“That’s neat. I like those kinds of traditions.”

  He did too.

  Inside, his mom hugged him tightly, then hugged Rena. Lindy sniffled and brushed at tears on her cheeks. “I was so scared for both of you. I’m so thankful you’re here and safe.”

  Crimson nodded after hugging the two of them. Ruby joined in and they were suddenly in a family group hug.

  “I’ve got a kickass sister,” Ruby said with a grin. “Of course Rena was going to be the heroine of her own story and take out the bad guy.”

  Rena’s cheeks heated and she smiled. “I’m just glad it’s over with and everyone’s safe now.”

  “We are too,” Crimson said.

  “Let’s eat! I hope you like steak because Crimson’s been grilling up a storm.”

  “I could definitely go for a steak,” Rena said. “We didn’t really hunt while we were out running around the territory, so a steak sounds perfect.”

  At the big kitchen table, they ate steak, grilled potatoes, and corn Lindy had cut and frozen from their summer garden.

  They talked about Rena’s new job at Lonestar, Ruby’s interest in spelling for her truemate, and Luke lamenting having to go back to work.

  “We just mated,” he said with a grumble.

  “True,” Crimson said. “But you’ll get to take time off after your official mating with the pack.”

  “That sounds good to me,” Rena said. “I can’t wait for the full moon to be over. It’s making me nervous wondering how it will go.”

  Luke wondered that too. He’d heard the stories from other pack members about how Jenna had told off Jason when she was going through her first full moon after being blood mates with Logan.

  He reached for her hand and gave it a squeeze. “Don’t worry. I’ve got you.”

  “Aw,” Lindy said. “You two are so sweet together.”

  Rena’s eyes flashed amber for a moment, and then–surprisingly–red.

  He put his napkin next to his plate and said, “I think it’s time for us to get going. Rena starts her job tomorrow and I’m on the early shift.”

  “Want some chocolate pie to go?” Ruby asked. “I made it.”

  “Hell yes,” Luke said.

  Ruby grabbed a plastic container and cut a large wedge, then handed it to Luke.

  He kissed her on the cheek. “Thanks, Sis.”

  “Anytime.”

  “Thanks for dinner, it was great,” Rena said.

  She and his mom hugged. They said goodbye to his dad and headed for the truck.

  “You saw that?” Rena asked when she got in the passenger seat.

  “Your eyes?”

  “Yep.”

  “Yes.”

  “I could almost feel them change color. It was weird.”

  “They went amber and then red. That’s the first time that happened.”

  “Red for your wulfen, I guess?”

  “Probably. No matter what, I’m by your side.”

  She sighed and leaned against him. “The full moon can’t come fast enough. But in the meantime, you could drive a little faster.”

  A wave of her arousal hit him like a freight train. He nearly pulled over on the side of the road so they could play immediately. Instead, he pressed on the gas.

  “That’s better,” she said with a chuckle. “I want you so badly.”

  His wolf howled in his head.

  Hell yes.

  “I always want you,” he said. “Right now, you smell like my best wet dream.”

  She hummed and then laughed. “I love that. Let’s get home and make some dreams come true.”

  “Again and again.”

  The night of the full moon came in a way that was incredibly fast but also painstakingly slow. Rena woke up Monday morning feeling the most turned on she’d ever been in her life. The arousal was mixed up with aching joints and her vision and hearing suddenly sharpening or dulling at random intervals.

  Her fairy nature and accelerated healing helped with the changes, but she was feeling pretty miserable by the time they headed to the alphas’ house for their ceremony.

  Luke put a hand on her knee. She hadn’t realized she’d been bouncing it rapidly until the gentle pressure stopped it.

  “Why are you nervous?” he asked.

  She sighed and settled down in the seat. “I’m not nervous, just antsy. I want to stay home with you, but I want to be with the pack also.” She cracked her knuckles and flexed her hands. “My hands hurt too.”

