“But at least you’re handling it well,” Dean said brightly. Cooper shot him a look and Dean patted his shoulder sympathetically. “Listen, you’ve just got to start with the easy stuff. Figure out who you want there first. When you know how big an event it is, you’ll know what sort of space you’ll need, and that’ll tell you what date to pick. Bam. Wedding planned. My fee’s in the mail.”

Cooper groaned. “Who’s coming is the hardest part.”

“Well, there’s us, of course. What about Oliver’s family? You’re going to invite them, right?”

“I see you’ve been speaking with the voice I hear in my head at three a.m. while paralyzed with anxiety. Good, good.”

Dean frowned. “Does his family suck? Is that why you’re not up there visiting with him?” He leaned closer to Cooper. “Do you want me to fight someone for you?”

Cooper rolled his eyes. “They’re...fine. I like most of them fine. His siblings have been really nice to me these last few months. Their partners too.”

Well, they’d been cordial, anyway. Ever since he and Park had compromised and bought their weird little house on the woodsy property outside of DC, the Park pack had taken it as some kind of signal and accepted Cooper was here to stay. Even Park’s grandmother Helena had called him out of the blue to extend only mildly reserved well wishes on their recent purchase of “a sweet little territory.” Cooper still wasn’t sure what the appropriate response to that was supposed to be, but his nervous guffaws of laugher probably hadn’t warmed the matriarch’s heart toward him much.

Of course, what Helena hadn’t known then was that in a month or so, that “sweet little territory” was going to dramatically expand. Cooper and Park were currently in the process of finalizing the purchase of the Maudit Falls mountain retreat. By the end of November, the retreat would be protected from territory-hungry neighbors and could remain a sanctuary for rebel pack runaways. This was a good thing.

What Cooper hadn’t expected, but should have, was just how much politics was involved. After years of keeping his head down and leaving his past as the Shepherd behind, Park was essentially putting himself back on the board in a big way by claiming territory directly between two powerful packs, one of which happened to be his own family and the most powerful pack on the eastern seaboard. Park wasn’t just “visiting his family.” He was on a diplomatic mission of goodwill. It was an extremely sensitive matter.

Considering that Cooper was responsible for at least two family members’ arrests, both he and Park agreed he could sit this visit out. Goodwill and sensitivity were, alas, not his strong suits.