Chapter 23

Bill Frawnings and his son left soon afterwards, as soon after his angry declaration as he could in fact, and following their departure, the people in the room, were silent for a moment.

Then James's father came and sat down next to Iris, and took her hand gently.

"So you are the young woman who has claimed my son?" he asked with a rueful little smile.

Iris smiled back and then shrugged apologetically. "I fell in love with him," she said softly. "And I could not help myself; I could not stop myself from bonding with him."

"Ah," he said and Iris saw some tension leave his shoulders, and his eyes became less guarded. "I can see that you do love him, and the bonding would have come naturally for both of you ... it is as it should be between two people."

He patted her hand and then stood up, to walk over and talk to Aunt Trudy.

"I do not believe that I have had the pleasure before now, Miss Beaumont, although I have heard a lot said about you."

"Yes, well, people will gossip needlessly sometimes," Aunt Trudy said gruffly as she placed her hand in his and looked up at him suspiciously.

"You have an incredible reputation, which I do not believe was earned through idle gossip."

James sat down next to Iris, and took her hand in his. "I am sorry that I was gone for so long, but I had to make some arrangements, and I owed it to my father to tell him about you, before I went around making announcements."

"What did he say?" Iris asked softly as she continued to watch the man talking to her aunt. She could see the way that they were sizing each other up, even as they carried on a mundane conversation. The undercurrent in the room was one of guarded intent at the moment, and Iris was not sure what to make of it.

"He was not too happy at first," James admitted a little ruefully. "I mean he had never even heard your name mentioned before, and suddenly here I was about to turn my back on my family and clan, for someone he knew nothing about."

"But he changed his mind when he learned who my aunt was?" Iris guessed scornfully.

James hesitated for a moment, and he looked across the room at the two people. "No ... I don't think it was that ... at least ... no, it was when I told him that I loved you, and that I would make the pledge with or without his blessing..."

Iris turned to look at him. Was that doubt that she had heard in his tone?

James squeezed her hand gently. "It will be okay," he promised. "As long as we are together then we will be okay."

She smiled. "Yes, we will."

Iris's father continued to improve and grow stronger, even after his three relatives had stopped giving him blood.

The doctor took his time in giving him a clean bill of health though, and so it was a full month almost, before Greg Beaumont was allowed to leave the hospital.

During that time, Iris divided her life into three segments. One was the bulk of her day where she continued to work as James's ultra efficient assistant. The second part was when she went to visit her father in the hospital with Laurie, so that they could be the loving dutiful daughters that he needed. But the third was the time that she and James spent together as a couple. It was a relationship that they could not indulge in any way – at all during their working hours, because the heat that simmered between them meant that control could be lost in a heartbeat ... or less.

Which was proved whenever they were alone together, truly alone.

They all gathered at the hospital though when Greg was at last to be discharged.

"I shall travel with your father down to the estate, and stay with him for a few weeks" Aunt Trudy told her nieces. "I expect ... hope that you two will come down for the weekend as usual, but for now you should continue with your own lives and jobs ... your father needs rest, and peace, and above all he needs normality."

"But Aunt Trudy, what about your business, how can you stay away for so long and not have it suffer?" Iris protested.

Aunt Trudy smiled. "I have good people in key places, Iris; I can keep in touch remotely and keep my fingers in the pies that I am presently cooking up."

Iris laughed at her aunt's analogy. Aunt Trudy had never mastered the art of cooking, so her 'pies' that she referred to, must have been any business projects that she currently had on the go.

"Well if you are sure that you can manage, Aunt Trudy..."

"Yes, I am sure, child; I have been meaning to take a break for a while now, and so this is the perfect opportunity for me to do that."

"As much as I know that you love him, I hardly think that taking care of daddy could be considered a break though," Iris persisted doubtfully

"You worry too much, Iris. Your father is quite able to take care of himself, and he has enough household staff to be able to cover his general needs. I will be there merely to keep him company, and to enjoy a little time on his estate."

Iris's father agreed stubbornly with Aunt Trudy, and even though he looked pale and tired he was still very much their pack leader.

"Your aunt is quite right, my children. You would only be underfoot and causing me grief so stay where you are." he smiled as he said it, so that there was no hurt in his words. "I shall expect you both down for the weekend, and," he looked across at James. "And I shall expect you too, James. I shall trust my family to you, to become the protector of our pack – until I am able to take over again."

James half bowed in acknowledgment. "As you instruct, our leader, so shall I be."

It was almost a formal – if only temporary transfer of power, with some of the ceremonial words being exchanged.

For the first time in what seemed a long time, Iris felt safe, she felt truly safe for her future and that of her sister and her aunt as well. She trusted James as much as she trusted her father to always want the best for herself and her relatives.

She smiled up at James, as they left the hospital for the last time. "Thank you so much," she said softly. "For everything that you are doing for me and mine."

He took her hand and brought it to his lips, to kiss it gently. "You are the love of my life; you have opened it up, and freed me from all restraints. You have taught me how to control even my most inner demons, and released my spirit. Everything that I am now, I owe to you."

"Oh," Iris felt the tears well up in her eyes; he had meant every word of that. "I love you too James ... more than anyone else in this world, I love you."

It had been almost six months since Greg had been discharged from the hospital, and he was almost back to full fitness.

The wedding of Iris and James was to occur on the day after tomorrow, and the house was to be invaded tomorrow, since this was where the ceremony was to be held. But for tonight it was just Aunt Trudy and Greg. His staff had all been given the day and the evening off, and so for a little while it was just the two of them.

The moon was in its first quarter, but Trudy was feeling restless.

"If you are happy to be alone for a couple of hours," she said suddenly. "I think I might go out for a run."

Greg looked up from the newspaper that he had been reading. "Yes, you have been cooped up here for weeks now; you get out for a bit ... I'll be okay."

She stood up and patted his hand as she moved past him. "I shan't be gone long," she promised.

The patio doors stood open, and she watched the clouds sliding across the partial moon, as she unbuttoned the front of her dress.

She let it slid off her shoulders, and as it crumpled to the floor, she shimmered into her furry alter ego.

The grey wolf trotted down the steps, and bounded across the grass to disappear into the trees.

Trudy should have been aware of the figures by the north border, but she had spent weeks and months in the safety of her brother's estate, and it had lulled and dimmed her natural caution. She was unaware of being seen by the men as she changed without a full moon.

"They are growing too powerful, with this new allegiance ... and him with his stable of females – those sisters with their air of superiority – and now we know why."

"Yes," the younger man agreed with a nod. "They need a lesson teaching to them – those sisters."

"The younger sister seemed more pliable – the older one is now spoken for, and would have given us more grief than she is worth I think. But that younger one she seemed timid – might be easier to control?"

"So the younger one then, we will get her and hold her for the full moon and then one of us will claim her for the bonding and the breeding."

"Yes we will force the bonding on her – if we have to!"

The morning of Iris's wedding dawned bright and sunny and she just knew that it would be a day that she would always remember with joy.

She had been reluctant at first to have a grand wedding, but both her father and James, and then Aunt Trudy, they had all insisted that they needed to make a statement, loud and clear, that this family now had fresh blood in it, there was new male – a strong male in the pack, and everyone needed to know that.