  He picked up one of her hands and kissed her knuckles. “I’m sorry you’re feeling so miserable. You could take one of the muscle relaxers that Doc gave you.”

  She’d enjoyed meeting the pack doctor, a male around her dad’s age, who’d been handling pack injuries and health issues for a couple decades.

  “It’ll make me tired and I don’t want to be tired.”

  “So you just want me to give you lots of love and attention and listen to you vent?”

  She laughed. “Yes.”

  “I can totally do that.” He glanced at her with a smile, and she beamed at him.

  “Distract me,” she said as all of her muscles tried to contract and a wave of pain shot through her.

  “Uh, damn it, my brain just went blank.”

  Barking out a laugh, she said, “Tell me how patrols went yesterday.”

  They’d both worked on Sunday, but she’d had to cut her shift short because she couldn’t concentrate on anything with the pain that would appear and disappear at random. He’d swung by the house on his lunchbreak to bring her a second heating pad for her back and tortellini soup his mom made.

  “All’s quiet for the most part. There are two guys a shift and we walk the pack territory. It’s a quiet job.”

  “What’s the most exciting thing that happened while you were on patrol?”

  “Once we found a tent at the edge of the territory a few days before the full moon. It was a homeless guy who was passing through on his way to warmer climates. He didn’t realize it was pack territory.”

  “What did you do with him?”

  “Jason had us give him some money and get him an Uber to a shelter so he could have a safe place to stay.”

  “Did you think he was dangerous?”

  “Nah. I mean you never know with people but he didn’t know where he was or that it wasn’t public land.”

  “That’s good. Did I tell you that Junie and her sisters came into the restaurant yesterday before I had to take off?”

  “No. Shouldn’t they have been in school?”

  “They were off for a teacher work day and came in for an early lunch with Cades and Karly. The girls are so sweet, I’m glad they’re free and safe now.”

  “Me too. I heard that the oldest girl’s got a boyfriend now.”

  “Oh? Who?” Rena straightened in her seat and rolled her neck to ease the ache. “Aspen is so sweet and pretty.”

  “His name’s Mathias. He’s McKenna and Drake’s youngest.”

  She hummed. “So they’re truemates?”

  “It seems like it. For now, they’re just testing things out and dating. I heard that Jason’s acting like an overprotective father and even threatened Mathias to make sure he wasn’t playing games with her emotions.”

  “Are you going to be like that with our kids?”

  He pulled to a stop in an empty space in the yard between two cars. “One hundred percent. Especially for our daughters.”

  “So how many kids are you planning on there, Mister?” she asked with a chuckle.

  Even though she was laughing, she was also being serious. She wanted to have a big family since she was an only child. They’d chatted about having kids, but never really nailed a number down.

  He turned off the engine and faced her. “I’d like to have a big family. Maybe four?”

  “I’d love that.”

  She leaned over the console and kissed him. He pulled away and she chased him, wrapping her arms around his neck and drawing him close. He snarled softly and put his arms around her.

  There was a sharp knock at the window.

  He snarled again, his chest rumbling with annoyance.

  She wasn’t crazy about the interruption either.

  They separated and Luke opened his door. “Thanks for that man, it was just getting good.”

  “Not sorry,” Kash said. “Your dad asked me to come find you.”

  “Mission accomplished,” Rena said as she got out and shut the door. “You have terrible timing.”

  Kash shrugged. “Don’t shoot the messenger.”

  She glanced at her watch. “I need to open the portal for my parents, I’m sure that’s what they’re waiting for.”

  Luke took her hand and they followed Kash through the house, where she greeted the females milling around inside, and then out onto the deck where Micah and Zoey were manning several grills.

  Rena and Zoey met and hugged.

  “How are you feeling?” Zoey asked.

  “Okay for now.” She lifted her head and looked at the sky. “I can feel it’s going to get worse before it gets better.”

  “I wish I could go running with you. Oh wait, no I don’t, I hate running!”

  Rena laughed. “Thanks.”

