Wolf Roulette: Supernatural Battle
Page 35
“She is more than worthy,” he said simply.
Tears sparked in my eyes.
Alexei tilted his head to me. “Andie, Head Steward of the Ni Tiaki, Mayor of Deception Valley, and top female of the pack, do you find this male wolf worthy to be your mate through life? To trust and cherish and protect?”
My throat closed. I nodded, taking both of Sascha’s hands. “There’s no one worthier.”
Greyson was back. “Mate.”
Booker slid into the front seat again. “Mine.”
Since the mating call began, a tension had resided in me—in us. I’d gotten so used to the subtle angst. But now it drained away. The deepest parts of my mind and heart relaxed.
Sascha tilted my chin up. “Too late to leave now.”
I threw myself at him and fixed my lips to his. The cheers of the crowd melted away, and heat swept through my body as our bond urged us closer and higher. Sascha groaned into my mouth as I swept my tongue alongside his.
He inched up the hem of my dress as I started on his shirt buttons.
“Son. Daughter. Perhaps another time?”
We both blinked at Evelyn.
Sascha let go of my dress “Of course, Mother.”
I released his shirt. Oops.
He took my hand, and we walked back down the aisle together.
At the back, I spotted Basilia and Kyros standing with the other vampire royals. A few more Vissimo who I hadn’t seen before had joined. My eyes dragged over their row until I found the king and queen.
King Julius waved at me, practically beaming.
… Uh, okay?
Basilia glared down the row at him.
Sascha lifted me into the tray of his blue pickup. Leroy winked back at me from the driver’s seat. Tonight, everyone would party on pack lands. I couldn’t wait for the tribe to see the wolf territory—most of them for the first time.
My mate sat on the hay bales in the tray and cradled me on his lap.
Leroy led the convoy back along Lake Thana.
I peered ahead at the bridge connecting the north and south sides of the valley. Members of the public lined it.
They tossed flower petals over us.
I laughed. “Did you plan this?”
“I believe the council put out the word. Most think we got married because you probably got pregnant at the Deception Valley Ball.”
Oh my god. I suppose we’d only known each other half a year. Hilarious.
Leroy drove us under the red oaks lining the south side of the valley.
I looped my arms around Sascha’s neck and rested my forehead against his. I love you, mate.
Happiness filled him. Thank you for fighting for us.
Didn’t seem fair to leave you with all the work.
The fields on pack lands were harvested last week, and the marquee from last night had been set up here. Tables and seats dotted the tent space. The sun was high and bright, and the pack had scattered benches and cushions around.
“You’ve never seen Luthers celebrate.” Sascha lifted me off the tray.
“Should I be worried?”
“Mildly.”
Cars piled in, and deltas directed them to parking spots.
We walked into the marquee, and King Julius and Queen Titania joined us soon after with Kyros and Basilia.
Pack leaders came and went, congratulating me and Sascha on our mating. Most seemed bemused by the presence of so many humans and more baffled by the attendance of Vissimo. This situation must be unique in the supernatural world.
Pascal approached, and I hugged her.
“You look stunning.” She squeezed me tight.
“Thank you. How are the tribe doing?”
“Well. Fifty stewards are delegated to monitoring the tribe in case some partake of too much alcohol and do something idiotic. Most stewards are curious to see pack territory.”
Curiosity was good.
Alexei approached with Evelyn.
He slid a look at his son before staring at King Julius.
The vampire king didn’t react.
“The pack received your formal apology,” Alexei said stiffly.
“I’m glad,” the king replied.
“I led this pack when we lost thousands to your clan, but as much blame rests with me as it does with you. In the interest of not wasting thousands of more lives, I’ll put the past where it belongs.” He shot a look at me. “A cunning wolf dragged a promise out of me that I never expected I’d need to uphold.”
He’d agreed to start afresh if I managed to pull this stunt off.
If he wanted to use me as an excuse, then that was fine by me, but that wasn’t why Alexei was burying the past.
“She is a cunning wolf,” King Julius replied. “The most enterprising and intelligent woman I’ve met of her age.”
Basilia narrowed her eyes. Kyros seemed to be struggling not to laugh.
“Shall we get the formalities over with so the celebration can begin?” I gestured to the table behind us.
Two members from each party were required to sign.
I grabbed Basilia as she moved to take the seat beside King Julius. “Am I missing something?”
She huffed. “Julius’s amusing himself at my expense. Let’s just say he wasn’t so accepting of me.”
A glance at the king confirmed he was certainly enjoying her irritation.
“How about you help out with mine then? We can just swap.” I jerked my head at where Alexei sat next to my mate.
King Julius lost his smirk.
It relocated on Basilia’s lips. “Deal.”
I took my place between Sascha and Pascal at the table.
The alliance contract was fucking huge, but I didn’t mind that so much. Misunderstanding posed the greatest risk to a venture like this—something the vampires probably understood.
The Vissimo signed first.
Luthers signed second—Alexei clenching his jaw as he did so.
Pascal and I exchanged a smile.
I signed above the Head Steward title and slid it onward to the older woman. I listened to her swallow and smelled her grief intensify.
“So others don’t need to hide,” I said softly to her.
Tears were in her eyes. “This would have made Daniil so happy.”
She signed.
Gesturing to Wade for the microphone, I accepted Sascha’s hand to rise.
“Stewards of the Ni Tiaki. Luthers of the Deception Valley pack. Vissimo of Clan Sundulus. Our alliance is sealed and complete. May we always prosper together in peace and against those who seek to disrupt the harmony and safety of our lives.” I waited for the quiet applause to subside.
