by R. E. Butler
“Thanks, Jupiter,” she said, looking at the card. “I met your mate in the market. She’s very sweet.”
The big lion grinned. “I think so, too. Congrats to you both, by the way. And welcome to the zoo.”
* * *
The day of the full moon came rapidly, and before he knew it, he was saying goodbye to his soulmate as his mother, Anke, and several other females took her to his parents’ den.
“It’s only an hour,” his father said as he, Evan, and Joss walked into his den.
“I know, I know.” Auden watched until his mate was out of sight. Although his wolf was happy that they were going to be mated officially in the eyes of the pack, he was also pretty ticked at the hour they were going to be separated.
“You should be thankful it’s only an hour,” Joss said. “When I was mated, the couple had to be apart for twelve hours. It was considered good luck if the male could control himself enough during that time not to shift and try to get to his mate.”
Joss had lost his mate years earlier, and he’d chosen not to mate another. Auden couldn’t imagine how empty it must feel to have lost his mate. He couldn’t fathom his life without Jess, and they’d only been together a few days. She was firmly entrenched in his heart, and he was thankful for every morning he got to wake up with her in his arms.
Joss cleared his throat, and Auden shut the door and turned to face them. His father held out a pair of black trousers. “Go get changed. Then we’ll head up to the paddock.”
Auden took the clothes and went into the bedroom to change. He would only be wearing pants because he and Jess would be anointing each other with sacred oil as part of the ceremony, and then Joss would use ash to draw symbols on their skin. The short ceremony would culminate in him and Jess symbolically marking each other and the pack welcoming them.
Jess was already his mate. Nothing about the ceremony changed that, but it would cement their relationship in the eyes of the pack. Their howls of acceptance would be a promise to help the new couple in any and every way.
After dressing, he joined the males in the family room and they headed topside, using the hidden stairs to come out into the maintenance shed.
The zoo would be closing soon, but none of the wolves were doing security tonight because of the ceremony; the lions and other shifters were handling closing down the park to give the wolves an opportunity to celebrate. The last tour had been over for nearly an hour, and the lions had already blocked access to the tour area in preparation for the evening’s events.
Joss propped open the shed door and the four of them gathered armloads of wood, carrying them into the paddock toward the bonfire area that had been set up earlier that day. A hole had been dug for the wood and surrounded with large stones. Auden stacked all of the wood in the hole and filled in the gaps with kindling.
Eugene handed him a long-handled lighter and he lit the kindling, watching the flames flare to life as they devoured the kindling and moved on to the wood. He gave the lighter back to his father and used an iron poker to ensure the wood was getting covered with flames. The fire needed to last through the ceremony and be as full and bright at the start as it was at the finish. A big bonfire foretold a passionate mating.
He already knew about the passion his soulmate could unleash.
She was the most incredible female he’d ever known.
He added a few more logs to the fire, tossing in all the kindling for good measure, then stood before the bonfire between Joss and his father, and waited for his mate.
* * *
Jess had loved spending the last hour with the females. Although she missed Auden terribly, she enjoyed getting to know his mom and the other females. After saying goodbye to him, she’d gone to Delilah’s home, where she was told to take a quick shower using a honey body wash specially made for the mating ceremonies, foretelling a sweet mating.
She was given a formfitting black strapless dress to wear in a soft, stretchy fabric. Because she’d be shifting with the pack after the ceremony, it wasn’t necessary to wear anything under the dress. She looked forward to Auden realizing she was naked under the material. After putting on black sandals, she joined the females in the family room.
Anke, who had been so kind to Jess in the market, explained the ceremony, from the sacred oil to the ash and the symbolic biting.
“Everyone can see my marks, though. Why do we need to bite each other?” she asked as the group headed to the surface through the secret stairs to the shed. Her mate and the males were already in the paddock, so she wouldn’t get to see him until she met him in front of the bonfire.
“In the old days,” Delilah said, “when a couple decided to mate, they wouldn’t mark each other until the ceremony, and would instead do it in front of the pack. By the time Eugene and I mated, it was a choice that couples could make themselves – either mark in private or public. Because you and Auden chose private marking, the pack will still want to witness the marking, even if it is symbolic and he won’t actually break the skin.”
Tabitha, a sweet older female, held open the door of the shed for them. “My mate and I met the day after the full moon. We wanted to wait until the next one to mark each other, but the first time we were together, neither of us could help ourselves and we marked our necks anyway. Whatever’s right for the couple is okay with the pack. We just like to celebrate everything.”
“That’s what Auden said,” Jess replied with a laugh. As they reached the ceremony area and her eyes adjusted to the bright moon, she saw the bonfire. “Wow, that’s a big fire.”
“The bigger the fire, the more passionate the mating,” Delilah said. “I’m guessing Auden burned every scrap of wood he could find.”
The females laughed and Jess grinned. It was just like her mate to do that.
The pack watched as Jess walked toward her mate, who was flanked by Joss and his father. The females hugged her and wished her well, leaving her to walk the last few feet to her mate. Auden looked amazing in dark pants and nothing else, his body highlighted by the dancing flames.
