Chapter 29 The Heroes Ball
Wolf was headed up the stairs towards the room he shared with Virginia. He carried his suit that he had Rupert make. After he had gotten done eating, he had headed towards the fabric room where Rupert and him argued over what color he looked best in. Wolf wanted something flashy and showy, preferably with a long tailed coat. Rupert had wanted him to wear a dark blue but Wolf refused and wanted either a black or a red one. They had eventually compromised and Wolf ended up with a dark blue shirt with a black coat and pants. Wolf had to admit, that he looked awfully good in it when he had inspected himself in the mirror. In fact, he had looked very dashing. He couldn't wait to see what Virginia thought about it. He personally thought that it showed his muscles in his arms and his chest. Evelyn had dropped off Virginia's dress to him earlier, so he carried that as well.
He arrived at the room and quietly entered. Virginia was still fast asleep. He carefully set down the dress and suit and went over to the bed. He gently stroked the side of her face and watched as she breathed deeply and peacefully in her sleep. Her eyes were no longer red from crying and she looked much more relaxed and carefree in her sleep. He was glad that they had been able to work things out. It had broken his heart to see her so upset when they had first found her in the tower. He was relieved when he found out that, even though she had believed Jessica's words about her family not caring for her, she hadn't believed that Jessica would actually care for her and that she hadn't planned on helping her. He made a vow to himself that from now on, he would keep nothing from Virginia. She had to be able to trust him and she couldn't if he was going to keep secrets from her.
He sighed. He was trying to figure out a way to make it up to her. He knew she had said that he didn't need to do anything, since he had done so much already, but he still felt that he had to do something. He owed her that much. He thought long and hard about something that she would enjoy. A game of hide and seek maybe? His tail started wagging at that and he quickly tried to stop it, not wanting to wake Virginia up yet. Sometimes that thing had a mind of its own. He went back to thinking about what he could do for Virginia. He didn't know when they would have time to play hide and seek. The ball was in just a couple hours and after the ball they had to start planning for their wedding, which was coming up soon. He grinned to himself as he realized that in just a few weeks, Virginia was going to be his wife. Huff Puff! Then Virginia really would be his, although she was already his mate, which was basically the same thing.
Then Wolf got an idea. He could have a romantic dinner with Virginia! It couldn't be tonight, because of the ball, but he could do it the next night. He frowned as he realized that it would be hard to have a romantic dinner if they were never alone in the dinning hall. There were always people down there and it wouldn't be quite as romantic then if they were completely alone. Preferably in a semi-dark room with candles…maybe a bed to… Wolf shook his head. He really needed to stop that. Wolf looked around. As a matter of fact, they could eat up here. The room was plenty big enough to bring in a small table. He could have some food prepared and surprise Virginia. Wolf smiled, quite pleased with himself. Then he thought of something. He was supposed to be making it up to her, and just having dinner wouldn't be good enough. All though, if it were him, it would be more than enough. He thought hard again. Jewelry! He could get her a beautiful necklace or something. But where would he get something? He would have to ask Wendell later on. He might know of a shop close by with really pretty things in it that he could get Virginia.
Wolf looked back down at Virginia. She was still fast asleep. His heart warmed. He couldn't believe it was possible to love someone so much. He didn't know what he would do if he ever lost her. He knew that his life wouldn't be worth living if she wasn't a part of it. Virginia was his mate for life. He carefully lay down next to her and put his arm around her softly, so she wouldn't wake. He could hardly stand to be away from her for more than just a few minutes, and just looking at her, he was always filled with a warm peace. He also always had to touch her. It always felt so good to hold her in his embrace. His love for her was so strong it almost hurt. He brought his head on top of hers so his face was nestled in her hair. He lay like that for some time before looking over towards the window and from the little light sneaking through the closed curtains, he could see that it was nearing sunset.
"Virginia, my love, it's time to get ready." Virginia kept sleeping, and Wolf realized that she must have been really tired. He hated to have to wake her up, but they did have to start getting ready. "Virginia. Virginia love, wake up." This time she started stirring. He started kissing her neck and she moaned happily. Without even opening her eyes she put her arm around his neck and pulled him down so she could kiss him. He gladly obliged and they kissed tenderly. When they broke apart, Virginia opened her eyes and smiled affectionately. She still held him close to her and he kissed her nose softly.
