We had barely entered the dining area before an Omega appeared, as if by magic, to take me from Mazie, who was still in wolf form. Anabel jumped slightly at his sudden presence, although from her lack of questions, she must have already known that an Omega's passive stance ability could make them hard to notice.

A sense of faint calm rippled out from him, possibly to reassure the visiting pack members whom he had unwittingly startled. His passive stance ability may have been so strong that he often didn't know he was using it, but his calming skills could barely be felt by those around him.

Two other Omegas in our pack had decent calming abilities, although no Omega could match a Comforter in that area. Their skills usually lay elsewhere, with tricks to remain unnoticed, detect anything wrong in food or water, sense where everyone was, among other talents I lacked.

"Do you want to eat with them?" he asked me via the mindlink for privacy.

"Yes, please."

He waited while Mazie shifted, then passed me back to her. "I'll bring her chair over to whatever table you pick."

"Thank you," Mazie replied. "We'll be along the back wall."

I echoed her words. "Thanks!"

He smiled at me before going to locate my chair, wherever it had gone this time. As much as the Omegas tried to do things for me, sometimes other pack members beat them to it. Possibly because the people who frequently helped me rarely ended up on the receiving end of my version of fun.

The dining area was already half-full as people took advantage of the buffet table heaped with food, courtesy of whichever cooking group was on rotation. My mouth watered as I sniffed the air. Mashed potatoes, turkey, corn, some sort of bread, and banana crème pie.

A booster seat for Darren and my chair were already sitting beside an empty table, so someone else must have seen us enter and asked the Omega where he wanted the chairs placed. I never did find out who had modified my chair for me, but the seat was level with the table. A soft towel was usually spread across the cushion, likely to make cleaning up easier since I was restricted to my paws, teeth, and tongue.

As Mazie put me on my chair, Mary asked, "I can grab a plate for you, Julie. What do you want?"

"Thank you! A bunch of that turkey, some potatoes, and a big slice of pie!" I really didn't care who ate the corn, as long as it wasn't me.

They returned shortly with their food, and Mary set mine along the edge of the table that my chair touched. I wagged my tail in glee, trying to decide what to eat first. My plate may have held less than Darren's, but there was too much here for me to eat all of it. I settled for grabbing a strip of turkey and chewing on it while watching Mazie cut up her son's food.

We had almost finished eating when I felt ripples of frustration and tiredness along the edges of my senses. Tilting my head, I focused on the two who had just come within my sensing range. I didn't need to be a genius to know they would come looking for me.

Ignoring the last of my potatoes and turkey, I began delicately licking the yummy banana crème pie, savoring it while ensuring it would be a mere memory by the time the two showed up.

In the end, I even had time to lick my paws clean. It was times like this that I wished my location sensing ability was stronger. I felt the Beta's aura reach me, and I perked my ears attentively as I turned to look at the weary man in the doorway.

"If it helps, I'm done eating."

Relief flickered briefly across his mind. "Are you sure you don't mind me interrupting your visit? Nix didn't ask, but I know he is hoping to make some headway on the rest of his work."

"They likely already have plans, and I don't want to intrude. I already tormented them for an hour or so." I was siding with the Beta's judgement. Normally, the Alpha didn't need our help, but I wasn't taking any chances considering how the last twenty-some trade meetings with the other Alpha had gone.

On an average day, Nix was fairly easy-going for an Alpha. Admittedly, it wasn't too hard to get most Alphas hot under the collar. Their instincts to protect were strong, and their determination to defend their pack could blow even the smallest slights or insults out of proportion.

It wasn't unusual for him to come searching for me if he wanted to keep working when his instincts were interfering in such a fashion, although this month had set some new records. Even his Beta was getting irritable from these meetings, and it took a lot to ruffle that man's fur.

The Beta walked between the tables, frequently pausing to greet those sitting there. When he finally reached our group, he warmly greeted them.

"Mazie, Korinth, I'm happy to see that you came back to visit. How was your trip here?"

"It's good to be back after so long," Mazie replied. "The journey here was good. I'm hoping the return trip is just as easy. I assume you've come to kidnap Julie?"

He chuckled. "Caught red-handed. I was hoping to steal her for a few hours, unless you object?"

Mazie waved a hand dismissively at him. "She just had a piece of pie, and after that much sugar, she's all yours. I refuse to take the blame for anything she does in the next three hours."

