by R. E. Butler
“Oh, it looks so amazing,” Kammie said as she walked into Luna’s behind them.
“It really does,” Honey said.
The restaurant had been transformed. All of the tables were covered with white linens, and the chairs had large red bows tied at the back. In the center of each table was a shallow bowl filled with water, candles shaped like flowers floating in them. A garland of white silk flowers dotted with cinnamon oil was draped along the front of the head table. Acksel and Brynn would sit there, along with Mia, Malachi, Nila, and Brynn and Acksel’s fathers. The center of the restaurant had been cleared to make a dance floor, and a small DJ booth was against one wall.
Pack members were already filing in. Jeremiah directed two omegas to begin lighting the candles after he received a text from Mia that said they were all on their way to the restaurant. Honey left to help, and he walked into the kitchen and found Quentin and Paula putting the finishing touches on the food.
“You made the place look like a dream, Jeremiah,” Paula said, smiling at him as she stuffed a tomato with a mixture of cream cheese and chives.
“I can’t take the credit. Honey and Kammie put their heads together for the decorations.”
“Don’t be modest,” Kammie said as she looked at the cake she’d made for the couple. “It was a group effort.”
“The first of many weddings coming in the pack,” Quentin said, smiling.
“I saw her ring, Jer. Congratulations. When’s the big day?” Kammie asked.
“I think June. She wants it to be nice enough so we can have the ceremony and meal outside.” The thought of marrying her right away had floated through his mind, but he knew it was okay to wait, too. There were a lot of weddings coming up in the pack, and she was already his. There was no need to rush.
Honey came back in and said, “They’re coming; we should line up and clap for them as they come inside.”
They all stopped what they were doing and lined up at the back of the restaurant, which had filled swiftly with pack members who hadn’t been invited to the wedding but were joining in the celebration dinner. Jeremiah took his place next to Honey, smiling down at her. Even when the alphas came through the door, Jeremiah couldn’t take his eyes off his mate. She’d come to mean everything to him.
He rested his hand on her shoulder and she looked up at him. Her smile made him warm from the inside out. He leaned down and whispered into her ear, “I’m so glad you’re mine.”
She grinned, her eyes dancing with happiness. “I wouldn’t want to be anyone else’s.”
When the wedding party was seated, Jeremiah led Honey to the table where they would be sitting, and then joined the other omegas in the kitchen. He didn’t want Honey carrying plates of food. She and Kammie put their heads together and talked quietly. Jeremiah, Adam, and Zander, the son of the owners, met in the kitchen where pack members who were too young to shift and be ranked were waiting in black dress pants and white shirts with red ties.
Quentin said, “Zander and I are going to fill the wine glasses. Jeremiah is going to handle the delivery of platters. Be swift but careful, and for goodness sake remember to serve the alphas first.”
Quentin and Zander headed out with wine bottles in hand and Jeremiah began to pass out the appetizer platters.
“What is this?” Julia, one of the females, asked, looking at the two platters in her hands.
“This one is stuffed tomatoes and mini crab cakes, and this one is stuffed mushrooms and burger sliders.” He watched the young wolves walk into the room and set down the matching platters on each table. Then he delivered the platters to the table where Honey and Kammie sat.
“Oh, yum,” Honey said, reaching for a stuffed mushroom. “I wish you didn’t have to miss everything.”
He kissed her forehead. “As soon as the platters are delivered, I’ll sit down for a few minutes.”
As he walked away, he heard Kammie say, “You guys are so cute together. I’m so happy for you both.”
He was damn happy, too.
The night moved swiftly. After the meal was served, the couple cut the cake that Kammie had worked so hard on, and Jeremiah was able to finally sit down and relax. The omegas had done their job until the wedding was over and it was time to clean up.
He speared a wedge of cake and lifted the fork to Honey’s lips. She ate the bite and smiled at him, leaning against his shoulder and sighing.
“Tired, sweetheart?”
