Page 82 of Dawn Unearthed

My mother reached out and pulled Sage close, hugging her. “It is an honor to meet our son’s mate, the alpha of the Ravenwood pack. “I am glad we found you. That we are here. And I am glad that you are with Rome during this time. He will need you more than ever.”

“I will always be here,” Sage said softly. “For him and our people. Always.”

Nothing she could have said would have been better. My father smiled softly and tugged her close, giving her a big hug. Sage let out a little oompf, and a small smile played on my lips. She was so tiny compared to the giant bears around her, but she didn’t falter. Instead, she hugged him back, and my father kissed the top of her head.

“We will mourn our sons and the choices they made. In the end, Trace protected. He did so much. My heart feels as though there can be no hope, but I have to hold onto the fact that my son died protecting those he loved.” My mother’s voice broke, and my bear mourned.

We did not speak of Alden. There was nothing more to say. He had gone down the wrong path, and we couldn’t change that.

I slid my hand into Sage’s and nodded as Ash, Jaxton, and Aspen came over. Aspen, as the fae leader, looked calm and remote as he nodded at my father. “We are sorry you’re here for this occasion but know we still stand with your son and the shifters. We will stand against the necromancers.”

“All of us,” Ash whispered.

“We will fight, and we will avenge your sons,” Jaxton added, and it wasn’t lost on any of us that he had mentioned both Trace and Alden.

My heart would forever have a jagged crevice at losing my triplets, but Sage was here and could fully help me heal it. I could feel her within our bond, wrapping herself around my bear, my anchor, and my heart.

She was healing me, and I wasn’t even sure she was aware that she was doing it.

We spoke to my parents and the others as Ariel came up, her expression solemn. She was my beta now. Perhaps not as strong in power as Trace, but she would be strong enough. She would protect our pack. Honestly, she should have been our third, to begin with. However, there was no time for those regrets now.

“It’s my shift now on the perimeter. I just wanted to stop by and give my condolences.” Ariel nodded at my parents. “We’ll meet soon?” I lifted my chin in affirmation. It had only been two days since the attack in the pack circle that had changed everything. It had taken those two days to make arrangements, to get my parents here, and for our wounds to heal. And even then, they weren’t fully healed, not physically, and definitely not emotionally.

“We’ll speak soon.” Ariel met my gaze for a brief moment before her bear forced her to lower her chin. “Alpha.” She turned to Sage. “Alpha.” My beta walked away just as the three triplet cubs ran over. They had shifted to bear form, far more comfortable that way with so many strangers. Sage immediately dropped to her knees, and the three hugged her tightly, crawling all over her. She let out a soft laugh, and my bear hummed, relaxing slightly at the sound of her voice.

My father cleared his throat. “She will be a good mate. And despite what Alden thought, it will be good to have a connection to the coven.”

“He’s always had a connection to the coven,” Ash corrected my father.

My father gave Ash a look. And there it was again, those unspoken words. We did not speak of why Ash had left, nor why he had come back. At least, not yet.

I knew we would have to do so soon. “There’s always a connection to the coven, but my mate is part of its heart and soul, so the connection is even greater now.”

“Take your mate home and hold her. Tomorrow, you will make plans, and you will tell us of those plans,” my mother ordered, and I smiled softly.

“We’ll tell you what we know, but you should also protect your den. We don’t know where this necromancer might reach out to next.”

“Understood,” my father said, “We’ll protect ours, but you are ours, as well. Remember that.”

We spoke a bit longer, and then I watched as Laurel walked away, limping. I knew we would have a conversation later. She would kill herself if we weren’t careful, and I knew none of us could handle that. She had lost Trace, just as I had. We needed to speak, but first, I needed my mate. We met with the elders and the other bears who needed us but were soon in my home,our home, as I held Sage close.

“We haven’t even had time to talk, beyond a few mentions about the fact that we’re mated.”

She looked up at me as I spoke, and she smiled softly. “I know there are logistics and discussions about what will happen next and who we will be. But this is our home. It’s closest to the den, and I was only renting that cottage. It’ll be good to be with you, in the den, for when they need you. They’re broken. I can feel it through the bonds. I hope I can help.”

I kissed her. My mate was so strong, and my bear approved. “I know we need to speak with the others, but can I have you? Are you healed enough? My bear needs you. And so do I.”

In answer, she tugged off my shirt. I kissed her again. We slowly stripped each other, and I led her to the bedroom, laying her on the bed. I kissed her, and she kissed me back, her lips soft, her touch gentle. She would have a scar on her side, just like I would. We’d both nearly died of perverted magic not our own. It would take time to heal, but these scars would never fade. I kissed the ridges on one and then moved back to the mating mark before I hovered over her and slowly slid deep inside.

She wrapped her arms around me, and we moved as one, riding each other, needing one another.

I wasn’t sure where I ended, and she began, but my bear groaned. When I rolled over onto my back, she rode me. My hands moved to her breasts, her nipples hard against my palms. She looked down at me, her hair flowing around her in honey-brown waves. She was gorgeous, and she was mine.

The water in the vase beside the bed started to spiral out, and I smiled, knowing it was her magic, her magic of warmth and home, and when she came, the water sprinkled down like rain, back into the vase with a mist sliding over our faces.

She grinned, and I followed her into bliss, holding her close.

The pack would need time to heal, our friends would need even longer, and I didn’t know what our future might bring.

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