Nathan all but dragged himself back to the camp. He’d not fought all that much. It’d just been a long night. Too long if you asked him. But he represented the Blue Mountain Pack until the end. The witches would not all him to sit in and watch the trial. But he knew that witch and golem were now no longer a threat to the Blue Mountain. Now what would he do since the pack chose him to be their leader? Did he dare think of himself as the perfect candidate? He’d done a right fine job of being a roadblock to the current leadership there. Would he bring that blindness to this pack? Or could he be confident that he’d learned his lesson? If only he could see into the future and everything it held. Asia would see him as the stuff Alpha’s were made of. But he knew she’d read far too many romance novels involving werewolves, and they were far from correct in most things about wolf shifters. The camp was moving today, which meant he wouldn’t get much sleep, nor would the few peo
The work lunch was going well, but as the meeting came to an end, Chris noticed Jillian again adjusting the collar of her top. With a frown, he watched her for a little longer. “Is that a bite on your neck, Jillian?” Her response was to put her hand over the mark and blush. “It is! Well, I guess congratulations are in order for both of you. When are you planning to have your mating recognition ceremony?” “We’ll see. We’ve not set a date yet. There’s no hurry after all this stuff happening.” Jillian tried to take the pressure off of the subject, because she hoped they would drop it. “We’re going to have one as soon as it’s possible. No time to waste pretending things might change.” Davis interrupted Jillian’s uncomfortably nervous rambling to state the opposite of his mate’s words. “Davis! What are you talking about? We can’t do that. It’s too soon after all the deaths.” Jillian looked askance at Davis, unable to believe he’d said none of this to her
The pack came alive with the discovery of the celebration. These were things they lived for. Births, matings, and all the little cornerstones of member lives. They were a close knit family and community. This was something they could sink their proverbial teeth into. Presents weren’t necessary, but someone would always find something to bring.They planned a nighttime ceremony as tradition dictated and that gave most of the day to prepare the simple things for the ceremony.Dusk was falling and Helena cornered Jillian in her apartment to get ready. Davis took an hour and greeted those attending. Jillian fluttered about in a distracted and nervous state. Helena couldn’t figure out what would calm her down. But she started out with some logic.“First off. Here’s the dress. Let’s get you dressed. Honestly, you’d think Davis wasn’t yours already. At least, your instincts were smart enough to catch him. Everything is already recorded and technically, this is just to get your sister to leav
Asia now understood how much she didn’t know about wolf shifters and their society. The mating ceremony wasn’t elaborate, but there were meanings behind everything. Luck and good fortune were part of the reason everything was being done. Prosperity and abundance. She was told so many stories and traditions that her head spun from all of them. It was so different from what she’d learned in her time underground with them. The other women were afraid to speak of these things while Clarence was alive. Afterward, there were other things to think about. Now they were looking forward to the Alpha Acceptance Ceremony and their Mating Recognition Ceremony. It was so busy that most nights everyone went to bed exhausted to start again the next day. They could get the new packhouse built and several outbuildings so that they could winter with a roof over all their heads. They planned a school for the new year for all the packs in the area to send their pups, too. So the
Life settled down for them after that, and a routine formed. Their pack understood their unique relationship. It helped when Alfred could come up with some documentation he’d found while doing his own study on their unique bond. It and Bethany fascinated the man became a friend to Helena and Jillian. Nathan and Asia eventually settled on a date to be formally accepted by their pack and to acknowledge their mating. It was something their pack needed to. Life for them soon became full of creating and building. Several of the lone wolves filtered in and requested a place within Nathan’s pack. Davis helped greatly with that because he could identify these lone wolves and vet their stories. By winter, there were enough homes to keep the Blue Mountain Pack safe from the elements. Money appeared out of the rambling and incomplete financial status. Helena didn’t look too closely, but she suspected several packs contributed funds and investments so that they could start agai
Helena Harris was doing what she did every time to make sure her pack had what they needed. Whether it was a cup of tea for old Mrs. Danielson, mediation for the Grimes brothers, or help with meal prep for young Angel Horton, who’d just given birth to a pup. Nathan Graden, the pack’s Beta, found her hanging laundry close to the pack house. His grey hair tussled with the wind, resisting the eventual truth that he was losing it. Something odd in a wolf shifter at any age and something he was sensitive about. He came to a stop before her petite form. Helena looked up at him tiredly. She wore her chestnut hair up in a messy bun at the base of her neck. “Hi, Nathan. What do you need?” She sighed and reminded herself this was her father’s most trusted and loyal friend on the earth. As the Alpha of the Black Dane Pack. Helena’s father, Vincent Harris, controlled it for over forty years. Even after her mother passed two years prior, he stood strong against anyone
“The Alpha would like to see you both immediately. The Luna is busy, she’s going to ensure that dinner will be ready for everyone on time. So, please say your pleasantries and we’ll let her be on her way.” Helena frowned at Nathan’s rudeness. These were respected members of their pack, and people she’d grown up with. All thought of leaving left her mind at that. “It’s very nice to see you once more, Helena. I see you’ve grown up nicely.” Brian leered at her. His thumbs slid into a couple of his belt loops like he needed to force himself to keep his hands to himself. “What my brother is saying is you’re a sight for sore eyes. Now come down here and be the hostess we all know you are.” Christopher all but ignored Nathan’s words. Instead, he and Brian focused on her completely, like the predators they were. “I don’t know what to say to that. I haven’t changed all that much since you saw me last.” They didn’t move in the same circles of
Brian stood there between her and three rough looking, unknown wolves. Helena didn’t recognize any of these wolves' markings that disturbed her greatly because she could only hear her father’s warnings about her being kidnapped. Even their scent was foreign to her, and that terrified her. Because she didn’t, they come from? How did they get into their territory without tripping the security? Brian was in obvious danger, yet he wouldn’t give her room to shift into her own wolf. His wolf’s form dwarfed the other three wolves visibly. When did he get so large? She didn’t remember him being so large? White yes, she remembered that. Brian was white and Chris was black. They were like yin and yang. When his size registered with these wolves, they paused for several heartbeats. She gathered the wolves believed their numbers were superior, because then fur flew as the four wolves met in a violent tangle of claws, teeth, and fur within the tight space of the corridor. Brian had space to move