by A. C. Katt
Elena obediently followed Meg to the Alpha wing of the house.
Sean turned to Armand. “You knew about this. You knew that they were trying to sell this little girl. How could you?”
“I planned on taking her before you asked me. I would have been back the day after I met you, but then we met and I thought I’d deal with it when we came home. He wanted one million dollars. I was going to give it to him just so he would sign the social services paperwork. We can’t legally get custody unless he signs the papers and he won’t sign the papers unless he’s paid. Unfortunately, we have to operate within the framework of the human world.”
“Then why did you send me over there without knowing that?” Sean spit out.
“Because you are an Omega with the la voix. Once you shift, you will be able to command him to do what’s right. I gambled on the fact that he knew what he was up against and would be forced to do what you asked. I’m sorry to be so wrong. He’s either very stupid, or knows something we don’t.”
“I see. So you used me to flush him out.” Sean stared straight into Armand’s eyes.
“Yes, I’m sorry but it had to be done.” Armand turned his back. “We have to use Bernard to get to who wants to hurt us. You, me, the pack, all of gods be damned. I couldn’t think of North America. I couldn’t think only of us. I have to think of them too. Your reactions had to be natural. Can you forgive me, baby? We have Elena, we have the information we need and I swear to you Bernard will not profit from this.” Sean turned him around and watched the tears run in rivulets down his husband’s face.
“You’d thought you’d lost me. Armand, I was pissed I admit it, but you’ll never lose me, I’m yours.” Armand broke down in his mate’s arms.
“Let’s go and eat, love.” Sean kissed Armand’s head. “It’s all good.”
“Sometimes I wonder which of us is the one who’s over a hundred years old.” Armand took Sean hand and they headed off to the dining room.
* * * *
Armand woke up the next morning with Sean sleeping in his arms. His mate’s nose was pressed under his arm and every few minutes there was a little snort. His curly hair fell down in front of his eyes and the covers bunched up over his shoulders and were tucked under his chin. He was adorable. Glancing at the clock, he noticed it was eight a.m. He’d slept in.
A tentative knock sounded on the bedroom door. Sean’s head went up like a pup sniffing the air. His wolf was close to the surface. The door opened and Pierre entered with breakfast. Sean opened his eyes at the smell of coffee. He stretched and kissed Armand, sitting up in the large bed.
“Let me get your robes, Alpha. The little miss has been straining at her leash to see her Uncle Sean.”
Sean looked over at Pierre. “We overslept. I would have preferred to wake up in quite a different way.”
“Tomorrow, we’ll set the alarm,” Armand said dryly.
“Pierre, help Armand into his robe.” Sean grabbed his from the end of the bed and shrugged it on.
“I took the liberty of setting a third place for breakfast. The little one is anxious.”
“Of course she would be. Your position alone would intimidate her.” Sean said as he sat down. He didn’t wait for Pierre to pour his coffee; he poured a cup for himself and Armand, absently preparing Armand’s with a one lump of sugar and enough half-and-half to color it. His own was light and sweet. Once Armand was seated and had his first sip of coffee he nodded to Pierre.
Pierre went to the door and called to Meg. “Bring Miss Elena to the master suite for breakfast.”
She came lacking her usual exuberance. Elena sat down at the breakfast table folding her napkin in her lap. She looked up and a little tear slipped down her cheek. “Alpha, are they sending me away?” She asked.
Armand raised his eyebrow. “Why do you ask that, Elena?”
“Because Aunt Adele said I was going to a new house when you came back. You’re back and my stuff is here, even my Barbies.”
Armand put down his coffee cup and looked at Elena. “Do you want to go to a new house?”
“Uncle Bernard makes Aunt Adele cry. It’s ‘cause I’m there, he told me. So I’ve got to go or she and the new baby won’t be happy.”
“Would you like to stay here with Sean and I?”
“Could I, really?” Elena wiggled in her seat.