"It's time we start getting ready for the ball." He said quietly. She nodded but made no attempt to get up yet. In fact, she just pulled him closer to her and closed her eyes again. Wolf would normally have no problem with lying there with her but he knew they had to get going if they were going to be on time. He took her hand from around his neck and kissed it before setting it back on the bed. Deciding that it felt really good to kiss her, he picked up her other hand and kissed it and then kissed all the way up her arm, up her neck and onto her forehead. She giggled softly and after a few more seconds she finally began getting up. "I brought you up your dress." He told her as he pulled her into a sitting position. She said a small thank you and Wolf got up off the bed. She followed a minute later and they both started changing. Wolf went behind the little changing curtain, wanting to see Virginia's reaction to his suit. He changed relatively quick, carefully tucking his tail in the back of his pants. He took a quick look in the mirror and decided he looked real good. He stepped out from behind the curtain and cleared his throat so Virginia would look.
She turned around and when she saw him her jaw dropped. Wolf grinned and did a small circle so she could see all of him.
"Well? What do you think?" He asked. She nodded her head, not quite being able to talk yet. She quickly closed her mouth and thought to herself, He looks damn good. His shirt was tight up against him so it showed off his abs and muscles. The coat was a bit loose but still showed his muscular arms. After a minute she was able to talk.
"It looks good. Really good. Did you just get that today?"
Wolf grinned, obviously pleased that Virginia liked it. "Yep, it wasn't exactly what I had in mind, but I think it turned out pretty good."
"Pretty good is an understatement." Virginia said truthfully. She walked over to him and rubbed his chest with her hand while looking up to him. "You realize that every girl in the Kingdoms will be after you if you go around wearing that more often."
"Well, I'm already taken." They both smiled and Virginia kissed him before taking her dress and going behind the curtain. Wolf took a brush through his hair real quick. He had shaved that morning but you couldn't even tell. Personally he thought he looked better with his 5 o'clock shadow. But that could be just because he could never get rid of it, so he was accustomed to it. He then sat down on the bed and tied his shoes. Five minutes later he was completely ready and was sitting on the bed waiting for Virginia. She was still behind the curtain getting ready. He had changed a lot faster than she had.
"Virginia?"
"Hmm?"
"Just checking. You're taking a long time."
"Wolf, a dress is a lot harder to get into then a shirt and pants. Besides, I'm doing my hair right now so you can see me when I'm completely ready and not just half way."
"Oh, but Virginia, no matter what you'll look beautiful." He heard Virginia laugh.
"Thank you Wolf. You always have a way with words." Wolf grinned. Between that and his persuasion, he almost always got his way. He decided to get a bit of fresh air before going downstairs because he knew it was going to stuffy in the ballroom with all the people. Might as well get cooled off before hand, all though it wouldn't do much good later on. He walked over to the window and opened it and leaned outside. Their bedroom window overlooked the forest. That was one of the things he loved about this room. He was still staring out at the dark forest when he heard Virginia come out from behind the curtain.
He turned and it was his turn for his jaw to drop open. Virginia stood there wearing a sea green dress made of silk. The top of the dress was pressed up tight against her, outlining her body, and below her waist the dress got fluffier. There was lace trimming along the bottom and along the neck and sleeves. The front was low cut, like the dresses he saw in the 10th Kingdom. Virginia turned around just as he did and Wolf realized he was drooling. He quickly wiped it away and put his tongue back in, but left his mouth open. Her hair was slightly curled and fell loosely around her head, as it was shoulder length now.
"Cripes." Wolf muttered. He had never seen Virginia look so succulent before.
"Well? Do you like it? Rupert said it goes good with my eyes." Wolf could see that Virginia felt a little self-conscious.
"Cripes." Was all he could say still. Finally he closed his mouth and nodded eagerly. He walked up to her and put his hands on her waist, finally finding his voice. "You look succulent. You're the most beautiful girl in all the 10 Kingdoms. Not even Snow White could come close to you." Virginia blushed. She doubted it but she accepted the compliment nonetheless.
"Thanks Wolf." She said quietly. Wolf pulled her close to him, loving how good it felt to have her near him. Wolf sat on the bed and Virginia sat on his lap. They still had a few minutes before they would have to be downstairs, so they sat there silently.
