Simon hadn’t really thought about what he wanted to do. He should probably pack up and head back to his place, but the idea of spending the day with them was too tempting to resist. “I think that sounds awesome.”
“Yes!” Garon yelled. Gray winced and drank more coffee. Simon just grinned and enjoyed a morning that wasn’t him eating a piece of toast by himself.
It took about an hour for them to finish breakfast, do the morning cleanup, and head out for their tour. Garon guided them, knowing thehistory of the property very well. The pack was founded in the early 1900s, the result of a division of a larger pack over the mountains around Asheville. The earliest High Moon Pack members had pooled their money and purchased the property that the pack still held today.
Garon took them to an old cabin set away from the rest. “Simon, you have to be respectful here. This is our first Alpha’s cabin.” Garon was very serious, and Gray had to turn his head to keep his son from seeing his smile.
Simon looked into the small, one-room cabin as Garon watched to make sure he appreciated it. After making appropriate comments on its coolness, Garon led Simon back to the largest structure on the property. “This is really great. It was built in… Um, I don’t remember, Dad?”
“1928,” Gray supplied.
“Yeah, in 1928,” Garon agreed. “The pack wanted a big meeting hall like the one they had in the other pack, so they started building one. But they were smart, weren’t they, Dad?”
Gray nodded his agreement.
“They made it really big, big enough for a pack three times their size, because they knew we’d be a bigger, stronger pack one day.”
“And they were right, weren’t they?” Simon added.
“Yep. We’re really big and strong now. Come on, Simon. I want to show you the cool part.”
There were about twenty steps leading up to a large covered porch. Rocking chairs and benches were scattered around the planked floor, and a couple of ceiling fans whirled slowly, keeping the porch cool. Garon didn’t stop to let Simon admire the sweeping view. Instead, he dragged Simon inside and over to a wall of photos displayed on the main wall.
Most were black and white and set on the porch of the meeting hall. Simon could see the distinctive gray hair in the patriarch of each picture, tracing down the line until they reached the end, where a color photo of Gray and a much younger Garon hung.
“Check it out, Simon. That’s me and Dad. And in twenty years, I’ll have my own picture to put right here beside it.”
“Twenty years?” Simon asked.
“Yep. I get to be alpha when I turn thirty, just like Dad.”
The history and tradition amazed Simon. He had nothing like this to pass down to the children he probably wouldn’t have anyway. His legacy consisted of his cabin and his grandfather’s journals. He couldn’t trace his family back several generations, and now that he’d met Cormac and read about the death of his werewolf mate, Simon suddenly realized he might know why.
Gray put his arm discreetly around Simon’s waist. “You okay?”
“Yeah. This is amazing, Gray.”
Gray glanced around the room with quiet pride. “I think so. I used to think of all the things I’d change when I became alpha, all the things I’d make bigger and better.” His gaze landed on the photo of him and Garon. “Now I think of all the ways I can keep it the same. What I can pass on to my son.”
Simon stared up at him, suddenly longing to be part of those traditions, that history. He wondered if it would ever be possible for his photo to be there on the wall, right alongside Gray and Garon. The three of them, together as a family. His heart sped up, the quick rush of happiness at the idea surprising him.
SIMON was pleasantly exhausted after an afternoon of swimming and playing at the pond with Gray, Garon, and several other members of the pack. The three of them walked back to Gray’s house to prepare for the impromptu cookout they had planned for the evening. Gray asked Aunt Maggie to defrost some hamburger meat so he could make his “famous” burgers on the grill. The other pack members they’d invited were bringing chips, potato salad, and baked beans.
Gray spoke to Liam midafternoon and learned Cormac hadn’t made very much progress on the demon’s corpse. Since its magic was completely drained, there wasn’t much to work with. They were all frustrated but hoped the demon’s death would mean the end of their troubles.
In the mood to celebrate, Gray told Liam to head back to thecompound and join them for dinner. He invited Cormac as well, and Simon knew Gray hoped spending time with the vampire would ease Simon’s worries a bit.
Simon did want to get to know the vampire more, but he wasn’t quite as hopeful about the rest of his worries. He didn’t remind Gray, not wanting to ruin their wonderful day, but he knew he still had to face the Conclave of Mages. It weighed heavily on him, even though Cormac didn’t seem to believe he would get more than a slap on the wrist.
While doing his job of filling a cooler with ice, soda, and water, he kept one ear on the conversation going on in the kitchen between Gray and Garon. He didn’t really want to eavesdrop, but Garon was grilling Gray about their relationship, and Simon found it incredibly amusing.
“So, do you kiss him and stuff?” Garon asked.
“Well, yeah,” Gray answered.
“Hmm. I guess that’s okay. He is pretty cool. Did you see him when we were playing chicken at the pond? We didn’t even get dunked once!” Garon and Simon had been teamed up for the challenge. Garon, on Simon’s shoulders, had tried to knock the other kids off their parents’ shoulders and into the water. They were drenched multiple times but managed to stay on their feet.
“I saw him. You guys did great.”
