Jillian settled Davis into a set of rooms in the packhouse. He grumped about her leaving his sight. She couldn’t believe this man. Wherever he came from, he clung to her like barnacle to the bottom of a ship. He was bossy and wanted thing done a specific way. Jillian was still pondering if she liked that when she’d finally made her escape from him. It wouldn’t be long since she’d promised to return with food for him.
They’d shot the man several times and then forced to fend off several wolves trapped in human form. Yet here he was alive, but injured on the road to recovery. His sheer size must have given him some protection. By rights, he should have come out of it with a lot more injuries and a lot less blood. She had to admit the man was gorgeous and smoking hot.
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Brian watched his mate, no their future mate, struggle with the concept that they both wanted her permanently. They weren’t keeping her to keep the pack, but because they felt their possessive natures kick in at the thought that she wasn’t safe and protected. It pleased him and displeased him. She was so focused on the belief it wasn’t right for them to take the burden of the target Clarence pointed at the leadership of this pack. He was happy she thought to protect them, but it displeased him she felt the more acceptable thing was for her to be that target. He and Chris would never find that acceptable. They possessed the skills to take a creep like Clarence down. She didn’t, plain and simple in fact. After more persuading and some arguing, she relented. With her heat coming on like this, she’d be a ha
Jillian now understood. Davis wanted to know if there were any other males in her life. She nervously licked a crumb from her lip as she struggled to tell him she wasn’t looking for a mate and she’d play with whomever she wished. “Davis, correct me if I’m wrong. Is this your way of asking me if I’m involved with someone? The answer would be I choose who and when I’m involved with someone.” She fully intended to not say anything more, but her mouth sped on ahead of her brain. “However, currently I’m not involved with anyone. But that could change at a moment’s notice either way.” “Yes, it changed. So instead of sleeping in a cold, lonely bed, you’ll sleep here with me.” He didn’t ask or insist she do it. No, he stated it as a fact. Jillian&rsquo
The low hum of the crowd in the meeting hall kept Helena from falling asleep before her coffee could do its magic. Brian and Chris directed people and answered questions before their grand announcement. She, though, was a bundle of nerves. How would her pack take to the announcement of having two alphas? What would they think of her for accepting two mates? This was what she dreaded. She could hear the old women tittering about who would become their next alpha. There was even a small betting pool going on in the back corner, if she wasn’t mistaken. Helena could bet they missed the option of both taking the mantle. Finally, it seemed everyone sat down, and their attention focused on the stage where the twins stood. They looked like brothers, though at first glance no one would realize they were twins.
Sure enough, Helena could hear the debate and arguing beginning as the pack discussed the new events between themselves. Many of the older pack resisted the idea of the pack having two alphas. Others didn’t condone the non-traditional mating. Several went straight to members of the council of elders and demanded that they explain themselves and what knowledge they possessed of this. Chris and Brian were hesitant to turn over the stage to the council of elders since there’d been no communication with them since that disaster. They didn’t trust the elders to behave themselves and not cause any further problems. But Helena persuaded them quietly from the stage to allow it. Several pack members saw the exchange, proving to them that Helena would not lose her authority to the two men.&nbs
Chris sat on their bed watching Helena get ready to sleep. Brian finished up in the bathroom and all Chris could think about was in the morning they would set up for the celebration that would bind the three together for the rest of their natural lives. He’d share this woman with his brother forever. He’d never admit it, but it scared him a little. Though the thought of satisfying her by himself alone scared him more. Now, he wondered if that was part of the twins of midnight prophecy. “So, Helena, what type of ceremony did you want to have? You haven’t told us yet.” “We haven’t found the spare time to discuss it. But if you must know, I don’t know. Jillian and I really didn’t talk about it because Jillian was afraid of finding a mate. She always claimed she didn’t want one
Jillian lay in the dark, trying to sleep. But the big dumb wolf lay curled up against her with a very heavy hand over her waist. She could go nowhere like that. She’d thought of Davis as the big dumb wolf for several hours now. For her, it was to help her deal with the spite she felt. He’d effectively made it impossible to leave him without her worrying he might do something stupid and hurt himself again. “You’re too wound up. Do I need to help you unwind?” Davis moved closer to her and whispered suggestively into her ear. She could feel the heat of his body against her back. “You can’t be comfortable in all those clothes. You should remove a few layers.” “I’m fine. Go to sleep, please.” H
Helena found breakfast sitting on a table in her apartment and her two mates gone when she awoke. A small vase of flowers and a note lay beside a covered plate. The note read, ‘See you at the ceremony. Don’t be late or we’ll do this the old-fashioned way and hunt you down. Love B & C’. The two sentences were in different handwriting. She just knew that the last sentence was from Chris and the first was Brian’s. Now she could see the yin and yang of the two in their writing. Their clothing, their stance on issues. It’s amazing they didn’t fight more. Chris was the fighter. While he may threaten to hunt her down, Brian was the hunter and tracker. Brian possessed the caregiving nature, but Chris cared about laying down the law. One would kiss the bruised knee and the other would ground the child. Both would be good fathers. She was sure of it.
