Ghost's Dilemma Read Free

the broth.
    "I don't imagine you were," Ghost said, and he did his best to be gentle. "But now you'll try to eat, for his sake. You need to be strong for him. If you need me to speak to your alpha, I can do so."
    "No!" The young woman looked up, and Ghost wondered if it was fear he saw in her eyes. "Please don't, good witch, you don't need to." She swallowed hard and looked down again. "I'll make sure I eat enough. I promise. Moran will be happy I have a boy."
    Ghost managed a smile for the woman, but heat bloomed in the peridot spiral on his forehead. He wasn't entirely sure being in Moran's favor was the best thing for this woman, but her choice of alpha was not a matter he could control. Gerry would bring a case before the elders, if action was what was needed.
    Ghost heard footsteps in the house and called out, "I'm in here!" Gerry appeared in the doorway, strong and solid, and Ghost smiled at his alpha and mate, his heart lifting at the sight of Gerry.
    Gerry's dark brown hair was longer now, like a proper alpha's hair, and his muddy green eyes lit up when he saw Ghost. "I'm rendering the fat now. Did you need me for anything while you're tending to your healing?" Gerry looked at the young girl. "Lady smile on you, little dam. I'm Gerry. What are you called?"
    The woman looked nervous, her fingers plucking at the sheet covering her. "I'm Sari, good alpha, and thank you for asking."
    "Just Gerry is fine. You're welcome in this house," Gerry said. He looked back over at Ghost, waiting for his answer.
    "I could use more jelly, so some good stock bones would be nice, love." Ghost could see confusion in the woman's eyes. "Oh, and stir the big pot on your way back out?"
    Gerry assented. "I'll see you in a little while, then, once I've got the meat all sorted."
    Ghost waited until Gerry was gone. He was still unsure about many aspects of dealing with people, and so he resorted to being fairly direct. He knew being a witch did allow for certain behavioral oddities.
    "Gerry is my alpha and also my vowed mate. We don't stand on a lot of ceremony between us." Ghost shrugged one shoulder. "Most witches are alphas in their own right, so maybe he respects my opinions. Gerry's alpha, the one who raised him, wasn't much for ceremony, either. You aren't an alpha solely because you like to make rules. There's more, like caring about what happens to your dependents." Ghost gestured at the rest of the broth and bread. "For now, eat up, and then let's see if this little one wants to eat. But you'll stay here until you're strong enough to care for him, on my word as a witch. Your alpha can say what he will, but I'll not budge."
    The babe woke and nursed, Sari marveling at her son the entire while. Ghost waited until the babe was asleep again before examining the woman, relieved to see no signs of infection. She was cool to the touch, her fever abating well. Ghost tucked her in to let her rest and offered a silent prayer of thanks to the Seeker.

    ***

    The rest of the afternoon passed in the usual fashion. Gerry hummed and picked out a mesmerizing and ethereal tune on his guitar as he sat by the hearth in the main room. The late day sun warmed the room, and a delicious smell of herbs permeated the house from Ghost's sausages. As was custom, their olive-green door stood partially open to let anyone passing know they were at home and welcomed visitors. In the sick room, Sari and her baby slept in peace.
    Gerry barely looked up as a shadow filled the doorway. "Lady smile on you," Gerry said, the greeting automatic. He stilled the strings of his guitar just as Ghost walked in from the kitchen, pausing at the edge of the main room.
    "You've got my dependent here." Moran folded his arms over his chest, a glower on his face. The smell of mead surrounded him.
    Ghost didn't give Gerry a chance to speak. He crossed the room and blocked Moran with a small frown, the peridot spiral on his forehead catching the sun in a sudden flare of green. "Sari birthed