Page 31 of Violet Moon (Pitch Mountain Pack #1)

twenty-two

Going about their day as though nothing had changed in their lives was harder than Sera thought it should be.

Any time she saw Parisa, it was difficult to stifle giggles or stop blushing.

Because she had permission to touch her, not brushing her fingers along Parisa’s skin or pushing the hair from her face was tougher than any task she tackled throughout the day.

The bakery had been busy, but it had done nothing to keep her thoughts from straying back to Parisa’s bedroom and what happened, what could have happened, and what would happen in the future.

When her shift was done and they were closing down the bakery for the pack dinner, nothing could keep Sera’s nerves at bay, not even the mini blackberry and lemon tartlet she gave herself as a treat for a job well done. Or just done. Sera wasn’t sure how she’d actually done that day.

She walked back to the house in a happy daze until she saw Jo huffing down the path in a torn shirt, eyes red and face puffy.

Sera caught up to them. “Jo, what’s wrong?”

Jo looked at her, bottom lip trembling. “I’m not good at any of this! And families can be awful.”

“What happened? Do you want to tell me?”

Jo nodded, glancing up at the sky as they sniffled.

“All they do is judge my choices and tell me I’m doing the wrong thing, when they have no idea who I am now and don’t bother to try to get to know me at all.

So they call, I pick up, I get worked up, and I almost wolf out — making this happen.

” They picked at their torn shirt and let out a frustrated sigh.

“I don’t know why I keep picking up the phone. ”

“Almost?” Sera asked. “You mean you didn’t fully transform?”

Jo shook their head.

“That’s fantastic. I mean, not everything else, but look what you did. You managed to control your wolf.”

“Not really.” Jo shook their head. “Wil had to help me.”

“But you still did it. Only you can keep yourself grounded enough not to change.”

Jo shrugged their shoulders, staring at their feet as they kicked their toe into the dirt.

“And you managed to do it when you felt terrible,” Sera continued. “You really have grown so much.”

Jo looked at her. “Really?”

Sera smiled, finally able to get a good look at Jo’s face. “Absolutely. You’ve come so far in such a short time. I’m — I’m really proud of you.”

Jo pitched forward, wrapping their arms around Sera’s middle and squeezing her tight. They tucked their head over Sera’s shoulder. “Thank you.”

“For what?”

Jo waited a long moment before they spoke. “For being my family.”

Sera returned the hug. She had avoided Jo for so long not knowing this was something she needed. They stood there for a while in silence until Jo sniffled and pulled away. Jo smiled but it was nothing like their normal expression.

“I’ve got an idea,” Sera started. “But you tell me if you’d rather sit down and talk, or if you’d like a distraction.”

“Distraction,” Jo replied. “I know, I know, can’t bottle things up, but I am not in a place to go through all that now anyway.”

“Then we go for a run,” she suggested.

Jo quirked up an eyebrow in question.

“As wolves,” Sera added.

Jo shook their head. “I still can’t control it.”

“You can. I know you can. And I’ll be right there if anything happens.”

“I don’t know.” Worry crept into Jo’s features.

“We don’t have to. We can do something else, but I know it helps me, getting out of this skin for a little while.”

Jo waited a beat, fiddling with the hem of their torn shirt. “That would be nice. Being a human is the literal worst sometimes.”

Sera puffed out a quiet laugh. “Yes, it is.”

Jo stood up straighter, squaring their shoulders and wiping away the last few remaining tear trails with the back of their hand. “So where are we running to?”

“Anywhere. Or at least far enough away that you feel better, but close enough that we’ll make it back by dinner.”

“And you promise you’ll help if I can’t come back?”

“I don’t think you’ll need it, but I promise I’ll be there.”

Jo let out a sound somewhere between a laugh and a sob. “You have no idea how much I needed someone to say that to me.” They sniffled. “Oh my gosh, enough of that. No more crying today. So —” They turned towards Sera, sounding more confident than they looked. “We running or what?”

By the time they made it back to the house, Jo’s smile had returned. They’d managed to shift back on their own. It wasn’t perfect, but Jo was improving.

Dinner was simple — a hearty beef stew that was easy to make in bulk to feed thirteen hungry stomachs.

As the rest of her pack wolfed it down, Sera sat with her hands knotted in her lap, eating only when she felt like she must. If what Hugh had said was true, then this wouldn't be earth-shattering news, but Sera couldn’t shake the fear of disapproval from any one of her packmates.

“I wanted to speak to you all about the upcoming duel,” Parisa said towards the end of dinner, breaking Sera free from her spiraling thoughts. She stood and straightened her tailored, cherry-colored, quarter-sleeved dress.

“Last time, I was in the wrong. I’ll admit that.

I prepared on my own for days, leaving the pack to fend for itself.

And I left it to Wilma to inform you all because I thought that was for the best. Now I see that keeping the entire pack involved is what is best for all of us, me included.

It took a reminder from our Beta Seraphine to make me see that. ”

Sera glanced away, unable to look Parisa in the eyes as she felt heat blooming on her cheeks.

Parisa continued to explain the procedures down to every last detail. Most of the pack knew, but for those like Jo, who only knew modern werewolf life, a duel was ancient history.

Jo was full of questions that Parisa answered in a straight-forward way.

Yes, it would take place in a few days. Yes, Jason was challenging her authority over her pack.

No, the pack couldn’t attend. Yes, Seraphine would be the only witness.

No, their opponent’s death was not the final goal for either of them.

Yes, if Parisa lost, the pack could stay with Jason or follow another Alpha.

“I’ll stay with you, win or lose,” Jo announced. “But you won’t lose.”

Several of their packmates nodded in silent agreement.

“Thank you, Jo. I do not intend to lose, but we are prepared for all eventualities.”

