Quinn
Finally, we all had a break and we could all sit together and hang around. We had a form of mini picnic in the garden. The idea was brought on by Jack and welcomed by all. It was a nice idea to everyone as we all have missed one another and that was a better way of bonding again.
We had the head cook to make us some delicacies. I got some old mats from the store and we all spread it in an open space in the garden and sat around on them.
Whatever was going on around us, I was glad that we were finally able to find some time to relax and recharge.
Mia sighed as she popped a slice of fruit into her mouth and closed her eyes as she chewed. “Hmm, the cook makes the best of all meals. See how something as simple as a fruit salad melts down in your mouth and makes you feel like you are good. She makes art with food.”
I nodded in agreement. I couldn’t have agreed better. If she could make Mia eat and look as beautiful as she did when she ate it then I couldn’t have agreed more. Mia was an art and if she made meals that made her look like an art then she knew how to cook art indeed.
I had watched Mia as soon as she started eating and I couldn’t stop staring at her. She was beautiful and I was stunned at her beauty the more I looked.
She popped her eyes open and she saw me looking at her. She blushed, giving me a shy smile. “Why were you looking at me like that?”
I smiled at her and arched my eyebrows at her. “How was I looking at you?” I asked, though I knew what exactly I did.
“Never mind.” She said and popped another fruit slice in her mouth.
“I missed you.” I said, staring at her.
She went still in shock and coughed out. The fruit salad must have choked her and I felt bad for talking when she had something in her mouth.
I shouldn’t have done that but I couldn’t keep it to myself. Her eyes misted with unshed tears as she looked at me. “Quinn.”
“I’m sorry I blurted that out suddenly.” I blushed, hating the sheen of tears I saw in her eyes. “I should have let you finish eating before saying anything.”
She held up a finger to stop me and shook her head. “No, don’t worry. It was fine. I love it. I was just surprised to hear you admit that you love me.”
I frowned at her words. I would have wondered what she meant if I hadn’t seen the smile on her face and realized that she was teasing me.
“Oh! What do you mean?” I whined. “You act as if I don’t tell that I love you.”
She chuckled and popped another fruit in her mouth and chewed before responding. She shook her head, her eyes twinkling at me. “I didn’t say that. I only meant that you are more of a person who shows how you feel than say it.”
I sighed. I thought that I had gotten better and wasn’t any longer the uptight and close lipped wolf that I was. I wasn’t that person anymore.
Jack chuckled at the expression on my face. “Don’t bother your head too much. Mia knows that I’m the king of words and that is why she is not eager to give you my title regardless of how better you are trying. You can’t be good as I am, brother. Forget it, I’m the standard.”
I turned to Mia. “Is he right? Am I not truly trying?”
She picked another fruit slice into her mouth and didn’t say anything. I wondered if she didn’t have what she wanted to say or if she was afraid of hurting my feelings.
It was John who finally spoke up. “I agree with Jack. He is right. Regardless of how hard you are trying with words, he is still the king of words. You can’t beat that no matter how hard you are trying.”
I looked at John and gasped in shock. “You too?” I wasn’t expecting that. He had been busy reading on his phone and acting as if he wasn’t listening to our conversation and I didn’t think that he was going to join the conversation, butt in and come against me.
I had gotten used to much to John sitting silently among people and doing his thing while he only enjoyed their company and interaction going on around him that I didn’t think I needed his help to win this competition between me and Jack.
Oh yes, it was a competition. It had become one. We were both fighting for the throne of the king of words. I felt light and smiled with joy. It had been long that we had this freedom to sit together as we have all been busy and I felt good.
I turned to Mia to know what her response would be. John had supported Jack and I had only her to make it a draw. I would still settle with a draw than lose.
“Mia?” I called to her.
It was as if she had been waiting for someone to go against me for her to make up my mind.
“I will go with Jack.” She said.
“What?” I groaned. “Not you too.”
“Jack is right. He is the king of words. You can’t beat that.” She chuckled.
Jack laughed. “Hear that, brother. I think you should come here for some lessons.”
I snorted, pretending like I was angry. “Do you all know that I am your alpha and you are taunting me and getting me angry?”
“Oh! Have mercy, your highness.” They chuckled, giving me fake bows.
“Let’s not forget that we have the Luna on our side too.” Jack wagged his eyebrows at me. “Or are you going to punish the Luna as well?”
I sighed. “Of course, you know that I can’t punish the Luna.”
“And so you can’t punish us too. It would be unfair for you to punish us without punishing the Luna for a crime that we all committed. I’m not sure that is the kind of alpha you want to be, brother.” John teased me.
They had me in a hook and they knew it. I laughed. “I missed this. I’m glad we can all sit here to have some fun.”
“Me too.” Mia replied.
John snorted, looking at me and Mia. “The two of you are the reason we can’t have more of this. You have been busy as hell.”
“Exactly. If the two of you who are as busy as bees and didn’t have the time to miss anything can miss our time together, how do you think that me and John felt?” Jack added.
I sighed. “I’m sorry about the horrible gap among us, brothers. I would make sure that I work on my schedule so it wouldn’t be too tight and we would have more time for this.” I promised them.
“I will also make time for us to get together.” Mia also promised.
“Better.” Jack and John grinned.
We played some more games and were busy having fun and laughing that we didn’t know when a maid joined us.
I noticed her first and turned to her. She bowed as soon she saw that she had my attention.
“What happened?” I asked her.
She curtsied and extended an envelope to me. “You have a mail, master.”
I nodded and collected the mail from her. I missed when they were still calling me young master. They had been told that I had become the alpha of the pack and so they had changed my title. It was weird that they were calling me master as they used to call my dad but were still calling my brothers young masters.
Talk of hierarchy and its ills. I had been surprised and dad had laughed when I had heard them call dad senior master. Dad had realized that they were struggling with what to call me to show respect to me and didn’t want to call him what they were calling me to avoid distraction.
Dad had told them to call him elder and that had resolved the confusion. I had smiled at the thought of dad being called an elder when I knew that he didn’t intend to be one, at least, not until Fredo was out of the club. Dad didn’t like confrontation and that was what going to happen if he was an elder and was together with Fredo.
They would always have clashes as Fredo wouldn’t stop crossing his boundaries and that wouldn’t make them set good standards for the younger wolves. They would only end up making fools of themselves and dad didn’t want that. I didn’t want that for him as well.
He had been invited by Albus to join the group when he hadn’t shown up at the last meeting even though he knew that he was automatically an elder as a past alpha but still he didn’t show up.
I snapped back to reality and turned to the maid. I waved at her to go. She bowed and left.
“What is that?” Jack asked as soon as the maid was gone, his eyes on the envelope in my mind.
I flipped it over and read the inscription on it. “It is from the major.” I said as I turned to them.
“What is it about?” John asked.
“Let me read it.” I said as I tore the envelope open.
I sighed as I read through the contents of the letter. My face was dark with despair as I turned to my brothers.
“The major wants us back tomorrow. He says our leave is over.” I announced to my brothers.
Suddenly, the happy atmosphere in the room went down and everyone had a sour expression on their face. That was the last words that we wanted to hear, most especially Mia.