by Jenny Frame
Kenrick sighed and squeezed her tighter. “Maybe not, but it doesn’t stop the guilt. This is where he died, but his ashes were spread in the forest, so he could always be with us.”
“That’s a perfect place for him. Do you have any photos of him?”
Kenrick pulled her phone from her jeans pocket and flicked through her photos. “Here I am with him. That’s me, Donell, Callum, and Rhuri when we were about seven or eight.”
Zaria smiled. “You were all so cute. Donell looks just like you, except you’re a bit bigger. Rhuri looks so different without her red hair.”
“Yeah, she got that done when she was about sixteen. Her ma wasn’t too pleased.”
“Thank you for showing me this, and I’m so sorry you lost your brother, but I know he’s in the Great Eternal Forest, watching and so proud of you,” Zaria said.
“I hope so.” Kenrick walked up to the stones, touched and then kissed the top stone. “Rest easy, Donell. You’re always in our thoughts.”
Chapter Eighteen
After leaving the cairn, Kenrick led them deep into the forest. Zaria used Kenrick’s phone to take pictures of the forest and interesting places they passed. They passed the Devil’s Cave again so she could get pictures.
“Marco is going to love these photos. I’ll email him tonight,” Zaria said. “How much further are we going?”
“Not long. I’m going to show you the pack’s most sacred spot. It’s where I’ll be made Alpha on Saturday.”
“Oh, okay.” Zaria felt nervous anytime mentioned Kenrick becoming Alpha. It reminded her how much she didn’t feel good enough to stand by her side as Mater.
“I also promised to tell you the story of our pack’s origins, and this place is a huge part of the story,” Kenrick said.
They walked into a clearing and found a large ancient-looking standing stone circle. The way the trees surrounded the circle made the sunlight channel like a beam into the circle. It was beautiful. She immediately took a picture for Marco. “This is your pack’s sacred place?” Zaria asked.
“Aye.” Kenrick took her hand and gently pulled her into the centre of the circle. “This is where all our rituals take place—mating ceremonies, funerals, crowning the new Alpha.”
“The stones look really heavy. How long have they been here?” Zaria asked.
“As long as our pack has. I think it’s time I told you our origin story.”
Zaria smiled. “Tell me.”
Kenrick sat cross-legged in the middle of the circle and beckoned Zaria to join her. She sat across from Kenrick. Kenrick took her hand and held it tenderly while she began her story. “Did you ever hear the myth that the Celtic peoples of Britain and Ireland were descended from the pharaohs of Egypt?”
Zaria’s eyes went wide with surprise. “Egypt? Are you kidding?”
Kenrick laughed. “Aye, people usually react like that. It’s a myth in human history, but the wolf packs know the truth of the story.”
“I can’t wait to hear,” Zaria said.
“Long ago, there was an Egyptian princess called Scota.”
“Scota? As in Scotland?”
Kenrick winked. “Aye, you got it.” She continued, “Princess Scota, unlike most women of her time and social standing, was a warrior. She fought in the pharaoh’s battles and was greatly admired and celebrated as a hero. When she was younger she had read in her father’s library about a powerful Goddess called the Great Mother who taught that male and female were equal and deserving of the same respect. Scota took that goddess as her own, and in return she was blessed with strength and skill in battle. As she grew older and led her father’s armies like a seasoned general, the pharaoh agreed to make the Great Mother a main God of the Egyptian pantheon.
“His priests and advisors were horrified at this new Goddess—not to mention, that Scota had a female lover—and a civil war erupted. The pharaoh was killed and Princess Scota was told to take her followers and leave Egypt. She had five ships and some of the Egyptian treasury. During their journey she had a vision where she spoke to the Great Mother. She promised that Scota and her people would never be hunted again, but they would become the hunters.
“The Great Mother gave them the ability to transform into powerful wolves at will and asked that Scota found communities in the north, based on the rules of the wolf pack, where individuals would no longer be judged by sex but by their natural abilities and were free to love as they wished, like Scota loved her mate Gia. Scota saw this as a chance to create a utopia, a new world away from human constructs. She wanted to head north but some of her followers wanted to head east, so two ships left them, and Scota headed north.”
