Chapter 52

Killian

The sound of hammering woke me, like a woodpecker had made a nest in my skull.

I cursed myself for scheduling a contractor this early, then the fog cleared and I remembered that I had not scheduled any work to be done.

I peel myself out of bed, the sheets damp from whatever stressful dream I was having the night before. A note on my side table explained a bit what was going on:

“Party planning starts now! xo, N”

My groggy brain took a moment to catch up until remembered the events of the day before. N stood for Natalie. She was back, and she was already knee deep in planning a party to welcome herself back.

It felt in line with the Natalie I knew, a young woman who loved socializing and champagne. She thrived at the center of attention, and had the elegance and regality that the great poets wrote about.

There was a time when I found her the most enchanting and exciting girl in the world, and all I wanted was to parade her around like I’d won a trophy. I had missed her effervescence when contrasted with Elena’s quiet obedience, not knowing the value in someone who listened more than they spoke.

I balanced these ideals on scales in my head as I got up and prepared myself for the day.

Downstairs, it looked like my home had been invaded. People were already swirling about like bees in a hive, and men were carrying lumber in from outside.

I found Natalie in the great hall, directing things. A stage was being constructed, and new fabric hung to look like Vaudevillian curtains.

“Oh good you’re up!”

Natalie flounced over to me as if I was the one who needed to get with the program. She was wearing a dress I recognized, and I wondered how she had found her own clothing so quickly.

“Natalie,” I said, keeping my voice low between us, “what on earth is going on in here? It’s barely eight-thirty in the morning.”

“I know, it’s a bit noisy,” she said coyly, “but with hosting a party tonight we had to start as soon as possible.”

“Tonight?”

“Well, of course tonight,” Natalie said, placing her hand on my chest, “a welcome home banquet should happen as soon as possible, before my arrival becomes old news.”

“Yes, but Natalie, all this preparation—“

“Don’t worry,” she said, “I’ve looked at the numbers and it’s definitely in the budget. And luckily enough of the Pack remembered me so signing off on things was easy to do.”

“Natalie, please—“

“I’m taking care of everything, darling,” she said, her hand shifting to stroke my cheek, “all you have to do is show up and look handsome by my side.”

She held me in her seductive gaze, and I almost gave in to her grey eyes and furtive brow. Then I watched her eyes shift to something behind me, and I turned to look.

Elena stood in the doorway, looking small and lost.

When she saw me see her, she turned and left. I followed her, leaving Natalie huffing behind me, and barely caught her as she made her way towards the back exit of the house.

“Elena, wait!”

She spun around, her face working hard to stay calm.

“Good morning,” she said formally. “It seems Natalie’s party is coming together already.”

“I’m sorry if she woke you, she woke me too,” I tried to justify it but realized it sounded like I was defending Natalie. “I swear, I did not agree to this.”

Her face was cloudy, uncertain, and then accepting of whatever was happening around her.

“I understand, it is such an important event for the pack,” she said, turning to walk away.

I reached for her, and she looked surprised to find my hand on her arm.

“Elena—“

“I’d like to go to the gardens now,” she said, a statement and an order for me to release her. “It seems I am not needed here, so I should go somewhere where I can be useful.”

She pulled free from my grip and was gone. I thought to go after her, but realized I had nothing to say or offer that could make the situation any better.

The day passed in chaos, and I couldn’t focus on anything important. Even when I went out for a walk I was stopped by pack members who were confused but excited by tonight’s surprise banquet event, and all I could do was smile and nod like I was in on the secret.

I made the mistake of looking at receipts late in the evening, and was shocked to see what Natalie was spending on food and ‘ambiance,’ and without even asking me, the Alpha, for approval.

I sighed, head in my hands, in the quiet I finally found in my office at the end of a long day. I reminded myself that Natalie had been through hell, and this was her way of finding closure and moving on from the three years she spent away from her people.

We would have to tighten the belt elsewhere, but the party would happen the way she wanted to. And in the end, I was a happy to see her happy. No matter what, she had been taken as a hostage to save pack and no one could say anything against that. It was good to see her smile again.

I knocked on Elena’s door the following night, hoping to escort her down to the great hall for the party. She didn’t answer, though I knew she was in there.

“Elena? It’s me.”

Finally, the door opened with a groan that I imagined matched the one Elena was emitting. Her hair was piled upon top of her head in an elegant style, but she still only wore a silk kimono. Her face was unexpressive.

“Are you almost ready?” I asked, trying not to pressure her. “The guests are arriving, and I think it would be good for the Alpha and Luna to greet everyone as a couple.”

She paused, a tempest in her eyes. “I thought you already had a Luna downstairs, surely she can take my place as hostess for the evening. It is her party, after all.”

“She is not my Luna,” I said, stepping into her room slightly. “Elena, I know we still have to figure this out, but you are my Mate, my wife. The past is murky, but my commitment to you is clear.”

“I’ll be down when I’m ready.”

She closed the door slowly, at least sparing my dignity by not slamming it in my face. I exhaled, hoping no staff member was lurking and watching my rejection.

Everyone was invited, and the room did look quite impressive. A live jazz band played on the stage. A long table full of food welcomed guests to make a decadent plate for themselves. The photo booth seemed indulgent, but guests seemed to respond well to it so I put my complaints aside.

Natalie flitted around the room with a bottle of champagne, refiling glasses and toasting people as if they were still the best of friends. Even though I was still overwhelmed by her return to my life, it was hard not to feel joyous to see her back in her element.

I remembered why I had fallen for her many years ago.

Natalie even convinced me to join her for a dance, and I found it hard to refuse with all the guests around us watching. Many were excited to see Natalie again. While some still seem confused. A few kept asking where Luna Elena was, and I had to make excuses for her tardiness.

“Dance with me,” Natalie’s fingers were wrapping around mine as she dragged me to the center of the dance floor. “Don’t worry— I’ll lead.”

I relented, and after a few moments of swaying I was feeling in a better mood. She was polite and platonic, and didn’t chastise me when I let my eyes wander among the crowd. I let myself break free, spinning her on one arm away from me then pulling her back in.

“Dip me!” She squealed with glee.

Her slender frame fell into my arms as I bent and leaned to support her, our faces landing an inch apart. We were frozen for a moment, the moment broken when she kissed the tip of my nose then laughed as she pulled herself up to stand again.

We were both giggling as we unwound ourselves, and then Natalie gasped and I followed her gaze.

There was Elena, gorgeous in a simple black gown, looking like a house the world had fallen down around her. The crowd closed in between us, and as Natalie went one way I fought to go the other way towards Elena.

“Elena, stay,” I said, trying to grab her without force, “come enjoy the party. Gods you’re beautiful—“

“It’s alright, Killian,” she snapped at me, “you don’t have to work so hard.”

Clearing herself from me, she smoothed her dress and walked towards the table reserved for the Alpha family. I followed a puppy with his tail between his legs. Just as I was pushing in her chair to sit, feedback from an amp piece through the crowd.

“Sorry, sorry,” Natalie’s voice boomed through the room, “I’m not good with this.”

She made a silly face as she held the mic in the air like a foreign object.

“I just wanted to say thank you, to all of you, for being here tonight,” she said, honey dripping off her words, “it means so much to to see that you still care.”

A small cheer went up, not enough to write home about.

“I know I’ve been gone a long time, and that you all thought I must be dead,” her voice was somber now, but seemed rehearsed. “But rest assured, I’m back now!”

She expected more of a positive reaction than she got, but clearly she had fans in the audience.

“And I can only imagine how happy you all must be,” she said, building something, “to now that your real Luna has now returned.”