Page 87 of Fated to the Feral Wolf

“You ready for all this?” He gestured to the women trailing flowers away from the mound into the woods where Shay would be walking out to meet me any moment.

I nodded, suddenly choked up. I was so ready, it felt like my entire life had been building to this one moment and the rest of my happiness hinged on it. She was everything, and I was prepared to spend the rest of my life loving her, making her happy.

“Good man.” He patted me on the shoulder. “I wanted to ask you something now, before things get underway. If you don’t mind?”

“Shoot.”

“You acted as an enforcer before. And I will happily reinstate you as a working enforcer for the pack as we discussed previously, if that’s what you want. But… you seem to have bonded with the women. They’re close, but they let you in. And I was wondering if you might accept a less traditional role, but one that I think is doubly important given Brielle’s special talents.”

My eyebrows rose in surprise. “I’m listening.”

“I’d like to make you the personal guard for the three of them. It’ll be a paid position, same level as head enforcer. But your duty will be to protect them, specifically, instead of splitting your focus across the entire pack’s security.”

“You don’t have to pay me to guard my mate,” I said drily, even though I was already warming up to the idea. His parents had been killed, and while he had Gael watching his back, Brielle—any of the alpha mates, really—didn’t have anyone permanently assigned by the pack order. It was an oversight long overdue for correction. “Shay is more than capable of taking care of herself. But I tentatively accept, as long as she agrees.”

He nodded, his relief plain to see. “I don’t know what’s coming in the next few months. But I know it’s going to be dangerous, for Brielle most of all. And while I’d normally assign Gael?—”

“He and Leigh can’t stop fighting? I understand.”

He gave me a grim smile in answer, then cast a glance up at the moon. “It’s time. Are you ready?”

“I’m more ready for this than anything else in my life.”

Kane chuckled. “Let’s do this, then.”

He called the other two, and we stepped into the circle offlowers, the sweet scent of them perfuming the air as we took our positions. Kane stood at the top of the circle, ready to officiate. Gael and Reed had my back, ready to serve their ceremonial duties.

It was different, being back in a pack. Sometimes, it felt like a too-tight pair of shoes that I was going to bust out of any second. And other times, like this, it was as easy as breathing.

As soon as we were in place, music began to waft softly through the trees. It was only the four of us, per Shay’s request. There were some grumbles from the rest of the Johnson City females, but in the end, they acquiesced to Shay’s desire for a private ceremony.

Within minutes, Brielle appeared, wearing a simple green gown and holding her bottle of perfume. Then came Leigh, holding a jar of special herbal water. I didn’t know what was in it and I didn’t care, because the sight that came behind her took my breath away.

Shay was everything beautiful and good in my life. And when I saw her wearing the frothy white gown, I almost choked at the lump in my throat. She gazed shyly down at the ground as she stepped up to take her place between her two best friends, her dark curls styled into a waterfall over one shoulder, the thin straps of her gown hiding nothing of her mating marks, the beautiful swirls calling me, inviting me in to finish them with my bite.

What had I ever done to deserve such perfection? I was unworthy. But I loved her with every cell of my being, every hair on my head. And I would work every day of forever to keep her content at my side. To show her how much I cherished her.

She was halfway across the clearing when she looked up, and our eyes met. She seemed uncertain, and it was like my own nerves evaporated. I wasn’t here for stuffy traditions or for my pack mates. It was her. It had always been her.

And traditions were made to be broken.

I stepped out of the flowers, eating up the ground between us in long strides. And then she was there, close enough to kiss, to see the little blue blossoms woven into her hair. She was my own fairy, come to life from the pages of a book.

“Don’t be afraid,” I said, meaning every word as I stroked the line of her jaw with my thumb. “It’s just me, and you, and the moon.”

FIFTY-TWO

Shay

“So, given what we’ve learned recently about my gifts, Leigh and I were discussing that it might be best if she applies the fertility water during the ceremony.” Brielle was biting her bottom lip nervously. “Unless you guyswantto have a baby right away, but frankly, I don’t really know how much control I have over my…” She waved idly at herself, at a loss.

“Her mojo’s running wild, Shay, and you do not want her sprinkling hyperpowered preggo juice on your feet instead of the regular rose hips.” Leigh shook her head and pointedly took the jar from Brielle. “I’m vetoing that option.”

I nodded wordlessly, sudden, intense nerves making it impossible to speak.

I was ready to bond—so ready, I could practically feel the way his fangs were going to sink into my neck tonight. But something about theofficial ceremonyvibes was making me incredibly anxious. We’d minimized it as best we could, but there were only so many ways you could change the actual ceremony. I even felt a little nauseous, which was super weird. My wolf was quiet, so clearly, I wasn’t picking up any latentdanger. Just regular old social anxiety, fueled by childhood trauma and a healthy dose ofpeople are scary as fuck.

Walking across the clearing while everyone stared… I swallowed hard, staring down at my dress with major second thoughts. It was gorgeous, the prettiest dress I’d ever seen, frankly. But I was so exposed in it. Thin spaghetti straps were all that held it up, my mate marks on full display. Even the parts between my breasts were framed by the deep V-neck. It dissolved from the bodice down into a skirt of organza ruffles, feeling silky and soft around my legs as I walked.

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