by Bianca D’Arc
“Blessed be.” The others around the table repeated the blessing and drank.
Enid felt everything slip into place as the family praised the Goddess and gave thanks for Her many blessings. This truly was the most sacred solstice she had ever spent…and the most joyous.
When Joe led the wolf Pack out on its communal run, Hank, Tracy and Emma stayed behind with Enid and the others who had opted to remain behind in the Pack house to prepare for the others’ return. Tracy was kind, and Emma didn’t leave Enid’s side, insisting on helping move the things she’d used for the ceremony out of the way. Hank was a friendly face, as well. He had apparently been telling Tracy all about Enid’s time in his piloting class because Tracy was full of questions.
It was then Enid realized that, in this Pack of aviators, Tracy was one of the few who didn’t know how to fly. Enid was surprised, but it occurred to her that, considering Tracy had lost her mother to pilot error, she might still have some insecurities surrounding flying and pilots, in particular. Odd, then, that she’d mated a flying ace.
When Emma finally started yawning, Hank took her, leaving Tracy and Enid alone at the table. Everything had been cleared, and those that had stayed at the Pack house were mostly in the kitchen, preparing a breakfast feast for when the Pack came back. Some were curled up in wolf form, asleep around the perimeter of the room, and most would take a short nap during the darkest hours of the night before the Pack returned. Hank took Emma off to the room the family was using, and Enid sensed Tracy wanted to talk.
“You were in the crash…” Tracy began hesitantly. “With my mother?”
“I was,” Enid said quietly, and proceeded to recount everything she could remember about the brave woman she had only recently learned had been Tess. Enid realized, as she went through it again, that she now understood the moment when Tess had interceded with the Mother of All on Enid’s behalf. “I felt my soul beginning to pull away from my body, but then, something happened,” Enid said quietly. “I think that was the moment your mother changed things. Or, perhaps, it had meant always to be that way. Only the Mother of All could know for certain. Whatever it was, your mother let me stay here, and I think I realize, now, why.”
“For my dad,” Tracy said, her tone filled with both awe at the Lady’s power and love for her father.
“And for you,” Enid amended. “For the whole Pack. For the fight to come and the struggles of everyday life. I became a full priestess after I healed from the crash, and I’ve been following that path ever since. This is why.” She looked around the Pack house and realized she’d finally found her home. “This is my place. I understand that, now.”
And behind her, the remaining candles of the solstice celebration, that would burn out in their own time, blazed a little brighter for a moment. Enid saw them reflected in Tracy’s eyes and knew in her heart, she was right.
Tracy leaned over and hugged Enid, surprising her. “I’m glad you’re here,” Tracy said, her voice rough with tears, and Enid knew she had been accepted. “Welcome to the family,” Tracy continued as she pulled back, her smile a bit teary.
Joe couldn’t wait to get back to the Pack house, but he also wanted to run and feel the joy of his wolf at leading a Pack any Alpha could be proud of. With his sons by his side, he ran in wolf form, howling at the moon and enjoying his life as he hadn’t in so very long. If he imagined a silvery shadow of a lithe female wolf running alongside, just out of the corner of his eye—as he had many times before, ever since Tess left this realm—he could feel joy in her spirit and not the debilitating sorrow of before.
Joy at having known a love so fierce that she’d sent him another love to anchor him to this world and this Pack. He knew there were tough times ahead for all those who served the Light, but Tess had given him renewed purpose to stand and fight when necessary, and spend all his energies preparing his people so they would be as strong as possible to face whatever came next.
Joe saw the spirit wolf run at the heels of each of their sons before she peeled off into the sky, and he had the feeling he might never see that spirit form of his first mate ever again. She was free now, to serve the Lady, as she had freed him to serve the Pack. A final gift from a loving heart that he would never forget.
A new spring in his step that hadn’t been there in years led him back to the Pack house just as dawn kissed the sky. Those who had managed to keep up with him and his sons followed. Others had drifted back to the Pack house earlier in the night, to catch a few hours of sleep in one of the guest rooms or rest their weary bones in wolf form.
Enid was standing on the porch with a steaming cup of coffee in her hand. He saw her before she saw him, but when he trotted out of the tree line and padded up the steps, he had no doubt that she recognized his wolf form. She sat on the porch swing and he walked right up to her in his fur, snugging his head against her as she wrapped her arms around his neck.
“You’re handsome in both forms,” she whispered against his fur. “I would know you anywhere, Joe. You are my heart.”
He transformed to sit beside her. The shower of magic that surrounded him momentarily, made her open her arms. He was buck naked, but she didn’t mind and neither did he. Joe didn’t feel the cold like humans did.
He pulled Enid in for a quick kiss, but her shivers made him retreat before too long. She had to be freezing. She was only wearing a thin sweater.
“You go on in,” he told her gently. “Warm up. I’ll be right behind you.”
