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Chapter Seventeen 1. Sally
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2024-10-29 19:42:56"Celeste?"
Sally stood at the edge of the bushland, a pair of borrowed boots on her feet. She wished they had had time to stop at her home, she missed her jeans, but for now cargo pants that were a size too big would have to do.
The bushland was growing on her. Once she had been sure it never would, but instead she found herself drawn to the thin trees, the crunch of the leaves under her feet. She would now and forever equate the dry land with her mates. She could almost see Hunter's lion form slinking through the trees. But it wasn't Hunter she was looking for. Nona didn't seem at all phased by Celeste's disappearance, and though she could see it eating at Hunter, he'd received a phone call from the Office and had to be the CEO.
So she'd snuck out of the house, making her way to the bush quickly. But now she stood there, unsure. Celeste obviously didn't want to see anyone. Including her, or she would have responded when she had tried to reach out. B
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The CEO's Wife's Mate Chapter Seventeen 2. Celeste
Celeste wasn’t sure anything could be worse then having to contact her Nona to help fix this awful mess. She had fought and clawed her way through as the Clan's Matriarch for a good forty years before Celeste. She had brought up Celeste's father on her own with no partner or mate. She had dropped off the grid for this reason, to not end up in Clan politics ever again.And here she was, the granddaughter bringing it all over again."Don't give me that look, Celeste," she said briskly, placing a mug before her. She remembered she liked tea in the afternoon. Frowning she paused at Sally, placing the back of her hand to her forehead. After a moment she shook her head, then sat down in the seat next to Celeste. "I said I wanted to go into retirement, not have nothing to do with the Clan ever again. I had expected you to visit long before now."Celeste raised her eyebrow, not buying it. "And that's why you didn't leave any contact information?"She
The CEO's Wife's Mate Chapter Seventeen 3. Hunter
Hunter chuckled, leaning over toward his mates. He buried his fingers in Sally's hair, both hands holding her face, pulling her in for a deep kiss. She moaned happily against him, crawling from Celeste's lap and into his, straddling his body, arching against him. Celeste joined his laugh, shifting slightly to pull their chairs together. now Sally was bracketed between them, something that delighted their little mate beyond words. She squirmed as Celeste moved her hair, letting her lips trail down her neck."Did hearing you had to mark us turn you on, Little Human?" Celeste purred against Hunter's mark, making them both groan around her."You tease," Hunter gasped as he broke from Sally, gasping for air as the tingles assaulted him. Celeste knew just what to do to force him undone."I'm not a tease," she laughed, using the moment to untuck Sally's top, inching it up her skin. "In fact, you should be the first to take her mark."As the shirt cam
The CEO's Wife's Mate Chapter Eighteen 1. Sally
Marking her mates had been everything she’d hoped for when Nona had said it was an option. She had exploded and her body curled in on itself, the only thing she’d been able to do was wrap herself around them and bite down on their chests, one after another. Sally had even been proud as punch when Hunter had passed out for a few moments. He had been bemused but a good sport, he’d been tickled by the idea that they had to get Celeste to black out from sex. It was a challenge Celeste had vetoed, but they all knew it wouldn’t stop Sally or Hunter from trying to do it.They spent the night in bed together at Nona’s home, cuddled around each other as Sally digested this news. She was not entirely human. A month ago it would have been unthinkable, but now she wore the marks of a Hyena and a Lion, and her best friend was an Owl. Finding out at least one of her ancestors was not human was part of the course.“You’d be hard pressed
The CEO's Wife's Mate Chapter Eighteen 2. Celeste
Celeste took a deep breath. They stood at the edge of Clan land. It had been Hunter's idea to walk in. It would give Luna time. Celeste still believed her sister was a pawn in all this. Whilst they didn't get along, and hadn't since they were small, Luna loved the Clan. It was all she was."We can leave this a few days," Sally shifted next to her, feeding on the general feel of her mates. They were all on edge.Celeste took another breath, forcing herself to calm down. Sally was the one taking the risks in the first instant. After would be her turn after; she could be worried then. She took Sally's hand in her own. "Are you already for your camp out?"Sally rolled her eyes. "There's something to be said for having richer then sin Mates. I had no idea how many creature comforts could be brought in miniature form and stuffed into cargo pants. I hope I can remember how to build a fire, Brownies was a long time ago and I hated it."Hunter took her other
The CEO's Wife's Mate Chapter Eighteen 3. Luna
Luna could only stare at her grand mother in shock. as far as she knew no one in the Clan had seen her in the 8 years since she'd left. She was certain her parents knew where she'd been, they were all so close, but none of them had ever answered her when she'd asked to see her. Celeste never seemed phased, to Luna she had stepped into the role of Matriarch with ease, dragging the Clan along with her as she changed everything Nona had ever done.And here Nona was, to support her twin and her new mate.Luna seethed silently, trying to stem both her jealousy and anger. Even though the wavering of support had made it possible for Luna to defeat her sister, there was enough dissent that she was having trouble keeping them on task. If this was what Celeste had to deal with every day Luna was ready to leave her to it. Any of the things she tried to return to there old states were met with refusal. It was exhausting and unforgiving.How had she never noticed
