Jade’s pov:
The pack began to disperse, and Alex and I were ready to go to his office when Mr Stevens stopped us, concern etched on his face, “Alpha, a word?”
“Sure,” Alex said readily, and I wondered if he had expected such a thing, “follow us to the office.”
The moment the door of the office clicked shut behind us, the man who showed proud airs earlier, began to ask in a desperate voice, “Why aren’t we allowed to visit Jessica?”
Alex raised an eyebrow at the question before saying calmly, “Because she has committed treason, and is only at the dungeons while she waits for her trial.”
“You don’t mean that, alpha?” The man almost sounded broken at that point even though his eyes were anything but. Then, turning to glare at me, he added, “After being your partner for a couple of years, it is only normal that she found it hard to accept the newcomer as your fated mate.”
I had to hold back a scoff of disbelief.
“She knew what she was getting into, but then again her greed for the Luna title made her blind,” I told him in a sereine tone of voice.
How I didn’t get irked by his comment was beyond me, but it was all for the better.
“She spoke ill of her Luna, and even went as far as to tell another pack of her being a born healer,” Alex growled, his eyes flickering between his usual green and black a tell-tale sign of his anger. I stood closer to Alex and reached out for his hand, squeezing it to tell him I was right there, next to him, by his side, where I belonged.
“She was desperate for your attention, and made the silliest mistake,” Mr Stevens let out callously. “Please show mercy, Alpha.”
“The trial will be on Thursday of the following week,” Alex then said in a chilly tone of voice. “See you then.”
“Thank you for your time, Alpha,” the man said, seemingly forcing himself to remain civil, before leaving the office.
Jessica’s father seemed desperate to save her. And while I could understand the feeling, what she did was still unforgivable. I knew Alex to be lenient about most pack issues, save when it came to treason.
“A penny for your thoughts, love?” He asked me as he turned to look at me.
I was still focused on the door through which Mr Stevens had retreated, and I couldn’t help the foreboding settling deep inside my heart.
“Honestly?” I asked with a little bit of a smile.
“Always,” he nodded.
“I have a bad feeling about The Stevens,” I declared matter-of-factly. Even though this might make me sound paranoid, I would rather we be safe than sorry.
“Same,” Alex told me succinctly before adding in a light and more cheerful tone of voice, “Don’t you worry, little wolf. I will protect you.”
“I love you, Alex,” I said simply, as tears sprung to my eyes for some reason beyond me, “and I cannot even imagine my life without you.”
“I love you more, Jade,” he declared sweetly. “And you don’t have to imagine such a thing, for I am not going anywhere.”
** ** ** ** ** ** **
It was soon enough Alex’s birthday, and I was giddy with excitement. I had done my best and baked him a big birthday cake, but also cookies for the pack.
Luc stopped by the kitchen, where I got busy with some omegas, and inhaled none too discreetly, “It smells good in here.”
“I would hope so,” I told him with an easy smile. Then, I asked hesitantly, “Do you think Alex will like it?”
“You bet,” he nodded at me, mirroring my smile. “It’s amazing how you don’t feel tired, even after the intense training we’ve been having everyday.”
“I’m confused myself to tell you the truth,” I conceded, worrying my bottom lip.
“But then again, we know so little about born healers, so maybe it’s one of your attributes,” he shrugged almost carelessly.
“Could be,” I nodded.
And he was soon on his way out of the kitchen, while I finished decorating the cake. I was no expert, and it wasn’t as delightful as I had hoped it would be, but I did my best.
When it was almost time for lunch, I went to take a quick shower so I wouldn’t smell of vanilla and other baking ingredients.
When I descended the stairs, I saw many pack members loitering around, seemingly waiting for something, and I wondered if they were here for the cake… It might seem silly but since I became a member of the pack, this would be my first informal involvement with so many fellow wolves.
It made me excited but also worried I might mess up.
I shouldn’t have worried. Lunch went down without a hitch, and just as Alex was rising to his feet, seemingly ready to resume work, I held onto his hand.
“Sit,” I said softly, and he obliged me without further ado.
I then called, “Girls, please… ” I trailed off, not wanting to ruin the surprise.
When Alex caught sight of the cake, he said, “Oh, you remembered?”
“Of course I did,” I deadpanned, shaking my head in disbelief at the mere suggestion that I wouldn’t remember.
“Oh, Luna Jade did more than just remember,” Luc let out jokingly.
I blushed and told him to shush, but Luc being Luc was having none of it.
“She’s been training alongside the pack everyday to become stronger, but also hitting the kitchen afterwards to make sure she can bake this for you, alpha.”
Alex turned to me, disbelief and amazement warring in his eyes, “You baked this? For me?”
“For who else?” I let out jokingly even as my blush became even more furious.
His hand squeezed mine as I added, “I hope you’ll like it.”
“I know I will,” he assured me at once, grinning at me.
I watched him cut into the cake clumsily for a moment, before taking matters into my own hands. It was a 24-slice cake. And it was all I managed to make, along with the cookies. It might not be enough to feed the whole pack, but everyone present here could have a bite.
Those were the good times we had while the storm was brewing right above our heads. And while we were partly aware of the impending doom, we didn’t know how disastrous it would be just yet.
We just weren’t prepared.