Chapter 50

KARIN POV

“It was the funniest thing I’ve ever witnessed,” Maggie says, chuckling. She leaned against my bedpost. “Sir Ansel grumbled from here to his next meeting of mutiny in his own home. And I do not know why he was so upset with Henry, but as soon as he saw him, it seemed to set his anger ablaze again.”

I giggled. “Because Ansel cannot fathom someone outdoing him in something. Finding out Henry’s natural inclination is to be romantic was probably too much for him to bear. It reminds me of how competitive he was at the sanitorium. It didn’t matter what it was, he had to be the best at it. By the way, thank you for staging a mutiny for me even at the risk of your heads.”

Joy tugged at the yellow tulle dress that hung in my closet. “Well, I, for one, am just glad that he asked you so you can stop pouting. It was starting to be very gloomy in the manor because of the dark cloud surrounding you.”

“Oh hush it,” I say, chiding her. “I was not that bad.”

“I know you were worse. I swear Sir Ansel has to know by now how much you love him because you go bananas with worry whenever something happens.” I cough loudly, almost falling from the bed to the floor. “Wait. Have you two not said it yet?”

“Stop teasing her,” Maggie scolded. “Of course they’ve said it.” She looked at me and I averted my eyes. “Lady Karin?”

“I mean, we haven’t officially made the declaration.” I paused in thought. “Come to think of it, we haven’t made an official declaration of anything.” Sighing, I rubbed my forehead. “Thanks Joy. Now the worry is taking over again.”

Tossing the yellow dress, Joy reached for a red laced one. “Sorry, that wasn’t my intention. It’s just the way you two fawn over one another. I figured saying the L word would come naturally, but hey, not everyone has a way with words. I mean, it’s all about the actions, right Maggie?”

“Absolutely,” Maggie said, chiming in. “And Sir Ansel has done plenty to prove that he loves you.”

“Do you think I’ve proven it to him?”

She smiled warmly. “Yes, I do. I think that’s probably why you drive him so crazy. Henry says that he feels comfortable to be his real self around me because I provide him with the safe space to do so. I think you do the same thing for Sir Ansel.” A smile soon pours on my face, causing them to do the same.

“Thanks for that. All I want is for him to be happy.”

“He is. I can tell.”

Joy gave me an apologetic look. “Sorry about panicking you before. I really meant nothing by it.”

“I know. It’s okay.” I point to the dress in her hand. “That one would look beautiful on you.”

“You think so?”

“Mhm. Way better than it ever did on me. Try it on.” As she did, worry found her face. “What’s the matter?”

“I don’t want to put down your mood again, but I was wondering if you’ve heard anything from your father.” My face falls, and she pursed her lips. “Nice going, Joy. Two for two,” she muttered.

“I have heard nothing. He refuses to answer my links and again, they still won’t let me see him at his request. All I know is that he’s still alive.”

“Why don’t you get Sir Ansel to get you in to see him? I mean, yes, Full Moon has stringent laws, but I highly doubt they will deny a request from royalty even if it’s from another pack.”

“Possibly, but even with his influence without payment, my father’s release is not an option.”

“Maybe not, but at least you could visit him and finally get to the bottom of why he’s giving you such a hard time about seeing him.”

I look at Maggie, who nods her head in agreement. I mull over the suggestion. Could I really ask Ansel to use his influence to allow me to see my father? If I did, would that make things better or worse that I’m blatantly going against my father’s wishes? “I’ll think about it,” I reply after a moment.

“Good. I hope you decide to ask him, though. I know how much you miss your dad.” Joy posed in the mirror, then faced us. “What do you both think?”

Maggie and I put our thumbs up. “Perfect. Just like I knew it would be,” I say.

“Great.” She tilted her head. “Do you think I could borrow one more outfit?”

“Sure, but for what?”

Her cheeks reddened. “Doc is taking me for a picnic later.”

“Ohh…” Maggie says, teasingly. “Sounds like things are progressing with you and the good doctor.”

Joy turns around, but the redness of her cheeks is noticeable in the mirror. “Do not make fun of me. It’s been a long time since I’ve been around a nice man. This will be our second date. Last night, he took me to a secluded restaurant. I thought it was because he didn’t want to be seen with”—she sighed—“well you know. But it was the opposite. I didn’t notice until we entered but there we were standing in Le Chez.”

“Wow…that’s one of the most expensive restaurants in Blue Moon,” I say and she nods.

“Tell me about it. I tried to order the least expensive thing, but he called me out on it. He told me to eat to my heart’s desire and not to worry about the bill. I couldn’t believe it, especially because I wasn’t expecting anything so fancy.” She smiled shyly. “He is the sweetest man I’ve ever met. We talked for hours, and he was so attentive. He didn’t bat an eye when people looked at us. I had his full attention.”

“I’m happy for you, Joy.” I genuinely meant it. With everything she’d been through, she deserved a happy ending. Smiling, she returned to shopping in my closet while Maggie and I giggled at her excitement.

“Have you seen Ansel?” I asked Charles as I entered the kitchen. I’d been searching for him for the past few hours with no luck.

“I believe you’ll find him on the training field,” he replied. “I would be cautious. He’s in rare form. He’s been besting everyone on the field for the past few hours.”

“Okay, I will,” I say and make my way to the back of the manor. It doesn’t take long for the sound of growls and yelps to fill my ears.

“Is that all you got?!” Ansel roared to his men. He placed his bloody paw on the chest of a sprawled-out gamma. “You’ve shifted, and yet you’re not connected with your wolf. I’ve easily thwarted you because your head is not in the game! How can I put you on the field if this is the best you have to show me!” I watched as he strolled down the middle of the shifted gammas. “All of you have disappointed me today. But I’ll tell you what? How about I give you an unfair advantage? All of you at once against me.” The gammas looked from one to the other and Ansel grinned. “What? Too afraid to take me on? I know you’re all angry with me. I can feel it. How about you let your wolves release some of that pent up aggression?”

Without another word, the gammas charge at him. I cover my mouth as the wolves leap on Ansel’s massive golden wolf. They bury him under their bodies, but before I could cry out, the pile started to shake. Gamma after gamma lands in a thud on the ground as Ansel kicks them off. He stands and wipes the blood from his snout. “Oh, so close, but you’re going to have to do better than that,” he mocks. “On the field, use that inner anger. Challenge it, work with it, not against it. I would lie down my life for every one of you, but I want to never be in the position that I must. If you want to make it home to your families; to Blue Moon, I need you to be the gammas I know you to be. Be the ones that the world fears!” The gammas howl loudly, and he joins. Pride fills my heart at the sight. For as tough as he was on his men, he also paraded them with respect.

Not wanting to interrupt, I quietly slink away. Making my way back inside, the crunch of leaves stops me in my tracks. A strong hand grabs my arm and whips me around. Ansel stares at me with canary eyes and leans in, bringing his lips inches from mine. “And where do you think you’re going, Little Wolf?” he says before he kisses me.