“Worriedis one way to put it,” Griffin grins.
The guy is fearless. I am not surprised anymore that Forest’s parents wanted him far away.
“Why is that a problem?” Forest asks his father directly.
Harry clears his throat, trying to look dignified. “I am just concerned that your luna is out there with an unmated male wolf.”
Forest frowns. “Is that ‘unmated wolf’ supposed to be Griffin?”
“Yep,” Griffin says.
“I ordered him to guard Rose today,” Forest points out.
“As the future luna, she can’t just stroll around the pack like this?”
“Why?” Forest asks, something in his eyes glinting. “Is our pack dangerous for her?” Now, that was a well-placed dig, and he did it on purpose. He is getting much more confident every day.
“No, of course not!”
“Then, I don’t understand the problem,” he says firmly, and just throws his father off more. “My future luna can look around the pack as much as she wants. Actually, I hope she will love it here and get along with everyone.” He turns around. “You also met the warriors, didn’t you?”
“Yes, like you asked me to,” I say, from the corner of my eye, noticing how this intrigues the pack members. They have been taught that Forest is inadequate and useless, because that’s what his narcissistic parents were pushing for. “It was a fantastic idea, Forest.”
Forest plays along. “I can’t take all the credit,” he says smoothly. “Clearly, my future luna is particularly smart.”
His words take me a little by surprise, and I have difficulty keeping my face straight. Did he just mean that? It sounded so genuine. Forest just smiles at me, his expression open and gentle, and I can only return the smile.
Behind us, Harry clears his throat. “I can assure you the pack has been in capable hands so far.”
“Yes,” I say. “The pack was certainly in some sort ofhands.”
At my words, Griffin grins so brightly I would describe it as shameless, at least in Harry’s eyes.
“What did you find out?” Forest asks.
I pull out my notebook. “I will tell you everything over breakfast. It’s pretty much as we expected it to be. The orphanage, nursery and infirmary need a lot more attention.” Forest, Griffin and I continue our walk, with me chatting happily along and making sure to tell him a few details I caught from my detour today—for everyone to hear.
Forest and I spend the day planning how to help the infirmary and orphanage in particular. I have also started setting up some security measures, and furthermore, planning the budget, while Forest is head over heels with the idea of specialized training for his warriors.
It’s a busy day for both of us, and fortunately, his parents leave us alone. I guess his father is still shocked from earlier this morning, and his mom hasn’t been seen all day.
This reminds me of something.
When Forest and I finally retire to the suite, later that evening, I pull out the folder I wanted to take a closer look at. “This is weird, Forest.”
“How come?”
“Your mom invested a huge sum in flowers.”
“And how is that weird?” he blinks. “Don’t get me wrong, she definitely overspent, and you can change the budget to your liking, but is it really so off?”
“Definitely. Flowers and good decoration can cost quite a hefty sum. But even if I go for luxurious stuff, it wouldn’t cost that much.” I show him the numbers. “Theyareoff.”
“What do you think?”
“That she is not buying flowers,” I say.
His eyes widen. “What…”