Virginia felt much better after her nap and the talk that she had had right before it with Wolf, Tony and Wendell. She couldn't believe that she had ever doubted Wolf's love for her. That had been the thing that had hurt her the most. But now she could see that every look he gave her and every word he said to her was filled with love. Tony had been right; Jessica could be persuasive. She had somehow looked right inside Virginia and stated her greatest fears and Virginia had believed them. Jessica had somehow made her think of only the negative, not the positive possibility. Like everything Wolf had done to prove his love for her on their last adventure. He had risked his neck (literally) to save her and she hadn't even thought of that when Jessica had been talking. She also hadn't thought of how her father really had been there for her all those years, and the talks she had had with Wendell, while on their way to rescue Wolf. The proof that they all really did care for her had been there the whole time, but she had somehow managed to not see it. Virginia was curious to know all about Jessica. Who her father was, what made her so cruel, and if Christine had raised her at all.
She looked down as she realized she was stroking her stomach again. She was growing larger and that had been one of the reasons she had been nervous about her new dress. She knew it pressed up tight around her, showing her stomach more now. She briefly wondered if Wolf would still love her later on when she was even fatter. She knew he would but she couldn't help but wonder. Then she realized that she was doing it again. She was not trusting him. Even if he would stop loving her later on, she would cherish the time they did have together. But the thought still nagged at her. Biting her lip, she turned her head to face Wolf, who was also deep in thought by the look in his distant eyes.
"Wolf?" He brought his eyes down to look at her and she glanced down, afraid to ask the question because she was afraid of the answer. "When I'm bigger, you know, later on in the pregnancy, will you…would you still love me even though I'll be fat?" Wolf looked at her in surprise and gave her a look like the answer was the most obvious thing in the world.
"Of course I'll still love you. In fact, you'll look even more succulent than ever." He said seriously, without a trace of doubt in his voice. Virginia looked at him uncertainly and so he added, "Virginia, it doesn't matter how you look. I would love you even if you had two heads." Virginia laughed and he smiled. "You'll be beautiful no matter what, and I think you'll look even more beautiful because you'll be showing that you're carrying our cub." He put his hand on top of hers as she rubbed her stomach. Pleased with his truthful answer, Virginia leaned back onto him. But then she thought of something.
"You fell in love with me at first sight right?" Wolf nodded, trying to figure out where this was going. Virginia continued. "Well then my looks obviously had something to do with it." Wolf frowned. She had a point. How to explain that one?
"Virginia, it wasn't just your looks." He said and Virginia looked at him curious. He leaned in next to her and sniffed deeply, his mouth watering as he took in her scent. "Your scent is the most wonderful thing in the world." Virginia interrupted.
"Better than bacon?" She asked, teasingly. Wolf smiled and pretended to think about the answer. Virginia frowned and Wolf quickly said, "Of course. Bacon is second on my list of favorite scents. You're the first." He said truthfully and Virginia smiled. So Wolf continued.
"I fell in love with you for a few different reasons. You are beautiful, but that's not the only reason. When I first breathed in your scent, I knew that you had to be perfect. Then, once I got to know you even more, I fell in love with your attitude and your personality. I could see from the start that you had a kind heart, although it didn't help that you hit me in a personal area and then pushed me out a window." Wolf winced and Virginia laughed.
"You came after me with a cleaver and tried to eat my grandma! What was I supposed to do? Kiss you right then?"
"That would have been nice. It would have saved a lot of trouble you know." Wolf grinned and Virginia playfully pushed him. But she underestimated her strength and pushed him right off the bed. Virginia had still been on his lap and fell right on top of him. They laughed and Wolf pulled her close.
"See how violent you are?" He said jokingly. Virginia smirked.
"You think that's violent? That's me being gentle." Wolf's eyes widened and Virginia laughed. She bent down and kissed him. She was in a playful mood and couldn't stop kissing him. Unfortunately they had to go to the ball. So after a minute they broke and Wolf bent his head up for more. Virginia complied and they would have stayed there all night if not for the ball. Virginia got up and strengthened out her dress. Wolf held his arms out for her to pull him up and as soon as she grasped his hands, he pulled her back down again. She hadn't expected it and fell right on top of him knocking the breath out his stomach. He coughed and grinned. Virginia glared at him but he quickly pulled her down for another kiss. The glare immediately disappeared as she closed her eyes. She broke the kiss and muttered, with her lips still close to his, "Wolf, we really have to go." Wolf growled and she kissed him once more before getting up again. This time she made him get up on his own. Grinning, Wolf put his arm around her and they headed out the door towards the staircase.