The CEO's Wife's Mate Chapter Nineteen 1. Sally
At this point, sally just wanted to glare at everyone. They’d been taken to a communal sitting room of sorts and Clan members continued to look in through the open doorway, watching the three of them. Hunter had sighed gruffly early in the quite time, pulling Sally onto his lap and burying his face in her hair, pressing it against her neck. He seemed to breath her in and after a few moments she had felt herself start to relax.It was something she had noticed, that whenever Hunter or Celeste were unsettled they would pull her close and basically breath her in. It also started to calm her down too, the feel of her Mate wrapped around her. Celeste sat as close as she could to them without actually being on top of them and sometimes pressed a kiss to her shoulder. Sally held her hand, trying to soothe the crawling feeling coming from her.“Why do we have to wait?” she finally grumped. Waiting was worse then just getting this done.“You
The CEO's Wife's Mate Chapter Nineteen 2. Celeste
Sally held the bowl in her hands. Celeste watched it, it was very old, she’d seen it in the library before but hadn’t realised the significance. The smell from it was potent and it was all she could do to not cover her nose against it. Part of wanted to stop Sally, but she also watched with pride as she took sips.The liquid did something to Sally. She felt like a big fluffy blanket in her mind. The more she drank, the longer it settled in her system, the less like herself she felt. Like she was becoming more and more blurry. Hunter didn’t move, but she could feel him become more and more unsettled. She held onto his hand tightly. They had to keep it together for their mate.With her last gulp she set the bowl beside her, her body swaying slightly. The fuzzy feeling only increased.“Sally Smith, you are mate of Celeste and Hunter North,” Nona’s voice was smooth, almost guiding Sally to respond.“Yes, I am,&r
The CEO's Wife's Mate Chapter Nineteen 3. Hunter
Hunter held Celeste tight as they watched the tree line. They had been offered a room in the Clan house, but there was no way either of them felt comfortable leaving this spot till Sally had returned.It felt strange to not feel her properly anymore, and it made both of them antsy. Hunter wanted to shift and pace back and forth while. But Celeste needed him and he stayed close. The blankets were a nice thing for Yuki to bring them out. As the night had continued they lay down on top of the pillows making a little bed out of it.It was a little sad to think they had even this much creature comforts while Sally was wandering around in the dark, but at this point Hunter was sure none of them were going to get any rest tonight."Do you want to talk about it?""About how Sally could be out there killing herself for nothing? How even though she's going to pass these tests, the Clan may not even accept me back? That I'm waste a night we could be moving our mate in
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The CEO's Wife's Mate Epilogue
Six Months Later"Mamma!"Sally was delighted when the other petite red head opened her door and squealed. It had been a long time since she'd been home and enveloped in the warm place that was her home. It was wonderful to see the woman hadn't changed even though Sally hadn't seen her in over a year."Josh," Her mother practically screamed back into the house, "Sally's home!"Hunter chuckled behind her, "I understand what Yuki meant now."Sally lifted an eyebrow at her mate over her shoulder, waiting for him to to expand on his thought. She didn't have to wait long."That you get more then your beauty from your mother," he grinned cheekily and Sally imagined the punishment he would get later. He shivered a little at her stray thought before stepping forward. "Hunter North, madame, those video calls never prepared me for your beauty." He kissed the back of her hand while winking at Sally.She shared a look with Celeste ove
The CEO's Wife's Mate Chapter Twenty Two 3. Hunter
Hunter held Celeste's hip steady in one hand while he lifted the zip on her dress with the other. She looked stunning, the pale cream dress hugged her curves and complemented her chocolate skin perfectly. and the way she smiled at him over her shoulder told him she could practically read his mind.She turned, placing her hands on his chest, smoothing them up to his silver tie, fixing the placing. Still grinning she patted him over his heart. "Keep it in your pants big boy, you can eat me later.""I will hold you to that, wife!"She chuckled, sashaying away to check her hair and makeup one last time. Celeste looked perfect, but he loved to watch her preen. Actually, he loved to watch her do basically anything."Luna says the Clan is already there, are you ready?"He laughed, cocking an elbow for her to slip her arm through. "For you my love? Always."***Hunter was happy to say he'd never seen the place look nicer. The Clan had d
The CEO's Wife's Mate Chapter Twenty Two 2. Celeste
Celeste watched, biting her lip as Sally slipped out of her clothes. Her tiny mate was sin personified and she didn't even seem to notice it. Before she had a chance to go any further, Celeste grabbed her by the braid, gently tugging her to a stand still. Celeste bulled out the hair tie, separating the curls quickly till they flowed down her shoulder blades."Better," she purred, "I like having something to hold onto when you go down on me."Sally grinned cheekily, "who says I'm going down on you this time?"Celeste just smiled before swatting her arse, sending her towards the shower with a squeal.The hot water had steamed up the bathroom fairly quickly. Even though the space was supposed to be the ensuite, Celeste had made sure when they brought the apartment that it was large enough to fit the two of them more then comfortably. She was grateful for the extra space now there were three of them. The shower cubical spanned a wall and had two l