“Nope. I’m just looking forward to getting you home so I can give you my Valentine’s Day present.”
He looked down at her in surprise. “You already gave me a watch, and you agreed to marry me, which is really the best present ever.”
“Oh?” She gave him a mysterious look that made his wolf perk up in curiosity. She leaned in close, her lips brushing his ear as she whispered, “I’m wearing something scandalously tiny and lacy under this dress. I picked it out special for tonight.”
He growled lightly, wrapping his arms around her waist and squeezing lightly. “Let’s go now.”
She chuckled. “We can’t. But later you can do that thing with your claws and shred them.”
“Like that, do you?”
“I love it.” She tilted her head and looked into his eyes. “I love you.”
He pulled her against him and sighed deeply, happiness settling over him. “I love you too, sweetheart.”
Chapter 15
Honey and Jeremiah spent nearly the entire day before the full moon cutting firewood. Jeremiah cut it, she stacked it into bundles and tied them with twine, and he hauled them into the back of his truck. She’d never done any real hard labor before, but there was something very cool about working side by side with her mate. He’d tried several times to encourage her to go home and rest or do something less taxing then hauling wood, but she enjoyed being with him.
After the bundles were placed in the back of the truck, they drove to the retirees’ homes one by one and carried them inside. Joel’s home was the last one for the night, and Jeremiah insisted that Honey stay in the truck.
“I want to say hi to Joel.”
“Sweetheart, you’ve been yawning for the last ten minutes. If you go in his house, you’re going to want to listen to some of his stories and it’ll be midnight before I can get you to bed.”
“Are you sure you don’t just want to get me to bed for other reasons besides me being tired?”
He shifted the truck into park and grinned at her. “Well, I want to get you into a nice, hot shower and give you a backrub. If you’re not asleep by then, I have a few more things I’d like to do to you.”
She giggled and leaned over for a kiss. “A backrub will put me to sleep in two seconds.”
“Maybe I’ll save that for later, then.”
He leaned over and kissed her again, promising to be back quickly so they could head home. After getting out of the truck, he picked up a bundle of wood and carried it up the sidewalk to Joel’s home. She watched until Joel opened the door and let Jeremiah in and then she leaned back and yawned, closing her eyes. It had been a very long day, but she was thrilled with all that they’d accomplished.
Her door opened and cold fingers wrapped around her throat and pulled her from the truck. She tried to scream, but the hand was squeezing too tightly. She met her attacker’s eyes. Shred! She clawed at his hand, trying to force his fingers from her as he slammed her against the side of the truck. The breath whooshed from her lungs, and stars lit her vision from the pain.
“You killed my father.” Shred leaned into her, pushing her against the truck until she thought her back would break from the pressure.
Dexter was Shred’s dad? How the hell had she never known that?
She kicked her legs, scratching her nails down his wrist, but her blows didn’t make him loosen his grip.
Shred leaned closer, his face inches from hers as her vision dimmed around the edges and his fingers tightened on her throat. “I lived with my mother until I shifte
d. Then you had to come along, little bitch princess. I knew you weren’t my sister, but he made me swear to never lay a hand on you.”
She wheezed out, “Why?”
His lips curled over his teeth and his hot, rotting breath made her want to vomit. “He knew you would be ruined if I took you, and you were valuable as a trade. But he’s not around anymore, and you need to spend some time on your knees, begging me to forgive you for the life I could have had if you hadn’t come along.”
Her mind spun and she struggled against his hold, praying that Jeremiah would come out of the house soon and help. If Shred got away with her, she knew he’d kill her. Eventually. The time until her death would be brutal.
Shred spun and pulled Honey against the front of his body, his arm caging her waist and his hand loosening on her throat just enough for her to suck in a ragged breath. Jeremiah stood a few feet in front of them, partially shifted and furious. “Let her go,” he growled
“She owes me, freak,” Shred said in a low, menacing tone.
Jeremiah’s lips pulled back over his sharp teeth as he snarled, his shirt and jeans torn from his shift. “Mine.”