Sean motioned for the little girl to sit in his lap. “How would you like for the Alpha and I to become your daddies?”
“You and the Alpha?” Elena’s eyes went wide.
Sean gave her a mini hug. “Yes, he could be your Papa and I could become your Daddy. You would live here with us in the Alpha house. Together, we’d fix up a room for you across from ours and you would be our little girl.”
“Would I have to leave if you had babies?”
“No sweetie, the babies would be your sisters and you’d stay with us always, or at least until the time came for you to make babies of your own.”
“Uncle Sean, you’re being silly.”
“No, Elena, the Alpha Mate was serious. We want you to come and live with us and be our little girl.”
“I wouldn’t ever have to leave?”
“Not until you want to,” Armand told her.
“My Barbies too?”
“Your Barbies too.” Sean reassured her.
She wiggled around and got down from her seat on Sean’s lap and stepped over to where the Alpha was seated. “I can call you Papa?”
“Yes, I would be your Papa.” Armand said as his eyes twinkled.
“And I wouldn’t have to leave?” She sought reassurance from both of them. Sean thought that behavior could be directly linked to Bernard’s emotional abuse of the child.
“Yes, you could stay here with us and this would become your new home.”
“Papa and Daddy.” She turned to Sean.
“Yes, Papa.” Sean looked toward Armand. “And Daddy.” He pointed to his chest. With great care she climbed on to Armand’s lap, “Papa”, she said as she snuggled into his chest.
Armand noticed that the smile on his mate’s face was electric. “Can we plan her room today? I know I shouldn’t go out, but we can look on the computer.”
“I think we can go out today if we take both Rene and Martin. Edward has some things to take care of for the pack. Besides, I want to get you a new laptop.”
“Let’s make a day of it. I think Elena needs some new clothes especially a new jacket.” Sean’s expression blackened at the thought of Elena being cold enough last night to need Rene’s jacket. “Do you have a Halloween costume, sweetie?” Armand took a bite of his omelet and fed a bite to the excited child on his lap.
“No, I was going to dress up in some old clothes and be a bum.”
“Papa, I think we can do better than that.” Sean winked at Armand.
“Sweetie, come over here and finish your eggs and let Papa finish his. We’re going shopping!”
“Can I take Barbie?”
“Of course Barbie can come,” Armand said.
Elena finished her breakfast and Meg came into the room to take her to get dressed. “Meg, get her measurements,” Armand said in a sotto voice. “I need to call the seamstress in Bernalillo to have a costume made for tomorrow.”
“What would you like to be for Halloween if you could be anything you like?” Armand asked Elena.
“A princess!”
“You already are.” Sean kissed her head as Meg took her from the bedroom. “We did a good thing.” Sean drank his juice and ate his omelet.
“Yes, I believe we did.”
* * * *
“Thank you for getting her ready, Meg,” Armand said. “What would you like for dinner, baby?”
“Would fried chicken be too much trouble?” Sean looked over to Armand.
“How about fried chicken, cream gravy, mashed potatoes, and corn on the cob? That’s my favorite dinner.” Armand kissed Sean. “I’m glad you asked for it. You better make plenty of chicken, Me
g. Our boy needs all of his strength for tonight.”
“Tomorrow’s Halloween!” Elena exclaimed as she did a little jig. “Can I help fix things for the party?”
“Yes, darling, when you come back with Papa and Daddy, we’ll look for the decorations and start to fix up the house but you have to be a good girl and take a nap before we start, okay?” Sean said.
“Don’t like naps.” Elena tapped her foot.
“Little pups who don’t take their nap can’t help with decorations. Besides, I bet you can get Papa or me to read you a story before you take your nap.”
“Okay.”
“Let’s go out to the cars. Martin is getting anxious.” Armand opened the door and the trio proceeded down the drive to the SUV.
“Did anyone remember to get her booster seat?” Sean asked Martin.