Once they were at the staircase, they could see all the people arriving for the ball. They were mostly all Lords and their wives. They all waved politely when they saw Virginia and Wolf before continuing on their way towards the ballroom. They followed them inside and marveled at the beautiful decorations. Virginia felt a little lightheaded as she realized that this was the first time she had been in there since Wendell's coronation. Wolf felt something was wrong and looked down to see Virginia a little pale. He knew what the problem was.
"Virginia, are you alright? Do you want to step outside for a minute?" Wolf asked quickly and quietly. Virginia shook her head and her color returned.
"No, I'm fine now." Wolf looked at her doubtfully and she smiled to reassure him. Wolf nodded. He made sure to keep his arm around her tightly just in case. Wolf saw Wendell and Evelyn off to the side, greeting people as they came in, and they headed that way. As they neared, Wendell turned and saw them and smiled.
"Aw, Virginia and Wolf, there you are." He turned to the people he had been talking to. "These are the Lady Virginia and her soon to be husband the Lord Wolf. Virginia, my sister, and Wolf, my good friend, are two of the ones who save the Kingdoms." Virginia and Wolf said hello to them and Wendell said a quick "Excuse me." and he and Evelyn stepped aside to talk to them.
"Virginia you look beautiful tonight. I think Rupert out did himself on both of your dresses." Wendell said and Virginia smiled. Evelyn's dress was a dark blue; similar to Virginia's in design. Evelyn looked quite excited and kind of nervous, which Virginia could understand. It was her first time to a ball and she was being introduced to everyone as one of the Fourth Kingdom's heroes. Wendell was wearing a white suit almost identical to the one Virginia had seen him wear at the awards ceremony.
"Yeah he did." Wolf agreed. He still had his arm around Virginia. He looked around at all of the people who were beginning to take seats around the tables at the side of the ballroom. "Where's Tone? Not here yet?"
"You know, I haven't seen him since earlier. He disappeared to his study again after lunch. I think he was working on the bouncy castle project some more." Wendell replied.
Virginia looked at him curious. "Has he been working that hard ever since we left?" Wendell thought a minute.
"No, actually. He would spend a few hours a day maybe, but that's about it. In fact, he's only started working this hard since we got back." Wendell said thoughtfully and a little confused.
"What do you think he's been up to?" Evelyn asked.
"I don't know. It's not like him to be so secluded from everybody and actually wanting to spend his spare time working. Are you sure that he actually is working? Could he be going off somewhere else instead?" Virginia looked at Wendell. He shook his head.
"I suppose it's possible, but every time I go to find him, he's in there, reading and researching through all the books. He also has had his meals sent up there a few times." Wendell was starting to get worried. He wondered why he hadn't known anything strange going on before. He supposed he had been to busy, what with meetings and then spending time with Evelyn. "You don't think there is anything wrong with him? I mean he hasn't been talking to me as much. Normally we would have long talks whenever we weren't busy working and during meals. Now, we've hardly spoken much. I've been busy lately and preoccupied."
Virginia recalled Tony's behavior while traveling to Dragon Mountain. It seemed he was lonely and she remembered thinking how he had grown close to Wendell during those two months and now Wendell had someone else to spend his time with. Virginia had someone to be with all the time and Tony probably felt alone. Virginia felt really guilty.
"I think I know what's wrong." She said quietly. Wendell, Evelyn and Wolf looked at her, waiting for her to continue, but she fell silent. She thought for a minute and then quickly excused herself. Wolf went to follow her but she shook her head no. She walked out of the ballroom and headed towards where she knew her father's study was. She reached the door and knocked on it before going inside.
She found her father laying on one of the couches with a book lying open on his chest, but fast asleep. His snoring was blowing the pages around and she grinned as she watched. She went over and picked up the book and carefully set it down on the table. She took a chair from the wooden table near the bookshelves and placed it next to the couch. She sat down and gently shook his shoulder. After a second, Tony opened his eyes. With a start, he sat up and looked at his watch.
"Damn." He went to get up and then saw Virginia. "Oh, hi sweetie. I'm sorry, I lost track of time, and I must have dozed off." He was already in his suit for the ball so he strengthened out the wrinkles in it. He went to move to the door but Virginia stayed sitting there watching him. "What's the matter? I'm not to late am I?"