Like me, I was sure the thoughts of many had already turned to our next task. I hoped our efforts would always remain a prevention and nothing more. We’d faced enough adversity—the pack especially—to last another few lifetimes.
“Welcome to our guests from around the world. It is my and Sascha’s honour to welcome you to this valley and our pack territory. We look forward to knowing you better in time.”
I glanced to where most of the tribe had convened—the women had mingled together far more than the men, no doubt because of Wade’s hen party last night.
“Before we commence celebrations, there’s one last thing I’d like to announce.”
Sascha squeezed my calf.
Calm floated through me. “While I will always remain with the Ni Tiaki in spirit and as an active contributor to our community, my time as head steward has drawn to a close.”
An alarmed outcry rose from my tribe.
“As you know, I found myself the heir of this mantle unexpectedly, but ruling is never something I aspired to. I hope to remain on with the tribe in whatever capacity the next head steward agrees to.” I paused. “As to who our next head steward will be, I believe that decision should belong to the tribe as a whole. Nominations for the role open tonight and will close in a week, after which a vote will be held. To be cle
ar, you can nominate any steward for the job. I will remain on for one month to ensure the smooth transfer of all tasks to our new leader.”
The tribe was shocked, but their immediate alarm had subsided somewhat with my assurances I’d still be around.
I belonged with the Ni Tiaki. They had a claim on my heart and always would.
But my soul belonged with my mate.
The rest of my heart was split between the pack and this land.
Though it was traditionally a head steward mantel, I would remain mayor of Deception Valley to ensure public power was better balanced between the pack and tribe—alongside officially becoming top female in the pack and working with the next head steward to set a tone for the future of our peoples.
I smiled. “I’d like to take this moment to nominate Pascal Anders for the role of head steward.”
I inhaled the stewards’ reactions.
Approval.
Good.
Pascal was an ideal choice for many reasons, and a discussion with Rhona had confirmed her adverse to leading again.
“That’s all,” I said, winking. “Now, go have some fun.”
Pascal gaped at me when I sat again.
I glanced at her. “I hope you were serious when you said you wanted something to focus on.”
“I was, but—”
“You should have been head steward a long time ago, in my opinion,” I said quietly. If not for the tradition of passing leadership down through the Thana family, she would have been.
Sascha grabbed me as the band started playing.
We hit the dance floor and mingled with others until the light began to fade.
“Hey.” I jerked my head. “Who’s that with Wade?”
Sascha looked over my head. “A Vissimo called Gina. We spoke briefly.”
She and Wade were hitting it off. Big time. Both of their hands were drifting. Yikes.
I noticed we were dancing closer to the edges of the marquee.
“Are we going somewhere?” I grinned.
“Yes.”
Ducking beneath a lantern, Sascha tugged me after him. We ran through the field. He stopped and swung me into his arms.
“I had this idea when I first saw you today,” he said casually.
“Oh yeah?”
“Yeah. It involved you in a bed of hay. Naked except for that sunflower crown and those sexy chains on your feet.”
I pursed my lips. “Sounds itchy.”
“Good point.” He removed his shirt.
“Now you’re talking.”
He had a destination in mind, and soon we came across stacks of hay. Sascha spread his shirt out and extended a hand up to me. “Mate?”
I accepted his help to kneel on the shirt in front of him.
Our lips touched and breathing became the second priority.
Drawing away, he slipped a paper from his back pocket. “I have something to show you. It arrived this morning. This is just a photocopy. I didn’t want to crease the actual document.”
I studied his peculiar expression, taking the paper.
CERTIFICATE OF GRADUATION
This certifies that
ANDIE CHARISE BOOKER
has fulfilled course requirements in study of a bachelor’s degree in
BUSINESS AND COMMUNICATIONS
It was signed and dated by the registrar and chancellor of the college.
I stared at it.
“You passed with a merit overall,” Sascha added. “Your transcript is waiting with the certificate.”
“I expected to barely pass,” I croaked. Half of me had expected to fail. “Guess my grades over the first three years saved me.”
“Congratulations. You did it.” He kissed my nose.
My throat tightened.
I did. This was something all of my own—something I’d earned despite the hard times and uncertainty.
I beamed at the piece of paper.
“Dad’s framing your real certificate as a mating gift.”
“He is?” Wow, that was thoughtful.
Sascha hummed and captured my lips in another tender kiss.
He slid the sleeves of the white dress off my shoulders. The dress pooled at my waist, and he sucked in a harsh breath.
“How long is immortality again?” he whispered.
“Forever,” I replied.
“Thank fuck.”
I placed a hand in the centre of Sascha’s chest and listened to the synchronised beating of our hearts. “You have me out here all alone at this haystack. Did you have any other ideas when you saw me today?”
Honey eyes full of promise bore into mine.
This would be my life every single day.
My mate guided me flat and smirked at me over the top of my bunched dress. “Just a few, beautiful wolf. Should I start at the top of the list?”
Yes, please.
The End.
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Shifter Wars
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Wolf Roulette
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with Shannon Mayer
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The Darkest Drae (Dragon shifter romance)
with Raye Wagner
Blood Oath
Shadow Wings
Black Crown
The Tainted Accords (Royal fantasy romance):
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Fantasy of Flight
Fantasy of Fire
Fantasy of Freedom
The Tri-World Exchange
(The Tainted Accords Novellas):
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Pirates of Felicity (Pirate fantasy romance):
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