I sat upright in mock indignation. "There couldn't have been that much sugar in there! It was a banana pie! It had to be healthy."

"And all that whipped topping?"

"Whipped means it was mostly air, right?"

Mazie rolled her eyes and once more told the Beta, "She's all yours."

The Beta picked me up with a grin. "I'll try to stop by later today to gossip, but for now, enjoy the rest of your day."

"You, too."

With that, I was carried off while plotting revenge for Mazie giving me up so easily. Perhaps Anabel could be of assistance...

Ideas and possible plans rolled through my head as we went up the stairs, eventually entering a spacious office. Four huge bookshelves were filled with carefully organized books, maps, and other documents. One wall had three massive windows in it, letting plenty of natural light in.

A desk with papers neatly arranged on its surface dominated one corner of the room. Behind the desk, a man with graying hair glanced up at us.

"Hi Nix!" I greeted enthusiastically, taking great delight in being one of the few who could get away without formalities. "Did you know that Mazie brought her son by to visit?"

The Beta put me on the desk, and I was careful not to step on any papers.

"Yes, I heard about it. I'll probably catch them tomorrow to chat since I won't be going to the border."

"No trade meeting tomorrow?"

"No, I'm going over to the Rainier Pack tomorrow. I haven't visited them for over two months, and I don't want them to think that I'm upset with them or intend to back out of past trade deals."

I nodded, knowing that Alphas and Betas often built and maintained relationships with other packs, ensuring we could trade for things we needed. They arranged fun things like festivals as well as having agreements to help one another if there was an attack their neighboring pack couldn't fend off.

"Is the Luna going, too?" Normally, the Luna and Beta female concentrated on smaller matters and events within the pack and ensuring everything went smoothly, although they usually didn't travel as much as their mates. Sometimes they joined them on socializing trips.

Nix's eyes softened at the mention of his mate. "I was going to ask her this afternoon, so I'm not sure yet."

I nodded and looked at the papers by my feet. "What's first, Boss?"

Picking up a small pile of papers, he passed them to his Beta. "Can you take those to the archives?"

"Sure. Anything else?" he asked as he took the bundle.

"Not that I can think of at the moment. I'll have more later on."

"Call me when you're ready."

"Thanks."

The Beta left the room and closed the door behind him. Nix watched him go and closed his eyes before slowly exhaling. His emotions were mostly a mix of frustration and anticipation, the first was likely from the morning's events, and the second mirroring tomorrow's visit with his friends.

While waiting, I strengthened my aura slightly, shifting it to relieve the Alpha's lingering frustration. His eyes opened, and he pulled a pile of sealed envelopes closer, opening and examining them, before putting them to the side.

I yawned and zoned out, gazing absently at the forest mural painted on his wall. Regardless of how many times I stared at the intricate painting, each time I saw something new – be it a flower, a bird, the tip of a chipmunk's tail, or something else.

A sudden flare of shock, longing, and excitement flared from the Alpha, making me swing my head around to stare at him in surprise. His mood then proceeded to shift to faint concern and apprehension.

Suddenly pushing his chair back, he got to his feet and picked me up. He held me in his arms as he went to stare out of one of the windows. My aura and the contact swiftly calmed his emotions, which was probably why he picked me up. It let him think logically.

While I may be welcome in his office at almost any time, inquiring into pack business wasn't exactly something a Comforter did. If he told me things, I had no problem offering comments or suggestions from my very limited knowledge. In my confusion, I waited for him to talk, wondering what had been in that letter.

I gazed out the window while waiting. The playground outside was empty, although I saw a couple of wolves trotting towards the forest, likely one of our border patrols heading out.

"He's finally coming back," the Alpha eventually murmured.

I tilted my head, no wiser than before. "Who's coming back?"

"My son."

"Sorrin is coming home? When?"

If it hadn't been for a few pictures on the wall, I wouldn't have known what he looked like. Sorrin had only been five years old when he had begged his father to let him go to highly-regarded boarding school for Alphas – he wanted an official education, to read all the books their massive library had to offer, and to learn alongside the heirs of the largest packs for as long as he possibly could.

From what I had been told, the Alpha had finally agreed, and Sorrin had left for that distant place just a few months before I was born. He had been gone for so long that his packlink had faded out and would have to be re-established.

"In two weeks."