"A boy?" Ken said sharply, already feeling fiercely protective of his daughter. She was too young to be thinking about boys.
"He was already in the woods, so we played around and then went back to town. After we shifted, I found out his name is Gordy and he lives in Silvercoast. He's the same age as me."
"Oh, Gordy." Ken relaxed and unclenched his fist from around his knife. "He's a good kid. Violet's sister's son."
"Violet still lives here?" Beth said in shock. "I didn't see her at the council meeting."
"She doesn't go to those anymore, too stressful. She'll come out looking for goblins with us, though, if it comes to that."
Speak of the devil, Ken's phone buzzed with a text from Rick, indicating that Ryel was calling everyone to the town hall about the verdict. Ken already had a good idea of where this was heading.
"Will you be okay with leaving Joanna with Violet for a few days?" Ken asked, looking up from his phone. "I suspect we'll be gone for a while when we scout out the location of the goblin hive."
Beth hesitated, but she glanced at Joanna, who had big, round, 'pretty please' eyes plastered on her face. Ken smirked, knowing that he wouldn't be able to resist those if he was in Beth's position.
"I suppose there's no choice," Beth said at last. "You're going to have a good time with Violet and Gordy, but you're their guest, so you better be on your best behavior."
"I promise!" Joanna was so excited at first, laughing and giddy, but then her eyes landed on Ken, and that joy faded a little. "But I only just met daddy."
Ken reached across the table to take one of her small hands in his. "It's okay. You have to make friends, too, right? Your mom and I will be back in a few days, and then we'll have all the time in the world to get to know each other. Maybe we can even go for a run together. How does that sound?"
She grinned. "Promise?"
"I promise." He squeezed her hand. "Now go get dressed, we have twenty minutes to get to the town hall."
Chapter 10 - Beth
Beth was buzzing inside and out after the emotional rollercoaster of that morning. Knots of anxiety had settled in her stomach, and some of them were still sitting her gut as little time bombs ready to explode at any minute. Despite the amazing outcome between Ken and Joanna earlier that morning, Beth felt as though she were left on a slippery slope, eating up every peaceful second she had left while waiting for the shoe to drop.
She wasn't sure if it would. She didn't want it to, not in a million years. Everything unfolding around her felt too good to be true, but in a way, she believed she deserved this happiness. This certainty. The strength of Ken and their love, the endless possibilities that unfurled just by having him at her side. Even now, after dropping Joanna off at Violet's, Beth and Ken walked hand-in-hand with Ken toward the town hall. It seemed like a dream, something pulled straight out of her memories, not the present.
Ken could love her. They could make their family whole again. But what if the pack rejected her? Called her crazy and told her to leave?
She'd either be ripping Ken away from his pack once and for all, or be forced to leave him forever. Again. Neither were options she was happy with.
In Beth's heart of hearts, she believed she had nothing to worry about. Ryel seemed like a reasonable young man.
He wasn't the one she was worried about.
When they rounded the street corner and the town hall came into view, the knot in her stomach tightened. Ken must have sensed her sudden anxiety, because he squeezed her hand gently and gave her a reassuring smile.
"It's going to be okay," he said softly. "Whatever happens, we'll face it together."
There was no denying that Ken was here, in the flesh, staring down at her with eyes like bright leaves lit from within with sunlight. His touch wa as warm and kind and wonderful as she remembered; in fact, it was better. If he thought everything was going to work out, then she believed him.
Beth nodded and drew in a deep breath, trying to steady herself. It was just the goblins, she tried to convince herself. They were the big question mark.
Sheknew what she'd seen. But even if she had seen the goblins fourteen years ago, would they still be where she'd spotted them?
With another deep breath, Beth pushed those thoughts aside and followed Ken toward the doors of the town hall. Inside, they found Ryel, Rick, Finn, and several other wolves already assembled. A quiet murmur of surprise rippled through the crowd when they saw Ken and Beth walking in together, holding hands.
Beth's cheeks turned slightly red, but Ken squeezed her hand in reassurance as they approached Ryel.
Ryel's white-blond hair was tamed with some thick gel, and he wore a wicked smirk. "Look who decided to kiss and make up." He punched Ken playfully. "Surprised you decided to forgive this assclown after the way he talked to you yesterday morning."
"Trust me, he got a mouthful, and he paid his penance," Beth said as she looked to Ken to show that the innuendo was intended. "I don't think he'll be making the same mistake again."
"Good, that means there won't be any unnecessary drama on our trip, isn't that right?"