by R. E. Butler
“That’s exactly what he tried to do.”
“Yes, but your situation was unusual, I think. There was a time when it was the norm; it’s really not anymore. Even if females aren’t ranked members, they’re still important to the pack.”
“To some packs.”
“To the Wilde Creek pack for sure, and most definitely you’re important to me.”
She leaned against his shoulder, her wolf practically purring in her mind at the sweet way her mate treated her.
“I’m jealous that you get to talk while you’re shifted.”
He snorted. “Your wolf is going to be pissed that I can’t keep up.”
She sat up and looked at him in surprise. “What? Never. We’re both really excited to be with you tonight. Last month we had a lot of fun but it wasn’t like hunting. I’ve never hunted with my mate before, so tonight is a momentous occasion.”
“Momentous?”
“Absolutely. We’re mates. We get to tell your whole pack that we’re together forever, and then we get to go running into the woods together. If we don’t catch anything, I don’t care. My wolf is so excited to be with you in your shift tonight that I can feel her pushing against my skin.”
He stopped the truck along the curb on Acksel and Brynn’s street, which was packed with vehicles, lined up on both sides.
Jeremiah turned in the seat to face her. “I don’t want to disappoint you.”
“How could you do that? You’re awesome and you’re mine.”
She didn’t know what was wrong, but he seemed to be worried. She took his hand and placed it over her heart, pressing her own to his chest. She could feel the thrum of his heart under her palm, and for a moment she thought about ripping their clothes off and forgetting all about hunting, but she pushed the sexy images away.
“I don’t want anyone but you. I love you the way you are right now, and I love you in your shift. Even if you had remained as you were before you found the ability to more fully shift, I’d still love you, right down to the very center of my being. You are the most important person in my life, and I can’t think of any better way to spend tonight than chasing something furry and then going home and making love until dawn. Whatever demons are running around in your mind, you need to let them go. I don’t care what anyone thinks of you, your shift, or our mating, I only care what you think of me. Of us.”
“I love you.”
She smiled. “I love you, too.”
“Someone might say I’m a freak.”
“Is that what worries you? If they think you’re a freak, then they’re just jealous because your shift is so badass.”
He chuckled and exhaled loudly. “Let’s go before Acksel gets annoyed at us for being late.”
They walked together down the sidewalk to the alphas’ house, skirted along the side and strode out into the backyard. A month ago, she’d been a visitor here, but now she was a pack member, with her mate by her side. Other pack members were milling around in the yard. She and Jeremiah walked up the steps of the back deck and Malachi opened the sliding door for them, a young boy perched on his hip.
“Have you met my son Jack, Honey?”
“No. Hi cutie.” She tickled the little boy’s chin and he giggled, saying, “Woof.”
“Woooolf,” Malachi said, exaggerating the word.
Jack smiled brightly. “Woof.”
Nila, Malachi’s human mate, laughed from nearby and Malachi said, “I think he says it wrong because he thinks it’s funny.”
“He’s a baby. Babies don’t have ulterior motives,” Nila said.
Malachi snorted with a smile and ruffled Jack’s tawny head before turning to his mate. Honey imagined Jeremiah in the role of father, holding their child in his arms. Jeremiah’s arms slipped around her and he drew her against his warmth. His lips brushed her ear and she shivered from head to toe. “What are you thinking about, sweetheart?”
“Kids.”
He growled softly, his hands splaying on her stomach. Her skin prickled in awareness, heat spiraling through her, as she closed her eyes and wished they were anywhere but in a room full of wolves.
Someone cleared their throat in annoyance and Honey’s eyes popped open. Acksel, brow raised, stood next to Brynn, who was smiling sweetly. “I think we should get them official so they can go play in the woods,” Brynn said.
“It’s called hunting, babe,” Acksel said.
“Whatever. Sweetie.” She winked at Acksel and he growled with a smile.
“Let’s get this show on the road,” Acksel said, clapping his hands together.
