41. Phaedra

PHAEDRA

C onnor might have known how to host an extravagant ball, with fine linens and imported alcohol, but the Dagger pack knew how to party, and every pack on Isle Royale was invited.

It was exactly one year after everything changed. The Heartbridge collapsed, Kestrel died, and the powerful and opulent high-wolf society dissolved. The inner rooms of the Salcedo manor were currently under reconstruction to become a school. I was heading that project personally.

Connor survived Asher's bite, but the wound became infected, and he ended up losing his hand. We all agreed to banish him to the feral lands, but on the day that he was to be taken there, the guards found him dead in his cell. He'd chosen to hang himself instead of accepting his punishment.

I noticed El flying overhead, which pulled me from that dark thought. She and many other pix were also assisting with the decorations. With Kestrel gone, it was easier for them to venture out of the forests they'd used as protection from her. El was working hard to prove to the pix, who were still hesitant around shifters, that we wouldn't eat them or kill them.

When she spotted me, she fluttered down to my shoulder. "Has anyone told you that you're rocking that dress, Phaedra?"

I laughed. She had designed the tea-length dress made from lightweight tulle. It flowed around my legs like wings, and matched her gossamer, aquamarine wings.

"Thank you so much, El. You always knock it out of the park."

"Of course I do." She smirked at me before flitting off to join her partners.

The wealth that the Wilcox pack had hoarded was redistributed to the entirety of the island as a gesture of good will. The people were still adjusting to this new normal, but they seemed much happier now that everyone was on a more equal playing field.

Before leaving for the mainland, so many people had insinuated that we would fail and that the gods would look unfavorably upon us. But they had no idea that we had the approval of at least one goddess in Emerys, and that was more than enough.

The party was held on sacred land. Inside Heartbridge Cave, lanterns were lit on the walls, and outside, torches were set up around the tables that held plenty of Dagger pack goods, like jerky, flatbreads, artisanal crafts, and stews. I and other Daggers were making sure everything was good to go. The musicians were tuning their instruments near the entrance to the cave.

This was meant to be the first of many annual parties that would, hopefully, become tradition. It was an opportunity to get to know other shifters, exchange information, and prevent conflict between packs. And to have a good time, of course.

A large bonfire blazed on the base where Holo's statue once stood. We'd had many a meeting and memorial ceremony there. It was the perfect place for packs to get together—everyone knew where it was, and no one had claim to the land. It was neutral ground for all the tears that had been shed, the arguments had and resolved, and the positions advocated for and picked apart.

"Everything looks amazing, my love," Asher said, jogging toward me. "Especially you." He was buttoning up his shirt, a not-unfamiliar sight to me at this point, but seeing that flash of skin still set my own on fire.

I turned my back on him, feigning anger. "You were supposed to help me set up the torches," I said as he came to a stop next to me.

"I'm sorry." He slipped his arm around my waist. "Training ran late."

"I told you it would be better to cancel it. You know, for the celebration."

He waved that away. "Dagger men like disciplined, regimented schedules," he said, a wry smile on his lips. "I wouldn't expect a pampered princess to understand."

I scoffed and dug my elbow lightly into his side. "If that's the attitude you're going to have, next time, I'll just have to use the mark to make you end things sooner."

He shivered, no doubt thinking of the way the mark sent goosebumps across his skin. I knew I was. "You wouldn't… would you?"

I gave a small shrug and turned my face away. "Who can say?"

He chuckled and wrapped his other arm around me, pulling me into his chest. He pressed his lips to my temple, his nose in my hair. "I love you, my sweet, silly girl."

I finally broke character and hugged him back. He spoke those three words so easily now, and when he said them so softly, close to my ear, it never failed to make me melt.

"I love you, too, even if you get on my nerves sometimes."

He laughed again, and I relished the way his chest felt against mine.

Once everything was ready, the guests started to arrive. Among the first ones were Penny, the alpha of the Wilcox Pack and her mate Selene. Penny was the obvious choice for alpha after Connor died. She had, after all, taken over the executive duties, and if not for her dedicated, consistent work, the pack would have fallen apart.

And Selene, well, she had always fought to give the Coldcrow Pack a better life, and she succeeded. It had combined with the Wilcox pack. At least it had for a few months. There was no bad blood, but the Coldcrows wanted to operate as their own independent pack. Selene decided to step down as alpha, and Layla made the choice to take over. It could have been a peaceful exchange of power, but the two women decided to make it official by fighting for it on sacred land.

It had made Penny sick with worry, but she couldn't talk her mate out of it. Apparently, Selene and Layla had grown up pretty evenly matched in terms of combat ability, strength, and agility, and they'd never had the opportunity to "go all out."

It had been a close thing, an incredible battle, and in the end, they ended up knocking each other out. But Layla stayed conscious a minute longer than Selene, so she had emerged victorious. With Layla taking over as alpha, Selene became Penny's right-hand. She had also taken over the duty of training the guards.

"Penny," I said, moving out of Asher's arms so I could hug her.

"Phae!" She hugged me back tightly. "This looks amazing. You all have done a tremendous job—wait, is that fried shrimp?" She spotted the table with the shrimp right away.

Asher laughed. "Selene, try not to let her eat all of them again."

"No," Selene replied, looking at Penny with open affection. "Whatever my girl wants, she gets."

He shook his head with faux disappointment. "Last time we had them, she ran away with the tray."