  She and Luke met up with his parents. Then she opened a portal for her parents so they could watch the ceremony.

  She took them to officially meet Luke’s parents. They’d met his dad but not his mom. Then she took them to meet the alphas.

  “Are you hungry?” Cades asked. “We’ve got plenty to eat on the grill and there’s a table full of things too.”

  “We’re fine, thank you,” Rena’s dad said.

  “Thank you so much for letting us watch. If Rena didn’t mention it, you and your mate are welcome to come to our mating ceremony as their alphas,” her mom said.

  “She did mention it, and we’d love to join you. Thank you.”

  “Of course, it’s our pleasure,” her mom said.

  Rena set her parents up in the house so they would be comfortable until it was time to go to the clearing. “I’m starving, I’ll be right back to hang out with you.”

  “Take your time, honey,” her mom said. She turned to talk to Lindy and Rena smiled at the scene. Her parents and his parents were getting along and seemed to genuinely enjoy each other’s company.

  “I’m glad they like each other,” Luke said as he escorted her to the deck to grab something to eat.

  “Me too.”

  She was about to ask Zoey for a steak when Luke snarled furiously. He backed Rena a few feet away, blocking her body with his.

  “What’s going on?” she asked. Her skin prickled at his growling, her body immediately responding to his wolf.

  “Sorry man,” a masculine voice said.

  Rena leaned around her mate and saw Gideon taking a large step back with his hands up.

  “Too. Close,” Luke said, growling the words.

  “I told you,” Logan said, coming to stand between them. Luke relaxed a fraction now that he couldn’t see Gideon.

  The yard had gone very quiet, and Rena’s cheeks heated. She patted Luke on the back and hugged him from behind. “You’re so protective and sweet, I love it. But please don’t kill your friend. It’s our mating day.”

  Luke straightened and shook his head like he was trying to shake out bad thoughts. “Sorry, G.”

  “No worries,” Gideon said with a chuckle.

  Luke turned and hugged Rena. “Sorry, sweetheart. He leaped up the stairs and was really close to you. Suddenly my wolf wanted to tear his head off.”

  Logan nodded. “You did the right thing for your wolf. You got her away from someone your wolf viewed as a threat.”

  “Even though he’s not a threat?” Rena asked, looking at Logan.

  Logan shrugged. “It’s because of the blood bond. You’re feeling out of sorts because of the full moon, and his wolf is overreacting to everything for the same reason. He had enough sense to just remove you from the area instead of throwing punches, so that’s a bonus.”

  Conversation resumed as everyone realized that nothing more was going to happen.

  “Thanks,” Rena said to Logan.

  “Anytime.”

  Zoey handed Rena a big plate with two steaks. “There’s a chair at the corner of the deck where you can have some privacy.”

  “Thank you,” Rena said.

  They headed to the chair. Luke sat and pulled Rena into his lap, then snuggled against her with his face in her throat.

  “Are you hungry?” she asked. She pulled a small wooden table over and set the plate on it.

  “Just for you.”

  He sucked a bit of her neck into his mouth and bit gently. Her skin prickled again, her body flooding with heat.

  “Holy hells bells, don’t do that right now,” she said with a laugh. Her body flushed and her arousal was beating at her like a drum.

  “Sorry.”

  She eyed him. “No you’re not.”

  With a deep chuckle, he said, “Yeah you’re right. I love kissing on you. But you’re hungry, so I’ll stop. For now.”

  She lifted the knife and fork that were tucked under the steaks and cut a piece. “With how protective you’re acting, there’s no way anything fun is going to happen until we get home. That’s hours! You and your naughty tongue horned me up and are leaving me high and dry.”

  He nuzzled her throat and inhaled softly. “Not dry, baby.”

  “Oh my gosh!” She nearly dropped her fork.

  “I whispered it. No one heard, I promise.”