Virginia shook her head. "Just a few minutes. But I want to ask you something. Are you okay?"
Tony looked at her confused. "Yeah, of course. Why?"
"Just wondering. Any particular reason why you're spending so much time working lately? We haven't seen you that much and we're all starting to worry about you."
"Oh." Tony rubbed his neck and looked down at the floor. "I just want to get a lot done on the bouncy castles. I haven't really been trying all that hard and I figured it wasn't fair for me to get this study and not use it properly and waste my time." Tony figured it was a good lie, and he came up with it pretty quick to. Unfortunately, Virginia knew him better than anyone else and could tell he wasn't telling the truth. He could tell that she didn't believe him but was relieved when she didn't question him further. She just gave him that look that said "Sure Dad, whatever you say." and stood up. Quickly changing the subject, he said; "Virginia, that dress is beautiful. It's a little bit low in the front though…" He chuckled when Virginia glared at him. "It's fine. Come on, I don't want to be any later than I already am. Have they started eating yet?" He put his arm around Virginia and they walked to the ballroom. Everyone except for a few people who apparently thought being late would make them seem more important, were already inside.
They all sat at the tables, waiting for the meals to be served. As soon as Wendell saw Virginia and Tony, he signaled for the servants to start bringing it in. Tony felt bad that he had caused everyone to have to wait for the food and avoided everyone's gaze as he took his seat next to Wendell. Virginia sat down next to Wolf, who gave her a look asking her what happened. She whispered to him, "I'll tell you in a minute." Wolf reluctantly agreed, since he was really curious.
Once the food was all laid out in front of them, Wendell stood up. Wolf growled softly, because he knew a toast was coming. Personally, he thought that the toast should come after the meal. It wasn't fair to place the delicious looking food in front of him and then expect him to wait while he talked. He felt Virginia's hand on his knee and he immediately went silent.
"Welcome everyone. I won't take up too much of your time, as I know all of you are dying to get started eating. First of all, I would like to thank everybody for coming. Tonight the ball is being thrown in honor of my closest friends, who once again, saved the Kingdom." Wendell paused as everybody applauded. Once the noise died down, he continued. "My good friends, Lord Antony and Lord Wolf, and my sister the Lady Virginia, and my close friend Evelyn…" Virginia noticed that Wendell only used close friend to describe Evelyn. So they were trying to be discreet about it. She smiled. She didn't understand why they bothered; everybody here already knew they had something going on. She realized that Wendell was still talking and quickly focused her attention back on him. "So this ball is thrown in honor of them saving the Fourth Kingdom. I hope everybody enjoys the food." Wendell sat back down as everybody clapped once again. Virginia had mist a bunch of the speech but tried not to show it.
She watched as Wolf quickly dug into the lamb that had been placed by him. He took three large chunks and then put a half of one on Virginia's plate, which was in her opinion, still to big for her to eat all of. Virginia took some potatoes, corn, beans, and some rolls for her plate as well. She noticed that Wolf had only added a steak to his plate other than the lamb and when he wasn't looking, she quickly added a corn on the cob to his plate. She looked away quickly before he turned back around and busied herself with pouring some apple cider. She took a sip and heard Wolf snort when he saw the corn. She quickly put the cup down before she started laughing while drinking. She turned to talk to Evelyn and acted as if she hadn't done anything.
Wolf watched her and grinned. She hadn't even seen him put the corn on her own plate. He wasn't going to eat the corn if he wasn't forced to. He didn't get the point of vegetables. They all tasted strange and didn't have the flavor that meat did. His mouth watered as he looked down at his plate. He had told himself that he was going to eat civilized tonight. So he picked up his fork and knife and tried cutting the meat, all the while muttering about how it was a waste of precious time to have to cut up the meat and eat it piece by piece with a fork.
"So Antony, where were you just now?" Wendell asked as Tony piled his plate with food.
"Oh, sorry. I fell asleep reading and hadn't realized it was so late. I'm sorry I kept you guys all waiting."
"Oh, it was no problem. So have you gotten a lot done on your project then?" Wendell wanted to know what the matter was with his former manservant but didn't want to come out and just ask. It seemed Virginia knew, or at least had an idea, but he couldn't ask her about it now.
