“We're glad you have her back,” Lance said, and Zaria nodded. Witt and Amy smiled, then we turned and walked to the bear my mother had pointed out, leaving our pack to run through the fields and forest together.
Hailey and I rode in the back seat of a van to our home in the woods. It was a peaceful, uneventful trip. Hailey snuggled against my side as the bear drove us without speaking. As I looked down at my mate, the woman I loved with all of my heart, I was finally content. I held my arms around my strong, brave Hailey, and I never wanted to let go again.
“Let's get married,” I said.
“Well that's the plan,” she said, touching her ring with her index finger.
“I mean, why put it off? I want you to be mine in every way. I want the world to know how much you mean to me, and I want to take you on the vacation you deserve. We’ll do everything as both mates and man and wife,” I said.
Hailey smiled up at me, her blue eyes sparkling. “Let’s do it.”
Chapter Forty-Three
Hailey
Strings of white lights wrapped around the wooden handrails of our spacious decking. The sloped forest of dense evergreens behind me was lightly dusted in white powder. A blaze of orange, crimson, and violet was painted across the cloudless sky. The last inches of sun peeked over the tree-topped mountains as it sank from view. Crisp fall air mingled with the floral scents from the arrangements set all around us.
My grip was tight on the huge bouquet of white roses and lilies Eric had made for me. Excitement blocked the sting of the cold air and made it hard to stand still as I shifted my weight between my ivory stilettos. I felt like a princess in my flowing white dress and my hair up in a beautiful chignon. Liv had fixed my hair and applied the perfect balance of natural looking makeup. I couldn’t stop smiling as I looked over the friends and family that had come to share this special moment with us. Victor recorded our wedding, taking photographs of everything and everyone. Zaria, Axel, Witt, Amy, Reynolds, and Pierce stood watching the ceremony and the sunset behind it.
Eric stood with me as a bridesman along the deck railing. He wore a black suit with a tie that matched Liv’s forest green dress. He had provided all of the flowers for our special day, and gladly accepted my request to join my side of the wedding party. Liv stood next to me, holding a smaller version of my bouquet, and she smiled nearly as much as me. Harkins stood rigid with a lined face, clearly uncomfortable in his suit as he stood next to Lance. Cole’s silver-haired brother looked natural in his well-tailored suit, a complete contrast to Harkins. Lance wore an easy smile as he stood at Cole’s side holding the rings.
I looked into my mate’s intense, golden eyes as Reverend Willis officiated. I listened to the words uniting us as man and wife, the ceremony that we shared with our loved ones. Our first union, our promise to belong to each other forever, had been blissfully private. I loved that we had both: a private, primal union, and a public display where we could confess those promises to each other with our closest friends and family there to share the moment with us.
“Hailey Archer, I’ve loved you since we were sixteen years old,” Cole said. “You hadn’t noticed me yet, but I dreamed about you every night. I’ve never felt that way about anyone else. I’ve made mistakes, and I’m sure I’ll make more. But if you’ll let me, I will spend the rest of my life caring for and protecting you, trying to be the man that you deserve,” Cole proclaimed.
I smiled up at my soon-to-be husband as he shared his vows with me, holding back the joyous tears that welled in my eyes.
“My dearest Cole, you are my soul mate, the love of my life. There has never been anyone but you. You’re everything I ever wanted and so much more. I look forward to sharing every day and night by your side, now and forever. I promise to be yours always, your partner in everything,” I said, voice trembling.
When it came time we exchanged rings. It was easy to proclaim, “I do.” We had already promised each other so much more than to stick with each other through sickness and health. We had survived so much, and were closer than ever.
Reverend Willis said, “I now pronounce you man and wife, Mr. and Mrs. Cole Tenbrook.”
I let go of the tears I had held, and moisture trickled down my cheeks.
Our wedding party clapped, as did our friends and family that stood watching. Cole pressed his lips to mine, placing his hands on my moist cheeks, and I felt our connection tingle through my whole body. I had never been happier than I was when we shared our first kiss as husband and wife.