  She rolled her eyes and lifted the piece of steak to her mouth. She chewed, the rare meat delicious and starting to ease the ache in her stomach. She’d eaten more in the last week than she usually did, and her cravings were always for red meat. Luke fortunately had a freezer full of meat and was always willing to thaw something for her at a moment’s notice.

  After she cut up both steaks, she alternated bites with Luke until they’d cleaned the plate and she was satisfied. At least as far as food went.

  She still craved her mate like air to breathe.

  Jason called everyone to head to the clearing. Her parents joined them on the deck.

  “It’s really pretty here,” her mom said as they followed the pack to the clearing.

  “I’m so glad you could come. It means the world to me that you’re here.”

  “We wouldn’t miss it,” her dad said.

  Since it was freezing out, she was wearing the traditional mating ceremony outfit–a black corset and a stretchy black mini skirt. To keep from getting frostbite anywhere important, she’d paired the scandalous outfit with fleece-lined leggings, knee boots, and a puffy coat.

  When they reached the clearing, the bonfire was blazing.

  She left her parents with Luke’s parents, then she and Luke joined Jason and the high-ranked members.

  Jason lifted his hand and the pack went quiet.

  Luke took off his hoodie and Rena took off her coat. They were close enough to the fire that she wasn’t too cold.

  They grasped left hands and Jason wrapped a length of leather from Luke’s forearm, around their joined hands, and up her forearm. He rested his hands on theirs.

  “We come to join Luke and Rena in mating and to welcome Rena into our pack as a treasured mate. Is there anyone here who has reason to believe the two should not be joined?”

  The pack was silent. Even the woods were silent.

  Rena smiled at Luke and he returned it, her insides going melty at the sight.

  Jason nodded, then began the ceremony, which was in Ancient Greek. They spoke vows to each other and marked each other with ash, blood, and oil.

  Jason said, “This joining is forever and ever, until death parts you and you join again, together, in the great beyond.”

  Rena and Luke kissed and the pack cheered and howled.

  Jason unwound the strap and Luke took it, wrapping it around Rena’s wrist like a bracelet and tucking in the end.

  “Let’s hunt!” Jason shouted.

  He clapped Luke on the shoulder and smiled at Rena. “Welcome to the pack and congratulations on your mating.”

  “How are you feeling?” Cades asked as she hugged Rena.

  Rena let out a breath she didn’t know she’d been holding. Her muscles were pulled tight, her bones aching. “I need to take a walk I think, it’s starting to get bad again.”

  “Okay, be safe you two. Hope you feel better quickly.”

  Luke said, “Let’s go say goodbye to your folks. Then I have an idea.”

  “Running in the woods?” Rena asked. She put on her coat and picked up Luke’s hoodie.

  “Eventually.”

  She was going to tell him that she just wanted a good long run, but the heated look in his eyes told her he had something else in mind. The question was, what exactly and where?

  They found her parents saying goodbye to Crimson and Lindy and the alphas.

  “Thank you again for inviting us,” her dad said. “We’ll see you next week for the fae ceremony.”

  “We’ll be there,” Jason said.

  Rena said goodbye to her parents, hiding her wince as they hugged her. Her whole body was aching right now. She felt like she was going to split apart.

  Her parents stepped through the portal and her mom turned around. “We’ll see you Thursday?”

  “You bet,” Rena said. “I can’t wait.”

  “Have a good time, honey,” her mom said, blowing her a kiss.

  Rena blew a kiss to her parents and closed the portal.

  “Our relationship is stronger than it was before all this happened,” she said. “They’re so accepting of everything now.”

  “Parental regret,” Crimson said. “We’ve all been there.”

  “I’m just glad you and Luke are together, that bastard is gone, and everyone’s safe,” Lindy said.

  “Hear, hear,” Cades said.

  “We’re going out for a run,” Luke said, taking Rena’s arm. “Bye!”

  “Be careful out there,” Jason said.

  “We will be, thank you,” Luke said.

  She followed him away from the clearing and into the woods. “So where are you taking me?”

  “It’s a surprise.”

  “A sexy one?”

 

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12