Chapter 103

Mira

As if there wasn’t enough going on, the day of the Blood Drive arrived.

It turned out to mostly be a nice distraction from some of the other challenges the universe was throwing at me, even though it was exhausting.

I was awake before sunrise, too eager and anxious to sleep. Dominic slept soundly, his breath deep and even and an occasional growl of pleasure from whatever he was dreaming. I curled into him on my side, pressing my back body into the cavern of his torso.

Pulling his arm around me, I made a few exaggerated wiggles to make myself comfortable. He didn’t wake up, but his body responded and he cuddled me closer and and his lips found my shoulder. I knew he was asleep because he didn’t take his mouth away, just rested his head against me with his mouth slightly open to allow him to breathe.

I tried to go back to sleep like that, but after a few minutes even the comfort of my Mate’s warm body couldn’t quiet my busy mind. I kissed his fingers and climbed out of bed carefully. Dominic fell slightly forward onto his stomach and I heard a small “no” from somewhere in the pillows.

Leaving a note so he wouldn’t worry, I packed up and left for the day.

The hospital was quiet when I arrived, thankfully the overnight staff reported no major catastrophes. I was feeling confident about our preparation and could only hope that the community would show up.

“They’ll be here,” Cinda reassured me as we set up a snack table. “No one would even think about missing out on Luna Mira’s event.”

My discomfort was clear on my face. “I hope they would come because they felt a sense of duty to their neighbors, to the Pack, not just because I want them too. Do people really think I am that egotistical?”

“Gods, no, Mira,” she responded, her tone softening from her usual snark. “I’m just playing with you. If people show up for you it is because they love you and want to support your good works.”

“Alright,” I said, not convinced. “Sometimes I think I’m doing too much, you know? Like I’m trying too hard to be something I’m not.”

“Mira, are you kidding me?” Cinda put her hand on my arm, forcing me to pause my activity of unboxing granola bars. “You’re it, honey, you’re the blueprint. So what if it isn’t what people expected?”

She wrapped her arm around my shoulders. “I always appreciate your pep talks,” I told her.

“Of course you do,” she responded, bumping me with her hip. “And maybe you can go give one to your husband, the Alpha is brooding.”

I looked over and saw she was correct, Dominic was making himself useful. He had been tasked with carrying chairs for donors to sit and wait after giving blood. The weight of the load was minimal for a man his size, but there was still something heavy about him.

“He’s been under a lot of pressure, taking over the Pack,” it wasn’t untrue, but I was definitely trying to deflect from the real issue.

“Right,” Cinda said, doubtful. We both stood and watched him for a moment as he arranged chairs against a wall. Someone approached him, putting a hand on Dominic’s arm to get his attention. “I wonder if there isn’t something else still troubling him,” said Cinda.

Dominic did a strange jerky motion as he recognized who was talking to him.

Celeste.

I couldn’t hear their conversation, but I was studying their body language like a hawk. She seemed cautious, not meaning to intrude, but seeing how he was doing. He brushed his hand through his hair, a tell that I recognized for when he was overwhelmed.

Then something she said softened him, and they both looked out around the room. I could tell Celeste purposefully avoided making eye contact with me. But when Dominic’s eyes passed over me they stopped.

He gave me a half smile, then looked to Celeste and back at me.

I sighed. “Excuse me,” I said to Cinda.

Walking over to Dominic and Celeste, I felt my wolf starting to rouse within me. I kept my fingers straight by my sides, but they felt electrified.

“Luna Mira!’

Celeste’s voice was jovial and non-threatening, but I still couldn’t trust it. I kept my composure as my rank required and bowed my head gently towards her when I arrived next to them.

“Hello Celeste,” I said with the cool confidence of a queen. “So nice of you to come out and support the community today.”

“How could I miss it?” She said, her body still as close to Dominic’s as she could be without touching him. “Great work, Mira, really. Such a great turn out— did you pay people to get here?”

She laughed lightly, enjoying her small joke. I held my serene smile, letting her try to take the spotlight. “All I can offer them is the same compassion when they need help, and a juice box or two.”

Celeste’s face drooped a bit as she heard my diplomatic answer. Dominic was stuck in between us, unsure what to do with his hands.

“You really are a saint, aren’t you?” Celeste says her disappointment in the fact is highly evident. “Always in the right place at the right time to save the day.”

“I cannot control what Fate has in store for me,” I said, my voice enchanted and my chest proud, “I can only respond and react accordingly.”

“And I do appreciate your email this morning, explaining the…mix-up with your trial,” I added. I figured I could safely bring it up with Dominic at my side. “I just can’t prescribe something I know nothing about, you understand.”

“I do,” Celeste said, nodding aggressively, “and I did a lot of reading about this sort of thing. I’ve made the pamphlet much more clear and already today people are responding well to it. It’s great to talk to so many community members today. Just in conversation,” she went on, holding her hands up, “I’m not trying to convert anyone while they are woozy from blood loss.”

That light laugh again, it was clear and melodic and actually quite lovely. I hated it.

My teeth ground together. “How nice,” I managed to say.

I put my hand on Dominic’s chest, over his heart, a reminder that Fate brought us together.

“Thank you for your help this morning, husband,” I kissed him lightly on the cheek. “Celeste.”

I turned back to the stations I’d been prepping, Cinda’s face full of delight after watching the exchange.

“That looked spicy,” she said in an urgent whisper. “She still looks pissed, even from a distance.”

I shrugged, only my eyes giving away my amusement at successfully dissing Celeste. I wondered what karmic retribution there would be for my pettiness, but figured I had done enough good to slide every once in a while.

I kept an eye on Celeste as she chatted and socialized, making sure she wasn’t too aggressive in her pitch for her supplemental experiments. Dominic, thankfully, came to stand with me whenever he couldn’t be helpful elsewhere. He was still quiet most of the day, his mind elsewhere, but being close to one another brought both of us some comfort.

“Do you want to go home early?”

It was evening, the room getting less busy as the after-work crowd finished their appointments.

“No, I’ll help to clean up.”

“You know you don’t have to.”

He didn’t look at me, but he reached out and gently took my hand. Warmth flooded between our palms as he interlaced his fingers with mine.

“I’m with you to the end.”

He was saying so much more with those simple words, and I couldn’t keep the goofy smile from spreading across my face.

We were still holding hands, quietly observing the room, when Lucas hurried into the room. Dominic’s eyes shot over to him as he came towards us, the Beta trying not to look alarming among the hospital staff and patients. I squeezed Dominic’s hand, bracing.

“What is it, Lucas?”

“Sir,” Lucas said, his face slightly flushed, “it was the Roques—“

“What happened?” Dominic let go of my hand and stepped toward Lucas.

“There was an explosion.