My cheeks ached, but I couldn’t stop smiling. I felt different, more complete and content, after saying our vows. I bounced with each step as we greeted our guests. Axel shook Cole’s hand and offered me a small smile before walking away. I held tight to my husband’s hand as each person took a turn to congratulate us. Eric hugged both Cole and me, then went to stand next to Victor who was busy snapping pictures of the flowers, the sunset, the food, and all of the guests as they talked to us and amongst themselves. Harkins gave us a nod then went to stand with Amy, Reynolds, and Witt. The one I was most nervous about walked up to her son with a smile. Zaria hugged Cole, then looked to me, and put her arms around my shoulders.
“Congratulations,” she said.
“Thank you,” I answered, genuinely surprised and grateful for her warmth.
Liv squeezed me hard when she got a chance to break in, with Pierce at her side. “I’m so happy for you,” she said.
“Thanks,” I answered, then whispered, “How long until it’s your turn?”
She smiled wide at me in answer.
“Hey Pierce,” I said. “Thanks for coming.”
“It’s my pleasure,” he answered. “Congratulations.”
Liv bent down and whispered in my ear, “Cole told me. You know, about the wolf thing. I want to hear all about it when you get home from your honeymoon.”
“That’d be great,” I said then turned to my mate, my husband.
I wrapped my arms around my husband and kissed his hard chest. He put his arms around me, and kissed the top of my head.
“Thank you,” I said, looking back at Liv. Cole had known how hard it had been for me not to have Liv to talk to in the same way I always had. It was the one thing that I never thought I could have, openness with my sister and my secrets. Cole had given it to me without me even having to ask.
“A small wedding gift,” Cole said.
“I love you, Cole,” I said looking up at his clean-shaven, square face, his raven black hair, and his deep, golden eyes.
My husband met my gaze. “I love you too, Hailey.”
Epilogue
Hailey
I held tight as the warm, salty breeze pulled up on my floppy sunhat. Hot grains of white sand tickled between my toes as I reclined on a fluorescent pink lounge chair. If I had been with anyone else I would have regretted the white string bikini that showed off more skin than it covered, but with Cole I never worried about my body. My husband cherished the fullness of every curve; his desire for me made me feel like a sexual goddess.
The white metal table between me and the empty chartreuse chair held two flat-bottomed glasses. One had only ice inside, and a closed paper umbrella popping out of the top. I took a sip from the other tumbler, that was full of an alcoholic juice ombre of orange to pink. The paper umbrella stabbed through pineapple wedges and maraschino cherries.
I took a sip of the sweet, tropical Mai Tai and set my gaze on the man waist-deep in the light-blue ocean ahead of me. His wet hair was slicked back against his head and curled forward from behind his ears, framing his lightly-stubbled, square jaw. He gifted me a smile that was meant only for me, a sweet and loving side that no one else saw. A beautifully clear, big, blue wave loomed behind him, and I pointed to warn him. Cole turned and jumped into the crashing surf, emerging after with his hair hanging over his face. Salty water streamed down his chiseled chest, rounding each sculpted muscle. Cole slicked his hair back with a sweep of his hand, flexing his thick b
icep with his movement, then pointed his index finger toward me on the chair. I smiled at my playful mate, enjoying the clean Hawaiian beach as much as he was. He crooked his finger, beckoning me to join him. I couldn’t resist him, so I took one last sip of my Mai Tai and left my hat in the beach chair.
The hot, white sand burned my feet as I ran to my husband, my mate. I could see rocks and shells beneath the crisp, cerulean water as I ran into the sea. The cool water soothed the lingering heat from the sand on my feet, and Cole met me at the ocean’s edge.
