Caspian was distracted in the kitchen as the cooks flurried around, adding the finishing touches to dinner. It had been comforting getting the call from Davian to ask if they could come over for dinner.
He couldn’t help but be worried, even though things seemed to have somewhat gone back to normal in such a short time, his mate was still running things as usual.
Although he knew worrying wouldn’t help or change things, the thought that the High Council could escalate things at any point was really hard to ignore.
"Maybe you should take a breather, Missus," Katya’s familiar concerned voice broke into his thoughts. "We’re practically all done here. You should go freshen up for dinner."
Caspian wasn’t given much of a choice because the fussy cook was already guiding him out of the kitchen. He decided to head to his room.
Asher would be back soon, and their guests could arrive at any time. He needed to put himself together before they arrived, peaceful moments like these should be cherished.
He took out the hairband from his hair and brushed out his hair, smoothening out his pink knitted sweater.
In the quiet of the room, he could hear the falling rain, and although it was warm in his bedroom, it still felt like there was a chill going up his arms and sides.
Caspian had never liked the cold rains of fall; they reminded him too much of his parents’ death. Standing over their freshly covered graves without an umbrella and with no one caring to offer him one or hold one over him.
He rubbed his arms over his sweater, crystal blue eyes looking over to the door with longing.
The door opening right then made a sweet smile stretch across his face, he darted across the room and into Asher’s warm arms.
His mate caught him with ease, holding him close, the start of a frown on his face. "Is something wrong?"
Caspian shook his head against Asher’s chest, trying to slip into his mate’s warm fur coat. "I just missed you."
Asher interlocked their hands, "Your hands are cold, do you feel off?"
Caspian leaned back with a pout, "You worry too much," He scolded, catching the irony despite himself. "I said I miss you, you’re supposed to say it back."
He tried to pull away but his Alpha held on, warming up his hands with a smile on his face. "I always miss you."
Caspian looked away, his face flushing with heat. He pulled free his hands and stepped forward to help Asher take off his fur coat; it was almost the perfect weather for the stubborn Alpha to wear the accessory.
"Too quiet," Asher muttered, helping out and taking the heavy coat when it was off. "Lake and Davian are here by the way."
Caspian was helping out with the buttons on his dress shirt but he paused at the mention of Lake’s name. "Lake is here?" He asked with a happy grin.
Asher had a disgruntled expression on, "You saw him yesterday."
Caspian resumed undoing the buttons, "Jealously looks good on you," He said approvingly, patting his chest when he was all done with the buttons. "If you need company, I can send Davian over." He tagged on as he walked out.
"He better have a bulletproof vest on." Asher grumbled as he walked towards the walk-in closet.
Caspian pretended not to hear the threat, eager to see his best friend. He knew better than to actually send Davian to keep his mate company however, even though there was no reason to worry because Davian would never agree to it.
He went right to the kitchen because he knew that would be Rosie’s first destination, more for the food than her friend, and Lake and Davian would tag along for damage control.
The kitchen was less chaotic than when he left a short while ago, none of the people he was searching for anywhere in sight.
He walked right to the study and opened it to find just Patty sitting at her desk. He scanned the room around to make sure that he hadn’t somehow managed to miss them in plain sight.
"Has Rosie been in here?" He finally asked Patty who was looking around with him in confusion.
The Beta’s eyes rounded in surprise, "Rosie is here?"
"That’s what Asher told me," Caspian relayed, already with a foot out of the door. "I’ll go find them."
If they weren’t in the kitchen, it meant that they were still in the foyer; that was the only logical explanation.
He hurried down the stairs, frowning when he checked every corner of the foyer and it was empty. He slowed down as he walked towards the front doors, slightly out of breath and getting suspicious for the first time that Asher might have been messing with him.
He didn’t have to ask the men outside because Rosie was standing right on the stairs while Davian and Lake were right under the sky, struggling over an umbrella.
Caspian blinked at this scene, "What’s going on?"
Rosie turned to him like she had seen a savior. "Lake keeps insisting on wanting to drink rain water." She reported, wiping water out of her eyes like she had just ducked to safety right before he showed up.
Caspian watched Davian tryto shield his mate from the rain without outrightly denying him his request to drink rain water.
He marched right out into the rain, walking over to them. "You won’t even be able to get a mouthful like that," He said confidently, grasping Lake’s hand.
His friend was visibly distressed, rainwater getting on him despite his husband’s desperate attempts. "But I’m thirsty."
"So I’ll have them bring you a large mug of rainwater," Caspian promised, pulling Lake towards the house.
Lake hesitated only for a moment before giving in, swallowing sporadically like he could already taste the fresh, cold water.
Davian sighed in relief, seriously thinking about hiring Caspian full time to keep an eye on his mate. Lake was usually not fussy but there were a select few times he didn’t know what to do with his mate.
While Lake only got some rain on him, Davian was practically drenched. He only put away the umbrella after Caspian got his jittery mate into the safety and warmth of the foyer.