Joss lifted his hand and the pack quieted.
“Auden has come tonight to officially mate his soulmate in the eyes of the pack. Auden, name the other half of your heart.”
His voice was rough and growly when he spoke. “Jess.”
“You may join your soulmate.”
She closed the distance between them, and she and Auden linked hands and faced each other. Her skin had been chilled in the evening air, but standing so close to the fire warmed her up quickly.
“When a wolf finds his soulmate, it’s with joy that the pack comes together to celebrate, not only in the finding of the mate but also in the hope that others will soon follow in their footsteps. As alpha, I approve of this mating and give my blessing. Auden and Jess, mark each other with our sacred oil.”
Eugene handed Auden a glass container. He released his hold on her hands and opened the container, pouring the contents on their fingers.
Auden drew a short, straight line over her heart, dipping his finger under the fitted top of her dress.
“I claim this heart as my own.”
As the females had told her to do, she mimicked his words and actions, drawing a line over his heart.
He drew two fingers across her right bicep, promising her his strength, and at her temple, giving her his wolf. With each stroke of their fingers on each other, her body heated further, not from the bonfire but from the passion that stoked within her.
Auden gave the container back to his father, and then Joss picked up a leather pouch and dumped a handful of ash into his palm. With his free hand, he drew gray marks across their biceps and wrists, then tossed the rest of the ash into the fire.
“You’re marked with the ash from the bonfire you created,” Joss said. “Do you swear to protect your soulmate with every fiber of your being? To be her everything?”
“I swear.” Auden’s voice was thick with emotion.
Joss looked at h
er. “Do you swear to love your soulmate with every fiber of your being and to be his everything?”
“I swear.”
“Mark your mate.”
Auden turned her to face the pack and swept her hair off her shoulders, baring the unmarked side of her neck. He wrapped his arms around her, sliding one hand up to her throat and resting his thumb lightly against her pulse.
“You’re mine, Jess, and I’m yours,” he whispered against her throat. Her body roared with passion, her owl hooting in happiness. “I give you all of me for all of my days.”
She clutched his arms and closed her eyes as his teeth closed on her flesh, the bite hard but not breaking the skin. Goose bumps erupted over her flesh and her thighs grew slick with arousal as he growled, his chest vibrating with the sound.
He lifted from her throat and howled. She didn’t speak wolf, but she knew he was telling everyone that they were mates. It was hard to miss the possessive undertones of the howl.
“If there are any who know why these two shouldn’t be welcomed into the pack, speak now or remain silent for eternity,” Joss said.
The silence in the paddock was amazing; not even bugs or birds were making noise. Jess’s heart thundered in happiness as Joss welcomed her to the pack and made their mating official. The pack lifted their heads as one and howled their happiness, the sound reverberating through the night.
“Let’s eat and shift!” Joss said.
The pack cheered, the members coming up to them to shake their hands and congratulate them. When the pack was busy with the food, Auden pulled her away quietly, heading into the darkness toward a stand of trees.
“Where are we going?” she whispered.
“Privacy. I need to taste you like right now.”
“Oh?”
“I don’t think you’d want me to mount you in front of the pack, angel, so we’re going to the trees. You’ll still have to be quiet, though, since wolves hear very well.”
“I think I can manage,” she said with a chuckle.
They moved quickly into the stand of trees, far enough away from the bonfire that, although she could faintly hear voices, they were muffled by the distance.
He pulled her close and kissed her hard, his fingers tangling in her hair and tilting her head to deepen the kiss. Every stroke in her mouth was like a fire that licked down her skin, her stomach tightening and her toes curling.
“Mine,” he whispered against her lips.
“Yes,” she hissed.
He turned her and pushed her gently against a smooth-barked tree, her cheek resting against its cool surface. He dropped to his knees behind her and pushed her skirt over her hips. She spread her legs farther apart and he growled in approval.
“I can smell how wet you are, angel,” he said. “You smell amazing when you’re turned on.”
She smiled, biting her lower lip as he skirted his fingers up the inside of her thighs, under her cheeks, and down to her knees. He made the same path again, her skin tingling with the contact. Then he pulled on her hips and she took a step back, leaning more heavily on the tree. He moved between her thighs and settled with his back against the tree. He placed his hands on her ass, pulling her against his mouth. He licked and sucked her clit, his tongue moving so rapidly as he growled that she was pretty sure he’d become a living vibrator. Her nails dug into the tree, and she clenched her teeth together as her body flew toward the height of passion. He brought a hand to her pussy and sank two fingers inside, plunging them in and out of her.
Then he slid his soaked fingers to her anus, gently circling it. She’d never let anyone touch her there, but the idea of Auden being the only one was exciting. She opened her eyes and stared toward the bonfire, the thrill of being in public heightening her pleasure. Relaxing with a sigh, she let go of the tree with one hand and sank her fingers into his hair. He pushed the tip of his finger into her, pulled it out and circled the hole again, then repeated it – in, out, circle, in, out, circle, until his finger was fully buried in her each time, her body yielding to him in ways she’d never expected.