Something clicked in Zaria’s mind. “Wait, do you think those wolves that left Scota were the ancestors of the Lupas and other Eastern packs? The Lupas say that we were descended from the Goddess herself, but not where we came from.”
“Could well be. That makes sense,” Kenrick said.
“So what happened after she headed North?” Zaria asked.
“Well, the Goddess asked her to found packs in every corner of the country where they first made landfall.”
“Here in Scotland?” Zaria asked.
Kenrick chuckled. “Well, we say she landed on the Scottish coast and founded the first pack in this stone circle, and then went to England, Wales, and Ireland. The Irish Filtiaran pack say she landed in Ireland then came here. It’s always a good-natured argument between us and our Irish cousins, but there’s one thing we do agree on.”
“What’s that?” Zaria asked.
“She died and was buried with her mate in Ireland. Princess Scota was revered by the human Celtic population too, and she and her army came to their aid many times when invaders attacked them. They have a sign that marks her grave, but no one but the Filtiaran pack know where her real burial place is. It’s said that when the packs need her the most, she will be reborn to lead them.”
“Wow,” Zaria said. “What an amazing story. Something to have pride in.”
“She and her followers built this stone circle with blocks of sacred stone they brought from the Great Mother’s temple in Egypt. I’ll be crowned Alpha on the Stone of Destiny. It was part of the alter in the temple.”
Zaria furrowed her eyebrows. “Wait, I think I’ve heard of the Stone of Destiny. Didn’t the humans crown their kings of Scotland on it?”
Kenrick laughed. “Yeah, and it was taken from the Scots, and the kings and queens of Britain were crowned on until it was given back to the Scots, not too long ago, but what they have is just a piece of stone. We have the real stone, always have.”
“You have such a strong tradition here. The Lupas don’t have anything like that,” Zaria said.
Kenrick kissed her hand. “You don’t need to be a Lupa, if you stay.” Zaria thought silently for a few seconds. Kenrick took her hesitation as a brush-off. She stood up quickly and said, “I’m sorry. I don’t mean to be pressuring you.”
Zaria joined her up on her feet. “You’re not, Ricky. I just have a lot to think about.”
“It’s the Alpha thing, isn’t it?” Kenrick said.
Zaria put her hand on Kenrick’s chest. “Just give me some more time to find my feet. I’ve been a lone wolf for a long time.”
Kenrick nodded. “I know.”
“Thank you for telling me your story. Princess Scota sounds like an amazing warrior woman.”
“She’s always been my inspiration. We better head back,” Kenrick said with a hint of hurt in her voice.
* * *
When they got home to Kenrick’s den, Kenrick headed off to a meeting of the elite wolves, ahead of her ceremony on Saturday. Zaria felt tired, so she took a nap. But she must have slept for a while because it was dark when she woke up.
She left the bedroom in search of Kenrick, dressed only in the shirt Kenrick gave her. It made her feel more content to be surrounded by Kenrick’s scent. She didn’t see Kenrick around, so she must still be with her elite wolve
s.
Kenrick had explained that in the run up to her ceremony on Saturday, she had to take part in many rituals—combat, spiritual, and purification—to prepare for her role.
It occurred to Zaria that the packs who maintained a bond to their rich cultural heritage, like the Wolfgangs and the Wulvers, were more stable and successful communities. If she was right about her ancestors being the ones who’d left Princess Scota to head out on their own, they’d made a huge mistake.
It was well past light-up time, so she went out to the balcony to see the lights and the stars. She stood leaning against the balcony and gazed out at the wonderful sight of all the lights that lit up the dens and trees between them. She looked up at the clear sky with the stars twinkling in the sky.
Zaria sighed. It was just impossibly peaceful and beautiful here. She knew she was beginning to fall in love with Wulver Forest, just as she was with Kenrick.
Marco would love to come and visit me here.
She stopped in her tracks. Was she starting to think of this place as her home? If she closed her eyes and blocked out her insecurities and worries, she could see herself making her home here as Kenrick’s mate, living the calm, quiet, loving life she’d never thought possible.