Enid did as he asked and when Joe followed her in a moment later, dressed again in the clothes he’d left behind on the porch, everybody was awake and ready for breakfast. Kevin and Ken had caught up with him and walked beside him as he entered.
Joe’s heart swelled with delight to see Enid there, waiting for him. She sat at the table near the tree, a bright-eyed Emma on her lap, eating cereal while Tracy and Hank got trays of bacon, eggs and all the fixings from the kitchen. By the time Joe took his seat, kissing both Emma and Enid as he took his place next to them, the whole family was gathered and plenty of food was being passed around.
All around the great hall, everyone else joined in the celebration breakfast. Those who had taken a few hours to sleep joined the younger set that had been up all night as the noise level rose to a happy hum. All was right with Joe’s world. Finally. For the first time in years, he didn’t have that hollow feeling of something missing. All was as it needed to be, and he was ready to lead this Pack into a much brighter future…with Enid at his side.
“Hank and I were talking about my Cessna,” Enid told Joe at one point during the noisy breakfast. “I need to go back to Louisiana for a bit at some point in the next couple of days.”
“I’ll go with you,” Joe immediately volunteered. “I want to talk to Henri a bit more and set up his Pack’s move to the new territory.”
“You’re very sure of yourself, aren’t you?” Enid said, turning to give him a measuring look, a teasing smile lighting her eyes.
“That’s my job as Alpha,” Joe replied, enjoying the banter. It had been too long since he’d felt this way. Young and happy and full of hope for the future.
“So you’re really going to do it, eh, Joe?” Hank asked, grinning. “You’re going to bring in other Alphas and their Packs under your banner?”
“That’s the plan,” Joe replied, finally ready to share the news with everyone else. He knew once he said this in the room full of Pack members, the news would fly through town like wildfire. “Henri is a young Alpha, but from what I saw, he’s got a good, strong basis for his Pack. They are all fine craftsmen. Carpenters who build homes any of us would be proud of. His mate is in a tough spot right now, but with the Goddess’s help, Enid will fix her up, and Henri and his Pack can become the first of many affiliated Packs under the Big Wolf umbrella.”
“You’re thinking a structure more like the Redstones in Nevada rather than my folk, is that right?” Hank asked as Joe nodded.
“I’ve long admired
what the Redstone brothers have pulled together. Of course, there are five of them. All strong Alphas who have agreed to work together, which is remarkable in itself. I think that was the key to their fast rise into a Clan that encompasses so many members of different species. I’m but one man,” Joe said, winking as he grinned. “I plan to start here, with wolves. And, of course, our bond with the jaguar people is already established, but that’s more of a partnership than a merger. As new groups decide to join Big Wolf, we’ll establish a clear hierarchy, like that of the Redstone Clan. I know it can work, and it’ll make us all stronger together than we ever were apart.”
“It is the Goddess’s will,” Enid put in quietly, and everyone chewed on that for a moment, but Joe had a few more bits of news to pass on that he’d been holding in reserve all this time.
“I expect you all to help,” Joe said to his children. “Hank is already interfacing with a cougar Clan near the territory Henri will claim. Tracy, I expect you to help. You, too, Ken.” Joe nodded to his eldest son. “And, Kevin,” Joe turned to fix his gaze on the young man who might be a better Alpha than himself, one day, “you have the makings of a leader. I want you to start using your skills and honing them. I’ll have special projects for you to tackle, if you want to be part of this.”
Kevin’s eyes lit with eagerness. “You bet I do!”
“This is why you’ve been bringing in so many dominant males,” Tracy said, as realization dawned. “Like the new sheriff, Shane. You had this in mind all along.”
“Of course he did,” Enid teased, laughing. “Haven’t you figured out yet that your father is always thinking at least twelve steps ahead of everyone else?”
Joe put his arm around Enid’s shoulders and tugged her close for a moment as they all laughed. The future was looking so very bright, indeed, and he couldn’t be happier than spending this miraculous post-solstice morning with his family and his new love. Life couldn’t get much better than this.
Epilogue
Weeks later, Henri was deep in planning the move of his Pack to the new territory, and the cougars had decided to open more regular relations with Joe and his Pack, with an eye toward forging even closer bonds over time. The empire Joe had envisioned was off to a good start, and he was able to fill in more Pack affiliated territory on the map he kept behind his desk in city hall.
Enid had moved in, and they spent every night, and some parts of the day, in passionate bliss. He felt almost like a teenager all over again, except this time, he was old and wise enough to savor the moments with his lover in a way he hadn’t really been able to before. Enid was settling in well, and she spent a few hours every few days using her talents on Lucinda, helping her heal all the way.
Kevin was taking on more responsibility within the Pack, and he’d even opted to move out to a small cabin farther back on Joe’s property. Kevin had renovated the little place with the help of some of Henri’s younger Packmates, with whom Kevin had become friendly. He was learning carpentry even as he made a little den for himself within his father’s territory.
