by R. E. Butler
That morning his pacing cat had woken him before dawn, and he’d gone for a run in his shift to burn off the excess energy. He wished they could have spent the night together, but aside from it being super tempting to simply mate her after midnight when she turned twenty-one, it was a human custom that they stayed apart the night before the wedding.
A knock on the RV door made his cat sit up in curiosity. Had Jilly decided to toss tradition aside and let them rock her world?
His parents smiled at him when he opened the door, and he tried not to look disappointed.
“Were you expecting Jilly?” Dionne asked with a smile.
“Maybe,” he said, stepping aside to let them in.
“Hey, Mom, Dad,” Fate said as he came out of the bedroom. “Did Jilly like her birthday present?”
“Very much,” Dag said. “It was a great choice, and the note made it even sweeter.”
The charm bracelet had been Fate’s idea, something that could easily be added to for future events, like anniversaries and the birth of their children. They’d picked out the charms and written the note together, sending it with their parents so they didn’t spoil any potential good luck prior to the wedding. Not that he believed in that sort of thing. Seeing Jilly was always good luck in his opinion.
“We’ve got an hour until it’s time to head to the boarding house for the ceremony,” Dag said. “Just wanted to check in and see if you needed anything.”
“We’re good,” Fate said. “Our cats are making us a little nuts.”
“Of course. They’re excited to finally be with your mate,” Dionne said.
“We’ll leave you to finish up,” Dag said. “Hanai will drive your SUV to the boarding house so you can use it to bring Jilly home after the reception. We’ll all walk to the boarding house together, though.”
“See you in an hour,” Wyked said.
It seemed impossible, but the hour eventually passed, and he and Fate joined his parents and the other clan members. They walked down a well-worn path to the backyard of the boarding house. The pride had handled decorating for the ceremonies, and he was really impressed with how wonderful it all looked. Picnic tables had been set up on one side of the yard for the reception, along with a portable wooden dance floor. A pride member played classical music on a stereo. On the other side of the yard, the place where they would exchange their vows was marked with a wooden archway woven with white, gauzy fabric and dotted with pink and white roses. James, John, and Rue were waiting at the end of a white aisle runner. The males wore tuxes like Wyked and Fate.
“Congratulations on your big day,” John said, hugging Wyked and Fate. “Welcome to the family.”
“I have to run in and help Jilly finish getting ready. She’s so nervous, it’s adorable,” Rue said, stopping to hug Dionne and then take her into the house with her.
“Are you nervous?” James asked.
“More anxious than anything,” Fate said. “This day has been a long-time coming.”
“Worth it, though,” Wyked said. “So damn totally worth it.”
Pride members filtered into the seating area in front of the archway, and Wyked and Fate stayed with Dag, Hanai, James, and John to greet them. Members of a bear sleuth that was friends with the pride appeared. They shook their hands and wished them well on their big day.
Wyked looked up at the sky and smiled. It was a perfect day. The sky was an amazing shade of blue, just like Jilly’s eyes, and the white, puffy clouds assured him that there wouldn’t be any rain coming to spoil the day.
“Do you think she’s looking at us?” Fate asked, glancing at the house. “Sneaking a peek?”
Wyked smiled. “Maybe, but she was pretty serious about not seeing us before the ceremony, and her room faces the front of the house.”
“Good point.”
Giselle, a bear shifter who was an ordained minister and performing their marriage ceremony, said, “If you’re ready, we should head to the archway. It’s good luck to start on time.”
He and Fate walked down the aisle with the pastor. He turned and faced the crowd, smiling at his parents who were seated in the front row with Hanai. On the other side of the aisle, James and Rue sat, along with members of their family. Wyked and Fate saw movement within the house, and then Henry opened the door. Jilly stepped onto the screened-in porch with John. Dom held open the other door. The moment Jilly stepped onto the grass, the music changed to the “Wedding March,” and the crowd stood to their feet. They turned to watch Jilly as she made her way from the house to the aisle, and then, finally to him and his brother.
He’d truly never seen her so beautiful. Her eyes were bright with happiness, and the dress she wore highlighted her curves, from the dip of her waist to the flare of her hips. He wanted to throw her over his shoulder and head for the RV. He wanted to drop to his knees and vow to worship her for the rest of his life. What he did instead, was smile broadly and stare at his gorgeous mate, thanking his lucky stars that she’d wandered near their camp three years earlier.
John and Jilly stopped a few feet from Wyked and Fate.
The crowd sat, and the music faded. Giselle smiled and opened a small, leather-bound book.
“Welcome one and all, mountain lions, panthers, bears, wolves, and humans, on this beautiful day as we celebrate the joining of these three. Who brings this woman to these men?” Giselle asked.
“I do,” John said. He kissed Jilly’s cheek and sat down.
Jilly turned and handed her bouquet to Rue, who stood to accept it. She’d opted not to have a Maid of Honor, insisting it was too hard to choose just one female in her life to stand with her, so he and Fate had opted to do the same and not have a Best Man.
