Chapter 39: Ferrin

I picked Willa’s dress off the couch and helped her slip it up her arms. She went to start buttoning it up, but we both quickly realized there were several buttons missing. I chuckled as her shoulders fell with a sigh, giving me a disappointed look.

“Oops,” I said with a shrug, not even about to hide my grin.

“If you keep this up, I’m going to run out of things to wear real quick,” she said, shoving my arm playfully.

“That’s not exactly an incentive to be more careful,” I replied.

“Ha ha,” she said. “But I don’t have any…”

I stopped her with a look.

“Miranda.” She caught on quickly, shaking her head with a grin.

“I told her to put everything in your room for now. We’ll move it whenever you want.”

“She really does deserve a raise, you know?” Willa said as she started towards the bedroom.

“Already taken care of,” I called after her. “Plus an extra week of paid vacation.”

She turned around, backing into the room without skipping a step. “That’s my man,” she said with a wink before closing the door.

I chuckled and remembered my own state of undress. I re-fastened my jeans and grabbed my shirt off the couch. The scent of Willa and what we had just done was all over me. As much as I loved it, it wasn’t exactly the state I wanted to be in when our guest arrived. So, I rushed to my room, slipped on a clean shirt, and washed my hands and face in the bathroom quickly. I had just stepped out of my room when there was a knock on the door.

I had just called for them to come in when I noticed Willa’s discarded underwear still on the floor. I scooted across the room and quickly kicked them under the couch just as Arlo busted into the room. His expression didn’t look happy. He slammed the door behind him and stalked toward me. I wasn’t sure why, but he was pissed.

“Arlo?” I said cautiously.

We stared each other down for a few moments. Then his face suddenly broke out in a wide smile.

“You bloody arsehole,” he said with his thick accent, punching me in the shoulder. “You run off and find yer mate, and I have ta hear about it from fuckin’ Damen.”

“Arlo, you big bastard, it’s not my fault you took twice as long to complete the mission I sent you on,” I joked.

“As I recall, we didn’ expect to find anything in that cesspit, so I’d say I finished in a fraction of the time,” he replied as we embraced. “So, where is my Luna I keep hearin’ so much about?”

As if on command, the door to Willa’s room opened.

“Hey, babe, do you think…” She stopped in her tracks when she noticed Arlo in front of me. “Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t hear anyone arrive.”

She made her way over to us, subtly running a hand through her curls as she often did when meeting someone new.

“Babe, this is my cousin, Arlo,” I said, resting a hand on her back. “Arlo, this is my mate, Willa.”

“It’s wonderful to meet you, Arlo,” Willa said, extending her hand as always.

Arlo grinned and, faster than you would have expected for someone his size, he scooped her up in a huge bear hug. Well, lycan hug, so to speak. I shook my head, unsurprised by his action. Willa, on the other hand, gaped at me with a shocked but amused look. I could understand her feelings. I probably would have ripped the throat out of anyone else who dared to touch her like that, and she knew it. But Arlo was family. Family I had a long and deep history with.

He set her back down on her feet, pushing her out to arm’s length. “So, tell me, Willa, what did he do to get a gorgeous thing like you to fall for an ugly mug like him?”

“Oh, you know, kidnapping, a head injury, and the threat of sudden death. The usual,” she teased.

I groaned and looked up to the ceiling as Arlo busted out laughing.

“Well, that is new for him. I guess that’s where he’s been going wrong all these years.”

“Oh, really,” she said, looking over to me. “So, what has he been trying over the years, then? And with whom?”

“Okay,” I said, stepping in and wrapping an arm around Willa’s waist, “that’s enough of this conversation.”

“Uh-huh.” She looked back at Arlo. “We’ll be revisiting this another time.”

He responded with a wink, and for the first time in a while, I felt a nearly overwhelming urge to punch him in the face.

“Now that you two have been introduced,” I interjected, “We have a few things I would like to discuss. First, Arlo has returned to help us look into the whereabouts of the seer who presented the prophecy ten years ago.”

“Yes, you mentioned she hadn’t been seen or heard from since then,” Willa said.

“If we’re honest, the last time anyone really saw her was before that even,” Arlo said. “She’s always been a little bit of a recluse. She wasn’t even the one who delivered the prophecy to the court. It was Lord Henshaw that provided that.”

“So, how do we know she actually foretold it?” Willa asked.

“She signed it. We had the signature confirmed. Plus, Lord Henshaw is a friend and ally,” I offered. “He stated he was there when she had the vision.”

