36. Chapter 36

Chapter 36

Kimble

Cora frowned at her phone again, then deliberately set it on the kitchen table face down. Kimble didn’t need to see the message to know it was from her Aunt Maria. She was desperate to broker peace between Cora and the rest of her family. As time went on, Maria’s pleas became demands, and Cora stopped responding.

It bothered Kimble that he couldn’t simply fix the problem of Cora’s family for her. It had been several months since the revealing confrontation at Daniel’s house, and Cora’s anxiety about talking to them had only gotten worse. Pike noticed also but had no more clue how to fix it than Kimble.

“Want to talk about those texts?” he whispered in Cora’s ear.

“Never,” Cora answered, then spoke up to Pike. “What are you going to plant in the southeast corner, near the barn?”

“I was thinking of planting rhubarb there,” Pike answered, his arms elbow deep in soapy water.

It was early evening. Cora and Pike had finished dinner, and Cora was sitting crosswise in his lap while Pike cleaned up. At first, it’d bothered Kimble that Pike wouldn’t let him help; then he’d realized it was because the bear was possessive of the kitchen. Although he might have a laid-back personality, Pike had very strict rules about how everything was done in his domain .

“Have you thought about pomegranates?” Cora suggested. Along with the kitchen, Pike’s other domain was his garden. Cora and the wolves had tried to help him in the early days but had been gently rebuffed. It was his place to be king and caretaker, and it was obvious he loved it.

“Pomegranates,” Pike repeated, pausing with a skillet in one hand and a soapy sponge in the other while nodding his head. “That’s a good idea. It’s a winter fruit, and I’m trying to put in more winter and fall plants.”

Cora’s phone buzzed repeatedly, making her tense. Kimble worried that she might have a nervous breakdown if she kept putting off dealing with her family.

When he looked up, it was to see Pike drying his hands off and staring at Cora’s phone with a frown. “Is it Imani or Aunt Maria?”

“Maria,” Cora admitted, slumping against Kimble.

“Tea?” Pike asked, reaching for the pot of tea he'd prepared earlier. He harvested and dried the herbs himself and every evening, he brewed a small pot for them to share. Even when Cora said no, he’d poured her a mug, and she drank it.

“Sure,” Cora answered, her half grin telling Kimble that she might grumble about having to drink “hot herb water,” but she still found the ritual soothing.

Pike joined them at the table with two mugs of tea. “I have an idea about your family.”

Cora held the hot mug between her hands and stared at the steam. Her answer was a lackluster, “What?”

Kimble could feel her reluctance and apprehension and rubbed a soothing hand over her back. As interested as he was to hear Pike’s plan, his first concern was keeping Cora happy.

“We would never force you to do anything,” he reminded her.

“I know,” she responded, still staring at the cup. “I don’t mean to take my problems out on you guys.”

Pike held up his left hand to show off the ring he wore on his third finger. “They’re officially our family too, remember?”

The three of them had an Alighting Ceremony several weeks ago. It had been a massive party with several wolf packs in attendance along with Pike’s family, Imani with her flock, and Tobias and his flock. Kimble had hated every moment of it, but Pike and Cora had enjoyed it immensely. Their joy made the crowds tolerable. They might even be able to talk him into doing it again at some distant future point.

Cora looked at his ring then to the one on her hand holding the mug. “I’ve met your family; I think you got the worst part of the deal here.”

“What’s your idea?” Kimble asked before Cora could start a fight about why her family was “the worst.”

“I think we should have a family board meeting,” Pike answered.

Cora wrinkled her brow in confusion. “Board meeting?”

Pike leaned closer, eager to explain. “Yeah, board meeting. Treat it like you’re negotiating a contract.”

“What do you mean by contract?” she asked.

“I think you’re anxious because you feel trapped,” Pike explained. “You think it’s all or nothing. If you have a relationship with them in any way, they’ll go back to treating you the way they have been, or you’ll have to go no-contact and give up on the people you love.”

Cora’s eyes narrowed. “Did Annette talk to you?”

Pike shook his head. “Of course she didn’t, but I can feel your thoughts sometimes coming through our link, and I can feel all your heavy emotions. With all that, it’s not hard to figure out what’s going on in your head.” His expression changed to one of hurt. “I love you and want to help so I’ve thought a lot about your situation. And I’m not a dumb bear, even if I didn’t go to college or trade school.”

“Oh Pike, I’m sorry,” Cora said.

Sensing her intentions, Kimble was quick to take the mug from her hand so she could scramble from his lap to Pike. Cora hugged Pike around the neck before kissing his cheek and sitting up with her back against the table.

“Tell me about having a family board meeting, please.”

For the first time in a while, Kimble felt Cora opening up to let them help with her family. It had taken time, but she was finally realizing that Pike and Kimble were impossible to scare off.

***

Kimble had made sure the family board meeting was as formal as possible. Several members of the pack had volunteered to escort the family to a small office building on the compound where he, Pike, and Cora would already be waiting.

Normally, the largest room in the building was full of workstations. For tonight’s gathering, the wolves had shoved everything into other rooms. Gone were all the colorful pictures and notes on the walls or the mismatched chairs, yoga balls, and standing desks.

In their place, the wolves brought in a single, rectangular table and matching chairs. Someone had even set up a small platter of pastries and a carafe of coffee in the center. It was a little late in the evening for most humans to drink coffee, but it set the right tone. This room could be located in any non-descript corporate office in America. It was sterile, inhospitable, and exactly what Kimble had wanted.

The three of them were sitting on one side of the table with Cora between them when Daniel walked into the room followed closely by his five sons. The three of them stood up but didn’t move to physically greet them.

“Welcome,” Kimble said. “Thank you for coming. Please be seated.”

“It’s been months, and I don’t even get a hug?” Daniel asked. He was smiling, but it didn’t reach his eyes, and his tone was full of censure.

“Not yet,” Cora said. She dropped back down to her seat. Her expression was focused, but Kimble could feel the emotions rioting inside of her at the sight of her family.

Placing a hand on her thigh, he put his mouth to her ear. “We have a plan.”

Her mind calmed a little at that reminder. The three of them had spent days pre-gaming this meeting. They’d even called Annette to help them strategize. All that effort was reflected in the three-page document Pike was currently handing out.

“Before we begin, we’d like you to read through this,” Pike said.

“What the hell is it?” Daniel asked as he accepted his copy and scowled at the first page.

Now it was Kimble’s turn to speak. “That will become self-evident once you finish reading it. Please be aware that the moment even one of you raises your voice or starts using insulting language, everyone will be escorted off the property. This is non- negotiable and will result in a delay of reconciliation between all of you and Cora.”

“Jesus Christ, you sound like a damn lawyer,” Caleb said with a grin. “I like it.”

Cora laughed, and Kimble felt some of her tension ease. “You would.”

“Is this what you want, Cora?” Daniel asked, his brows furrowed in confusion this time. He used the paper to indicate the setting. “You want to treat us like some kind of business thing?”

Kimble felt a spike of hurt and anger come from Cora. Pike must’ve felt it too because both of them leaned in close to lend Cora their support. Cora placed one hand over Kimble’s on her thigh and tangled her fingers with Pike’s hand on the table.

She pulled in a deep breath before she spoke in an even, reasonable voice. “Read the paper, Dad. Then we’ll talk.”

Daniel and the brothers seemed to realize she wasn’t going to be baited, cajoled, or teased out of this. All of them bent their heads and started reading.