by Dena Christy
Was there something else to their little talk? Something that had nothing to do with the ceremony. They were standing closer than he liked, and when she put her hand on Logan’s arm, the green eyed monster he’d been battling for months chose that moment to bite him. He curled his fingers at his side. Logan was his alpha, and his best friend, he trusted him with his life. There wasn’t anything going on between him and Grace. Logan was completely in love with Faith. But that wasn’t what caused his jealousy. It was the easy way she was with the other man that sent those feelings through him. Why couldn’t she put her hands on him in that same manner? Why couldn’t he and Grace talk to each other without erupting into an argument?
Logan pulled Grace to him for a hug and there was nothing in it except friendship and even then Mason didn’t like it. After the ceremony tonight, Grace was going to be his, even if it was only temporary. He didn’t like seeing any man put his hands on her, not even his alpha.
They drew apart, and Mason closed his eyes for a second as he counted to ten. What the hell was wrong with him? Normally he didn’t have such a short fuse, but ever since Grace had come home he’d been carrying around a ball of anger inside him. No matter how many runs he took, no matter how hard he battled the heavy bag at the gym, nothing seemed to get rid of it.
People were starting to move toward the center of the clearing, and a natural aisle formed between them. Logan moved to the head of the aisle, and he looked at Mason and inclined his head to where Grace waited for him at the edge of the crowd. It looked like this was happening and a calm settled over Mason. She wasn’t going to change her mind and for the next year she was going to be his.
He walked toward her and a breeze stirred her long blond hair where it fell in waves down her back. She watched him come toward her, her eyes were big and blue, and pride stirred in his chest at seeing how beautiful she looked. He tried to push it away, tried to tell himself that she wasn’t really his. This was only going to be for a year and it would be better if he kept a part of himself apart from her. He’d do his duty to his pack and that would be it. He was all too familiar with the pain that came from having her walk away.
They turned and walked down the aisle toward Logan without touching. This was part of the ceremony, so both packs could see that they were two separate beings. Mason stared straight ahead as he matched his pace to hers as they walked toward his cousin. The weight of what he was about to do hit him in that moment. This act was crucial to his pack’s survival and he needed to go into it with the intention of making it work.
They came to a halt in front of Logan, and a hush fell over the clearing as everyone watching waited for him to speak. This ceremony would not be legally binding in the eyes of anyone outside this little community, which was why it could be easily dissolved at the end of one year. But within the werewolf community, according to their ancient laws, it was as binding as a marriage ceremony. In the eyes of their packs and the werewolf council, Grace would be his mate.
“Grace and Mason, you stand before the East Brook and Cold Bay wolf packs as two separate individuals, just as East Brook and Cold Bay are two separate packs. Is it your intention to bind yourselves together before the packs gathered here?”
“It is.” Mason’s voice rang out in unison with Grace’s. For the first time since she’d come back home it seemed that they were in harmony. Mason suppressed the idle thought that it couldn’t last and focused on the moment at hand.
“Could you turn to face each other, join your hands and look into each other’s eyes.”
They did as he instructed, and Mason’s pulse picked up speed when Grace’s smaller hands intertwined with his. When she looked up at him, for a moment Mason thought he could see the woman she’d been before things had gone so horribly wrong between them. Her eyes, so deep and blue that they were almost violet, were so hauntingly familiar to him that it made his heart ache.
Logan brought forward a cord of braided fabric. It was gold and blue and represented the East Brook and Cold Bay packs. Two packs that would be joined just as he and Grace would be joined once the ceremony was complete. His alpha laid the braided cord across his and Grace’s joined hands.
“Grace, will you enter into this binding with your whole heart? Will you share in Mason’s joy, soothe him in his pain and seek to alleviate his burdens so that your souls may grow together in this union? Will you honor Mason as an equal in this union? Will you share your body and your thoughts with him for as long as this union lasts?”
Mason held his breath Grace’s lower lip trembled for a moment, and she blinked her eyes rapidly. After a second she seemed to get control of herself and her voice rang out clearly for all to hear.
“I will.”
“And so you are bound.” Logan looped the cord around their hands once so that it made a complete circle around them. “Mason, will you enter into this binding with your whole heart? Will you share in Grace’s joy, soothe her in her pain and seek to alleviate her burdens so that your souls may grow together in this union? Will you honor Grace as an equal in this union? Will you share your body and your thoughts with her for as long as this union lasts?”
“I will.” There was no hesitation, and his voice rang out strong and clear.
“And so you are bound.” Logan looped the cord around them a second time, bringing the ends together and tying them. “As this knot is formed, so is the union of the two of you. May your bond with each other be as strong as this cord. According to the laws of the wolf, you are now one soul. Any children produced by this union will be blessed with the blood of two alphas and will strengthen the bond between you and between your two packs. The cord around your hands is not what binds you together. It is the words you’ve spoken here this night, in front of your packs, that will hold you together in the days to come. May you grow together in love.”
