismanagement and a lack of education about their choice of business. Gods, how many suffered and died in unnecessary poverty? Who can you blame now? Jessie didn’t know the pack was hers. Yet she did her job without the resources or knowing it was her job.” “I guess it proves that the job is more than a title. You can be an Alpha without the title and have
Jessie rambled around the packhouse with nothing much left to do with the cleanup. There was a surprising amount of compost to remove from the building, but by spring it would be well on its way to be useable in the gardens. She’d a chance earlier to see them, and an expansion would need to happen. But if upgrades were being made, she’d thought an additional greenhouse or two would be well worth the cost. But that would wait for spring. Alrick already confirmed with Rachel that they’d be able to question Hector at eleven this morning. She’d meet them and everyone would travel together. But with the winter months, many people volunteered on the cleanup, and Jessie’s pregnancy was the excuse used to exclude her from cleanup chores. It’d not taken long for someone to spill the beans to Bonnie about her pregnancy. Right now Bonnie was pouting because she’d m
Ever since speaking with Doc. J. J., Alrick was questioning the sanity of Jessie’s decision to talk to her brother. He would ensure he stayed close to Jessie through the whole thing. But he truly contemplated putting his foot down and saying no. What he worried about how the stress of arguing would affect her health. Now he pulled the vehicle up to the front of the packhouse. There he stopped and looked out over the front of the building. “What’s up?” Jessie looked around, confused at what he looked at. “Pups… I think it’s just sinking in. We’re going to be parents…”
The small group left the holding cells in silence. They returned to the packhouse and settled down to eat lunch. “Why do I feel like this is all my fault? If I’d done something or said something. Why didn’t he say something about this to me?” “It’s an internal conversation to explain why they treated the way they did. I don’t think he wanted to talk about it, because he might learn that he was wrong. He isolated himself because of it. Hector lied to everyone, and he stole from everyone. He hated being Alpha, and he fought against the responsibility. There’s nothing sane about that. You are a victim, not a cause. Your parents created this, and I don’t believe they were the only ones involved. This i