168 A Big, Fluffy, Huggable Puppy
Axel went back to bed immediately after his declaration, leaving Ashleigh no option for rebuttal. Corrine tried to calm her down, and Wyatt reminded her that it was Axel’s right as Alpha to put limitations on the wolves of Winter.
Ashleigh struggled to get past her anger and sleep the rest of the night. However, when she finally did, she slept later than intended and could not catch Axel before he left to coordinate with Saul.
All she could do was pout to her new friend.
“It sucks that your brother pulled rank on you,” Clara said. “But you wouldn’t have been able to join the hunt anyway.”
“Why not?” Ashleigh asked.
“We’re headed home this afternoon,” Clara smiled.
“Well, yea, but if I had gone on the hunt, we would have gone home tomorrow,” Ashleigh said. “Actually, I might just go anyway…”
Clara’s smile dropped.
“But you can’t….” Clara said quickly. “It was a direct order from your Alpha.”
“I think of it more as a bossy suggestion from my brother,” Ashleigh smiled.
“And yet,” came a voice that made Ashleigh close her eyes in regret. “It was, in fact, a direct order from your Alpha.”
“Good morning, Luna Corrine,” Clara quickly greeted her with respect.
Ashleigh turned around to greet her mother.
“Hi, mom.”
“Hello, dear.”
“I just think that as the highest-ranking berserker….” Ashleigh said, dramatically pointing to herself. “I would be quite useful in this hunt.”
“That’s true.”
“See, so then I should go join them.”
“But,” Clara interjected. “Alpha Caleb expects us to return to Summer by tomorrow morning.”
Ashleigh furrowed her brows.
“Then I will call him and let him know it might be the next day.”
Clara sighed.
“I think Beta Galen also mentioned needing to get back by the morning,” she tried again.
“If it’s a big deal for him, he can go ahead, and you and I will return tomorrow.”
Clara gritted her teeth, but Ashleigh didn’t notice.
“Ashleigh, it’s really not that important for you to participate in every hunt that happens in Winter. You have no reason to keep Clara and Galen from their duties back in Summer,” Corrine smiled.
Clara visibly relaxed, believing that Ashleigh would listen to her mother and Luna.
“Fine,” Ashleigh said.
Clara let out a sigh of relief.
“Clara, you can go back with Galen too. I will head back alone when I am done here. So it might actually be a few more days,” Ashleigh said as she started to leave the room.
Clara let out a slight panicked sound as she bit her lip nervously.
“Oh, for love of the Goddess!” Corrine shouted.
Ashleigh turned around to see her mother visibly irritated.
“Can you not see how hard your friend is trying to tell you something without telling you something?!”
“What?” Ashleigh asked, looking at Clara, who was red with embarrassment.
“Alpha Caleb is throwing you a surprise banquet tomorrow night; it is his official introduction of his mate to our pack. He didn’t want to tell you ahead of time because he didn’t want you to feel pressured, and he wanted to handle all the finer details himself.”
Ashleigh covered her mouth with her hand and took a seat. She turned her eyes to her mother.
“Did you know about this?” she asked.
“Of course, I knew about this!” Corrine huffed. “You stubborn brat. Caleb very respectfully called and asked that we make sure you didn’t do exactly what you have been trying to do.”
“Then, wait, did Axel really–”
“Axel gave a real order that you will respect,” Corrine growled. “You know his feelings about what you’re doing, but he also knew about you needing to go back to Summer today.”
“I had no idea,” Ashleigh laughed.
“That was kind of the point,” Clara smiled. “Alpha Caleb is going to kill me.”
“No, I’m sure he’ll understand once I tell him what happened,” Ashleigh said.
“Yes,” Corrine added, “if there is anyone that will understand how annoyingly stubborn this brat can be, it is him.”
Corrine shook her head with irritated disapproval at Ashleigh.
“Just like your father…” she sighed.
Ashleigh wanted to object but knew she had absolutely no ground to stand on.
The back door opened with a loud thud.
“Guess who’s engaged!!” Bell shouted as she stepped through the door.
Ashleigh gasped and jumped up from the table with a shout of joy that Corrine quickly echoed. They ran to Bell and enveloped her in an enthusiastic hug.
“Congratulations!” Ashleigh said.
Bell looked at her and took a step back.
“You bitch!” she shouted and hit her friend playfully. “You knew he was going to ask me!”
Ashleigh laughed. ρꪖꪕᦔꪖꪕꪫꪣꫀꪶ
“Sweetheart, anyone who has ever seen the way he looks at you knew he would ask sooner than later!” Ashleigh said in her defense. “But yes, I totally knew!”