The high-ranking members filed out of the house, and Jeremiah, hands still splayed on her stomach, stood still until they were alone. “I want to talk about kids tomorrow.”
“Oh?” She turned in his arms and looked up at him.
“Yeah.”
“We can talk tonight.”
“We’ve got plans that don’t involve talking.”
“I’m yours, you know.”
His smile softened. “I’m yours, too.”
They walked out onto the back deck. The pack had gathered in the yard, from the omegas to the highest-ranked males, and even the human mates. Everyone was going to watch them pledge themselves to each other and welcome her into the pack.
She and Jeremiah stopped in front of Acksel and Brynn. Renfrow, an elder she’d met earlier in the week, held a large, leather-bound book in his hands.
Renfrow smiled at them and spoke loudly, “We are gathered together tonight, not only to celebrate the full moon, but to welcome a new pack member and mate to Wilde Creek. Jeremiah Kincaid, do you swear to love, honor, and protect your mate at all costs? Do you swear to care for her and your offspring to the best of your abilities?”
Jeremiah squeezed Honey’s hand as he looked down at her. “I do.”
“Honey Williams, do you swear to love and honor your mate and your offspring to the best of your abilities?”
“I do.”
“If anyone can see reason why these two should not be mated, speak now, or remain silent forever.”
Jeremiah growled a sharp, short sound, and Honey grinned. She hadn’t expected anyone to speak up. Even if only a few had witnessed Jeremiah’s full shift, word had spread through the pack quickly. Only an idiot with a death wish would suggest he wasn’t worthy as a mate, or she wasn’t worthy of him.
“I declare the mating of Jeremiah and Honey recognized and honored by the pack. As is our custom, we gladly welcome the mates of our members into the pack. Welcome, Honey, and congratulations to you both.”
The pack cheered in the way that packs do best — with their heads tilted to the sky and happy howls from their throats. She and Jeremiah both howled, their arms around each other and their voices mingling into a beautiful song of celebration.
When the wolves quieted down, Acksel and Brynn stepped in front of them. “A wolf may choose to remain omega in spite of their apparent abilities and strengths. In times like these, an alpha can choose to remove the wolf from omega status and assign them a job within the pack, outside of the male rankings and the duties of omegas. Jeremiah, step forward.”
Jeremiah took a step away from her but didn’t release her hand. He went down to one knee and looked up at Acksel.
“Jeremiah Kincaid, do you accept the pack position of steward? Do you vow yourself to help those within the pack who are unable to help themselves? Do you vow to honor your alphas in all you do for the good of the pack?”
“I vow.”
At Acksel’s request, she stepped forward and joined Jeremiah on her knees. Acksel asked her if she would serve with her mate, and she almost cried because she was so happy to have finally found her place.
The pack cheered for them, and Acksel called for a good hunt as Jeremiah stood and pulled her gently to her feet. “Welcome to the pack, Honey,” Brynn said, hugging her warmly.
“Thank you for everything.”
Jeremiah shook Acksel’s hand. “I know
Jeremiah didn’t take his eyes off Honey as he spoke. “Thank you, but I don’t plan to ever do anything but be a steward with my mate.”
She and Jeremiah walked off the deck. Adam came up to them and Jeremiah hugged his friend tightly. “I’ve been worried about you. I’m sorry that things got crazy and I wasn’t able to be there for you.”
Adam smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes. “I’m cool.”
“We can talk later if you want.”
Adam glanced at Honey. “Maybe I’ll take you up on that. Have a good first hunt, man. If anyone deserves to be happy, it’s you.”
Jeremiah grabbed his friend’s arm and stopped him as he turned away. “You deserve to be happy, too.”
He chuckled darkly, casting his gaze up to the dark sky. “Maybe my mate will fall out of the sky tonight, and she won’t give two fucks about my scars or my place in the pack.”
Adam moved away quickly and disappeared into the woods.
“Do you want to go after him?” Honey asked softly. Her heart ached for Jeremiah’s friend.
