André paused in reading another wordy report to gaze at Phoenix in enjoyment. She was sipping on a more herbal tea now as she read. There were stacks in front of her, each with a sticky on it with her neat writing. He couldn't wait to see what she thought went in the piles she continued to sort. Her eyes lifted from the report with a sleepy blink to meet his. Her second mediation had given her a deep calm that seem to spread to the rest of them. Lorenzo and Celeste dozed on the couch. Theo seemed content. And she felt a soft happiness. One side of her mouth tilted up and she looked back down to make notes on a sticky. Gathering the papers she stood, and walking over to André's desk, stuck four stickies down: 'urgent', 'read/sign', 'just sign', and 'decline'. She then set the different piles under each. She took the rest of the unread stack back to her floor area.
André picked up the top paper under 'urgent' and read the sticky.
Summary - Sixteen year old male, with a history of running away, last seen two days ago, Parent delayed asking for help, thinking he'd return.
Recommend - Send two of your best trackers to the house and see what can be found. I've already sent some feelers out to my contacts.
He read over the papers quickly. Her summary was spot on. And so was her recommendation. He picked up the phone to call before picking up the next one. By the time he's gotten through both 'urgent', 'read/sign', and a quarter of the way into 'just sign' he was trusting her summery and only scanning the papers. And was about to not even scan. He was elated at how much they'd gotten done. When his phone shattered the companionable silence they'd been working under.
"Hello?"
"André!"
Phoenix's head shot up as the feminine voice echoed around the room. André sent her a reassuring smile.
"Hello Charlie."
"André I just found your request. I'm so sorry about your baby. My pack is at your disposal. And I'm really, really hoping this note is like a day old and not a week. Please don't hate me."
"I sent the request four days ago. But..." André didn't get any further.
"Oh, Goddess. I don't know what to say. I have excuses, but they are nothing compared to this. I'm sure you don't want to hear them. I..."
"Charlie! He's back. Lorenzo's home."
A sob sounded. "Oh. Thank the Goddess. I would never have forgiven myself."
Andre tried to keep his face calm, knowing she would hear a smile. "What have you been up to that made your normal machine-like efficiency falter?" he picked up the next paper and signed it.
"I was helping a displaced pack and wonder of wonders, I met my mate."
Phoenix let out a slight gasp and grinning huge, bent to write something new on her sticky note pad. Standing she walked over and handed to him. He read it and looked up at her with raised brows. She smirked back. He sighed and did what she asked.
"That's wonderful news, Charlie, to think, eight days ago, I thought I'd lost my son. But now he's back and you have a mate and I found my..." Phoenix's small, sweater-shielded, hand covered his mouth. Only to leave his and cover hers as she tried not to laugh at his shocked face.
"Eight days?" Charlie's voice became serious.
"Yes."
"And how'd you get him back?"
"A friend found him in a forest."
"Hmm. If you're there take the phone from him. Now."
He watched Phoenix hold out her hand. Narrowing his eyes he handed her the phone.
"Hey, Charlie."
"Phoenix! I was sure I was wrong. But I'm not! You found a pup? It was a pup? An Alpha's pup?"
"I didn't know that last part at the time. But, yes. Now at least you don't have to wait until you're eighty or on your deathbed."
Charlie growled. "The fudging Lunar Craters kidnapped an Alpha's pup and left him to die in a forest? I'm putting you on speaker phone. Ivan!"
Phoenix hopped up to sit on his desk and smiled at him. He raised his eyebrows back. She clicked her phone on speaker mode, too.
"What is it, Love?" A male voice André didn't recognize sounded in the room. Phoenix's face lit up.
"I just found out what Phoenix found on your old property."
"How?"
"Oh, she's on the phone right now."
"Really? Hey Phoenix. We didn't expect to hear from you this soon. Was it easier to handle then you thought?"
"How are you not curious what it was?" Charlie growled in annoyance.
"She told me it was worth displacing my Pack. That's all I need to know." André's eyes widened at the males calm outlook.
"It was a kidnapped Alpha's pup." Charlie's voice had grown resigned.
"See? That was more than worth it. Did you get the baby home?"
"I did."
"Still too early to have dealt with the Lunar Craters though?"
"Yes and no." She filled them in on all that had happened.
There was a long beat of silence from them.
Then Charlie cleared her throat. "You have our Pack when you need us, André. Doesn't he, Ivan?"
"Defiantly."
"Do you think I have any sleepers, Phoenix?"
"Freddy's very talented at smelling base scents. Tell him copper and ash."
"Thanks."
"I want to know all about it."
"Oh! And I want to tell you!" Charlie made a happy little sound.
"I'm not busy. At least not for this."