I covered my face as he splashed water up at me, moistening my bikini and bare skin. The cold water surprised me and I squealed. Cole growled and scooped me into his arms, tasting my mouth with his. His lips were soft and gentle as they caressed mine, and the cool waves splashed against us. I lost myself in his touch. Cole fulfilled me, made me a better version of myself; I had so much more than I had ever wanted or thought possible. Back in Elkston, I never would have believed this life was possible—a life with the man of my dreams, my high school sweetheart, my big, black wolf.
I pulled away and splashed my mate with a handful of ocean water. He gave me a wicked grin and chased me as I jumped through the waves. We frolicked in the water, in the sand, and at our hotel for two weeks in Hawaii. It was an amazing honeymoon, and the start of a playful, joyful life together as man and wife, wolf shifter and mate.
Uniting the Pack
Book Three
Chapter One
Trixie
Walker Bar and Grill—the black, wooden letters stood strangely untouched above the splintered front door. Sections of sharp glass spiked along the frame of the shattered window. The dark-shingled roof and brick foundation were left intact. Our restaurant had fared better than most of the buildings around it, likely due to the strength of brick. I guess the three little pigs were on to something.
No one walked through the doorway to buy lunch. There was no laughter from customers within. No sound of cars driving through the streets. Ellistown was a ghost town, a shell of the place where I had grown up. Even the scent of the air on the street was wrong.
At this time of day, there should have been the smell of freshly baked cookies wafting from Mrs. Earnstein’s house a block over. There should have been perfumes and perspiration, humans and wolves, car exhaust and life. The greasy scent of burgers searing on the stove and mozzarella sticks soaking in the deep fryer should have hit me as I had approached the grill.
But there was nothing. None of the familiar signs of normal life remained, only the scents of ash, destruction, desperation, and bear.
With a tap of my boot, the shredded door to the building that had once been Stratton’s and my restaurant creaked open. It had taken me a week to gather the strength to return to this place; the knot in my core tightened as I stepped inside.
Someone was here, but I wasn’t surprised. A heart beat in the kitchen, accompanied by the scent and sniffle that had become as natural to me as the sounds of my own breathing. With a flip of the switch, the dangling fluorescent lights flickered and buzzed before lighting the room.
Walnut chairs and round tables lay cracked and broken across the dirty hardwood floor, upside down and on their sides, far from where they belonged. Glass shelves along the wall behind the dark-stained bar sat empty of their liquor bottles. It was no surprise that looters would choose the town’s only bar as a target, but knowing this didn’t make it any easier to walk into. If Stratton had seen his pride and joy in such disarray, he would have snapped.
But he would never see the grill or anything else again. Pain stabbed in my middle.
Glass from the shattered window crunched beneath my boots as I walked across the hardwood to the space that had been mine. The kitchen was in worse condition than the seating area, or maybe it only felt that way because it meant more to me. White ceramic shards lay scattered across the floor—chunks of plates, handles of mugs. Some cabinet doors hung open, others dangled from broken hinges. The place had been ransacked. If they had taken all of the food, I would have nothing to feed the refugees.
The she-wolf I had expected sat on the floor by the open fridge.
“Hello, Mara,” I said.
She didn’t answer.
Seeing my sister-in-law balled up and crying in the same light blue dress she had worn during those two weeks of hell was just another reminder of everything that had happened. A reminder I didn’t need.
I reached past Mara and cracked the heavy fridge door a few inches further, though I knew it was hopeless. No surprise, it was empty. The bears would have to bring supplies in or I was going to have to try asking for assistance from the next town over.
I shut the door gently, treating the appliance the way it deserved. Maybe the place could be salvaged, but without Stratton it didn’t matter. My mate, my partner, my best friend was gone.
Mara whimpered and leaned into my leg. Her frail, bony shoulder trembled against my calf. I looked down at my brother’s mate, the girl with the golden hair I had once envied. She had been beautiful and thin, before Troy had tossed her away. Now she was little more than skin and bones, a sight that tore at the hole inside of me. She should have been with the other she-wolves from that cell, staying at the inn where the bear watched over them. But she came here to me.
“Mara.” I spoke softly and touched the top of her yellow hair.