It was a first step toward full adulthood that made Joe proud. They’d had a long talk about Kevin’s decision to move out, and Joe knew his son hadn’t done it because he’d felt forced out. Rather, Kevin had felt it would be a gift to his newly-mated father to have some time and space alone with Enid. Plus, Kevin was getting a little too old for fooling around in the woods. A nice little bachelor pad was helpful to his love life, as well.
In perfect accord, Joe helped Kevin and his new friends build the place, knowing the addition of a guest cottage on his land could only be a useful thing, even after Kevin moved out and found his own territory, in the due course of time. For now, it kept his youngest close enough to help if necessary, and far enough away to give Joe and Enid the alone time they so desperately wanted.
Joe looked out at the setting sun from the back deck, where he’d been grilling steaks for his and Enid’s dinner. He felt her sidle up beside him, and her arm came around his waist as her head rested against his shoulder.
“In case I haven’t mentioned it today, I love you,” she said in a dreamy voice he’d come to think of as the sound of contentment.
He growled and turned her into his arms. “I seem to recall you moaning something like that earlier this morning before we got out of bed, but I like to hear it this way, too.” He leaned down and kissed her lips, getting lost for a moment in the taste and feel of his mate in his arms. When he let her up for air, she had that sleepy look in her eyes that he loved best. “And, for the record, I love you, too.”
She smiled up at him. “I’ll never get tired of hearing that.”
“Me neither,” Joe agreed, loving the feel of her against him.
“I think we should invite the cats to a big New Year’s Eve party here, in town,” she said, out of the blue, surprising him. Relations with the cats who lived out beyond Henri’s new territory were still very preliminary. “Maybe you could get Hank to get some of his people to come, as well.”
A thought occurred to him. “Wait a minute. I thought you always made fun of my empire building.”
“I never made fun of it. I may have laughed a bit, but it was with good-natured pride and a little bit of awe,” she told him. “Besides, we had a mandate from the Lady about building your Pack, so I’m all in favor of forging those bonds as quickly and as securely as possible. I think a party is always a good way to start. Friendly, happy people are easier to deal with than suspicious cats and dogs gathered around a conference room table.” She blinked up at him innocently. “Don’t you think?”
“Enid…” he began, then realized he was lost for words. He shook his head a bit and tried again. “You’ve already got this all planned, haven’t you?”
“Actually,” she admitted a little bashfully, “I was talking it over with Tracy and some of the elder maternals this afternoon. Tracy agreed the restaurant would be the perfect location. If we use all the rooms, it’s big enough to hold everyone, plus the guests.”
Joe started to laugh. “Goddess help us,” he said softly. “And you thought I was bad with my delusions of grandeur. If you’ve mobilized my daughter and the elder ladies already, there will be no stopping us.”
Enid reached up and pecked him on the chin. “That’s the general idea, lover. We’re a team now. Your goals are my goals, and I’ll do all I can to help you achieve them.”
A sense of wonder came over him again—a near-daily occurrence since the solstice eve when he’d been given this miracle of a second chance at love. He vowed in his heart to never take her for granted.
“It goes the other way, too, you know. Your priorities are now my priorities. Don’t forget that, my love,” he whispered as darkness began to fall.
“My priority at this moment is to get those steaks inside where we can eat them in comfort,” she said, laughing and slipping out of his arms to pick up the platter of cooked meat. “We can talk about our empire building over dinner.”
Joe watched her go into the house then lifted his gaze skyward to speak a prayer of thanks to the Mother of All, and his beloved first mate who served the Lady now in a far off realm. He had been twice blessed to find a mate to share his life, his dreams, and his burdens. Though there would be trials and difficult days, there was also joy, once again, in his life. Thanks be to the Mother of All.
*
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; Bianca’s next release is something a little different. It’s a futuristic story in the In The Stars Romance line (similar to Howls Romance, but set in the future). It’s called The Cyborg Next Door and a short excerpt follows.
Howls Romance
Classic romance… with a furry twist!
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About the Author
Bianca D’Arc has run a laboratory, climbed the corporate ladder in the shark-infested streets of lower Manhattan, studied and taught martial arts, and earned the right to put a whole bunch of letters after her name, but she’s always enjoyed writing more than any of her other pursuits. She grew up and still lives on Long Island, where she keeps busy with an extensive garden, several aquariums full of very demanding fish, and writing her favorite genres of paranormal, fantasy and sci-fi romance.
Bianca loves to hear from readers and can be reached through Twitter (@BiancaDArc), Facebook (BiancaDArcAuthor) or through the various links on her website.
Other Books by Bianca D’Arc
Paranormal Romance
Brotherhood of Blood
One & Only
Rare Vintage
Phantom Desires
Sweeter Than Wine
Forever Valentine
Wolf Hills*
Wolf Quest
Tales of the Were
Lords of the Were
Inferno
Tales of the Were ~ The Others
Rocky
Slade