Selene shrugged. "If you're worried she'll eat them all, you should have made more."

He snorted, and Penny and I giggled. She snuck off to grab the shrimp, and I spotted Randall. He stood out right away because of his height and size, and because he had a very pregnant Theo at his side. She was holding onto his arm as he led her to a bench.

I went to speak to them while Selene and Asher continued their playful bickering.

"How are you two?" I asked when I reached them. "Theo, do you need anything?"

"No, I'm doing fine, thanks, Phae." She smiled at me.

"Actually," Randall said, "if you could point me in the direction of the pickled dishes, that would be great."

"R-Randy!" Theo chided, her face reddening. "I told you it was fine if they didn't have any."

He adjusted his glasses and raised a brow at her. He wore them all the time since he'd stopped being a personal guard and started pursuing mythology studies, which had always been his true passion.

"You weren't going to ask, Dora, so I did."

Laughing, I pointed at the table near the musicians. Randall nodded in thanks and went to grab some for her. Theo's blush deepened even as she shook her head at her mate. She was pregnant with twin girls, and according to her doctor, they were due in the next couple of weeks. The pregnancy had prevented her from working at the bakery that she, her sister, and her mother had opened a few months ago. But she had plenty of help from many of the maids who used to work alongside her at the Salcedo manor.

"That man," Theo huffed.

"It's so sweet the way he dotes on you," I said.

"Yes." A smile broke through her flustered frown, and her blush lightened. "I guess I really can't be mad at him. But even that is kind of annoying, isn't it?"

"Oh, tell me about it." I glanced at Asher.

He and Selene were speaking to Taig, who'd arrived with Layla. Those two had been getting closer and closer over the last few weeks. Asher and I were so invested in whether or not the two of them were going to get together that Penny had started calling us nosy old maids.

"So, have you told him yet?"

The question made me look away from that group quickly. "No," I murmured. "I haven't really… found the right time, you know?"

"Tell him tonight," she said, as if it was as easy as telling him what I wanted for dinner. "I'm sure he'll find it weird when he notices you've only stuck to water and apple cider all day."

"Assuming he notices," I grumbled, my own cheeks warming a bit.

She laughed. "Oh, don't pretend. That man notices everything about you, Phae."

She wasn't wrong, but I didn't want to acknowledge that. "I think I'm going to tell him tonight," I said. "After the party."

She gasped and clapped her hands. "How exciting! When you have some free time, you'll have to come over to my place and tell me how it went."

When I became Asher's mate, I decided I wanted to be as hands-on as I could be. I'd spent so much of my life studying and reading that I immersed myself as much as possible in Dagger pack culture and history. Asher was always assuring me that I was accepted by his— our— people, but I wouldn't be satisfied until I was fully integrated. That research, along with my architectural pursuits, was taking up a ton of my time.

About an hour into the party, the formerly feral wolves arrived. Bishop glanced at me and then gave a formal bow, and those he brought with him followed suit. I waved back. It was still strange to see them behaving that way toward me, but considering the way we'd met… I guess it was to be expected that they would treat me more reverently. Well, once they got to know me better and realized I was mortal like them, they would probably get over those formalities.

I could still tell when people were lying to me, and flowers and food still stayed fresh around me, but I never used my water abilities or my ability to control shifting. I didn't use the latter because it felt like a breach now there were no more ferals, and the former because, well, it wasn't an incredibly useful power for daily use. I still kept my abilities sharp, though, just in case someone else decided to mess with my loved ones.

As for the former ferals, none of them remembered what they'd done to be sent to the feral lands in the first place, so they'd had their sentences commuted. They were slowly re-integrating into regular society with Asher's help. He had taken Bishop under his wing as they formed their own new pack, the Phoenixes.

Penny had given up a large portion of Wilcox Forest to the Phoenix pack so they could establish themselves, and from what Asher had told me, things were going well for them. It did mean he spent less time with me, but I wasn't too upset about that. I had the Salcedo manor, my studies, and I was overseeing the progress of the commemorative statue of Garrett on Dagger pack lands.

Actually, now that I thought about it, this party was the first time in a while that Asher and I were able to get together with our friends and our loved ones and relax.

When Randall returned with a variety of pickled sides, I went to my mate. He was standing near the band, swaying gently to the romantic ballad they were playing.

I slipped my arms around his waist from behind and swayed with him.

"Hey there," he said, turning in my arms and pulling me close. "You must have known I was missing you."

"I did," I said, "but only because I was missing you back."

He smiled and held me to his chest as we spun slowly in time with the song. I rested my cheek on his shoulder and let myself relax into him.

"Hey, Asher," I began quietly.

"Hmm?"

"I've got something to tell you."

"What is it, love?"

I looked up at him, into those golden eyes that I loved so much. Suddenly shy, I hesitated a moment or two before I stood on the tips of my toes to tell him my news .

"I'm pregnant," I whispered.

He froze, then took my face in his hands. "Really? How long have you known?"

I did some mental calculations. "It'll be six weeks tomorrow?—"

I'd just finished answering him when he picked me up in his arms and spun me around, laughing with a joy so pure and infectious, I couldn't help but join him.

"I'm going to be a father," he said as he put me down, and then, as if he couldn't help himself, he shouted, "I'm going to be a father!"

A chorus of cheers erupted around us, as he hugged me.

"Kiss me," I said.

"Gladly," he replied, and pressed his lips to mine.