"Yeah, actually. I've been trying to do as much research as I can before we have to start constructing them. That way I'm familiar with everything and will have been able to draw up some good plans." Tony said right before biting into his chicken. Wendell realized that he definitely wasn't going to find out what he wanted to know. Tony was trying to act like nothing was out of the ordinary but Wendell could tell that something was different about his close friend. He hadn't been quite himself the last week or so. Wendell watched him for another moment before turning his attention back to his own food.
As people began to finish the food, they got up and started dancing. Wendell asked Evelyn to dance and they went off. Wolf turned to Virginia to see if she wanted to dance yet.
"In just a minute Wolf. I'm feeling really full. I don't know why I put so much food on my plate; I had to force it all down. The corn was excellent but I think I ate to much." Virginia rubbed her stomach and Wolf grinned. He looked over at Tony who was watching everybody dance.
"Hey, Tone? I don't suppose you would like to dance?" Wolf chuckled as Tony glared at him. "I take that as a no." After a minute, Virginia was ready and Wolf took her by the hand and hurried her out to where everyone was dancing. He led her to a spot in the center of the dance floor next to Wendell and Evelyn. He put his arms around her waist as she linked her arms around his neck. They danced slowly, enjoying the music. Eventually Wolf looked down at Virginia. "So, do you know what's wrong with Tony?" She nodded and Wendell and Evelyn, who had heard Wolf ask, moved in closer so they could here too.
"I'm pretty sure I know what the problem is. The reason he's been spending so much time working is because he feels left out, or alone." Virginia said. Wolf nodded, remembering how depressed Tony had looked during their little venture and how he had gone to talk to him, so he didn't feel left out. Wendell looked at them confused.
"What do you mean left out? We're all here. How could he be lonely?"
"She means that he doesn't have anyone, like a girlfriend." Wolf said, as if the answer should have been obvious, had Wendell been paying attention. Virginia nodded.
"Remember how you said that you two had grown close after Wolf and I went back to New York? Well, now you have Evelyn, and Dad doesn't have anyone to talk to anymore. Before coming here, I was always spent most of my time at home, because he needed me there. But then we came here, and now I have Wolf. So when I left, he had you, but now you have Evelyn." As she explained this, Wendell finally began to understand. He didn't know why he hadn't figured that out sooner. He felt sort of guilty. Come to think of it, he really hadn't talked to Antony that much since meeting Evelyn.
"I feel really bad now. But what can we do?"
"Well, I think that's obvious." Wolf said and they all looked at him curious. "Get him a girlfriend." He stated. Virginia winced a bit, but had to admit that he was right. She had thought about that earlier too. She looked over and saw Tony talking to a group of people in the corner.
"Okay, but who would we get? Are there any single women here?" She looked to Wendell. He shrugged.
"I'm pretty sure there are. I'm not to sure of any right off hand though." He said thoughtfully, trying to remember who all was invited. Evelyn, who had stayed silent up until then, interrupted his thoughts.
"I don't think we have to worry about that." She said and nodded her head towards Tony's direction. He was walking with a middle-aged woman towards the dance floor. They all watched in shock as they started dancing and talked merrily.
"Well, that solves that problem." Wolf said, grinning, as they all stood watching Tony and the lady dance. Wendell looked at the lady a bit closer.
"Aw, it's the Lady Margaret." He said, recognizing Tony's dance partner. "Her husband was a Lord and passed away about six months ago. She's a very kind woman and has a son who's about twenty, if I remember correctly."
Wolf whistled. "Huff Puff, Virginia, just think, if Tony and that lady get married, you're going to have a big family. A husband, brother, sister in law," Wolf was referring to Wendell and Evelyn who both blushed. Wendell was about to say, 'it's a bit early to think about a wedding' but Wolf continued. "Your dad, a step mom, and then a new step brother, and a cub on the way!" He finished counting them off on his fingers to make sure he got it right. Virginia frowned.
"I think it's way to early to consider her a step mom Wolf. They just met not two minutes ago."
Wendell led Evelyn away to continue dancing and Wolf and Virginia did the same. A slower song came on and Virginia placed her head on Wolf's chest, smiling at how comfortable it felt to listen to him breath. After awhile, Wendell and Evelyn moved their way back over to them and they switched, so Wolf was dancing with Evelyn and Wendell was dancing with Virginia.