Shred snorted and took a step back, pulling Honey with him. She tried to elbow him in the side, but the coat he wore softened the blow. She kicked and struggled, trying to wiggle as much as possible, but his hold just tightened.
Jeremiah’s ears twitched, and she heard a clicking sound, but she couldn’t identify it. In a heartbeat, Jeremiah was on the ground and had grasped her knees, pulling hard and wrenching her from Shred’s grasp as a shotgun blast filled the quiet night. Something thudded heavily behind her as Jeremiah rolled with her in the snow, covering her with his body.
Turning her head to the side, she saw Shred’s body on the ground. Slowly, a dark pool of blood began to seep into the white snow in the yard, steam rising as the snow melted.
She tilted her head back and saw Joel standing with a shotgun on the porch, an angry frown on his face.
“You two all right?” he called.
Jeremiah nuzzled her neck, his cold nose feeling good against her aching throat. He lifted his head and said, “Yes.”
Her hands trembled as she pressed them to either side of Jeremiah’s face. He gazed down at her, and relief filled her. Her mate had saved her life. Again. “Thank you for saving me, Jer,” she whispered thickly as tears stung her eyes.
“Mine.” He scooped her up in his arms as he stood and stalked up the sidewalk to Joel’s house.
“I’ll call the alpha,” Joel said as Jeremiah carried her into the house.
Jeremiah sat on the couch and arranged Honey in his lap as Joel shut the door and went into the kitchen. Carefully he pulled her coat off and tossed it aside, running his furry hand along her side. “Hurt?”
She swallowed and winced at the ache, but knew it was minor compared to what could have happened if Shred had been able to get away with her. “I’m okay.”
Jeremiah changed back into his fully human form and held her closer. “I’m so sorry I left you alone.”
“How could you have known?” she whispered.
Jeremiah growled unhappily but said nothing. He rubbed her back, and some of the aches began to ease. Joel came into the room and said, “Acksel and some of the upper-ranked wolves are coming, and so is Doc.”
She almost said she didn’t need a doctor, but she knew that Jeremiah would insist, so she kept her mouth shut and tried to forget how close she’d come to being killed. Ten minutes later, Joel’s small front room was filled with wolves, and Doc was kneeling in front of them.
Jeremiah wouldn’t let go of her, so Doc had to look at her from the safety of her mate’s arms. Jeremiah and Joel told Acksel what they’d witnessed. Doc peered into her mouth with a penlight and felt her throat gently.
“Just bruised, I suspect. I’ve got some tea you can drink that will soothe the ache and help you rest. You could always shift and heal yourself quicker, but I don’t think your pain will last too long either way.”
He rummaged in a leather satchel while the wolves talked. Jeremiah kissed her cheek. “Do you want to shift?”
“I just want to go home and go to bed.”
Doc carried a small pouch into the kitchen. Honey quickly cataloged her injuries, and knew she was lucky. Yes, her back ached and her throat hurt, but she was alive and safe and that was all that mattered.
“I don’t understand why he came back,” Acksel said, turning to face them. Around him were Malachi, Ren, Sam, and Dade.
She opened her mouth to speak and Jeremiah put his hand on her mouth. “She needs to rest her voice.”
Malachi handed his phone to her. “Here, type what you want to say in a text.”
A blank text was open, and she began to type. Jeremiah removed his hand from her mouth and watched what she wrote.
Shred said he was Dexter’s real son and he was going to take his revenge on me because of Dexter’s death.
Jeremiah read the text out loud as she typed. Acksel whistled. “Well shit. We’ve kept up the extra patrols, but he clearly found a way through. I’m sorry that the patrols failed to keep you safe.”
Dade said, “If it wasn’t for Joel’s good shot and Jeremiah’s quick thinking, we might have had a real tragedy on our hands and not just a mess to clean up.”
“How are you such a good shot anyway?” Acksel asked Joel.