Marco could come and stay in the holidays and play with Milo and the other kids. It could be bliss. It could be, if she was brave enough to take it.
Zaria opened her eyes and took a huge breath, taking in the scent of the forest. It was different this time. This time she could scent fire, smoke, burning wood, and if she listened carefully, she could hear chanting and shouts. Maybe that was from Kenrick’s ritual.
A minute later she knew she was right when she heard Kenrick’s unmistakable howl cut through the dark night. It was a howl of victory, of dominance, of need, of sex.
Zaria gasped as her body reacted. Her nipples grew hard. Her sex throbbed with want for her wolf. Her teeth erupted, and she found herself howling in return. Fire and need spread across her skin and she just had to be touched. She unbuttoned the shirt to expose her breasts and lightly stroked her fingers over her nipples. Something had changed. Zaria’s wolf had enough waiting. She wanted her mate, and she howled in desperate need for Kenrick to return.
Zaria could feel Kenrick howl in response and run through the trees to come to her.
The need in her sex was so overwhelming that she had to touch herself. She slipped her hand into her panties and one finger dipped into her wetness to stroke her clit.
“I need you, Ricky,” she groaned.
A few minutes later she heard footsteps running up the walkway to the den and heard deep heavy breathing across the room. When Kenrick’s low growl made her skin erupt in goosebumps, she took her hand from her panties and turned around.
The sight she saw made her want to drop to the floor and give herself to Kenrick. Kenrick was dressed only in jeans, no shoes or T-shirt. Her skin glistened with a sheen of sweat, her eyes were deep yellow, and her teeth were elongated.
She had white and blue war paint smeared in patterns across her chest and face, and her dreadlocks were hanging loose. She looked wild and dangerous, a Celtic wolf warrior, exactly as she imagined Kenrick’s ancestor, Princess Scota.
“You called me,” Kenrick said in a deep wanting voice.
Zaria walked over to Kenrick’s bed and held out her hands. “I did.”
But instead of coming to her, Kenrick looked down to the floor and balled her hands tightly. “Not like this, not after combat when my hunger is so desperate.” Kenrick’s breathing was harsh and rapid.
“Why?” Zaria said.
Kenrick looked up quickly. “Because I love you, and I don’t want to ever look at you and hurt you like Ovid did.”
She really loves me. Ovid was why Kenrick had been holding back since they arrived in Scotland. She hurried over to Kenrick and cupped her cheek. “You could never look at me or treat me like Ovid. She wanted my body, my status in the pack, but you have done nothing but care for me. I’m a wolf, I won’t break.” Zaria stroked her fingers all across Kenrick’s painted chest. “You’re a warrior, Ricky. I want my warrior to touch me, to make me come.”
Kenrick squeezed her eyes shut tightly as if she was trying to restrain herself. Zaria used her instincts and pushed the finger she had touched herself with past Kenrick’s lips. Kenrick groaned and sucked her finger deep into her mouth. She felt Kenrick’s sharp canines graze her finger, and she longed to feel those teeth on her breasts and nipples.
“Please, Ricky. Don’t hold back,” Zaria groaned.
Kenrick still held herself taut, so Zaria scrapped her nails deeply over her chest.
Kenrick roared and grasped Zaria’s hand.
Gasping, Kenrick looked down at the drops of blood mixing with the blue paint on her chest. Zaria bobbed her head down and ran her tongue over the gashes and tasted Kenrick’s blood. The taste exploded on her tongue, and at that moment she knew no other wolf would ever fill her heart.
She could feel her features shifting, and her urge to mate, to bite was overwhelming. “Fuck me, Ricky. Make me yours.”
Kenrick’s restraint broke. All her good intentions about going slow couldn’t withstand Zaria’s call, especially after proving herself in the combat ritual. She wanted to fuck, to come, prove she was strong for her lover, and a worthy mate.
She lifted Zaria and carried her over to the bed. She put Zaria down on the bed and used her teeth to rip open her shirt. Zaria was looking up at her with yellow eyes, dazed and wanting.
