Chapter 111

Zane POV

Contrary to popular belief, alphas rarely strut. For evidence, I would point to parents’ night at their children’s school, where every parent, no matter what their social rank, was doing their best not to strut or peacock or preen. It was difficult, I admit, but we were all resisting at best we could.

Saradon Elementary held three parent nights during the school year, with the first just two weeks into the fall semester. The idea was for us to see where our pups were spending their time and to have a baseline to measure their progress during the year.

Sarah and I had toured the school before the term began, of course, but it was nice to see it now with all the pups and kids running around, wolf and human families interacting as equals and sharing concerns about their children.

We were treated to a two-song performance by the fourth-level choir, were shown woodwork by the advanced arts class, and then got to enjoy science projects by the first-levels, which had been part of their enrollment assignments they’d had two weeks to improve on with the faculty’s help during science class.

Grace’s project was a demonstration of basic color theory and the different mood effects of colors on humans and wolves. She found that among the subjects she’d tested, ten of them including me, Sarah, Hans, Rachel, and her school friends, humans found red to be a more aggressive and alarming color than wolves and that wolves found black to be the most calming color, whereas humans were most calmed by a mid-ranged blue.

Chloe’s project was a practice experiment about the best way to grow luminous mushrooms using four different light levels and two different kinds of soil. Her best crop came from a soil mix of woodchips and coffee grounds with only three hours of low-level light.

Both projects achieved top marks, and I believe Sarah and I experienced equal levels of difficulty in not strutting away from the science room. We were openly beaming, however.

Ella was outside in the hallway, looking even more stunning than usual yet perfectly dressed for the occasion in a blue pantsuit. Next to her stood a little alpha pup.

“Ella,” I said in surprise as Sarah and I approached her.

“Zane, darling,” she said with a smile that had a launched thousand ad campaigns. She placed her hands lightly on my shoulders and gave my cheek a kiss.

“I didn’t know you were back from France.”

“Only got back into town a couple days ago, though it wasn’t from Paris.” She laughed as though the idea were ridiculous, but she often did that.

I looked down. “And who is this, if I may ask?”

“This is Jordan, my nephew.”

“Olivia’s little nephew?” I asked in amazement, looking down at him. “Last time I saw you, you were just—well, no, I’m not going to do that to you.”

“I was a baby then,” Jordan said with a shrug. He was a handsome child, and his voice was cultured with a charming hint of a Castilian accent. “Are Grace and Chloe here? Aunt Ella said I could meet them.”

I smiled in surprise. That was nice to hear. “Yes, they’re in their government class, I believe.”

“With the cupcakes?” he asked with excitement in his blue eyes.

I laughed.

“I’ll take him if you like,” Sarah said to Ella. “You and Zane can catch up a bit.”

“That’s very kind,” Ella said. She looked down. “Would you like to go get a cupcake with Miss Sarah?”

Jordan nodded, and Sarah held out her hand. He took it, and together they walked down the hallway ranked with its lockers, posters, and display cases.

“Hard to believe,” I said, watching them.

“They do grow up fast. Alexander says hello,” Ella said, referencing Olivia’s older brother, who I knew was currently living in Spain.

“You were in Madrid?” I asked.

“Oh yes, after Paris and then the Riviera and then Florence.” She laughed. “I’ve sold more makeup in the last few months than Macy’s. I needed a little break, and Alexander’s home is always open to me.”

“It’s a nice place,” I said somewhat wryly. It had once been a king’s winter palace, after all. I frowned at a sudden thought. “Maybe I should take the girls to meet their uncle.”

She didn’t answer, and I looked at her. She smiled beautifully. “I’ve been following you in the news.”

“Oh?”

“Yes. Busting up a human sex slavery ring? And now a corrupt mine covering up mistreatment of humans? Sarah has certainly been keeping you busy.”

“And the girls,” I said, thinking I might tell her about their unknown role the night of the charity masquerade. With an odd start, I realized I didn’t quite trust her to keep it a secret.

“It’s simply marvelous Chloe is back in your lives,” she said sweetly. “And Sarah did such a great job with her, didn’t she? It’s no wonder, really.”

“No wonder what?”

Ella shrugged gracefully. “How taken you all are with her. I mean, she has her own publicist now, doesn’t she, to deal with all the public adoration?”

“As you said, we’ve all been busy,” I said, feeling a little uneasy and not sure why. Ella was only telling the truth.

But she seemed to get a little impatient then. “But especially her. I mean, a human blessed by the Luna Temple? What will happen to her next? Sainthood?”

“What are you getting at, Ella?” I asked as pleasantly as I could.

Ella sighed, but her eyes with a little bright. “I supposed I just thought that as a pack alpha you would be a little more careful with such things. Considering what’s at stake and just what this sort of scandal would cost you.”

A scent caught my nose, and I identified it in surprise as jealousy. “Sarah may be my children’s goddess-mother, which I do not find scandalous, but you will always be their aunt as such have a place of prominence in my household.”

“I don’t really give a shit about your household right now, Zane,” she said with slightly gritted teeth. “What do you think will happen to your household when everyone learns what’s been happening in your bed?”

Two facts slammed into my mind and fused together: Ella was interested in me romantically, or at least sexually, and Ella had someone working for me who felt free to tell her my business.

No, wait. I shook the second notion away from the first. If Ella knew for certain Sarah and I were involved, she wouldn’t be so round-about in approaching it. At most, she just strongly suspected.

“It’s not appropriate to discuss my bedroom habits with my late wife’s sister,” I said, getting just the right hint of indignation in my voice.

“Not even when my pack alpha is sleeping with a human?” she hissed at me.

Yes, she wasn’t sure, or she’d have shouted that.

“My relationship with Sarah is perfectly above board,” I said, and I meant it, even if Ella wouldn’t take it the way I was thinking. I smelled familiar scentd approaching and turned with a smile to Sarah, Jordan, and the girls heading down the hallway toward us.

“There is my family,” I said quietly. “If you still want that to include you, you’ll keep your wild speculations to yourself.”

Ella snorted and flipped her hair, and I wondered if I were ever again going to live through a day that didn’t offer a new threat.