"Here! There are wolves, and everyone's nice, and I can be myself for once."
That did sound nice, but Ken wasn't going to promise anything that Beth wasn't ready to commit to. He glanced her way, and she was already looking at him, a warm smile on her face.
"I'll think about it, honey, there's still a lot up in the air around here," she said. "I don't know if we're going to be welcome back, first of all."
"Why wouldn't we?"
Beth sighed. "Well, you see, I disappeared for fourteen years. That's not something that the wolves tend to forgive easily."
"But you didn't know any better."
"A lot of people won't see it that way. They will want to find reasons to keep me out, since they'll see me as an outsider now."
Ken couldn't help but feel like he had to take some blame for that. She was his mate, and instead of supporting her when she came back claiming that there were still goblins out there, he'd yelled at her, called her a liar, and put her down.
And the other wolves would definitely take their relationship into consideration when they decided Beth's fate.
"But I think that if you can work hard to prove yourself, the pack will come around eventually," Ken said. "They might all be upset about your claim about the goblins, but if they reallyareout there, everyone will change their minds about you very quickly. You'll be seen as a hero."
"My mom already is a hero," Joanna said as she finished flipping over all the pancakes. A few more minutes and breakfast would be ready. "The best mom I could ever ask for."
"She sure is. She raised you, after all."
Even while he sang praises about Beth, he knew her worries were true. The pack would not readily accept her back on grounds of how she had hurt Ken, and he was already starting to formulate a plan in his mind of how Beth had changed. If he vouched for her, and they became a couple again, that might be enough. Telling the pack about Joanna might be enough.
The goblins were another worry entirely. Ken already suspected that Ryel had every intention of verifying her claims himself by trekking into the forest to search for the hive. Though Ken had been sure, at first, that Beth had to be lying or misremembering what she'd seen, he wasn't so sure anymore.
Of course it was possible that some of the goblins had survived. That they hadn't attacked yet because they were waiting for the right moment.
It was the right call to scour the wilds and make sure. But whether they found the goblins or not could also determine Beth's fate within the pack.
For now, though, Ken tried not to think about what could be. He had Joanna and Beth right here in front of them, and they had years to catch up on.
Breakfast was ready, and Beth told Joanna to go set the table. She scurried around with plates and silverware, and Beth smiled as she watched.
"She took to you so fast," she whispered. "It makes me so happy. She's been waiting for her father her whole life, and until a few days ago, I thought I was going to have to keep disappointing her."
"I hopeIdon't disappoint her."
"I don't think you do at all." Beth cupped Ken's face, pulling him in for a soft kiss. "You never will."
"Gross! Stop that, it's breakfast time!" Joanna called from the dining area.
Ken and Beth laughed, and they scooped plates of food to carry off and set on the table. Within minutes, they were all seated, their plates full of fresh food, and they were digging in.
Joanna did this thing where she put her omelet between two pancakes and then drenched it with syrup. He thought about commenting but decided not to hamper her creative spirit. Besides, whatever tasted good for her, was what mattered, right?
As they ate in contented silence, Ken thought about the future. He couldn't wait to spend more time with Joanna, and he couldn't wait to see what her hobbies and interests were. It sounded like Beth had lived a colorful life, but because she had cut out everything with Joanna in it, he didn't know much about her, and he wanted to fill those gaps.
He was sure that she had all sorts of wonderful talents that would intrigue him and keep him fascinated for years to come. They would go on adventures together, exploring the world and seeing everything it had to offer.
"So you went around town alone yesterday?" Ken asked.
"I was looking for someone to tell me who my dad was," Joanna said between bites of food. "But no one would tell me anything. I got angry and then went for a run as a wolf."
"Jo, you know you're not supposed to go for a run in unfamiliar places," Beth said.
"I know, I'm sorry." She dipped her chin sadly. "But I was really upset, and I needed togo. Besides, I wasn't alone for long. I met a boy."