Zaria lay naked in front of her. She opened her legs and laid her head to the side in submission. She was totally wet, seeing her Celtic wolf warrior standing over her. “Ricky, I’m yours.”
Kenrick growled and ripped her jeans off. She climbed on Zaria and rubbed her face over Zaria’s breasts. “Mine.”
“Yours.” Zaria surprised herself by wrapping her legs around Kenrick’s waist and pulling her into mating position.
No foreplay, no taking it slow, Zaria just wanted Kenrick now. Kenrick still hadn’t moved her hips. Even in her need, her lust, Kenrick was still making it Zaria’s choice.
Zaria pulled Kenrick’s lips down to hers. “Fuck me, wolf. Fill me up.”
Kenrick closed her eyes and moaned in pleasure at her mate’s words. She kissed Zaria hard and started to thrust softly at first. Zaria moaned into the kiss and dug her nails into Kenrick’s shoulders.
Kenrick took that as a challenge and held Zaria’s wrists above her head. Every thrust of her hips felt so right, like taking a step into the Great Eternal Forest. She felt Zaria tighten her legs, drawing Kenrick’s sex further in. “Zari. I love you. I need you so much.”
“Come over me, in me,” Zaria pleaded.
Kenrick’s thrust harder and faster. Her hips were unstoppable now. She could feel her essence building and about to spill over and into her lover’s sex.
Zaria’s moans were growing louder. “Ricky…”
She leaned over, inches from Zaria’s face, and gazed into her deep yellow eyes. “Turn over on your belly and look at the stars.”
Zaria looked confused at first but she turned over and Kenrick pulled her hips up. Zaria got on all fours and gasped. Now she knew what Kenrick meant—she wanted Zaria to come while looking out the wall of glass. You could see the stars, the fairy lights, and the expanse of darkness over Wulver Loch.
Kenrick pushed back into mating position and started to thrust, picking up her speed every few seconds. She had always dreamed of doing this, and now she was, with the love of her life.
“Great Mother. It’s too much, too beautiful, feels too good,” Zaria said. Then she turned back and looked right at Kenrick. “Make me come, warrior.”
Kenrick couldn’t hold out any longer. Her hips thrust uncontrollably. She wanted nothing more than to mate-bite Zaria right there, but she would never do it without being asked.
So as she felt Zaria tighten around her clit, she raised her head and roared as she came and exploded
into her mate in pure bliss.
Chapter Nineteen
Zaria’s eyes flickered open and she became aware of where she was. Kenrick was wrapped around her, loving her, protecting. She could hear the heavy pitter-patter of rain, the sound of birdsong, and the cold breeze coming from the open balcony doors.
What a way to wake up. It might not be hot here in Scotland, but Zaria thought this must be like the Great Eternal Forest in the afterlife. The rain made everything smell so fresh, so new, and that matched how Zaria felt this morning. She had been reborn after making love with Kenrick. The old frightened Zaria, always on the run, was replaced by a contented wolf, living and loving as she should have been her whole life.
She turned around in Kenrick’s arms and felt the satisfying pain of her scratches and bites and smiled when she saw the matching ones on Kenrick. Zaria chuckled when she saw the blue paint from Kenrick’s body all over the white sheets.
Kenrick didn’t open her eyes but said, “What do you find so funny, lassie?”
She kissed Kenrick on the nose. “Good morning. I was thinking maybe white bed covers aren’t a good idea.”
Kenrick stretched her long powerful body and then rolled on top of Zaria. “It was worth it. We’ll buy new ones.”
Zaria chuckled. “I think you’re right.”
“Aye, of course I am. I’m going to be the Alpha,” Kenrick joked and started to kiss her.
“There’s that arrogant Alpha I knew was inside of you,” Zaria said.
Kenrick stroked the hair away from her face. “To think that I was frightened of telling you I was going to be Alpha.”
“To think when I woke up in the Wolfgang hospital I was frightened of you because you were dominant.”
“You were never taught what an honourable dominant wolf should be like,” Kenrick said.
Zaria ran her fingers up and down Kenrick’s strong shoulders and arms. “Oh? What should one look like?”