Davis watched with amusement as his mate struggled with the idea that she was his. He didn’t need her to say she wanted him. Her body said it for her and it, in turn, made him want to make this a permanent thing. The pain killers worked wonders on the pain and swelling of his wounds, but it also did a number on his self-control. He wanted her now. She was his and willing. Why not? Davis didn’t care if he lived to regret it. His brain just checked out and his instincts took over. The gods granted him a beautiful and responsive mate. He’d work out any issues later. His mouth came down on her warm lips and the explosive reaction to it spurred him on. If they’d been standing, she would have climbed him like a tree. She clung to him an
Life settled down for them after that, and a routine formed. Their pack understood their unique relationship. It helped when Alfred could come up with some documentation he’d found while doing his own study on their unique bond. It and Bethany fascinated the man became a friend to Helena and Jillian. Nathan and Asia eventually settled on a date to be formally accepted by their pack and to acknowledge their mating. It was something their pack needed to. Life for them soon became full of creating and building. Several of the lone wolves filtered in and requested a place within Nathan’s pack. Davis helped greatly with that because he could identify these lone wolves and vet their stories. By winter, there were enough homes to keep the Blue Mountain Pack safe from the elements. Money appeared out of the rambling and incomplete financial status. Helena didn’t look too closely, but she suspected several packs contributed funds and investments so that they could start agai
Asia now understood how much she didn’t know about wolf shifters and their society. The mating ceremony wasn’t elaborate, but there were meanings behind everything. Luck and good fortune were part of the reason everything was being done. Prosperity and abundance. She was told so many stories and traditions that her head spun from all of them. It was so different from what she’d learned in her time underground with them. The other women were afraid to speak of these things while Clarence was alive. Afterward, there were other things to think about. Now they were looking forward to the Alpha Acceptance Ceremony and their Mating Recognition Ceremony. It was so busy that most nights everyone went to bed exhausted to start again the next day. They could get the new packhouse built and several outbuildings so that they could winter with a roof over all their heads. They planned a school for the new year for all the packs in the area to send their pups, too. So the
The pack came alive with the discovery of the celebration. These were things they lived for. Births, matings, and all the little cornerstones of member lives. They were a close knit family and community. This was something they could sink their proverbial teeth into. Presents weren’t necessary, but someone would always find something to bring.They planned a nighttime ceremony as tradition dictated and that gave most of the day to prepare the simple things for the ceremony.Dusk was falling and Helena cornered Jillian in her apartment to get ready. Davis took an hour and greeted those attending. Jillian fluttered about in a distracted and nervous state. Helena couldn’t figure out what would calm her down. But she started out with some logic.“First off. Here’s the dress. Let’s get you dressed. Honestly, you’d think Davis wasn’t yours already. At least, your instincts were smart enough to catch him. Everything is already recorded and technically, this is just to get your sister to leav
The work lunch was going well, but as the meeting came to an end, Chris noticed Jillian again adjusting the collar of her top. With a frown, he watched her for a little longer. “Is that a bite on your neck, Jillian?” Her response was to put her hand over the mark and blush. “It is! Well, I guess congratulations are in order for both of you. When are you planning to have your mating recognition ceremony?” “We’ll see. We’ve not set a date yet. There’s no hurry after all this stuff happening.” Jillian tried to take the pressure off of the subject, because she hoped they would drop it. “We’re going to have one as soon as it’s possible. No time to waste pretending things might change.” Davis interrupted Jillian’s uncomfortably nervous rambling to state the opposite of his mate’s words. “Davis! What are you talking about? We can’t do that. It’s too soon after all the deaths.” Jillian looked askance at Davis, unable to believe he’d said none of this to her