“I went over to Walmart early this morning to get one. The one she had was trash.” Martin opened the door of the car.
“I have a new seat!” Elena clapped her hands.
“Yes you do, sweetie. Your Papa will make sure by the end of the day that you have a lot of new things. I know from experience,” he said wryly.
Elena’s seat was in the third row with Sean and Armand in the second. Martin drove and Rene rode shotgun. Both behind and in front of them were a carload of Enforcers.
“What does the pack do about schooling?” Sean asked Armand.
“For obvious reasons, we don’t send our children to the public schools. We mostly homeschool.”
“Can we find a tutor and a nanny for Elena? The tutor should have an early childhood education degree. It would be good if the nanny was a mother whose children left home. Maybe we could hire one from another pack.” Sean made sure Elena’s seat was properly attached and buckled.
“I’m sure we can. We have an excess of males in our pack. I’m sure we can make a suitable arrangement. The teacher would have the advantage of traveling to all of the packs to find her mate and the nanny would have an extra stipend to save to see her through her later years.”
“I can see where that would help with recruiting.”
“We would need one anyway for any other girls we are going to have so we might as well do it right from the beginning.”
“That’s good.” Sean sighed. “I could teach the little ones art, but I’m really bad with numbers.”
Armand laughed out loud.
* * * *
Their shopping expedition fascinated Armand. They stopped at Costco for Halloween candy because Sean said it was cheaper there. “You need a membership card but I have one from New Jersey that hasn’t expired yet. You need to go to the service desk and get us a family membership. It’s cheap enough and we can save money buying in bulk.”
Armand looked at him like he was cross-eyed.
“Trust me on this. Wait until you see how much we save on candy. Plus we get free samples. I got many a meal grazing at Costco.”
Armand was fascinated by the store since in the past he never went shopping himself. He looked aghast at the long lines.
“Come on honey, this is fun.” Rene smiled behind his hand at the idea of his Alpha at a discount outlet.
“If you say so, baby, but this is an entirely new experience for me.” Armand followed his mate down the aisle.
“It will be good for you to see how the other half lives.” Sean grabbed his hand and pulled. Martin stuck Elena in a cart and followed.
After loading up his cart with candy and some toiletries, they got on line at the register. Sean flashed his card and the cashier rang up the goods.
“Don’t they have bags?” Armand asked, used to having his purchases wrapped in tissue and placed in either a box or fancy bag. His mind was boggled by the experience.
“No we either bring our own reusable bags or use boxes they have left over from deliveries. We need to buy some reusable bags for the grocery store and Costco. By the way, this is a gay friendly store. I like to shop here when I can to thank them for supporting the community.” They left the Costco to find their cars in the vast array converged in the parking lot.
“Next stops are Walmart and then JCPenney’s for kids’ clothes.” Sean took out his debit card and paid for the candy.
“Why not Macy’s?” Armand asked.
“Because Elena would stick out like a sore thumb. When we go to New York we can get her New York clothing. Right now she needs stuff she can play in and not be afraid to get dirty or stained.” Sean explained. “The furniture can be made custom like ours since she already has a bed to sleep in but she does need more things to play with, some educational toys as well as new things for her beloved Barbies so that necessitates a trip to Walmart.”
Armand sighed in resignation. “As long as we are going to be out all day, we need to stop at a computer store to get you a new laptop as well as one suitable for Elena. There are excellent educational programs online for children who are homeschooled.”
“That would be Best Buy,” Sean said. “Rene do you know where we can find a Walmart, a Best Buy, and a JCPenney’s close together?”
“I believe there is a shopping center off of Route 528 that would suit. There is also a Dillard’s and a Macy’s if the Alpha insists.”
“I believe I’m just along for the ride, Rene.” Armand looked resigned.
