104
David
“For me?” She nodded and reached into her jacket pocket. Her face was flushed. She looked nervous and unsure.
“It’s not much but… I wanted to get you something for your birthday.”
I watched as Lucy's face lit up with a mix of anticipation and nervousness. Her small, delicate hands trembled slightly as she pulled them from beneath the blanket. The sight of her flushed cheeks only made my heart skip a beat.
She held out her hand, revealing a beautifully crafted origami flower. My eyes widened in surprise, a warmth spreading through me as I accepted the gift.
“I… can’t believe you remember.” I met her gaze and she smiled at me. “This is the best gift anyone has ever given me.”
Her smile widened, and she looked down for a moment, her voice soft. "I don’t think that’s true.”
“It is,” I said, looking down at the little paper flower. “There was… a long time that I couldn’t fold them, but I’d think of you whenever I saw flowers.”
Her eyes widened. “But… why couldn’t you?”
My lips twitched as I pushed the memories back. His voice screaming at me. The way my hands bled from training for hours upon hours. That was too much to talk about right now.
“I just didn’t have the time.” I aid, turning the flower over in my hand. “Things were… simpler at the orphanage.”
She took my hand. “I remember putting them all together for the nursing home.”
I chuckled. “Yeah. That nursing home is no longer there, but in my territory I do something similar.”
“Really?”
I nodded. “It’s different, with them being werewolves and all, but it brings them a bit of joy.”
She leaned against me as I smiled at the delicate paper flower. The sun rose slowly into the sky and while I had been awake all night, I didn’t feel it. Lucy’s breathing evened out into something slow and even against my shoulder. I leaned against her, enjoying the quiet of the morning, knowing that my afternoon was going to be pure chaos. I grinned just thinking about the look on Tony and Matt’s face.
A few hours later, I got dressed almost casually in a simple button up shirt and jeans. Trent had arrived to brief me about the mediation meeting. He was dressed just as casually as always and grinned at me.
“So glad to see you’re taking a page out of my book!” He said coming into the kitchen as I poured myself some coffee. “That sea wind is doing you some good.”
He grabbed a mug and poured himself a cup. “How are you feeling?”
I grinned. “Better than good.”
Trent sipped and his eyes sparkled. “Something different about you. Had a good night?”
I thought back to when I carried Lucy up to her room and tucked her in and grinned. Trent nudged me.
“You little rascal. Cheers to making Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum’s lives hell!” We clinked our mugs together as Duke came down stairs, yawning and rubbing his stomach.
“Morning,” he said, rubbing his eyes. He frowned at me. “That’s a hell of a birthday suit up. I thought we were beaching.”
“You are,” I said. “I have something to take care of before I can enjoy my birthday properly.”
He hummed and yawned again. “Sucks to be important. What’s for breakfast?”
I nodded toward the stove. “There’s most of a feast worth of pancakes in the oven. Meat and everything else too. Help yourself.”
“Thanks,” Duke said, shuffling towards the stove.
“By the way,” I said. “Not now, of course, but when you’re ready.”
He was still. His shoulders tensed, but he nodded eventually. Trent sipped quietly beside me as Lucy came down. Her curls were flat on one side and there was a bit of drool at the corner of her mouth. She looked adorable as she rubbed her eyes.
“Food?” She asked.
Trent nudged me. “You going to introduce me?”
I rolled my eyes. “Trent, this is Duke and Lucy. Lucy, Duke, this is Trent, my advisor.”
Lucy’s eyes popped open as Trent shook Duke’s hand and then hers. She glanced at me nervously.
“Are you… here for his birthday?”
“Sadly, no.” Trent said. “We have an engagement to get to. Can’t afford to miss it, but I promise I’ll get him back as soon as possible so he can go back to being his age.”
I shook my head and finished my coffee.
“You should have gotten more rest,” Lucy said. “It’s still so early…”
“I’m fine,” I said, cupping her cheek. “Did you sleep well?”
Her face turned bright red, but she nodded and shied away from me.
“That’s good. I should be back in the afternoon, but Uma should be able to direct you to wherever you want.” I leaned closer, meeting her gaze. “I expect you to have procured at least one swimsuit before I get back.”
She ducked her head and nodded as I clapped Duke on the shoulder. “I’m trusting you, Duke.”
He saluted as he chewed on a pancake.
Trent grinned as I set my mug in the sink and headed to get my blazer. I grabbed my sunglasses and followed him outside. Trent was driving and I slipped into the passenger seat. Trent cranked up the car and I gave one last look to the house before he pulled away.
As Trent guided the car up the coast towards the northern Council Hall where we would be meeting, I couldn’t help but feel more agitated. The weight of what could happen at this meeting felt heavier than ever, and the more I thought about Lucy safe and sound at my beach house the easier it felt to relax.
“Real smooth,” Trent said. “How goes the wooing of Lucy?”
My lips twitched. “It would be going better if I didn’t have to go to this mediation.”
“Can’t help it. The Council’s always been a pain in the ass. Strategy recap?”
I raised an eyebrow, a playful smirk forming on my lips as I leaned back in my seat and let the top down on the car.
"Do tell, oh wise one? Biting their heads off? Flipping tables?"
“Maybe not violent belligerence. I was thinking more like indolent non-cooperation.”
I smirked. “I can manage that.”
“I thought that would be right up your ally.”
We pulled into a spot in front of the building and Trent turned around. “I got you a gift, birthday boy.”
I laughed as Trent brought out a satin sash that declared it was my birthday. He offered me a paper crown with glued on jewels and a grin.
“Is this the indolence?”
“Partially.”
I shrugged and put on the sash. I was trying to straighten out the crown as we walked in. The receptionist smiled up at me.
“Alpha David… Happy Birthday?”
“Thank you, Stella,” I said. “Can we head in. or are they wasting more time than usual?”
She laughed. “You can head in. The Blue Moon representatives are mostly here.”
“We’re the last to arrive?” Trent asked. “Perfect!”
I followed Trent down the hall, stopping for a moment to put the crown on my head. He nodded and bowed with a laugh.
“Your Birthday Majesty, shall we?”
I shook my head and walked into the room. It wasn’t a formal hall. It looked more like a meeting room. At the head of the table were three members of the Council. Matt and Tony were there with their beta, a lawyer, and two other people. Tony turned to glare at me, but my attention was pulled to the two humans in the room.
I recognized them from the profile that Trent had pulled together for Lucy. They were her adoptive parents, looking as though they hadn’t suffered a single moment in all the time that Lucy had been with Tony and Matt. I clenched my jaw and felt my fury spike.
How fucking dare they bring them here?
Trent let out a low whistle and clapped me on the shoulder. “Odd to have mixed company.”
I took in the two who looked like they had never done anything wrong. It took every bit of my control to walk down to my seat across from Tony and not growl.
Soon, the door opened again and two other human women walked in. I nodded at them, recognizing the symbol of Liberation Front on their briefcases. I stood to shake their hands.
“Thank you for coming.”
“You’re David, correct?”
I nodded. “That’s me.”
“I’m sure we’ll have a lot to talk about,” she said. She glanced at the crown on my head. “And... Happy Birthday.”
I smiled. “Thank you.”
We settled into our seats as the Council started to call the mediation to order. Trent passed me the report he’d put together on Lucy. I passed it to the lawyer sitting right beside me, sat back, and waited for the mediation to begin while imagining running around on the beach with Lucy.
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