Mason swallowed hard. When he’d agreed to do this, he hadn’t expected it to feel real. It was just supposed to be a formality he needed to go through to do his duty to his alpha and his pack. But in the moment, with the cord binding his hand to Grace’s, it felt real. It felt like she was his woman, like he was her man.
“You may now kiss each other to seal your pledge.”
Telling himself that this was all a part of the show, that it didn’t mean anything, Mason pulled Grace close to him so that the weight of her body rested against his. His intention was to give her a brief kiss, enough to satisfy the sealing of their promise to each other. As soon as his lips touched hers, his intentions went out the window. He had not kissed her for fifteen long years, and in the moment that his mouth connected with hers it felt like he was coming home.
His mouth moved softly on hers, and she sighed as she sank into him. The people watching were forgotten as the focus of his world narrowed to just her. He put his free hand around her back, and pulled her tighter against him. Her scent in his nostrils was so achingly familiar, the weight of her body one he’d felt so many times before, it was if the past fifteen years without her had not happened. This woman had haunted his dreams for fifteen long years, and finally she was in his arms again, and she was kissing him back. He savored every movement of her lips against his, and it was only when a chorus of howls went up that he realized where he was and what he was doing.
He pulled away from her, and he could see that she had been just as caught up in the moment as he was. A blush burned her cheeks, and he smiled down at her when he saw it. At least he knew that the desire he was feeling was not one sided. But then, desire for each other had never been their problem.
Logan reached out and took their two hands that were still bound together by the two cords. He held them aloft for everyone to see.
“Mason and Grace are now bound together. East Brook and Cold Bay are now bound together.” Logan’s voice was clear and strong as it rang out in the clearing. A cheer went up from those watching. The aisle between them dissolved away and for the first time since the packs had been joined under Logan the two
packs moved freely amongst one another.
6
One good thing about the kiss Mason had given her during their binding ceremony was that it made her forget Titus Parr. Kissing him had sent her back in time, back when the only thing she had to worry about was when she and Mason were going to be together. The howls of the crowd had jolted her back to reality and when she’d pulled away from him she’d known it had been the same for him.
They were now at Sawyer’s Place celebrating their union. This party was certainly a lot different from the one held here last week. Something had happened amongst the members of her pack and Mason's. It was as if some mysterious dividing wall had been removed and they were now free to mingle amongst themselves. If nothing else, at least her union with Mason had accomplished bringing the two packs together.
She jumped for a second when a large hand came to rest on the small of her back and Mason stepped up beside her.
“We’re supposed to be putting on a happily joined front, so try not to flinch every time I touch you.” He spoked to her in a quiet undertone as he smiled down at her. She knew the smile was for the benefit of those watching, and so she pushed her lips into a smile in return despite her aching cheeks. She’d done more smiling tonight than she had in a while and her energy was starting to flag.
“How much longer do you think we’ll be expected to be here?” Her feet ached in her high heel shoes, and the ceremony had drained her emotionally. She just wanted to get out of here, and away from the eyes of everyone so she could relax and be herself.
Of course leaving early would mean the time for reckoning would be upon them. She and Mason hadn’t discussed sleeping arrangements, but she was under no illusions that this union would be in name only. The whole purpose of it was to produce a child, which would never happen if they didn’t sleep together. But she wondered if she was going to be ready for it to happen as soon as they got to Mason’s house. Surely they could have some time to become familiar with each other again.
“I think we can go any time we like. I’m sure no one expects us to be the last ones to leave.”
“Then I’d like to go now. These shoes are killing me and if I have to smile any more I think my face is going to crack.” She stepped away from him and his hand fell away. She pushed away the chill that came to replace the warmth his hand on her back had pushed through her. She was tired and that was why she was feeling so out of sorts. Him touching her should feel no different to her than anyone else touching her.
“Do you want to follow me in your car or are we going to leave it here?”
He walked beside her out the door of the bar, and although he was not touching her in any way, she was aware of his large body looming beside her. Had he been this big and powerful when they’d been together fifteen years ago? It was such a long time ago that it was hard to remember, but there was no doubt that if Mason hadn’t been in his prime when she’d been with him before, he was now.
“It will be too much of a pain to have to collect it tomorrow, so I’ll just follow you.” She didn’t add that if she followed him in her car she would get a reprieve from his company.
Despite spending the evening at each other’s side, pretending to be a happy couple about to embark on their life together, she knew it was a performance put on for the sake of the packs. It still felt like they were adversaries circling each other, and it would take more than a ceremony where they’d made promises to each other to bring them back to where they’d been before. A part of her doubted that they would ever have that back, and if she was going to be with him tonight she needed time alone to mentally prepare herself for it.
