Page 22 of Bonded Beyond Trickery

It’s going to take some time. Even though we’ve bitten each other and cemented our bond, which doesn’t mean everything is magically forgotten and forgiven. It is a pretty good indication of a bright future, all things considered, since Whitaker wanted to bite me.

The emotional link between us doesn’t only go one way. If he wanted to tap into my side of the bond, he’ll feel my emotions. He’ll be able to ascertain the regrets I feel over how everything went down, even though I felt like I was making the right decision for me at the time.

I’m not sure if I would make a different decision, but the fact that I took my mate’s chance away to be the wolf I need him to be, to support me and put me first, stings. I hadn’t thought of it in those terms and having Whitaker point out how I underestimated him and made my own assumptions was like a slap to the face.

One I needed.

Since I’m not sure if my luggage ever made it out of my car yesterday, I climb out of bed and grab Whitaker’s shirt from the floor. I blush when I remember the way we stayed in bed for hours. It was more than us connecting physically though.

We talked and not only about the pack, but about our childhoods. The way Whitaker talks about growing up in Silver Howler has me excited to meet more of the pack.

Hopefully they’re nicer than the she-wolf who approached us yesterday. I’ll admit, I could see the cruel, calculated glint in hereyes when she made her presence known. I knew right away that she was going to try and cause trouble.

Knowing that didn’t stop the pain that speared me when she tried to insinuate that Whitaker had spent time with her. Not only time and not just in the past. She tried to make to make it seem like they were intimate the night before, the same night when our mate bond was revealed.

I believe my mate that nothing like that happened, that he waited for me. But, the reality is that if he hadn’t waited and if he had chosen to have another in his bed after finding out he’s mated with me, what could I have really done? Would I have been able to say anything?

I don’t know, but I’m damn glad that I don’t have to worry about it.

Warmth fills me at the memory of being with my mate and knowing it was the first time for both of us. What a gift. Our bond might be granted by the Goddess, but we honored our bond by waiting for each other.

I’m so damn glad I did.

I make my way out of the bedroom in the Alpha’s suite. I didn’t get a full tour last night. I didn’t see much more than the bedroom and the attached bathroom.

My wolf howls with joy, and I can only giggle at her in response. If her fur was any more puffed up, she would need a groomer. She chuffs, not amused by my joke, but she’ll get over it. She’s not really mad and we both know it.

How can anyone be mad when floating on the bliss that is finally being connected to one’s mate?

Yesterday, as we hid away, Whitaker had some pack members bring us dinner and we ate in bed like it was a luxury picnic. It was perfect.

To my utter surprise, it didn’t seem like he was all that worried about pack work or being behind on anything. I didn’t feel like his attention was split between me and his responsibilities.

I’m not sure if that’s a mate thing or if he’s that confident in the abilities of the rest of his leadership.

Since dinner was delivered, I’m not expecting much when I step into the kitchen, but I’m surprised to find not only a very clean space, filled with top-of-the-line appliances. When I open the fridge, it’s fully stocked.

The rumble from my stomach, a reminder of how hungry I am, has me moving. The space is perfect, and it feels like I’ve been cooking in it for forever. I should feel out of place, like a stranger in a strange land, but I don’t. I feel at home.

If this is where I live for the rest of my life, growing our family and helping to lead the pack, I can do so happily. My mind wanders over the future that is possible here as I ponder what the best way for me to help the pack could be. I don’t want to just be a pretty face.

I want to train and, maybe, strengthen their warriors since I grew up and learned under my father, brother, and the warriors of the Golden Summit pack. We are allied packs, so I’m not concerned about sharing secrets. Even if we were allies before, we would be now.

Matings tend to do that.

I also want to strengthen the business that the pack engages in. The pack is self-sustaining in so many ways, including a shopping area outside of the pack’s gates to allow business to be more than just pack wolves. I want to make those businesses as strong as they can be.

If the people in the pack are happy and fulfilled, it makes the pack stronger.

There is more to being strong than having the fiercest warrior. There is strength of character. There is trust that can’t be unbroken. There is loyalty that is never questioned or tested.

I want all of the pack to be strong, to feel like they have purpose, and to feel like their voice is being heard.

A Luna’s role is to ensure the pack’s health, and I plan to be a very well-rounded Luna.

When I start plating breakfast, so lost in my thoughts and the regularity of cooking, which I can almost do with my eyes closed, my nerves start to get the best of me. I have a plate for Whitaker, but I don’t want to bother him again to see when he’ll be back.

Maybe he would rather eat with the pack?

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