Nathan all but dragged himself back to the camp. He’d not fought all that much. It’d just been a long night. Too long if you asked him. But he represented the Blue Mountain Pack until the end. The witches would not all him to sit in and watch the trial. But he knew that witch and golem were now no longer a threat to the Blue Mountain. Now what would he do since the pack chose him to be their leader? Did he dare think of himself as the perfect candidate? He’d done a right fine job of being a roadblock to the current leadership there. Would he bring that blindness to this pack? Or could he be confident that he’d learned his lesson? If only he could see into the future and everything it held. Asia would see him as the stuff Alpha’s were made of. But he knew she’d read far too many romance novels involving werewolves, and they were far from correct in most things about wolf shifters. The camp was moving today, which meant he wouldn’t get much sleep, nor would the few peo
Jillian watched Davis make sure that her sister and mother, with her mother’s latest side piece, were settled in their cabin. Gods, the guy wasn’t much older than her sister. He’d be better suited to her sister. What did these men see in her mother? She had two adult daughters. She didn’t care if her mother found someone. Actually, Jillian would love her mother to find someone she had something in common with. This guy wouldn’t be able to keep up with her in a conversation and she wouldn’t be able to keep up with him in pretty much any physical activity. Jillian could see this becoming another crash and burn. She bet he’d not met his fated mate and when he did, he’d have a devil of a time removing her clinging mother from him. Or Jillian would have to deal with the high drama. At least, right now, Davis showed no interest in her sister’s advances. He’d spoken to her once already, and her sister acted like he must be mistaken. Now Jillian wasn’t sure if she m
“If we are going to return to some form of normal, we need to finish preparing the Alpha apartments for us. You know. Get all our ducks in a row.” Chris mentioned as they ate breakfast in their apartment. This was the first day of the rest of their lives together in his estimation, and he was becoming impatient at how must mess it left and the sheer number of strings that weren’t tied down. This wasn’t something he wanted to have happened again. “As long as those ducks don’t turn into raccoons or squirrels, I’ll be happy. I thought we setup for them to be renovated by now?” Helena pushed her plate away from her. How this would play out, she didn’t know, but she had to get it going or she’d get bogged down in her grief. “We did, but half of the work crew was called up to hunt. Which put the schedule back and I’ve not been given a revised schedule.” Brian added, and he clearly felt horrible about that. They didn’t need so many people to hunt down the golem or
Alfred walked from the room they used for their courts and formal audiences. It wasn’t used much these days, but it was never pleasant. The council agreed to punish Veronica with imprisonment and being stripped of her abilities. Not a simple thing to do. She’d never live a normal life if she finished her imprisonment. Veronica would have to stay hidden from the mortal world because of the knowledge she could spread. Basically, she’d just trade one prison for another and the identity she knew once would always be a faint memory. In the old day, they’d have just killed her, and Alfred believed that was a far more merciful thing to do. None of this gives her hope and then lets someone else deal with the fallout. Though he could wash his hands of her. She’d go with the elders of the council back to their homeland, which was secreted away. That’s where the sentence would occur. Their coven didn’t have the resources or place to keep her during her punishment. This was the end of th
Veronica didn’t know how long she’d been there. The light turned off and on several times. She could have been there for hours or days. She didn’t know. Finally, someone gave her food. Once she ate, it didn’t take long for a small group of people to come along and haul her out of the prison, she found herself in. She was prepared to celebrate her freedom until she found herself locked in a chair in another dark room. Veronica could hear the movement of people in robes on the edges of the large empty room. She wasn’t sure what to expect from these people. Veronica schooled herself not to give into the fear. She couldn’t quite achieve that, so she sat there attempting not to admit to anything incriminating or to give up on her very life. Finally, the lights came up enough within the room, that left little to the imagination of what they used this room for. It was a courtroom, and she was on trial. They dared to force their views and rules on her. That, alone burst her