She looked up at me with her big, brown, sunken eyes.
“Let’s get you into some real clothes.” I offered my hand, and she accepted.
After she stood, Mara squeezed my hand and didn’t let go. I led her from the grill through the quiet streets, back to the house Stratton and I had shared. It was only a block away.
Each time I returned to this place, the hole inside me ached. The Larsons’ house next door was blackened from a fire that had scorched the grass in their yard and ours. Their roof had caved in and their door was broken down. I hadn’t yet heard what happened to them, and figured I may not ever. I wasn’t sure if it was fortunate that the fire had stopped in my yard or not. If the house had burned, I wouldn’t have had to go back inside.
Squeezing Mara’s hand as fiercely as she clung to mine, I led us through the hole where the wooden siding had been removed. We used to keep the door locked, but I no longer had a key and the gaping hole made it pointless. The missing wall opened to what had been my favorite room. Now it was only the open, filthy entry to the section of the house I still used. My boots clicked across the dirt-covered kitchen floor, leaving tracks in the fallen ash. Barefoot, Mara stepped silently beside me, her toes blackening from the floor beneath.
I pulled the sheet that acted as my door to the side, and we walked into the living room, hand in hand. Mara sat on the sofa while I lit a fire. Four hours of sunlight remained, but we would need the warmth during the harsh night ahead.
With arms crossed, Mara sat shivering as she stared into the growing flames. The sleeveless, baby blue dress hung from her bones, offering little protection from the icy bite of the November air. She needed more clothing, and I needed that dress gone.
“I’ll be right back,” I said.
Sucking in a deep breath, I entered through the bedroom door. The drawers of my dresser were still open from the last time I had entered. I scooped an armful of options for Mara, then turned back toward the door. Just a few steps farther and I could breathe. Just a few steps and I could shut the door behind me. I willed myself forward, but my feet wouldn’t budge. If I had taken out more clothes last time, I wouldn’t have had to come in this room again, but I hadn’t. I had only taken what I needed.
After exhaling the breath I held, his scent filled my nose. I looked at his pillow, creased where his head had lain. The blankets were still bunched at the bottom of the mattress where we had thrown them after the screams of our town had woken us. I embraced the scent that I had been avoiding, the unique blend of sandalwood, oak moss, and leather.
The hole inside threatened to consume me. It was hard to rememb
er the time before Stratton was a part of my life, and now he was gone. I considered climbing under the covers and sleeping on his pillow, just to be close to the man who had always been there for me. But it hurt too much. Instead I grabbed his black baseball hat from his dresser and shut the door behind me.
Arms full of clothes, I rested against the bedroom door. I steeled myself for helping Mara. Shoving thoughts of what I had lost back into the knot I held in my middle, I dropped the clothes next to Mara on the sofa. Her big, brown eyes followed my movement.
“You can take whatever you want,” I offered.
Mara looked down at the pile beside her and pulled out a pair of boot-cut jeans and a thick, gray sweater. She stood and dropped the blue, tulle dress to the floor. She was even thinner than I had thought. Ribs showed through her chest and hip bones protruded from her sides. She slid on the clothes she had picked. They hung off of her body, worse than they did on mine, but regular clothes no matter how many sizes too big made her look more like a person and less like an emaciated doll. I smiled at the accomplishment. Mara met my gaze, then wrapped her arms around my neck. As I hugged her back, I felt a little less broken inside. At least we had each other.
Mara reached down and grabbed the puffy, blue dress in her arms, then shoved it into the burning fire. The synthetic fibers fumed and filled the room with an unnatural stench, but I couldn’t help but smile. I ran to the corner of the room and pulled my matching pink dress from under the blanket I had used to hide it, and threw it in the flames with Mara’s.
Mara took my hand and we watched dancing flames engulf the hideous fabric evidence of the trauma we had endured.
Chapter Two
Lance
Werewolves & Whiskers: Sawtooth Peaks Wolf Shifter Romance Box Set Page 28