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Tori looked ready to snap at the obnoxious couple. Having seen her in action against the unpleasant pair, I knew it would be entertaining to watch them spar, but it would only cause more problems in the long run.
I quickly raised my voice to be heard over all the mutters and murmurs. “Zander’s being attended to after an unfortunate incident, but that is his own business. As he’s not here to talk about it, I’d rather not speculate, but please be assured that the staff at the hospital are caring for him.”
I scanned the crowd, making eye contact with each person in the hope of reassuring them. My eyes locked onto the Greenthornes, and I stared them down, my wolf peeking through my glare. He wanted to see them surrender and show their throats in submission, but now was not the time to indulge him. I had a town to assuage.
“Thank you, Mrs. Greenthorne, for noticing my fiancée’s quick recovery. We appreciate your concern. Unfortunately, Tori isn’t out of the woods yet.” I sent Tori a loving look, the corner of my mouth twitching. “But she’s doing much better after we took an emergency trip to a specialist in Philadelphia. We’ve been told to expect a full recovery.”
Most of the crowd cheered for Tori, and the blush that graced her cheeks didn’t escape my notice. The Greenthornes, though, were not as enthused.
“Sheriff Clawson left town on official police business that cannot be discussed at present,” I continued. “We will release more details about the murder case after the investigation has been completed. We need to do this by the book if we want justice for Deputy Hill, but for now, it seems we do have the offender behind bars. I want you all to know that we’re doing everything we can to ensure the safety of every Blackwood Creek citizen.”
The energy in the room eased up, and the chaos that had reigned earlier seemed to fall by the wayside. I wanted to think that as the mayor and the alpha, I had put everyone’s minds at rest. It was my duty in both leadership positions to make that happen.
James Ashworth stood and said, “I’d like to say something if I may, Mayor Blackwood?”
“Go ahead, James. What’s on your mind?”
“I want to thank you, the sheriff, and all the law enforcement personnel for the way things have been handled. I appreciate how cautiously and seriously you took this matter and that you’re working diligently to get the justice and peace Phil Hill’s family deserves. It makes me proud to be a part of this community.”
Most of those in attendance started clapping and shouting their agreement.
For a moment, the praise made me uncomfortable, but then I saw Tori’s smile and the pride in her expression. I wasn’t holding this meeting to get the town’s gratitude, but I liked that Tori was witnessing it. I liked her being proud of me.
And if it happened that the Greenthornes and a few others looked like they were sucking on sour lemons… well, that was a pleasant bonus.
“Thank you, James. I really appreciate you saying that. I’m happy that we’re getting a great outcome.” My cheeks were flaming, and I had to clear my throat several times. I didn’t take praise well.
I wanted to step away from the podium and plant a big, smacking kiss on Diana’s lips when she called out, “This is all wonderful news. We need to celebrate and get back to business as usual, which means we need to prepare for the End of Summer Town Fundraiser. It’s a tradition, and it’s only a few days away. We’re not nearly as ready as we normally are by now.”
The fundraiser had barely crossed my mind in the last four days. In all honesty, I’d forgotten all about it. Tori had that effect on me. When she was beside me, she was all I could think about. When we were apart, I only thought about her whereabouts and whether she was safe. She was becoming my favorite obsession.
Fortunately, I had hardly any responsibilities tied to the fundraiser. The Magpies headed a committee that met throughout the year to arrange all the permits and for local businesses to run stalls and donate prizes. I just showed up and did as the Magpies told me, shook some hands, and kissed some babies—general small-town mayoral duties. It was for a good cause, and anything that supported the town had my full backing. I’d be the dutiful mayor once again this year, but this time, my fated mate would be at my side.
The crowd nodded and murmured in agreement with Diana.
“It’s more important than ever to feel that sense of community and togetherness that drew most of us to Blackwood Creek in the first place. We need to honor that.”
“It would be nice to get things back to normal.”
“We haven’t missed a year since the festival started. It’d be a shame to do that now.”
“Getting back to the town’s roots is what we need now.”
“Don’t forget, we also have a big wedding to look forward to, and we’re all excited to receive our invitations,” one of the Magpies piped up from her seat, a wicked twinkle gleaming in her eyes.
Tori turned ten shades of red at the public reminder of our fake engagement, making me want to do unspeakable things to her. She fidgeted with her hands, and I froze when I caught sight of her ring finger.
My grandmother’s engagement ring wasn’t in its designated spot.
I growled a little, and Tori cocked her head at me.
I didn’t like that I couldn’t claim her the way I craved to do with every cell in my body. It’d be wrong to do that to her when she didn’t understand shifters’ mating rituals, let alone what it meant to be a fated mate. We needed to claim each other. Until the fated mate bond was explained to her, the only way I could claim Tori was with the ring I had given her. That marked her as mine, which I wanted more than anything. With Tori, I’d always take all I could get while subtly inching for more, and I’d been grateful that she was giving in after a little bit of patience and effort on my part.
As the town discussed what kind of wedding we’d have and how fun it would be, Tori squirmed in her seat. I rushed through the rest of the meeting so I could get her alone and find out why she wasn’t wearing the engagement ring.
“Everyone, please listen to Diana Bogford. She’s right. This town needs to get back to business as usual. At the moment, there are no more items on the agenda, and I have no more that needs to be discussed. I promise any updates will be passed on as soon as I get them. If anyone has any other concerns, please call my secretary to make an appointment.”
With a wave at the room, I jumped down from the podium and grabbed Tori’s hand. We booked it out the side door. If we stayed even a minute longer, we’d get swarmed by too many people, and it’d be hours of answering the same questions repeatedly before I could get my mate alone again. And I desperately wanted that right now.