He growled loudly against her clit as he pushed his finger deeply into her, and she gritted her teeth against the pleasurable cry on her lips, stifling it as her body shook and her skin tingled. He moved from between her legs, keeping his finger in her ass and twisting it as he rose behind her, lifting one of her legs with his free hand. He spread her apart and plunged his cock into her soaked pussy, his finger deep within her tightest place and her body alight with pleasure. He fucked her hard and fast against the tree, jerking the top of her dress down and playing with her nipples, managing to keep his finger inside her as he pounded her, never losing his rhythm. She felt him thicken within her and he bit her shoulder, the sound of his pleasure barely stifled by her skin.
He wiggled his finger in her and kissed the mark he’d made on her shoulder. “I want you to come again.”
Her heart was beating fast, her chest heaving as she panted for breath. Her skin was slick with sweat, and the combined scent of their pleasure was heavy on the air. She wanted to come again, too. And again and again. To feel him within her until neither of them had anything left in their bodies to give.
“Touch yourself, angel,” he growled. She shivered at the tone, all feral male and possessiveness, and slipped her hand down.
She rubbed her clit, reaching down to her pussy and cradling his cock that was still lodged within her. She gasped as he began to finger her ass, and she rubbed her now slick fingers against her clit. Circling the tight bud, she pushed back against him with a groan as her pussy clenched his cock and it quickly hardened.
“Fuck,” he growled, flexing his hips. “Fucking sweet angel. Mine, all mine.”
She loved the tone of his voice, and the way it felt to be with him. Her body careened toward pleasure, and just before she shouted his name, he pressed his hand to her mouth to cover the sound, pulled his finger from her ass, and fucked her hard and fast. She relaxed in his hold, giving herself over to him. He bit and licked down her throat, then cupped her breasts with both hands, thrusting into her until he came, a muffled snarl in his throat.
He turned her around abruptly and lifted her, caging her against the tree with her legs over his elbows. He kissed her sweetly at first, then more aggressively, until their bodies were primed again and he took her a third time. When she couldn’t come anymore, when he’d wrung every ounce of pleasure from her, they shifted and played in the dark with the pack, her soaring high above them, swooping low and often landing on his back for brief moments of rest. When they’d played their fill, they returned to the trees and dressed, then joined the pack for the feast that had been laid out for them. By the time Auden carried her into their den, she was nearly asleep, her heart full, her body sated, and her owl the happiest it had ever been.
She couldn’t wait to see what the future would bring.
Chapter 9
Jess and Auden stood at the back of the meeting room underground, where the alphas met. She’d spent the last few days intently working on a presentation for the bird sanctuary, and she very much wanted it to be successful, not only so she could see her dreams come true but so she could help birds in need. Auden had been amazing, helping her estimate costs and potential income. Although she wasn’t a vet, she had experience from college, and Cael, the zoo’s vet who was also an elephant shifter, was looking forward to helping in any way he could.
She was overwhelmed by the support of the shifters, from the wolves in the accounting department who worked on the financial needs to the lions who were going to help build the structure. And then there was Auden, who never left her side, a comforting support in every possible way. Delilah said that because she was an owl, Jess might not feel the same acute need to be near her soulmate as he did, but after nearly a week together, she could honestly say her owl craved Auden with every feather on its wings.
Auden nudged Jess and she blinked at him. “You’re up, angel,” he whispered.
&nbs
p; Blushing as she realized she’d zoned out during an important meeting, she cleared her throat and smiled, walking to the front of the long table where the alphas sat. Auden started the presentation, and she followed the script she’d written with the talking points that Joss had encouraged her to mention. When the presentation was over, she sat at the table and answered questions from the alphas.
Caesar, the lion alpha, folded his hands on the table. “Thanks for the thorough presentation, Jess. If you and Auden would step outside, we’re going to vote.”
“Thanks for your time,” she said, gathering her things and walking into the hall with Auden.
He immediately hugged her close. “You did great, angel.”
“Do you think they’ll vote yes?”
“Absolutely.”
“I like how confident you are.”
“Well, I happen to think you’re amazing, and the sanctuary is a great idea. The VIP tours brought in more income, even if that wasn’t the point, but we haven’t done a new animal project since we had the petting zoo.”
“There’s a petting zoo?” She couldn’t recall seeing one.
“Not anymore. Do you remember the fake apartments inside the red barn?”
She nodded, thinking to the building he’d shown her. When humans had become mates and needed to live at the zoo, the alphas had quickly realized there needed to be a cover story for the humans with their families for their living quarters. The barn had been turned into three apartments, only one of which was real. After a close call with two families coming to visit the apartments and nearly discovering that they weren’t all real, the alphas had hired a company to build apartments at the back of the zoo property to give any mates a place to say they lived where their families could come visit.
It was one of the downfalls of shifters living in secret and finding human soulmates. She couldn’t imagine the burden on the mates, as they had to live a lie in order to keep everyone safe. She was thankful to be a shifter so neither of them needed to lie.