Page 234 of The Alpha's Pen Pal

He wasn’t lying. He came with me to every class, every rehearsal, every performance, and everything in between. He drove me to the city, then did his coding job on his laptop or tablet while I did whatever I had on my schedule for the day, and then he’d drive us back to Crescent Lake. Of course, Wesley would tag along occasionally as well, doing more of his work remotely now that we were mated.

“I hereby proclaim you the gamma of Crescent Lake, Gamma Nolan Shepard.”

The breeze blew again, and Nolan inhaled, breathing in the magic and feeling his new power settle in his body. He and Wesley exchanged a smile, and then Wesley stepped in front of Sebastian.

“You sure you don’t want your own pack?” Wesley muttered to him.

“I’m sure, Alpha,” Sebastian replied.

His face and eyes were serious, his brow raised, challenging Wes to ask him again. But he didn’t. He just nodded and took his brother’s arm in his as he’d done with the other two.

“Sebastian Henry Stone,” Wesley said. “Do you promise to lead Crescent Lake to the best of your ability? Do you promise to train our warriors to defend our pack and those who cannot defend themselves? Do you promise to be among the first to lead us into a fight against those who wish us harm?”

“I do,” Sebastian whispered.

The brothers exchanged a long look, and then Wesley squeezed Sebastian’s arm. “Then I hereby proclaim you the delta of Crescent Lake, Delta Sebastian Stone.”

Sebastian’s lips pinched together, and he hugged Wes, his face hiding in his shoulder.

They released each other, and Wesley turned to me, giving me his full attention for the first time since the ceremony began. My hands shook again, and I swallowed, squeezing Emily’s hand as she had done earlier.

“Don’t be nervous, Sugar Plum,” Wesley whispered in my mind, his warm brown eyes locked with mine. “The pack already loves you. This is just a formality, just part of our tradition.”

“You will be fine,” Emily murmured, wrapping her arm around my shoulder and hugging me.

“Haven Kenway,” Wesley stated, a broad smile on his face as my name fell from his lips, his hand outstretched to me.

Everyone had their eyes on me as I walked from Emily’s side to Wesley, but I only had eyes for him. My mate. My Wesley.

He took both of my hands in his. His tongue traced his lips, and he swallowed, looking down at his feet for a moment to compose himself.

“Haven. My mate. My luna,” he began, his face softening as he looked at me, taking in my dress and my soft, wild curls. He reached up and touched my cheek, stepping in closer to me. “Do you promise to be your alpha’s other, better half? To guide me with your love and your heart? Do you promise to keep me from being too hotheaded and impulsive? To challenge me and call me out on my bullshit? Because Goddess knows I need someone to do that, and you’re the only one who does it without worrying about my reaction.”

The entire pack laughed, and I smiled at him, covering his hand on my face with my own. “I do,” I murmured, and he beamed at me.

“Crescent Lake!” Wesley exclaimed, turning to look out at our pack. “Do you promise to love and respect your luna? To treat her as the heart of our pack, the one who holds us all together? Do you promise to protect and defend her, just as you protect and defend our pack and our bond? Do you accept her as your luna?”

I held my breath, my body tensing as I heard his question, and waited for their response. This was the part I was most afraid of, the part I was dreading. The moment when they might turn me down.

But the howls and cheers that sounded before his question even finished were even louder than the ones they gave to Wesley when he was presented as their new alpha, putting all my fears to rest, proving to me they were unfounded, that I’d had nothing to worry about.

“Then I present to you your new luna, Luna Haven Kenway!” Wesley shouted.

The howls and cheers continued, growing even louder as he tugged me towards him and kissed me in front of them all, claiming my mouth with his lips and his tongue, claiming me for all of them to see. I held onto him, returning his kiss with renewed fervor, energized and driven by the support and acceptance of the wolves of our pack. The breeze blew around us, twisting my hair and dancing in the fabric of my dress as we kissed.

“I love you, Luna Haven,” Wesley said as he pulled back, his nose brushing mine.

I gave him another kiss. “And I love you, Alpha Wesley,” I replied. “Now go. Lead your pack on your first run as their alpha,” I told him, stroking his chest through his shirt before pushing him towards his friends.

He pulled me back in for one more kiss and then another, his smile growing against my lips with each one. Then he walked backwards until his bare feet were in the lake water, Reid on one side of him and Nolan and Sebastian on the other.

Without a word, the four of them shifted into their wolves and lycans—Wesley and Sebastian standing tall in their more humanoid, dark gray forms and Reid and Nolan on all fours with them. They let out a unified howl and then took off, splashing through the shallow water towards the trees.

The thundering of hundreds of heavy paws echoed around me, and the wolves of our pack sped by me. Some of them nuzzled my hand with their nose or rubbed the fur against my legs as they passed me, all of them also splashing through the shallow water as they followed their new leaders, howling and yipping with joy. The water hit me a few times, and I squealed and laughed at the unexpected temperature change and the feeling of the water on my skin and my dress.

I wrapped my arms around myself and smiled as I watched the last shifted wolf run to the forest, strolling along the shore and dipping my toes into the water, not caring if my dress got wet since it had already been splashed by the wolves. I closed my eyes, but a small tug on my skirt pulled me out of my thoughts.

I looked around and down and found a young child—or pup, I guess, since that’s what the pack called them—holding onto my skirt and peering up at me with wide, green eyes.

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