“Even the ones that won’t be necessary,” Sera added, unwilling to let any of them dwell too long on the idea of Parisa losing.

Parisa gave her a warm look before clearing her throat.

“And in the spirit of sharing more to strengthen pack bonds, I have one more bit of news. I don’t know how to say it, so I’ll just let the words tumble from my mouth,” she said, but then waited, a charged silence gripping the table.

“Your Beta and I, that is to say, Seraphine and I are — we promise it won’t negatively impact anything and if it does, please just tell us and we’ll rectify the situation immediately — now together.

As in, a couple. We’re a couple. Together. ”

Seraphine stared holes into the table.

Edgar stood, clapped once, raised his hand in victory, and yelled, “Finally!”

Harry, Benny, and Jo shared a look of surprise, but the others exchanged knowing glances and grins.

“Congratulations. Wonderful news,” Carina said.

Diah stood up from the table, held out her arms for a hug and, realizing it was impossible to do so across the wide table, settled for clapping. “I’m so happy for you two.”

There was a chorus of congratulations, until Olive chimed in, “Everybody pay up. I was the closest.”

“Wait, what?” Jo turned towards her.

Olive waved her hand. “Just a pool we had going on that I just won. I knew it. I knew they’d take forever.”

“But not as long as I thought!” Emmaline laughed. She looked at the two of them. “I thought you two would take another year, at least. Not in a bad way, of course. Good things take time, you know?”

“I was the optimist. I lost by several months.” Edgar grinned at them, rubbing the back of his head.

“You all knew?” Benny’s eyes were open wide..

“I thought maybe, but never believed —” Harry trailed off.

“When you’ve been around these two as long as we have, it’s impossible not to know,” Lock said.

Billie laughed, the sound turning softer as she turned towards Sera and Parisa. “We were rooting for you two.”

“We just really, really wanted it to happen.” Emmaline threw her long braids over her shoulder and rested her chin on her palm. “We may have all tried to push the odds in our favor, too.”

“Like with certain book choices,” Edgar said.

Diah added, “Or by keeping everyone out of the living room.”

“Or by reminding you two about your alone time and then asking the restaurant to get you two good and wined up.” Carina grinned.

Sera was equal parts touched and mortified and sat there with her lips parted, saying nothing.

Parisa stood still as stone with a bewildered expression on her face until she shook herself out of it. “I’m not sure how I feel about everyone toying with their Alpha.”

“It wasn’t toying with you. We were helping,” Emmaline corrected her as a hush fell over the rest of the group.

“And none of you thought to tell either of us?” Parisa asked.

“You can’t force these things,” Emmaline continued. “You can give little pushes, but you can’t force anything to happen.”

Parisa looked at Sera, her cheeks dusted a rosy pink. Sera knew she was far more red because she could feel it spreading up her neck and meeting her bright, wide smile.

Days passed as the pack helped Parisa prepare and Sera spent the night cuddled up next to her in bed. It was just like Sera had wanted everything to be — like before, but better.

Leaving the greenhouse with a handful of brightly colored autumn mums, Sera hurried back to the pack house.

The second duel was the following day and she had a plan to hopefully help with Parisa’s nerves.

The flowers were the first step. The second part was asking her out on a date.

Sera had everything planned. It was going to be bold, new, and out of their ordinary.

She had a short speech prepared, something more eloquent than she could usually manage, and was ready to tie the flowers together with some ribbon then knock on Parisa’s door, but she came face-to-face with the object of her immense affections as soon as she opened the back door.

“Pari!” Sera squeaked.

“There you are,” Parisa said. Her cheeks were flushed and she was dressed in casual clothes, skin glistening with a thin layer of sweat as though she’d just been running. “I was looking for you and could sense you were around here somewhere.”

“Flowers!” She blurted, holding out the tiny, loose bouquet. “I got you flowers.”

Parisa took them. “They remind me of the sunshine outside today.”

“A date!” Words were flying out of her louder and faster than she wanted.

“I’m here to ask you on a date. Well, not here exactly.

I was going to ask you in your study and had a whole thing planned, but now you’re here, and I already gave you the flowers, so now’s the right time, I guess.

And maybe it’s not the right time, but I thought you might want a happy distraction tonight, but now I’m second guessing everything and, honestly, whatever you need to do to prepare tonight, I will help. ”

“A date sounds perfect. And not as a distraction, but as a wonderful way to spend the evening.”

“Good.” Sera caught her breath. “Good,” she repeated, not knowing what else to say because the way Parisa was looking at her wiped her brain clean of all thoughts.

“What’s the plan for tonight? How should I dress?”

“Anything you want. I’m going to try to look nice, but you always look nice, so you don’t have to worry.”

“I always look nice, do I? Even like this?” She tugged on the end of her sweatshirt.

“Yes.” Sera could feel her skin warming.

“I’ll do a bit better than a matching sweatshirt and pants tonight.”

“You could wear that and still be the most perfect person in the room.”

Parisa pressed her palm to Sera’s cheek. “Your words are sweeter than honey and yet somehow I still believe them. You flatter me. I’m a sweaty mess right now.”

“You look strong.”

Parisa licked her bottom lip as she held Sera’s gaze. The heat in Parisa’s stare sent a shiver through Sera’s body.

“Thank you, my Beta. I feel strong today. And I’m certain a night out of the house will only improve my condition.”

“I have everything planned. Be ready around nine?”

“Looking forward to every moment of it.”

Sera’s eyes fluttered shut as she leaned into the heat from Parisa’s palm.

Parisa kissed her other cheek and Sera’s eyes shot open. She grinned, a pleased laugh rumbling up from her chest. She swept Parisa into her arms and peppered her with kisses until they were both smiling too hard to continue.