*Estelle* Gabe followed me up the stairs toward our bedroom. We were both exhausted, physically and emotionally. I was angry that he would doubt me, but I understood it. If I thought that he was interested in someone else, it would hurt. Besides, Isolde was good at getting under people's skin. She seemed to be able to tell what a person was most insecure about and use it against them. She'd done it to me and I'd broken her nose. The fact that Gabe felt insecure about our relationship bothered me. Looking at him, you would never guess that he could feel insecure about anything. Gabe was stunning to look at, and his deep voice was practically hypnotic. He effortlessly commanded every room he entered. He was intelligent and charismatic. Insecure was the last word I'd use to describe him.From what I'd learned of Gabe's childhood, expressing his emotions wasn't exactly encouraged. There was no way to know how much he'd been hiding. His face wasn't guarded now. He looked miserabl
*Gabe* Val leaned heavily on the door frame and breathed heavily. His shirt was hanging open and his shoes were untied, making it clear that he was pulled out of bed. "We have to get to the border," he said frantically. "They've caught the rogue." I looked at Estelle, but she was already waving me out. "Go get the bastard," she said. Val nodded enthusiastically. "They're holding him at the checkpoint," he explained. "I'm right behind you," I said. I grabbed my shirt from the floor and slipped my shoes on before following Val down the stairs. He hurried out the door as soon as he knew I was following. The moment we were out, we both broke into a run. Val was ahead of me, as he always was. This wasn't even full speed for him. We wove around the trees as we ran. My heart was hammering from the adrenaline coursing through me. I couldn't detect any unfamiliar scents, but I could tell that a large number of people were gathered nearby. We reached the checkpoint and fo
*Gabe* The adrenaline of the encounter with the rogue was wearing off by the time I reached home. I was exhausted, but there was too much to be done for me to sleep. Estelle apparently felt the same sense of immediacy, because she was waiting for me just inside the door. She looked relieved to see me. "What happened?" she asked anxiously. "It was the same rogue that attacked you," I confirmed. She looked upset, but not surprised. I pulled her into my arms and kissed the top of her head. We were alone, and I wanted the comfort of holding her just as much as she wanted to be held. She wrapped her arms around me and sighed heavily. "I'm glad he was caught, but it's terrifying to think that he's been trying to get to me this entire time." I had to wonder how much this had been weighing on her mind. So much had happened in the past few months, it was hard to even keep track. "We can't lower our guard," I said. "We don't know if he's the only one." I didn't want to add t
*Val* It was mid-autumn, and the evening was cold and crisp. The cool air normally helped to clear my mind, but even that wasn't enough to calm my racing thoughts today. It had been two days since Gabe announced his decision about Isolde. I was surprised by how lenient he was, but I had a feeling Estelle was responsible for that. Nevertheless, there was unrest in the pack about the announcement. It had been years since anyone had been ousted from their position. Isolde had her supporters, and they didn't believe that she had lied to Gabe. Isolde went out of her way to help around the community. I could see why it would be difficult to reconcile her good deeds with the harm she'd done. There was debate throughout the village. Some had overheard the argument between Charles and Gabe. As a result, many praised Estelle for choosing to show mercy. The unrest wasn't as severe as the rumors that had circulated when Esetlle first arrived. I suspected that was due to Isolde's silenc
*Estelle* Things in the village were quiet for the past few days. It seemed that the initial unrest after Isolde's punishment was starting to die down. I was nervous about going out on my own for a few days after. The memory of the riot at the craft fair and the painful bruise on my ribs made me weary of venturing too far from Gabe or Val. But Val had invited me to visit Lucky at their house, and I couldn't pass up the opportunity. I was so excited about her pregnancy and I wanted to ask her a million questions. I'd tried to be polite about it, but I know she'd seen how overeager I was. She was nice about the whole thing and just laughed when Val finally asked me to stop. I was embarrassed. I hadn't meant to get personal, I was just fascinated. I wasn't ready to have a baby anytime soon, but I knew that I wanted to one day. Val had offered to walk me home, but I'd declined. I wanted to stop by the inn and see Mama Iida first, and I wasn't about to ask him to stand around waiti
*Estelle* My heart was pounding in my chest. Val was enraged in a way I'd never seen him. I felt frozen to the spot as the weight of the confrontation hit me. The men who had accompanied Charles looked just as uncertain and startled as I was. Gradually, they backed away from Val. None of them wanted to anger him further, and I didn't blame them. After an uncertain moment, the men followed Charles. Once Charles and the strange men were far enough away not to pose an immediate threat, Val turned to me. "Are you alright?" he asked. The look of rage fell from his face as if it had never been there, and concern took its place. "I'm fine," I said softly. "Just a little freaked out. That was intense." I shook my head in an attempt to clear it. "What do you think he meant?" I asked softly. "I'm not sure," Val said. He looked as concerned as I felt. "If he knows about my parents and he starts telling people, won't the pack be upset? Considering the history with Bear Lake…"
*Val* Estelle was spending a lot of time with Lucky and I was grateful for it. As her pregnancy progressed, it was harder for me to understand what she was experiencing. I did my best to take care of her and make sure that she didn't have to lift a finger if she didn't want to, but there was only so much that I could do. Having another woman to talk to about her experience helped. Estelle was so fascinated with the entire process. I knew it wouldn't be long before Gabe had a little one on the way, too. The pack was finally stable enough that it felt safe for us to start a family. My anxiety over the pregnancy was driving me a little mad. I did my best to hide it from Lucky. I didn't want her to have any additional stress to manage. The best thing that I could do to assuage my fears was to prepare for our pup's arrival. It was still many months away, but it was never too early to get ready. I'd already renovated the guest room in our home to be a nursery. There was no furnit
*Gabe* The preparations for the delegation from Crystal Lake were completed yesterday, but it had done nothing to settle my nerves. We haven't hosted a delegation for more than a night or two since I became the Alpha. I wasn't sure what to expect. I went to the inn early this morning to check in with Mama Iida. She assured me that everything was ready for the guests. Estelle had gone ahead to meet with Lucky and help her prepare for her parents' arrival. I was glad that I was able to arrange for her parents to join the delegation. With her first pup on the way, I knew that having her parents nearby would be comforting to her. Val was clearly excited that they were coming. His parents both passed away years ago, so Lucky's were the only grandparents the pup would have. Preserving the family bonds that we could was important to both of us. It was the least I could do for Val in light of everything he'd taken on for the pack. I had expected Val to join me this morning, but he