Second chance mate

Chapter 26 (final draft)

She faced raised eyebrows when she appeared downstairs for lunch the next day. She saw the concern and the reprimand in the eyes of both her pack and the visiting pack but no one said anything verbally about it, merely said hello. Even Cortez didn't say anything to her, respecting her authority. He had decided to give her the respect he expected as an Alpha himself, no matter how his wolf was acting. And his wolf agreed seeing how he wasn't happy when she had been angry at him either.

She joined them on the table, sitting on the head of the table and tickled her pup under his chin as he laughed happily at seeing her. He was sitting in the high chair between her and Axel who was on her left hand side. Cortez was on her right hand side which was usually the seat the mate of the alpha sat. The left was where the beta sat. Guest alphas usually took the beta's seat and the beta moved a seat down. But if the alpha didn't have a mate, the guest alpha took that chair.

"How are you?" Axel asked her softly when she met his gaze.

"Fine. River cleared me off bed rest. Relax would you?" She said, amused. HE smiled sheepishly when she addressed his doubt that River hadn't cleared her.

"Sorry."

"Your doubt was valid, Ax." She smiled at him, showing she was forgiving him. She wasn't even mad. She had after all ignored pack healers before and gotten into trouble for it with her mate multiple times. So she understood why he would feel the way he did.

"Why?" Cortez asked, not quite sure why she would forgive her beta doubting her like he did. It would be considered disrespectful by any other alpha. He considered it disrespectful on her behalf and wasn't going to let it go unless she gave a good enough reason.

Ariel turned to him with laughing eyes. "Because it's valid."

"I am missing something aren't I?" He asked her confused. She laughed out loud while her pack members from her old personal guard joined her in the laughter. They had been close enough to her to have seen what had gone on between the mate pair and how many times she had gotten in trouble.

"Indeed." Axel said, still chuckling softly. "Our Alpha has a tendency to ignore healers and do what she wants to do."

"Which usually ends up badly for her." Cain completed with a huge smile.

"I remember this one time we had this rogue attack." TJ said, sharing since his alpha seemed in the mood and didn't seem disinclined to share. "On the South border four years ago I think, remember?" He asked his pack mates and boisterous laughter was heard around the table. She covered her face with her hands as she laughed.

"T!" She protested, close to whining.

"Ah. That was good."

"What happened?" Cortez asked, interested.

"Nothing." She cut Axel off.

"Ah, come off it, Ari." Cain grinned at her. "I am sure he wants to know."

"I do." Cortez nodded.

"See?" Cain asked.

She sighed, outnumbered and defeated.

"TJ?" Axel turned to the man since he told these stories the best and he'd make jokes and not end up offending Ariel. He was the kind of man who got away with a lot with Ari, he had been one of the men she had taken interest in and then offered him the spot on her guard as soon as his one mandatory year with the warriors was over. He had been surprised but honored when she told him that she trusted him. They had a close bond due to her training him, as you always did with your trainer. The kind of respect and frankness that goes both ways.