Wyked and Fate moved to her sides and each took one of her hands. Giselle recited their vows, and they took turns pledging their lives to one another, first Wyked to Jilly, then Fate to Jilly, and then Jilly to both of them.
“Now for the rings,” Giselle said.
Wyked held out the wedding bands that he had picked out for Jilly and himself. The diamond eternity band that he’d chosen for her sparkled in the sunlight. He gave her the band she’d picked for him – a platinum band with an intricate pattern etched into the precious metal.
“Wyked, repeat after me,” Giselle said. “With this ring, I thee wed.”
His throat tightened with emotion, and he swallowed hard and said, “With this ring, I thee wed.”
He slipped the ring onto her finger, resting it against the ring that he’d given to her during their bonding ceremony. She recited the vow to him and pushed the ring on his finger. She and Fate exchanged rings, and then they faced Giselle.
“With the power vested in me by the State of Indiana, I now pronounce you husbands and wife. You may kiss your bride. Both of you,” Giselle said with a smile.
Fate kissed Jilly, and then she turned to face Wyked, smiling up at him with eyes shining with tears. “Love you, kitten. Love you more than anything.”
“I love you, too.”
They kissed and the crowd erupted into cheers.
Wyked was touched by their support. Until he’d met Jilly, he’d never experienced being around another group of shifters for such an extended amount of time. Without the love of her pride, the last three years would have been more difficult for all of them. But they’d opened their arms and hearts to him, Fate, and the clan without restraint. He knew he could never thank them enough.
* * *
Fate smiled down at his mate. His wife. He’d never thought a word would mean as much to him as mate did, but calling Jilly his wife made him feel warm all over. Hanai joined them, and Giselle sat with her family. Hanai lifted his hand, and the crowd quieted.
“It’s been a long time since a clan mating was anticipated over such a long period of time, but Wyked, Fate, and Jilly have been waiting for this day for three years. They already promised themselves to her in our bonding ceremony, receiving tattoos of her name on their backs and giving her their
rings. But now, on this special day, they will be officially mated.”
He lifted the three-strand rope of black silk cord. “Generations ago, our people used to mark one another with fangs before the clan, but as time went by, couples chose to perform the markings in private, and instead, our people began to use a cord to symbolize the tying together, or uniting, of the couple in mating. Jilly, do you enter into this mating with Wyked and Fate with an open heart and mind?”
“I do,” she said.
“Lift your hands,” he said.
She lifted her hands, palms up, and smiled at Hanai. He laid the cord across her wrists and then looked at Fate.
“Fate, do you enter into this mating with Jilly with an open heart and mind, sharing her with your brother, Wyked?”
“I do.”
“Lift your hand,” Hanai said.
Fate lifted his left hand next to Jilly’s, and Hanai wove one end of the rope under and over Fate’s hand, slipping the end between Jilly’s wrists.
Then he looked at Wyked. “Wyked, do you enter into this mating with Jilly with an open heart and mind, sharing her with your brother, Fate?”
“I do.”
“Lift your hand.”
Hanai wound the other end of the rope around Wyked’s right wrist, pushed the end between Jilly’s wrists, and then grasped the ends, bringing them up around the four wrists once more and tying them in a loose knot.
He rested his hands on top of the knot. “This rope is man-made. It’s not indestructible but can be torn and ruined in many ways. The rope signifies not an actual, physical bond between the three of you, but the mating bond between you and your beasts and your love for each other. Mating isn’t meant to be entered into lightly, and unlike the rope, that can be cut, a mating is forever. Wyked and Fate, please face Jilly.”
Keeping their wrists in place next to hers, Wyked and Fate faced her as best they could. Jilly was sniffling, her cheeks wet with tears, and Fate wanted to wipe them away.
“Fate, do you choose Jilly as your mate, to love and protect her and your family to the best of your abilities?”
“Yes.”
Wyked answered yes to the same question, and then Jilly promised to love them. Fate hadn’t needed to hear her promise: he already knew she loved them and wanted to be with them forever, but he loved to hear her voice quiver with emotion and to see the shining tears in her pretty blue eyes.
Hanai pulled the rope from their wrists and laid it over Jilly’s shoulders. “Welcome to the family, Jilly. May the great panther spirit bless your mating for many, many years to come.”
They turned to face the crowd, and Hanai loudly said, “I now present to you, Mr. and Mrs. and Mr. Myers!”
The attendees rose to their feet, clapping and cheering, and the trio walked down the aisle to the dance floor where they were going to have pictures taken before the reception. Fate pulled Jilly close and kissed her. “You look amazing, sweetheart.”
“You look great, too. I missed you so much.”
“What about me, kitten?” Wyked asked as he swung her into his arms.
“Missed you, too.”
“We never have to be apart again,” Fate said. “I can’t believe it’s finally here.”
“We just have the party, and then we can go,” she said. “I wish we could leave right now.”
Wyked grinned. “We can. We’ll run really fast.”
She swatted his arm with a laugh. “We can’t! But the moment we can go, you better believe we’re leaving.”