"Wendell, I wanted to thank you again." Virginia said.
"For what?"
"For everything I guess. A few months ago, I would have never even dreamed of living in a castle and having a brother who is a King. Plus I want to thank you for earlier, when you and Dad and Wolf came after me. It really helped to find out that everyone really did care about me and not want to just use me."
"Oh, well your welcome. But it was really nothing. You're my sister even though we only met a few months ago. Besides, I should be the one thanking you. You saved me and the Fourth Kingdom." then he added, "Twice!"
They kept dancing and Virginia watched as Wendell kept glancing over at Evelyn.
"You really like her, don't you?" Wendell looked back, surprised that he had been so obvious about watching Evelyn. But he smiled and nodded.
"Yeah, a lot."
Meanwhile, Wolf and Evelyn were talking about similar things.
"You two are a lot closer now." Wolf said, merely stating a fact, not asking.
"Yeah, I think, well, no I don't think, I know I love him." She said looking in Wendell's direction. Wolf grinned, pleased that she was admitting it now. Taking them to Kissing town hadn't been necessary. "I've never felt this way about anyone before and it's like each time I look at him…well it's hard to describe."
"I know what you mean." Wolf said and he did. Evelyn found it was really easy to talk to Wolf about everything. Probably because he knew exactly what she was going through and could relate easily. She looked up at him, taking her eyes away from Wendell.
"How did you and Virginia meet? Was it love at first sight or did it develop? Wendell was able to tell me most of the story of how you four saved the Kingdoms, but he hadn't been there for all of it."
"Well, for me it was love at first sight. But it took Virginia awhile to warm up to me." So Wolf told her everything, from when the Evil Queen had sent him after Prince Wendell, the dog, to when he had first encountered Virginia in her grandmother's apartment.
"You were going to eat her?!" Evelyn gasped and Wolf grinned and kept going. Evelyn burst into a fit of giggles when he told her how Virginia had hit him and then knocked him out a window. He didn't understand why everyone thought that part to be so funny. It had been quite painful at the time. He told her about how he went to the doctor and changed his whole life around so Virginia would like him. He told her the complete story of their quest. Most parts Evelyn had heard from Wendell, but she didn't mind hearing them again, because it was always different in someone else's perspective. Wolf skipped over the part where him and Virginia had played hide and seek in the woods, but had told her how excited he had felt when she first told him that she loved him in the Deadly Swamp. He finally finished with him and Virginia going back to New York and Evelyn looked at him in awe.
"You went through all that, just to prove your love for her? Wow. You really do love her."
"Of course, she's my mate for life."
"I can see it in both yours and Virginia's eyes when you look at each other or when you talk about each other. You're really lucky to have someone that loves you so much."
Wolf nodded. "You know, I'm sure if he had to, Wendell would do all the things I did if you were in trouble."
"You think so?" Evelyn asked and Wolf nodded sincerely.
"Yeah, I've seen the way you two look at each other." Wolf grinned. After awhile, Wendell came and asked to have the next dance with Evelyn. Wolf said, "of course." and went to find Virginia. He saw her dancing with Tony so he headed over towards the side where there were refreshments. He snacked on some weird looking food, while watching Virginia and Tony.
"So Dad, who was that lady we saw you dancing with?" Virginia smiled.
"Who? Oh, that was the Lady Margaret. It turns out she's very nice. She has a son about you age and is a widow. Her son practices carpentry and she still carries on her deceased husbands duties, since he was a Lord. She's actually very interesting to talk to."
Virginia smiled again and they kept dancing. After a while, she felt someone tap her on the shoulder. Turning around, she was surprised to see Andrew, the guard who had helped them earlier. He bowed slightly to her.
"Oh, Andrew. Hi. I didn't know you were going to be here." When he wasn't wearing his guard uniform, he actually looked quite handsome. His light brown hair was combed neatly to the back and his suit was a dark blue.
"Yes, my father is a Lord, so I'm allowed to attend with him. Would you care to dance?" He looked at Tony and Tony nodded his approval, although he looked at them a little suspiciously. Virginia glanced over to where Wolf was standing. She watched as he quickly adverted his gaze so it wouldn't seem like he had been looking. She felt a little guilty. Andrew followed her gaze. "Oh, it's okay if you don't want to. I understand."