She got behind the wheel and waited for Mason to get into his truck. As she watched him move, with her eyes gliding over his broad back, it struck her that he was her mate. If their past hadn’t been such a tangled mess between them she would have rejoiced in joining with him. If this had happened fifteen years ago, where would they be now? Would they still be in love, or would they have drifted apart? She’d been so young when she’d first met him, and because of that everything seemed more intense. He was the first man she’d ever fallen for. He was her first love, had given her her first kiss and had been her first lover. Would what they had between them have stood the test of time if she hadn’t been forced to leave? There was no point in thinking about it since what had happened couldn’t be changed.
He pulled away from the bar and she followed behind him. The farther away she got from the bar, the more nervous she got. She and Mason would be alone at his house, with no one to interrupt them. Was she ready for that? Was she ready for the possibility that they were going to have sex when they got back to his house?
It was all fine and good to agree to binding with him when it was only a notion that hadn’t become a reality. But now it was reality, he was her mate and she was expected to at least try to have a child with him.
She told herself that she was over analyzing this, that she was making it more complicated than it needed to be. It wasn’t like she didn’t know what to expect, she’d had sex with him many times before in the past, but that had been different. She’d been certain of her love for him and his for her. They didn’t have the anger and resentment between them that they did now.
He pulled off the road, and she followed him as his truck went down a long driveway. She reminded herself that the only way she was going to get through this year was to take one moment at a time. She couldn’t analyze every possible outcome to every situation, otherwise she’d drive herself nuts. She’d go into his home with an open mind and let whatever was going to happen to happen.
She pulled the car to a stop and got out. He came over to join her and as she opened the trunk, he pulled her bags out and held them at his side.
“This is all you brought? Are you not planning to stay long?” Although he smiled when he looked at her, it and the joking tone of his voice felt forced. There was a question in his eyes, and she suspected that he was expecting her to bail on this at any moment. She could hardly blame him, since she’d run out of the area once before with little warning to him.
“I only brought what I could comfortably fit in two suitcases. I don’t have a lot of stuff anyway, since I got rid of most of my things when I moved back here. I figured I could bring anything else out at a later time since I’m still going through my mother’s house.”
She slammed the trunk shut and her answer seemed to satisfy him. A breeze stirred her hair and brushed against her skin. It was so quiet out here, and as she glanced around at the woods surrounding Mason’s log home, she got the strangest feeling like there were eyes upon her. The hair at the back of her neck stood on end and she shivered.
“Are you cold?”
She should have known that he would be watching her, and had seen the chill come over her body. She pushed the notion that there was someone out there aside. Logan’s telling her that Titus was out of jail had her all stirred up, that’s all it was.
“No, just someone walking over my grave.” She gave a dismissive laugh as she put the keys to the car in her purse and turned away. She stepped aside so he could go ahead of her and they walked up to the house. The closer she got the more nervous she became.
The silence stretched between them and she glanced over at him. Could he be feeling something of the uncertainty that was going on inside her? He stared straight ahead as he put her bags down and unlocked the front door of the house. It was so hard to tell what he was thinking when he wouldn’t look at her, and Mason had never struck her as uncertain in the entire time she’d known him. She was probably trying to project her own insecurities onto him.
He pushed the door open and swept his arm out to indicate that she should go inside. She walked in the front door and drew to a halt once she was inside. The interior of the house seemed so much bigger than it had from the outside, and her heels clicked on the hard wood floors as she looked around. The front door led directly into the open floor plan of the main living area. There
was a huge stone fireplace that was the focal point and it had seating arranged around it. She could see an informal dining room and kitchen from where she stood. The rustic wooden stairs drew her eyes up to the open walk way that looked over onto the living room and she could see several closed doors along the wall.
“You have a beautiful home.” And she meant it. The rustic wood and rough hewn stone fitted with the man she knew him to be perfectly. Even the surrounding scenery, with the thick surrounding trees that offered privacy and the opportunity to run at a moments notice were perfect for him.
“Thanks. I hope you’ll be comfortable here for the coming year.” He set her bags down and crossed his arms over his chest. She walked a little further into the house, and the silence between them grew thicker. She looked over at him, and there was a frown on his face.
“What is it?” There was a question on his face but it looked like he was hesitant to ask it.
“What were you talking to Logan about? Before the ceremony.”
She’d talked to Logan hours ago and he was asking about this now? Surely he didn’t think something was going on between her and Logan?
“He was asking me one last time if I was sure that I wanted to go through with the binding ceremony. You can’t think that there is anything going on between Logan and I?”
“No, I don’t. I know Logan is in love with Faith. Was that all you talked about?” He took a step closer and took her hand, looking down at her so that he could see into her eyes.
She yanked her hand away and glared up at him. She’d talked to Logan about more than just the binding ceremony, but she wasn’t going to tell him that. What she focused in on was the fact that he knew nothing was going on between her and his cousin was because he knew Logan to be in love with Faith. There was nothing said about knowing that she wouldn’t do anything like that.