Jeremiah shook his head. “I’ve known him long enough to know that when he’s not interested in talking, he won’t. I’ll check in with him tomorrow. Right now, I’ve got a date with my mate in the woods.”
She smiled and tried not to worry about his friend. She turned her attention to her mate, ignoring the pack members in varying states of undress. Some of the single males and females headed off into the woods in their fully-clothed human form, for some no-strings-attached sex before hunting. She’d never been big on casual sex. Maybe if she hadn’t had such a restricted upbringing she would feel differently, but in a way she was okay with it. It meant she didn’t have a long string of lovers before Jeremiah.
He led her into the woods. They walked in silence for what felt like a long time. When he stopped, she was aware that they were entirely alone. She couldn’t hear anything except the silence of the woods.
“Why didn’t you want to shift in the yard with the pack?”
“I’m not ready for that. I’m not ready to see the looks on their faces when they see what I am now.”
She frowned. “You shouldn’t be ashamed of what you are.”
“I’m not,” he protested.
She only had to raise a brow in disbelief and he hung his head. “Okay, I am a little. I was practically non-existent in the pack’s eyes, and now I’m some strange kind of hybrid. Just because Acksel, the high-ranked males, and the elders believe I should be part of the protectors, doesn’t mean that others will feel that way. I don’t want to have to prove I’m worthy of going out hunting.”
She wanted to argue, to tell him that he deserved to finally stand with his pack, but she didn’t want to push him when he wasn’t ready.
She toed off her shoes, and he did the same. Then she grabbed the hem of her top, lifted it over her head and laid it over a low tree branch nearby. He growled softly, almost a purr, as he pulled off his own shirt and added it to hers. He was wearing cut-off sweats so he didn’t have to strip entirely when he shifted. He bulked up significantly when he shifted, but he remained anatomically male and she didn’t particularly want any females catching sight of his fur-covered man-bits.
“What are you thinking about?” he asked, dropping to his knees in front of her and reaching for her jeans.
“Your dick.”
His brow arched as he undid the button and lowered the zipper.
She chuckled and ran her fingers through his hair. “Your new shifted form is like a very furry man. I mean, you have the muzzle and the long fingers and toes, but your dick is still swinging free. I don’t really want anyone seeing that except for me. I’m glad you’re wearing shorts.”
He hooked his fingers inside her pants and drew them down her legs. She didn’t wear panties on the full moon; it was just one more piece of clothing to take off. He stared at her stomach as she tossed her jeans over the tree branch. In a heartbeat he was shifting. His shoulders broadened, his arms, chest, and legs bulking as fur sprouted from his skin. In the silence of the woods, she could hear his bones cracking and reforming as his face elongated into a wolfish muzzle.
His nose touched her stomach and she giggled because it was already cold. “What’s that saying? Cold nose, warm heart? I think that’s true for you.” She sank her fingers through the thick fur at this neck as he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close. His rough tongue stroked along her stomach and over her hip, and she wiggled at the ticklish sensation. Then he tugged on her until she settled into his lap and he curled his arms around her. He was so warm she could have fallen asleep, but her wolf was anxious to hunt with him.
“Come hunt with me, Jer. It’s just you and me here. You need to hone your hunting skills so that when I’m pregnant you can hunt for me so I can have venison jerky and rabbit stew. Yum.”
He chuckled deeply and nuzzled under her ear. “My. Mate.”
She wrapped her arms around his neck and inhaled the sweet scent of him. “Always.”
* * * * *
Kammie slipped away from the pack and into the dark woods, following the route she always took on the full moon. The hunting was best deepest in the woods away from the houses, which was where most of the pack went. She always went the opposite direction. Picking her way through the trees, she heard some wolves as they entered the woods still in their human forms, and knew they were single wolves planning to hook up. Kammie was jealous of their freedom. She wasn’t a virgin, but she didn’t do the full moon hookups because it meant that a male would have to see her completely naked. She didn’t allow that. When she had sex, she kept as many clothes on as she could get away with, so that no one would see the scars that her uncle had left behind with his belt or whatever else he could get his hands on during those few years she’d lived with him. Not that she had sex all that regularly. There were some males she trusted, but she had trouble letting her guard down even around her friends. Her scars weren’t just on her skin; they went soul-deep. She didn’t know if she’d ever be able to trust a male enough to let him see her completely naked, which meant maybe she’d never be able to really have a mate. What male would want to have sex with his mate when she wouldn’t even go so far as to take off her shirt?