The CEO's Wife's Mate Chapter Twenty Two 1. Sally
Sally could not deny in anyway how relieved she was that it was all over. That they had done what they had set out to do, and in one night no less. It was going to be a long time before she was use to Clan members just ‘popping in’ to her brain. Some just wanted to check in on her, while the young cubs who had no mate yet thought of it as a cool game to play. Aside from the Matriarch or your mate, this connection was very rare in shifter circles apparently. The fact she was linked to the whole Clan was going to be the talking point for some time to come.She sighed against Celeste, burrowing into her arms as they sat with the Clan. She wanted to go to bed, and soon, but she was also delighted to sit here among her new family as they revealed her addition to their Clan.Tyler sat on Celeste's other side and Sally opened her mouth to say something but was cut short upon noticing four deep scratches on his chest, just above his heart. Four marks th
The CEO's Wife's Mate Chapter Twenty One 3. Hunter
Hunter had pulled on a pair of boxes before he had laid down next to Sally. Her breathing was starting to even and she looked like she was finally starting to actually rest. He pressed his body against her back, just needing to hold her for a while, taking in the scent of fire in her hair. She was just so many things, and the trouble would be over now.Ensuring the Clan had two Matriarchs would work in everyone's favour. Luna liked to be here more then anywhere else, she would be able to appease the old fogies more then Celeste ever could and give the illusion of them having some sort of power. They would also keep each other honest, ensuring both of the sister's had the Clan's interests at heart.::Will you be long?:: he prodded Celeste gently ::You should be here when she wakes.::::I will try not to be,:: she sounded flustered and it made him smile. ::Everyone wants to talk to me, but I'll leave Luna to it soon.::At least most of the Clan was legitima
The CEO's Wife's Mate Chapter Twenty One 2. Celeste
Celeste barely had a moment to step forward as the bowl dropped from Sally's fingers and she went down like a sack of shit. Hunter was right with her as Sally's mind appeared to scream out before it was gone. Last night their Mate bond had felt fuzzy, now it felt like it was entirely gone. Holding her mate to her chest she bared her teeth at the women in front of her."What have you done?" she snarled before a mighty wind rushed out from the bush, snuffing out the torches as the last of the light of dusk leached out of the sky. The echos of a hyena wail filled the air and Celeste held Sally's body even closer to her own, trying to shield her from whatever was coming.Because out of the tree line walked five of the largest hyenas she had ever seen. Their coats seemed to be made out of starlight and they didn't appear to be entirely there. It took her far longer then it should have to realise these were the ancestors Sally had talked of non stop this morning. Still, she felt a little saf
The CEO's Wife's Mate Chapter Twenty One 1. Sally
Sally clung so tight to Celeste and Hunter’s hands she was sure she was cutting off the circulation. She couldn’t help it. She was beyond terrified. Everything about this frightened her.Nona had explained, in detail, that they couldn’t be sure what this would do to her. It was akin to becomeing the Matriarch, it would connect her to the Clan in a way no one else was. The books and stories were very vague on what occurred to the Mate, it appeared the last one had been completed before the Clan had transitioned to a written history. Which was swell. What did exist said she’d either fail or pass.Her mind swam with 'what ifs'. What if she died? What if she survived but still failed? What would that look like? Would she go crazy? Would she be locked inside her own mind and be a drooling mess?So far no one thought so, but that didn’t mean it couldn’t happen.Celeste squeezed her hand back, pressing her warm lips to S
The CEO's Wife's Mate Chapter Twenty 3. Hunter
Sally lay between them, spooned by Celeste and her head on Hunter's chest. He stroked a gentle hand up and down her arm as she talked in the dark room, both exhausted and wired all at once. Whenever she paused to breathe one of them would reminder her she should be resting.After the last time Hunter looked over her red head, catching Celeste's amused eye. They were both tired and relieved too, and tonight was likely to be just as exhausting and terrifying. He raised an eyebrow and Celeste nodded.Mid sentence Hunter tilted Sally's face from his chest, bearing down on her open lips. He took advantage of them being parted, running his tongue along the bottom lip before dipping into her mouth. Sally moaned in surprise, but slid her tongue along his, kissing back forcefully. He rolled, pulling her on top of him, settling so she was lying on his chest. Her small warm form molded to his as she tasted him and he could feel Celeste's golden eyes watching them. He
The CEO's Wife's Mate Chapter Twenty 2. Tyler
Tyler was beyond relieved when Sally came out of the bushland. His Mate’s best friend looked beyond exhausted, but she was all smiles and laughter. And she had passed the second of the tests. He looked over the crowd of the Clan, instantly finding Yuki’s dark head. Even without the claim, he had no trouble finding her.As he moved closer he could see that she sensed him too. When her silver eyes caught his they took his breath away. She looked relieved, her fear for her friend had been obvious when she’d arrived last night. Luna had been amused and had teased him on whether they’d be sharing a room or not. She was more like her sister then she knew. They hadn’t shared a room, he wasn’t sure if he’d be welcome.All that mattered to him right now was that Yuki was here, that she was at his home and among his family.“You see, she is safe, Celeste wouldn’t let her out there if she thought there would be tr