Sean was a seasoned shopper who knew how to find a bargain. As a person who never had much money, he made a dollar stretch. He saw no need to change his ways now that he had access to funds. When Armand complained, Sean explained his philosophy. “If I save on the goods we buy, you can take that savings and give it to charity. I have no objection to having Elena’s Halloween costume custom-made because that helps a local business. But since all our toys are made in China, we might as well pay less for them. When I see some handmade items or special dolls, so I can wean her off Barbie, the idea of which I detest, then we’ll spend the money, otherwise there is no need. Michelle Obama shops in Target, why can’t we?”
“Didn’t you tell me you weren’t good with numbers?” Armand laughed.
“Not with investments and algebra, but I learned to shop on a limited budget from my mom and from living on a small income as a student. I’m not going to spend like a drunken sailor now that I have access to more funds.”
“Well said.” Armand kissed him in the parking lot on the way into the Best Buy.
At Best Buy Armand insisted on buying both Elena and Sean an iPad as well as the latest iPhone and laptop.
Sean thought Armand was going to buy out the store in Walmart. “She doesn’t need that many toys. She won’t play with all of them. There is only one other little girl in the pack. You don’t want to promote jealousy. Besides, I want to check the net for better-made toys and games. She doesn’t need everything she sees.” Armand almost pouted.
“I see I’m going to have to be the bad cop in this relationship. You’re like putty in her hands.” Elena ran up the aisle with another Barbie outfit.
“No sweetie, Daddy says we have enough.” Armand laughed as that earned him a black look from his mate.
“Now for the clothing.” Everyone got back into the cars and drove across the parking area to JCPenney. They went to the children’s department and Armand began to examine the clothing. “This is surprisingly well made for the price.”
“You don’t want to pay too much for children’s clothing unless it’s for a special occasion. They grow too fast.”
“I’m beginning to understand your logic.”
“Took you long enough.” Sean elbowed Armand in the ribs.
“You know, baby, I’m glad you’re comfortable enough to disagree with me.”
They walked toward the cash register where Sean pulled out his debit card. “Why wouldn’t I be comfortable telling you what I think? You’re my husband, not the Grand Pooh-Bah.”
“The pack, for gods’ sake, everyone is so careful around me, because of my position. It’s rather nice to be treated like a regular person. I haven’t h
ad that since my parents passed away.” Armand got a strange look on his face.
“How did they die?” Sean stopped what he was doing and asked. He sensed that this was important.
“They died in a flood, trying to pull some of the pack children out of an arroyo. It was a bleak time for me. I was only twenty-six at the time. I had already been chosen to be the next Alpha by the council and was in training away from home. For a while I wished I went with them.”
Sean didn’t say anything. He gave his husband a hug and they held hands on the way back to the car while Rene carried Elena whose eyes were already drooping.
They were back to the house within the hour and Elena went to bed with no fuss.
Meg served them coffee in the study as they had lunch out. Sean insisted that Armand try McDonald’s just for the experience. He wolfed down three Big Macs and two orders of fries. “I can’t see why they say this stuff isn’t good. Those French fries were terrific.”
“It’s great for an occasional meal but it isn’t good for you. The calories all come from fat and there is very little real nutrition.”
Armand gave Sean a big grin. “Remember, we don’t get human diseases. We can eat there whenever we want.” Sean just shook his head. Armand lived in America but spent his life set apart from American culture. Sean was going to have to remedy that because he wanted their daughters to know human as well as loup-garou culture, since they had to share the world with their human counterparts.
“Let’s go and ask Meg if she was able to get us a princess costume for our girl.”
* * * *
“Alpha, this is Dimitri. You were right, there is a dissatisfied member of the pack, the artist, Bernard. He just gave up his niece to the Alpha Mate, she is his weak link and he is Armand’s. I couldn’t get past security to get to them, but now I think I can get them to come to us even if he shifts before we can get him.”
Chapter 13
They went to bed early and Sean woke Armand just after ten. “I feel strange. I’m uncomfortable in my own skin.”