She stopped walking and stood silent in the woods, listening carefully to make sure she was alone. She couldn’t hear anything but the occasional creak of the tree branches above her. If she were a poet, she’d find the silent winter night a thing of beauty, but all her wolf wanted to do was tear around like a lunatic and find something furry to chase.
She closed her eyes and stripped. She didn’t even like to think about the scars, even though she knew exactly where they were and what they looked like. Her back, arms, torso, and legs were disfigured. Even in the summer, she wore long sleeves and jeans when she left the house. When people saw her scars, they were either repulsed or pitied her, and she wasn’t sure which was worse.
Her wolf surfaced and she shifted. She opened her eyes and inhaled slowly, filtering out the scents around her. Lowering her head, she began to move. It didn’t take long for her to find the scent of rabbit. She let go of her fears and insecurities and took off. The wolf didn’t care what Kammie’s human body looked like. She often wished she had the same carefree attitude in her human form that she did in her shift.
As she darted through the woods following the scent of rabbit, she pushed all her thoughts away until it was just her and her wolf. She gave herself over to the wolf, salivating at the thought of the tempting rabbit she would soon be snacking on.
And then she smelled something that made her stop short, the snow fluffing up around her as she skidded to a halt. She inhaled. It smelled like peppermint. Tilting her head, she closed her eyes and inhaled slower. There it was again. Peppermint. Before she could figure out why something smelled like peppermint in the middle of the woods, she heard something moving swiftly through the woods toward her. Her eyes popped open in time to see a reindeer rush by.
Reindeer?
Don’t care, her wolf whined, and before Kammie knew what she was doing, she was tearing off after the reindeer like her tail was on fire. The reindeer was very fast, but Kammie was a good runner and was closing in on it, when something heavy slammed into her from the side.
She felt rough fur slide into human skin and she shifted, finding herself pinned against a thick tree by a large, unfamiliar male.
“She’s not prey, she’s my sister!” the male snarled, his face inches from Kammie’s.
The moon shone brightly through the trees overhead and Kammie could see him clearly, thanks in part to her wolf’s enhanced eyesight.
“She’s a reindeer,” Kammie said, wheezing slightly as he pressed a thick arm into her chest. Her feet weren’t even touching the ground.
He snarled angrily. “I know that!”
He bared his teeth and she was sure in that moment that she was going to be ripped to shreds. She didn’t want to die, naked in the woods, torn apart by some big furry creature who had a reindeer for a sister. Putting her hands on his cheeks, she fought the tears that stung her eyes and said, “Please don’t kill me.”
He went very still and then dropped his face to her throat. She winced, expecting teeth to bite and tear, but instead he inhaled slowly and a shiver raced up her spine that had nothing to do with the freezing temperature.
The restraining arms moved swiftly and she found herself in his lap as he sat heavily on the ground, his arms around her and holding her close. She was so stunned by his actions that she didn’t protest that they were both naked.
His fingers stroked down her throat and he made a gruff purring sound. “Adara mine. I found you. I can’t believe I found you.”
“I’m,” she opened her mouth, but he pressed his lips to hers, stifling the words with a kiss that would have knocked her socks off if she’d been wearing them. His tongue slid along hers and she couldn’t stop the moan, or her hands that tangled themselves in his thick hair and pulled him closer. Her wolf howled in happiness, but then she felt one of his hands trail down her bare back and his fingers stopped on one of her bigger scars. He growled deeply, pulling away from the drugging kiss.
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