"No, I think one dance will be fine." He nodded and they began dancing. Tony had already disappeared and Virginia could see Wolf watching out of the corner of her eye. She turned her attention back on Andrew as he started talking.
"I'm glad to see you're doing better. I suppose you had a talk with your family after earlier?"
Virginia smiled and nodded. "Yes, I was wrong to be fooled by her. But you were right, talking to them did help and I'm very much relieved after it. I wanted to thank you for your help also."
"Oh, I didn't do much, Milady, but anything for you." He smiled and they continued dancing.
Wolf watched as a man went up to Virginia and started dancing with her. He quickly smothered a growl by taking a drink of his punch and looked the other way. He kept glancing over and would quickly look away if he thought Virginia was going to look in his direction.
He turned around towards the table with all of the foods and busied himself with trying all the different combinations. After a minute he felt someone tap his shoulder. He looked behind him and saw two young women all smiling flirtatiously at him. He smiled and nodded politely before turning back to the food. But he felt another tap on his shoulder. Feeling more than a little annoyed he turned around to face them. One of them, with blonde and curly hair, spoke first.
"Hi, we saw you standing here all by yourself, and we wondered if you would like to dance." Wolf had to admit that she was pretty. He looked her over, his eyes pausing slightly on her chest. He mentally scolded himself.
"I'm sorry ladies. I'm afraid that I'm waiting for somebody." He tried smiling to let her know that he was being sincere and was about to turn back around when another one spoke, this one had black straight hair with dark brown, almost black eyes that, if she hadn't been so pretty, would have scared him.
"Come on, please?" She stuck out her lower lip and blinked a few times. Wolf was quickly trying to find a way out of this one. He was really trying hard not to be tempted but was finding it really difficult. He struggled to find another excuse when he heard another come from behind him.
"Excuse me, I'm sorry to interrupt but he already promised this dance to me." Wolf grinned and turned around to see Virginia standing right behind him. Her voice was polite but her eyes were glaring daggers at the two ladies. They glared at her and walked away to find some other guy. Wolf chuckled and took Virginia by the arm and led her out to dance.
"Thank you, my creampuff. They wouldn't go away." Wolf said innocently and Virginia gave him a look that said she wasn't buying it.
"Uh Huh." Her eyes and voice softened almost immediately. "Well, I can't really blame them. You are the most dashing man here tonight."
"Huff Puff. Can't argue with you there. Unfortunately for them, I already have a mate." Virginia smiled and nodded. "But who was that guy you were dancing with a minute ago?" Wolf tried to make his voice sound just curious, but Virginia knew him to well. She was almost tempted to say something to make him jealous, just to see his reaction, but she didn't want to play those games on Wolf. She would be honest.
"Andrew? He was the guard that showed Evelyn and me out of the dungeon earlier today. It turns out his father is a Lord, so he was invited to attend. He's really nice and had tried to help me out earlier after talking to Jessica." Wolf still felt jealous. He tried to act as normally as possible though.
"Oh, I see. What did he say?" Virginia heard the tone in his voice and frowned. He was overreacting. Was he going to act like this about every guy that talked to her?
"He told me that what Jessica said wasn't true. That after we left for New York, Wendell still talked very highly of me and he wouldn't do that in my absence if he was just using me." Wolf was beginning to feel as though Andrew could have just comforted her and he wouldn't have even been needed. He was having a mental argument with himself, one half saying he was overreacting and the other half saying that he had a right to be so touchy. His argument was interrupted when Virginia kept talking. "He also said that I needed to talk to you to find out the truth. He told me while we were dancing that he knew that only my fiancé could help me." Wolf looked down at her surprised.
"Really? So, you don't like him or anything?"
"Of course I like him." Wolf felt a lump in his throat, but it disappeared a second later when she kept going. "As a friend. He was merely trying to help me, but you were the only one who got through to me. Wolf, remember how I said that I should have more faith in you? You should have more faith in me too. Wolves mate for life. And you're my mate." Virginia had known what he had been thinking the whole time and saw the relief on his face as she spoke the last part. To prove the point, she reached up and kissed him.
Wolf felt all the doubt and jealousy leave him as soon as her lips touched his. He had the most loving, loyal, beautiful mate in all the Kingdoms. Virginia was right, he was going to have to make sure that he kept faith in her. They had both learned their lesson and those lessons would only bring them closer together in the end, making their love unbreakable.