Bell spied Corrine with suspicious eyes.
“You knew too?” she asked in disbelief.
Corrine raised her hands innocently.
“I only found out last night. He stopped by to see Wyatt and me before going to the hospital,” Corrine said, taking Bell’s hands. “He asked us in place of your parents for permission to ask you to join his family.”
Bell smiled and fought back the tears.
“I hope it’s alright that we felt honored enough to accept in their place,” Corrine smiled, though fresh tears fell from her eyes.
Bell hugged Corrine tightly, and Ashleigh joined the hug.
Clara watched with happiness and tears. She didn’t know Bell, but she had gotten to know Galen through the past few months. There was no one she could be happier for.
“Am I crazy?” Bell asked quietly. “Is this crazy?”
She pulled back and looked at them.
Ashleigh sighed.
“Bell, you’re only questioning it because you know it’s the right thing for you,” she said. “Let yourself enjoy it. Be happy. You found such a wonderful man, and he loves you so much! So accept the happiness, embrace the happiness.”
“You know, hearing that from you is a little funny,” Bell replied.
“Haha…” Ashleigh said dryly. “We all know I screwed up in that regard, so I obviously know what I am talking about. So, stop trying to deny yourself.”
“Honey,” Corrine said, turning Bell’s attention to herself. “I have watched you take care of every person around you all these years. You are a wonderful woman, and you deserve happiness, even if you don’t believe you do.”
Bell looked away with tears in her eyes.
“He’s so great,” she said. “I just don’t want him to know how broken I really am.”
Corrine and Ashleigh both hugged her once more.
“Uhm, I’m sorry, I know you don’t know me… but can I say something?” Clara said from a few feet away.
Bell looked past Ashleigh at the other person in the room, only now having noticed her.
“Who is that?” she whispered.
“Bell, this is Clara,” Ashleigh replied. “Clara, this is Bell.”
Bell gave a slight nod of acknowledgment.
“Oh, I know who Bell is,” Clara smiled brightly.
Bell tilted her head suspiciously.
“Oh! No, not like in creepy Spring ‘I know you’ kind of way… I work really closely with Galen, so…” Clara added quickly. “Not like ‘close’ we aren’t like extra friendly or something…. I’m gay! Like, very gay, I don’t like boys. Yuck.”
Clara rubbed her arm nervously.
“Clara…” Ashleigh said.
“Sorry… I don’t talk to many people, and strong people make me very nervous.”
“Clara!” Ashleigh called out. “There was something you wanted to say? That was hopefully helpful….”
“Right! Right, the broken thing….” Clara began. “Uhm… I just wanted to say… that… everybody is broken. We all have things that hurt us or make us feel like we aren’t worth the time or effort someone is willing to put into us.”
Clara swallowed down the nerves that were trying to push up her breakfast.
“I… I don’t know why you feel that way,” Clara said to Bell. “But I know that Galen isn’t someone who could ever see that in you.”
Bell took a step forward, listening to what Clara was saying.
“I’m not saying he thinks you’re perfect because that would be so overwhelmingly suffocating!”
Clara laughed, and so did Bell.
“From what he’s said, you have stuff that keeps you from seeing who he sees, and he knows that. But it doesn’t stop him from seeing it.”
Bell took a deep breath.
“I might not be making much sense here, but if you can’t see yourself as the amazing and wonderful person he sees, let him be your mirror. If you think you’re broken and can’t fix yourself, let him stitch you up,” Clara smiled. “Because that’s who Galen is.”
Bell felt her mouth curving into a smile as the tears streamed down her face.
“That’s who he has always been,” Clara said. “He’s the guy that sees you at the rock bottom of your worst day, and he jumps down in that hole with you and gives you a hand up.”
Bell sniffled and closed her eyes.
“You know what he is?” Clara asked with a big smile.
Bell opened her eyes.
“What?” she asked.
“He’s just a big, fluffy, huggable puppy.”
Bell stared at Clara blankly and then turned to Ashleigh, whose mouth was twitching from the desperate effort she was putting into holding back.
Bell and Ashleigh could no longer hold it in and broke into a heavy fit of laughter.
***
“Congratulations, Brother. I’m very happy for you,” Caleb smiled at the call.
“Thank you,” Galen said happily. “We aren’t waiting. I will come back at the next full moon, and we will get married. So, I would like to formally request a vacation for the week that follows.”
“Fill out the paperwork when you get back in the morning, but request two weeks. Treat your wife better than that,” Caleb laughed.
“When you and Ashleigh get married, will you take a whole month?” Galen asked.
“How’d you know?” Caleb smiled brightly.