Chapter Two

Airen's POV

 

We arrived at Rachel's ranch and saw several people milling around. They were carrying things around getting ready for the wedding tomorrow.

I put the truck in park and turned off the engine just in time for James to shout.

"Mommy look! The horses are out!"

James loved horses. With the way he shouted and squealed every time he saw them you would think he'd never seen one before.

 

"James wait!" I said, but it was too late.

When he was two James had learned how to buckle and un-buckle himself into and out of his car seat. That combined with the lack of child locks on my dad's truck meant that he was already out of the truck and halfway to the horses.

 

"I've got him. You have work to do." Mom said nodding to the house before us.

 

I looked up and saw Rachel standing on the large wrap-around porch of her home. She was waving at me with a glowing smile on her face.

 

I smiled and got out of the truck. I watched Mom and made sure she caught up with my runaway of a son before I turned to greet Rachel.

 

Rachel was about my height, around 5'5 or so. She was plump but wore it proudly. She had pale skin despite being outside all of the time and firey red hair. Freckles dotted her nose and face and her bright green eyes were full of joy.

 

I smiled as we met halfway between the porch and the truck and hugged.

 

"I'm so glad you're here! I can't believe it! I'm getting married!" She squealed.

 

I smiled at her in return.

"I know! I'm so happy for you! Now, how are things going? What else needs to be done?" I asked.

 

At this Rachel's joyful smile melted and for the first time in months, her happiness was overtaken by stress.

"Oh Airen, it's been awful. Momma has been a full terror. I can't even talk any sense into her!"

I frowned.

"What is she doing?"

Rachel threw her hands into the air.

"Nothing. Everything! I just, I can't seem to please her! The flowers are wrong, the place is wrong, the dress is wrong, the food is wrong, and it just goes on and on and on!" Tears began to form in her eyes as she continued.

"She wants us to wait, to have a bigger wedding, but we can't. We've already waited longer than is normal for", she glanced around to make sure no one was listening, "werewolves."

I sighed, knowing she was right.

It wasn't a well-known fact that Cade, Rachel's mate, was a werewolf. Given where we lived and who we lived near we felt that it was best to keep that knowledge a secret. Not that Rachel was ashamed of who her mate was. She would proudly proclaim to the world that she was mated to a werewolf, just not when that proclamation might start World War III in our small hometown.

"Okay, just breathe. It'll all be alright, just breathe. I'll talk to her." I put my arm around Rachel as she began to sniffle. 

"Thank you. And I know it will be okay, especially now that you're here. I just, I don't know what to do! I can't seem to get through to her and Cade is on his last nerve."

I nodded in understanding as we began to make our way to the house. I suddenly stopped remembering the items I had brought for the ceremony.

Since the wedding was being thrown together so quickly we were having to do a lot of the work ourselves. My mom and I (with the help of Marcy and my grandmother) had personally made several long and delicate vines of leaves and white flowers to decorate with.

 

I stopped and began to go back to the truck when Rachel stopped me.

"Don't worry about the stuff in your truck. We'll have the guys get it later." She said tugging me back to the house.

 

Rachel's house was a classic long, one-story ranch-style house. There was a large living area where furniture usually sat, but had been cleared for the large group of people that would be here this evening and tomorrow.

The front door led directly into the large living room with the back door leading out to the backyard and where the ceremony would be held across on the other side. To the right of the front door, there was a small hall and door that led into the kitchen. To the left of the front door was a much longer hall that lead to several bedrooms and bathrooms.

Rachel pulled me into the kitchen where her mother sat perched on a bar stool at the island. She was looking through a bridal magazine, flipping through the pages lazily. I rolled my eyes. As though she didn't know we had a huge ceremony to get ready for.

Her mother looked up when we entered the room. She pinched her lips together at the disheveled sight of her daughter. Rachel preferred boots, jeans, and t-shirts or flannels to wear, and knowing her line of work, I don't blame her. Rachel's mom, however, preferred designer clothes and pinched heels.

When she saw me though, a brilliant smile lit up her face.

"Airen! It's so good to see you!" She exclaimed.

"Carlotta." I nodded in acknowledgment.

"Good. Now that you're here maybe you can talk some sense into my daughter. After all, it only has been a few months. This is far too rushed. I'm sure that Airen agrees with that." Carlotta cooed.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Rachel's bottom lip begin to tremble.

"To be perfectly honest Carlotta, I am glad that they are getting married so quickly," I stated as I made my way into the kitchen.

Carlotta just stared at me blinking every so often as though I was speaking a foreign language. I took her silence as an opportunity to continue.

"I have personally spent several hard labor hours on this wedding and for it to be postponed at this point? All of my hard work would go to waste. Besides," I got myself a glass of water, making myself at home. James and I stayed here often enough it was practically our home at this point anyway. "There is another, more urgent and time-pressing need for them to get married so quickly."

I grinned evilly to myself as I took a sip of water as I watched both Carlotta and Rachel look at me in confusion. I winked at Rachel and she seemed to get what I was implying. Due to her pale skin, I could see the blush turn her whole face cherry red.

 

It took Carlotta a little longer before the pieces clicked. Her eyes went wide as she gaped at me.

 

"You mean....." She whirled on her daughter. "You're pregnant!?"