“But the issue is, she is a Boucher,” Arlo said.

“She’s seemed much more supportive of my rule than her cousins, Callum and Desiree,” I stated. “And they are still family. But Callum and Desiree were the last ones in contact with her, as far as we know. Callum is being… hesitant at providing information for us.”

“That’s where I come in,” Arlo said with a wicked expression. “That’s actually why I was absent at your arrival this morning, Luna. I apologize. It was a good opportunity to check out the quarters the Bouchers are staying in.”

“Did you find anything,” I asked, my interest piqued.

Arlo shrugged. “Not this time. Lady Boucher returned sooner than I expected. She certainly didn’t look happy,” he chuckled.

“You should warn us next time,” Willa said with her own mischievous grin. “I would have been happy to keep exchanging… pleasantries with the good lady.”

 Arlo responded with a deep belly laugh. “I just might have to take you up on that offer, Luna.”

“Please, call me Willa.”

“I would be honored.”

I pulled my mate in front of me, resting my arms around her middle as I leaned on the couch. “There’s one more thing I wanted to talk to you two about. How often do you think you’ll be away with this current assignment, Arlo?”

He shrugged. “It depends on the Boucher’s movements, really. But their county is only a few hours from here, and something tells me that they’ll be staying close by for a while. So, I shouldn’t have to spend too much time away.”

“Good,” I said. “Because I want you to train with Willa.”

“Really?” Arlo asked with raised eyebrows.

“Yeah, I have a couple projects I would like her to take over for me soon. But I want you to test her skills first.”

“Hold on,” Willa said, looking up at me with a confused look. “What kind of training?”

“Arlo is one of the best fighters I’ve ever met, in both human and lycan form. He’s even put Austin to shame a few times. He helps train our warriors when they reach the higher, more advanced ranks.”

“But I know how to fight,” Willa said defensively.

“Oh, I’m well aware of that,” I assured her. “That’s why I want you to do this. We’ve been encouraging more of our werewolf population to join our military over the last few decades. But we still have only a small number of wolves in our ranks.”

“A lot of our wolves are loyal, but they still have trouble trusting larger government agencies because they are still firmly under lycan control,” Arlo offered in explanation. “Some feel like joining will just lead to a new form of subjugation, rather than an equal integration.”

“So, you want me to make some appearances because having a Luna who’s a werewolf may encourage them to bolster your ranks?”

I could hear a slight bitterness in her voice that worried me. I feared she was misinterpreting my intentions, which was the last thing I wanted. But that’s when I realized she knew next to nothing about my politics or how I wanted to run my kingdom.

“Can we have a minute?” I said to Arlo. He nodded and left our quarters so we could talk. Once the door closed, I turned Willa around to face me. “You wouldn’t just be making an appearance, babe. You’ll be the head of the division, or one of them, at least. I want you to be in charge of bringing in and training the new werewolf recruits. I’m not using you to push any false pretenses.”

She still looked a little unsure. I held her face as I looked into those beautiful hazel eyes.

“Willa, have I ever made you feel like you are less because you are a werewolf?”

She sighed. “No.”

“That’s because I don’t believe that. I never have. There is still division in this country that I don’t like. Prejudices that I’m trying to get rid of. I need your help to do that. Please?”

She tried not to smile as she rolled her eyes. “Okay, I guess I could put some time into it.”

She giggled as I kissed her. “Thank you.”

“What’s the other project you were talking about?” she asked.

“I’ve still got to iron out the details on that one. I’ll let you know in a week or two,” I said. “Besides, before we move forward with anything, you need to finish healing first.”

“I can handle that,” she agreed.

I was about to suggest we have a late lunch brought up when Damen’s voice came through the mind-link.

‘Ferrin, we need you in your office. Now.’ He didn’t sound happy.

‘What’s wrong? Can you come here?’ I asked, not wanting to leave Willa by herself just yet.

‘I highly doubt you want our Luna involved in this conversation, so no,’ Damen snapped.

‘What’s this about, Damen?’ I asked, getting annoyed.

‘Just get your ass down here, Ferrin.’

He cut the link without another word. Willa quickly caught my change in mood and started to worry.

“What’s wrong?”

I kissed her forehead with a sigh. “I’m not sure, but Damen needs me in my office. I’m sure everything will be fine. If it was serious, he would have told me over the mind-link. But I’ve got to go. I’ll be back soon, okay?”

She nodded at me with a sweet smile. I held her to me for another moment before I left to see what the hell was going on with Damen.