“My father taught me how to shoot when I was young. He said a good wolf could hunt in any form, with any tools. I can also kill someone with a pencil.”
Malachi groaned. “No one piss off Joel.”
Doc came back with a steaming mug and turned it so Honey could take the handle. Jeremiah took Malachi’s phone and gave it back to him while she blew on the dark liquid and took a tiny sip. It tasted like eucalyptus, and smelled minty.
“She’ll get tired pretty quickly, Jeremiah. If she has any further pain, let me know.”
“What do you need from us, Alpha?” Jeremiah asked as she continued to sip at the hot brew, relaxing with each swallow as her aches began to slowly disappear.
“Nothing. Get your mate home and take tomorrow off. We’ll handle disposing of the body.” He turned to Sam. “Gather the protectors and find out how he got into town. I’m betting we’ll find a vehicle in town or perhaps right outside of it.”
Sam nodded and turned on his heels, walking out of the house.
“Ren and Mal, let’s get that asshole off Joel’s front yard. Joel, do you have a tarp or old blanket we can have?”
Joel nodded and walked out of the room. Dade said, “I’ll clean up the yard after you guys are gone.”
“Thanks, Dad.”
Ren and Malachi took a blue tarp from Joel and left, and Acksel looked at Honey and Jeremiah. “I’m truly sorry.”
“We’ll be fine, but thank you,” Jeremiah said, taking the empty mug from Honey and giving it to Joel.
She wanted to say goodbye, but her eyelids were heavy and when she opened her mouth, she yawned.
Joel grabbed the front door. Jeremiah stopped and thanked him for his help, and then carried Honey out of the house and down to his truck. She was vaguely aware of him buckling her in and driving the short distance to their home, but everything else escaped her as she slipped down into sleep.
In the morning, Jeremiah made her hot tea and oatmeal for breakfast even though she really wanted a big, rare steak.
“You were injured last night, let me pamper you a bit,” he begged.
“Backrub?” she asked, wiggling her brows.
“If you’re sure you’re feeling better, I’ll rub more than your back.”
“I feel fine. Whatever stuff is in that tea, Doc could make a fortune selling it.”
“He’s good at what he does. Now do you swear you’re feeling fine? You wouldn’t lie to me, would you?” His eyes narrowed.
She gave a mock sound of indignation. “As if.”
“Honey,” he growled her name and it made her shiver.
“I swear. My throat doesn’t hurt anymore and the few aches I had are gone.” She put her mug down on the end table and said, “Did I say thank you for saving me?”
“You did, but it’s my job to keep you safe, and I almost failed.”
She placed her hands on his cheeks and stared into his eyes. “I love you, Jer. I’m safe now, because you saved me. I know you’ll always take care of me, so I don’t worry about what the future might bring.”
“I love you,” he said before pressing his lips against hers.
She pushed the tray off her lap and rolled onto her stomach. “I think someone promised me a back rub followed by rubbing of other places.”
He growled softly and climbed onto the bed, straddling her thighs. “As my mate wishes.”
* * * * *
As they drove to the alphas’ home that night, Honey could feel Jeremiah’s nerves as if they were her own. She’d been shifting and hunting since she was a teenager, but Jeremiah had never known what that was like. He’d spent a long time being an outsider, just different enough to be unwelcome.
“In my old pack, there wasn’t any kind of mating ceremony. Tell me what’s going to happen tonight.”
Jeremiah glanced at her and reached for her hand. “It’s pretty simple. One of the elders will read from our laws about mates, and Acksel and Brynn will ask if anyone has a problem with our mating, and then they’ll declare us mates. Acksel will also announce your membership in the pack and our new positions as stewards.”
“What if someone has a problem with our mating?” A little frisson of tension streaked through her.
He squeezed her hand. “No one will. It’s like the minister asking if anyone knows why two people can’t get married at a human wedding. I think the alphas ask that because of tradition. There was a time when wolves were traded in matings for alliances, much like humans did with their children – arranging marriages for the dowry and what the parents could get out of it.”