"Okay you send me a displaced pack, because of an Alpha's pup not that I knew that, and I have to get everything ready. In a day and a half. And they arrive, all these wolves. I am super busy getting them all settled and their ex-Alpha, now Alpha again, is this very laid back male who just tries to keep out of the way. But you know what he's like."
"Yes I do."
"Let me tell you something, Phoenix. We might not get the smell and the eyes meeting to let us know we've found our mates. But we do get a clue. When you meet your mate you're going to find him beyond attractive. Almost to the point where you want to run. Where you're like, no. He's dangerous."
Phoenix met André's eyes and blushing, nodded. His eyes darken as he bit back a please growl.
Charlie continued, oblivious. "And you know me I have not been a saint. I truly never thought I'd have a mate. I know lust. It's not lust. It's deeper. It's primal. So I avoid him until I have everyone else settled. Finally, after my Beta pointed out I was quickly entering the rude territory, I went up to offer him a welcoming handshake." She took a deep breath. "And he just stared at my hand. I was beginning to get really annoyed. Then he looked up and smiled. His smile. Oh, butterscotch. I think I was an inch from melting. An inch! Then he said, I'm quoting him now. 'She'd kill me if I took your hand without you realizing.' Meaning you. Then he backed up a step and stared into my eyes and offered me his hand, palm up."
"Aw!"
"There is another thing they don't tell you, Phoenix," there were now tears in her voice, "but you should know it; You're going to panic. Maybe a normal mate wouldn't. But you and me, we've never been normal. Your mind is going to be filled with awful thoughts, you don't deserve him, you're losing control, you're not what he wants. And in my case: you're a slut. At least you won't have that one. Though as a rogue, I'm sure you'll have ones all your own. And he's going to see that hesitation and it's going to hurt him. But Phoenix, if you can just be brave and take his hand, I swear to you, he won't care. He will just be so happy to have you in his arms."
"You sound like you think I'd run."
"Wouldn't you? But I hope you don't, because those thoughts, they're wrong, we both deserve mates. Ivan has told me so a hundreds of times and I'm beginning to believe him. But he's the most laid back and sensitive male I've ever met. Your mate might not realize you need to be told that."
"I didn't." André said softly. Phoenix's shot him a quick glance before looking away with a slight shrug. He mentally curst that he couldn't gather her into his arms.
"What?" Charlie screeched.
Phoenix winced at the sound, "I didn't run, Charlie. I took his hand."
"Oh. My Goddess. Oh Phoenix, you've finally been caught."
"Yes. Though it took him a few years to do so. I slipped through his fingers at least three times." She sent him a teasing smile. He felt some of his tension drain at that smile.
"I'm so happy for you."
"And I'm happy for you, Charlie. Ivan's a great guy."
"So is André! How lucky can two girls get?"
Phoenix smiled softly at him. "I don't think anyone will ever be able to measure it."
"Thanks for the complements, ladies. But I'm sure I speak for both of us when I say, you've got it backwards. We're the lucky ones!" Ivan said softly.
"Ivan's right. Any negative thoughts in your head. They're wrong. The Goddess blessed me with you. If anyone's not worthy, it's me." André stared into her eyes.
"Oh." Phoenix swallowed. "Well. Ivan, I suppose you don't need me to find you a new Packland, now?"
Charlie laughed. "Don't you dare!"
"We'll let you two know when we have plans for the Lunar Carters. And please let us know if Freddy finds any in your pack."
"We will. And we need to get together sometime soon. I want to see you as a fully mated Luna and show off my own mark."
"Charlie, you're terrible."
"It's why ya love me."
"It is. It truly is."
"Love ya girl!" And the line clicked off.
She stared down at the phone.
"Phoenix?" André asked gently.
She swallowed. "She didn't get to the last part. She might have if you hadn't let her know you're my mate." She looked up. "Your touch. It's the most amazing thing. I feel like I'm home. Like I'm safe. Two things I haven't felt in a long time. Not one of those thoughts lasted a second after I took your hand. And they've never returned. But I do apologize for hurting you. My hesitation, it really was all me."
"It's killing me that I can't hold you right now."
"I know." She tried to smile. "I'm going to go mediate again. And to make it easier for both of us I think I'll stay in our room and read." She hopped down off his desk and went to collect the papers. "I finished all but maybe four" She searched his face. "I swear the bad thoughts are gone. Everything I did in my life that was questionable was for survival or forced on me. So there aren't any you have to fight." She place the papers into the proper piles.
"Phoenix."
"I'm going to go. This conversation is too intimate. I'm surprised she hasn't called yet."
"Okay. Thank you for your help. I'll see you when your sorceress arrives."
Phoenix just nodded and hurried from the room.
André stared at the closed door. He's seen another face of hers, thanks to Charlie. His beautiful chameleon.