Page 89 of Fated to the Feral Wolf

Suddenly, this ceremony couldn’t happen fast enough. I shifted on the balls of my bare feet in anticipation.

Gael stepped forward first, holding up his palm. My mouth dropped open at the blueish gem the size of an egg he cupped there. Even in the dim light, it sparkled like a diamond.

“For prosperity,” he said with a smile, leaning down to place the stone at our feet.

Leigh was next, waiting until Gael had stepped all the way back behind Dirge before entering the same space. “For fertility,” she said with a cheeky grin as she knelt and splashed the rosehip water over our feet and ankles.

Brielle’s eyes were misty as she came forward, unstoppered bottle of perfume in her hands. To my surprise, she dipped her fingers straight into the thick oil as she spoke. “For passion,” she said, and then dabbed the warm, dripping oil behind both my ears and inside my wrists. She turned to Dirge and repeated the action. My blood heated as his eyes grew dark when they met mine.

Reed was the last one to make an offering, as was custom. He held up two shining golden rings. “For eternity.” There was love and pride in his eyes as he handed each of us the other’s ring. “And may you have all the joy in your lives together,” he added, sneaking a hug for his brother before stepping back into place.

“Dirge and Shay.” Kane nodded to each of us in turn as he stepped forward to complete the ceremonial binding. “Wegather here under the Goddess’s moon to bind you two together as mates. It is an eternal bond, forged by the love of the Moon Goddess, lasting in life and beyond the pall of death. Alpha Dirge, what do you offer this woman to prove that you are worthy of her love?”

Dirge swallowed hard, and I’d swear that the pinch of anxiety I felt behind my breast wasn’t mine, but his. Was our bond finally snapping into place? The thought brought me such joy, such peace.

He reached into his pocket, slowly pulling out a piece of paper. “This might be a really bad idea. But, I wanted you to have this. And if you don’t like it, I’ll buy you anything you want. Hell, I’ll let Reed buy you anything you want. But you deserve to know the truth.”

I took the paper with curiosity, not sure what could be printed on it to give him such apprehension. But when I unfolded it, the news headline nearly jumped off the page.

Sex Trafficking Ring Dismantled, More Than Two Hundred Young Girls Saved

A messy, masculine scrawl of green ink was on the side, right between the headline and the article. He’d written:You saved them.

I hastily folded it back up, clutching it to my chest like the most precious artifact. “Is this what I think it is?”

My voice was hoarse with emotion, but for once, I didn’t care. It was an emotional night.

“It is,” he murmured.

I had tears in my eyes as I hugged him, practically crushing him to my chest. He hugged me back just as hard. I don’t know how long it was before we pulled apart.

But when we did, Kane smiled and asked, “Do you accept his offering?”

“I do,” I said, nodding as happy tears trailed down my cheeks.

Dirge’s thumbs sneaked up and wiped them away, love and joy practically radiating from him. He mouthed something to me, and it took a moment for me to catch it.

My warrior.

I almost didn’t hear Kane as he told us to exchange rings. Almost.

Dirge slipped a stunning ring on my finger, the band made of two golden threads twined endlessly around. I couldn’t see where one ended and the other began, just beautiful continuity. Centered on top was an emerald, the giant rectangular stone as heavy as it was gorgeous.

“It was hard to get so quickly, but as soon as I saw the color of your marks, this piece from our family collection came to mind.”

Family collection? I was wearing a piece of his history? Tears pricked my eyes again, but I dashed them away with the heel of my free hand. I didn’t want to spend this night crying, happy tears or no. I wanted to spend it reveling in the moment, drinking in every second, burning it all into my memory.

“It belonged to my grandmother and was made for her bonding ceremony. But if it doesn’t suit you, you can choose?—”

I shook my head, stopping him in his tracks. “It’s perfect, just like the man who gave it to me.”

Dirge smiled, the pleased look he wore sending a bolt ofwantsinging through my veins. He held up his hand for his own ring, and I tried to put the lust aside to focus on the ceremony.

I slipped the heavy gold band over his knuckle, and it slid home perfectly. It was carved by the pack’s jeweler with images of two running wolves. Little bitty diamonds were worked into the scene, sparkling like stars over the wolves’ heads.

It was nowhere near as precious or even as important as his centuries-old family heirloom, but I hoped he liked it.

“It’s perfect. It’s us,” he murmured, pinning me with aheated look. I didn’t know if it was the moon or the lovelace or just the incredible intimacy of the shared moment, but I was burning up with need. This ceremony needed toend.

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