Filed to story: Sorry Alpha I Am Wolfless Novel
“She says she will make an extra special dinner and dessert. She is happy that Mommy and Daddy and Tally are home.” Zayden added when he came to a stop next to his brothers.
“Well then, I can’t wait for the meal.” I smiled at the boys. “Thank you for being my little messengers.”
“Of course, Mommy.” Zayden grinned. “We will always help Mommy. Before we were born and now, we will always be there for you.” The boys had heard a shortened story of what happened in the underworld. They didn’t remember it, thankfully, but they knew that they were Mommy’s protectors, and they were extremely proud of this fact.
A little while later, while Joaquin, Talia, and I were catching up with everyone in the living room, Abigail came to fetch us for dinner.
“Riviana, Joaquin, I am so happy that you are home. You as well, Talia.” She smiled at us. “I have made a special meal for you all to enjoy.”
“Thank you, Abigail.” I smiled at her. She was so sweet, and a lot younger looking than when I met her twenty years ago. And the fact that she was still here with us was amazing. She had been the family chef when Joaquin was born, and she was still with him to this day. He loved her just like she was a part of his family, and so did I. Then again, it was probably thanks to Abigail that Joaquin never learned how to cook. He never needed to learn how to cook because he always had someone that was there to do it for him. Oh well. I didn’t blame her or him. The food that I got to eat was amazing, and I got to spend time with Joaquin in other ways. Just not while cooking.
The nine of us walked into the dining room and heard shouts of surprise. Apparently, Mom, Dad, Lila and Grandfather went straight to the dining room and expected to see the kids but not the rest of us.
“RIVI!?” Mom leapt to her feet and ran over to me. “I can’t believe that you’re home at last.”
“When did you get here?” Dad was running over as well. He added his arms to the hug that Mom was already giving me.
“Joaquin!” Lila was running toward Joaquin at the same moment. “My boy. I missed you.”
“Joaquin!” Ivy ran to hug her big brother. “When did you get home?”
“Riviana!” Olivia, my little sister joined in next. It was all happening almost simultaneously so it was just a little confusing.
“My word!” Finally, Grandfather added his exclamation to the group and came over to me as well. I felt bad for Joaquin, I was getting more hugs than he was, but he didn’t look upset at all.
“We just got back about an hour ago, Mom.” Joaquin told Lila as he held Ivy in his arms and hugged his mom. “We have a lot to talk about though, so we need to call in the others after dinner.”
“Riviana? Why are you home?” Grandfather, who was a little more pragmatic than the others at the moment, figured that something had to either be really good or really bad for us to be here right now.
“We will talk about it after dinner, Grandfather.” I nodded at him. “However, I need to call Noah and Carter to get them here as well. I need the entire inner circle here.” I saw the look in his eyes. It was also mirrored in Mom and Dad’s eyes.
“I will call them now. Can you make a door for Carter to get here later?” He asked me this knowing that there was no other way for him to get here in time.
“Of course. I will make it about a quarter to eight. I told the others to be back from their breaks at eight tonight.”
“Understood. Excuse me for a moment.” With that, he stepped out of the room with his phone in hand. He was going to call his grandsons and tell them when to be here. I knew that with them, Emmalee and Nikki were likely to come for a visit as well. I wouldn’t mind seeing them, but the meeting was going to take priority.
“While you’re doing that, Grandfather, I will let the others know.”
I let the others sit at the table while I sent out a group message to Juniper, Paul, Cedar, Trevor, Aunt Glory, Athair m貌r, Riley, and Landon. I could have done this mentally, but that always felt like an invasion of privacy. I mean, I wasn’t reading their minds or anything, but what if they were doing something intimate? I would feel bad entering their minds while that was happening. So, unless it was a last resort or my only option, I tended to send messages by phone. It was the polite option in my mind.
The message that I sent went like this:
Joaquin and I are back in the castle. Our investigation has led us back here. There is going to be a debriefing at eight tonight. I need you all there. Please, make sure that you are not late. I need to explain what has happened, what we found, and what we think is going on. We will see you then.
The moment that I sat down at the table with the others, Grandfather excluded, my phone started to chime and ding with lots of messages.
:Juniper:
What?! When did you get back!? OK, I know you won’t answer that now, I will see you at eight. I better get some answers though!
:Paul:
HOLY SHIT! It’s the return of Astro! You know I will be there. I won’t leave you hanging. And I am ready to end this investigation with you. You know, you should rely on me more. I am actually quite capable.
:Cedar:
Welcome home Riviana. We’re all glad that you’re back. I will be there at the meeting on time, do not worry. And I hope that things went well while you were gone.
:Landon:
Well, look what the cat dragged in. Glad you’re all back safe and sound. Well, I hope that you’re safe anyway. You didn’t really specify. Anyway, I will be there. I’ll head over after I wrap up this paperwork. It’s still the bane of my existence.
:Riley:
This doesn’t sound good. I will be there, but I need a door. I am not about to make that drive tonight. Sorry to be demanding, but that’s a lot to ask on short notice.
:Trevor:
Glory and I will be there. We need a door as well. It’s a lot farther for us than it is for him. Glad you’re all safe, but I agree that this doesn’t sound positive.
:Athair m貌r:
Welcome home, Garin铆on. [1] I hope that you were all safe on your trip. I will be there with Trevor and Glory. I can travel through the same door as them. See you soon.