Their parents and Jilly’s parents were the first to pass by and congratulate them, and Rue gave Jilly her bouquet for the pictures. When the receiving line was finished, Melody, the pride’s photographer, relied on her mates, Tristan and Micah, to help with the photos. They took many photos of the trio, and then added in parents, siblings, and finally every family member.
“That’s going to be a big picture,” James said. “We’ll have to get one printed up to hang on the wall.”
“I’d love a copy,” Callie, Jilly’s sister-in-law, said. “Our family is finally all together.”
When the crowd was seated, Jilly, Wyked, and Fate took their seats at the head table along with both sets of parents. Jilly’s cousins served the meal with her Aunt Lisa presiding over the plating. The meal contained all their favorites – Chicken Parmesan, fettuccine alfredo, steamed green beans, and glazed carrots. He noticed that Jilly wasn’t eating much, mostly pushing her food around her plate.
“Are you okay, sweetheart?” Fate asked.
“Yeah. My stomach is still kind of in knots.”
“From the ceremony?” he asked.
“Maybe, and maybe for later.” Her cheeks pinked with blush, and he smiled.
“We’re anxious, too.”
“Hey, no sexy talk until we get to leave,” Wyked murmured.
She chuckled and leaned against Fate. “This has been a beautiful day.”
“It sure has,” he said.
When the tables were cleared of the dishes, the trio moved to the table where their cake was waiting. They cut the cake and shared it with each other, Jilly feeding a piece to Fate and Wyked, and the two of them gave her a piece, careful to only slightly smear her pretty face with frosting, which made her laugh. Lisa, Rue, and Dionne helped pass out the cake, and Fate and Wyked sat on either side of Jilly. Fate didn’t want to be rude, but he absolutely wanted to push things along and finish up so they could leave. They’d been waiting long enough.
It was time to really claim their mate.
Chapter 7
Jilly’s stomach was a mass of nerves as she sat between her mates at the head table. Dag and Dionne were on one side of them, and John, James, and Rue were on the other. The pride had prepared a delicious meal for dinner, and the cake – a three-tiered vanilla cake filled with raspberries – had been cut by her and her mates. She’d hardly eaten anything during the meal, and now, as she looked down at the slice of cake, with the pretty red raspberries peeking between the layers, all she could do was pick at it.
Fate leaned over and kissed her cheek. He whispered, “Let’s dance with our family, and then we can say goodbye.”
She bit her lip and nodded. “I’m ready.”
Wyked purred and wiggled his brows. “Us too.”
Fate left the table and went to the DJ who was playing romantic music during the meal. The music got louder, and the song she’d picked to dance with her father came on.
“Daddy? Can I have this dance?” she asked as she stood.
He smiled broadly and stood. “Of course, Jilly.”
He offered her his hand and she took it. They walked out to the center of the dance floor. “I picked this song out for us,” she said as they began to move.
Wyked and Fate took turns dancing with their mom, talking quietly and laughing.
“It’s a great song. So, do you feel any different now that you’re married and mated?” he asked.
“I do and I don’t. I still feel like me, but now I’ve got two husbands. It’s kind of like my birthday. I didn’t feel any older when I woke up, but I was.”
“Big events are funny like that I think.” He smiled at her, and she saw his eyes glisten with tears. “You’re the best thing that ever happened to me Jilly. Not only when you were born, but when you came back. I’ve loved every minute of the last three years with you. I feel like we made up for lost time.”
“I love you.”
“You’re the best daughter a father could ask for, and no matter where you go, you’ll always be my little girl.”
Tears welled in her eyes, and she blinked them away. “Oh, Daddy.”
“Hey, I’m allowed to be sentimental. I just gave my only daughter away.”
“Thank you for everything,” she said, giving him a hug when the song ended. He gave her hands to Wyked and Fate and danced with Dionne, while James and Rue joined them on the dance floor. Others followed. They danced for several songs, Jilly taking the time to dance with
her cousins and uncles, as she thanked everyone for their help and support.
“It was a beautiful wedding, Aunt Lisa,” Jilly said. “I don’t know how you do it all, but it was great.”
“I’m so glad, honey. You’re so lovely, and your boys are quite handsome. I hope your marriage is full of love and laughter.”
When it was finally time for them to head to their RV and leave the pride and clan to continue the party in their honor, they walked with the group to the front of the boarding house, where Hanai had parked their SUV. It had been decorated with balloons and streamers, and the back window had been painted with the words Just Married. Once inside, they waved goodbye to the gathering crowd.
Dag put the SUV into gear and pulled away, honking the horn several times. “We moved the RV to the other side of the field,” he said, “so you’d have privacy during your honeymoon. It can get noisy in the mornings, and we wouldn’t want to unintentionally interrupt you.”
“That was thoughtful, thank you,” Jilly said. Her stomach fluttered again, but she tamped down the feeling.
He drove to the field and stopped in front of their RV. Wyked got out and held out his hand to Jilly. She scooted to the edge of the seat and stepped down, and he scooped her up into his arms.
“Thanks, Dad,” Fate said. “See you in a few days.”