Twins Unexpected

Chapter 14 - The Palace and Chaos

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Finding myself behind a counter at the Palace hotel, I was ignoring Fintan's constant growls. I briefly glared at him as I helped another guest check in. They all glanced at him when he growled his annoyance, but all were behaving well.

"Thank you again, Luna Kirsteen," a frazzled she-wolf said to me as she did her best to process the growing line in front of the counter. Kirsten looked over at Monica, a palace wolf who was the sole clerk at the counter, and two other guards that she had Fintan 'recruit' to also help out while my mate stood watching over the chaotic mess. The Palace was woefully understaffed, and we had waited in line for fifteen minutes before I decided to help out over Fintan's initial objections.

Walking up behind me and growling low in my ear, "Kirsteen, we can't fully protect you in this crowd." She'd heard this before but couldn't let these people manage the growing crowd on their own. Several packs milled around as more tried to enter the lobby.

"Fintan," I said over the voices, "could you get a guard to ask arriving packs to wait about an hour before coming in here?" Fintan nodded to me, then to a guard by the door. Soon there were no new packs trying to force their way in.

"And Fintan," I cooed to my mate again, "Could you ask the packs in the back to wait somewhere else and come back later? Maybe a bar or something?" Fintan looked at me before nodding again and nodding to another guard.

Each pack could bring up to thirty people including guards, and everyone did. Fintan listened to a guard who 'linked' him and spoke behind me, "I have agreed to pick up the bar tab, it should be several thousand dollars."

Pausing, I looked at Fintan in disbelief so he added, "It sped things up."

"Well," I said as I was entering data for another pack, "you'll be making more allies."

It took another two hours to get everyone checked in and additional palace staff arrived to take over, and I was ready for a break. Monica, the clerk who was part of the palace staff, finally got some reinforcements so she was off duty and showed us all to our rooms. We dropped of Cheryl and the guards who had helped with the crowds, then went to our room.

Monica walked in and went to open the curtains, "Thanks again, Luna. I don't know what we would have done without you. I don't know what happened with the staffing this morning."

I took her by the shoulders and scooted her out of the room with a command to rest. "We'll see you later, and let me know if you need help later with any of this." Monica smiled at me and left the room, closing the door softly behind her. I looked at the large room, it seemed nice enough- but it wasn't home. And I already wanted to go back there.

"Well, that was interesting," Fintan said to me. "The Palace is usually very efficient." I strode over to a couch and collapsed on it, toing off my shoes and moaning in relief as I propped my feet up. Moaning as I realized that a couch had never felt so good.

Fintan went to the window and looked outside studying the grounds. "We have a combined pack mixer," he reminded me, "then dinner in the formal dining room. After dinner the King will discuss the Competition in the Main Hall and hopefully we'll know what we're up against."

I let out a deep breath, I missed Jeremy already. It was only a week since my Luna Ceremony- and his Alpha Ceremony- and I smiled remembering waking up the next morning with a refreshed and healing new Alpha mate. He wore me out that day, they both did. And Jeremy's brand was so beautiful and I couldn't wait to lick it when we returned and he was fully healed. And frisky.