25.2: Dinner

Xavier's POVCeleste blushes as our eyes meet when I enter the dining room for dinner, Josh and Zay trailing behind me. Once we started planning her Welcoming Ceremony, we didn't stop until we were linked that dinner was waiting for us. We only had a few places to contact in order to finalize everything. My parents were called and would be here Saturday. We will have a pack barbeque to welcome them back that night and then Sunday evening we will hold Celeste's official Welcoming Ceremony. Done under the light of the moon so the Goddess could bless her as she begins her new life with her new pack. I smirk back at her, going to her side and sitting beside her. Zay sits on the other side of Celeste, Shia on her opposite side. Shia will be leaving tomorrow night and will be missing Celeste's Welcoming Ceremony but promised to make it work to be here for the Luna Ceremony, whenever that may be. Josh sat across from Celeste, next to me. Jared was missing from tonight's festivities as was Delian who were both at the long term care facility with Katherine. Jacob sat next to Josh. I frowned when I noticed Lesa is missing. She'd been having dinner with us most nights ever since recent events. We still didn't know what to do about Christopher. Now that Lesa had rejected him, she would be able to survive his demise but that didn't mean it would be fine to just kill the man whose soul was meant for hers. The best we could do was keep him around until after the baby was born for a better chance of no harm coming to Lesa."Has anyone seen Lesa today?""Yea," Celeste says softly and then clears her throat to speak a bit louder. "I was with her after my lessons. We started picking colors for the nursery but she decided she wants to move closer to the pack house. I kind of told her we'd all help her pack up tomorrow?" She looks down sheepishly and I chuckle."Of course we can help her pack up tomorrow. I know an empty two bedroom not far from the square that she'd love." Celeste beams at my words and I can't help but lean over and briefly press my lips to hers. She gasps as wolf whistles and hollers echo through the room."Xavier. ." She whines, covering her face."Yes, love?""Just. . . nevermind," she grumbles, beginning to plate her food. She grabs two pieces of chicken and does small portions of the two sides. She cooked tonight; breaded herb chicken, caramelized broccoli, and a salad with peppers and a homemade lemon poppy seed dressing. She was really getting good at cooking lately. She would help me or other pack members almost nightly. Tonight was her first night making dinner on her own. I fill my own plate as chatter begins to ring at the table.I take a bite of the chicken and moan at the taste. I can identify paprika, lemon, and a few other spices in the breading but the chicken itself is moist and tastes heavenly. "This is amazing Celeste, thank you." She smiles politely as thank yous echo through the room."You made the dressing?" Shia asks. Celeste nods."It's Hanna Cross's recipe. She's a great cook and I've learned a decent bit from her." Hanna Cross was a young she-wolf in the pack who helped around the pack house as her job. We had a few people hired to help cook dinners and keep the place neat so when she turned 16 and asked for a job outside of the pack, I asked her what her interest was. Turns out she wanted to work as a cook but none of the pack restaurants were hiring 16 year olds. I wasn't opposed to her working as long as she kept up with her school work and training. She's been cooking for us for two years now and is planning on opening her own restaurant once she has the funds. I told her I'd match her halfway if the restaurant was on pack grounds."It's amazing, you'll have to share it with me," Josh hums and Zay nods in agreement."Sorry but Hanna said I could only have it as a welcoming gift and not to share it with others.""Boo!" I chuckle at Zay who has a mouth full of pasta."Speaking of," Jacob says, nodding my way."Right, we're going to have your Welcoming Ceremony this weekend," I catch Celeste's wide eyes. "Just the Welcoming Ceremony, little one. The Luna Ceremony can wait, I promise." Her shoulders which had tensed up relaxed. "But my parents are coming. . ." Her mouth drops open."What!? When are they getting here?" Her eyes hold panic as the room goes quiet, all conversations ceasing as she begins to panic."Saturday, but they'll love you." I put a hand on hers that was on the table."He's right, Celeste," Zay says."Yeah, his parents are great," Josh inputs."As long as you don't crumble under his dad's stare," Jacob laughs out and we all glare at him. "What, someone's gotta prepare the girl. Guy is scary as fuck sometimes." She gulps and I begin to stroke my thumb across her hand."Zay, Josh, can we go out tomorrow and um," she thinks briefly, "get my hair cut. And buy a dress or something?" I laugh."It's not that serious, Celeste.""These are your parents, Xavier! Of course it's that serious!" She huffs."Men," Zay wrinkles her nose. "They just don't get it.""Of course we can go out tomorrow, Celeste," Josh says. "I'm sure Someone can excuse me from training considering that he's thrown this at you with barely two days' notice," he eyed me. I narrow my eyes."Fine," I grumble. Josh smiles and Jacob smirks.That night, I was convinced I would be able to get Celeste to sleep in my bed but after giving her a goodnight kiss that turned a tiniest bit heated, her whimpering in my mouth as my hand gripped her hair, she pushed me away and said she'd see me in the morning. I, unable to sleep with her even the furthest bit away from me at this point, slept outside her room. I'm sure she knew I did this and I'm every bit as sure that tonight it was a punishment for not giving her more warning time before my parents are coming. The crickets were chirping outside when I heard a voice in the pack link, 'Prisoner escape; everyone be on alert.' I immediately stood, opening Celeste's door. She slept soundly, the moon reflecting in through her window to highlight her cheekbones.'Who's escaped?' I linked back privately.'Alpha, sorry for not linking you first.''No, you did the right thing.' I assure them.'Christopher escaped, Alpha. He's gone.'