Page 100 of To Challenge a Wolf

Of course, when she questioned Blaine about it, he said he had done his duty as her friend and wouldn’t talk about it further.

For six months and three days, she wasn’t an official member of the pack, but she felt like one. She and Rhett were visiting the Reeds when three-month-old Kolson first rolled from his tummy onto his back, to the roaring pride of his daddy and the laughing delight of his mama. She was with the pack at cookout milestone announcements: Ezra’s job promotion, Willow’s acceptance into her Master’s program, April’s Teacher of the Year award, Kelsey’s millionth follower online. She lived alongside them through mundane days and hard days too: when Ember and Kolson came down with a virus and Aaron was beside himself with stress, when a helicopter passing overhead reminded everyone of the drone and sent the whole pack into anedgy vigilant mood that lasted a full hour. Vivian saw a random paper cut leave Jeremy stammering with real phobic terror. She saw an episode of Ezra’s lifelong battle with anxiety and the support of Trevor and Cassius, arms around him until he could breathe again. She saw Malachi scoop April up and turn his body into a shield, whispering and rumbling comfort to her the day an unknown trigger left her shaking.

These people went through it sometimes. Life could gut-punch them just as it could anyone else. Other times life was beautiful, overflowing with joy. Vivian was there for all of it as often as she could be.

Meanwhile Rhett’s heart did grow. Or rather, he grew into it.

He never again had a fever or a headache. The barriers were down. But the first few months held struggle for him. He tried not to fight his heart, but fighting was still the thing he knew best. Vivian stuck by him while he found his way to wholeness. Sometimes he curled up in a corner, back to the wall, knees up, and Vivian sat with him so he would never again be alone as he was in Stone’s house.

Countless times he told her, balled up and shaking,“I’m fine. I’m just feeling it.”

She came to understand thatitwas any emotion that had taken him by surprise, good or bad. Rhett didn’t know what to do with any of them. She rested her head on his shoulder and held his hand until the shakes stopped, until he gave a long growly sigh and said,“Thanks, Viv.”

One day, sitting in the corner, Rhett said,“I know it doesn’t seem like it yet, but I think it’s getting easier.”

By March the long minutes in the corner ended. He was healing fast now, the little pup trapped in his heart finally getting to grow up, to push and stretch his emotions until a whole, strong wolf stood before his mate, ready to support her as she supported him.

In April he said,“I feel ready. If you think I’m not, we’ll wait, but…Vivian, I want us to be bonded. Will you?”

Of course, she said yes.

So now here she was. Condo up for sale in Chicago, resumes out in a radius around Harmony Ridge…wearing ultra-violet block-heel shoes and a marigold-yellow dress with a godet skirt, standing in the backyard of the alpha and his mate.

Beside her wolf.

Rhett would never put on a suit, but he’d exchanged his tactical pants for black dress slacks and his T-shirt for a short-sleeved button-down slightly bluer than his eyes. The two open buttons at the top of his shirt, the way it seemed cut deliberately to showcase his biceps… She was distracted every time she looked at him. Who knew her wolf cleaned up so well?

Meanwhile he kept staring at her.

“Is that going to be your wedding dress too?” he said.

“What a revealing question. Do I need a wedding dress, Rhett?”

He blinked. “Of course you do.”

“Have you actually proposed to me?”

“Yeah.”

Vivian laughed though her thrilled heart had begun pounding. “When?”

He rolled his eyes. “When we were hiking Arlo and Rebecca’s back land and got to the waterfall, and I said…” His eyes widened. “Crap. I didn’t say it, did I. Not officially.”

“I’m starting to see that communication’s going to be a long-term growth point for us.”

“But you’ll marry me, won’t you?”

Now it was her turn to roll her eyes, but the effect was canceled by the smile taking over her face. So instead, she winked. “Just say when.”

The bonding ceremony was as memorable as any wedding. Malachi bound their hands with a soft leather cord, and they spoke the vows of two mates before their pack.Until and beyond the falling of the moon.When the alpha pronounced them bonded, the pack cheered and howled with such joy and welcome, Vivian had to blink away tears of matching joy.

She knew Blaine couldn’t be present at a wolf gathering, but she missed him today. A few weeks ago she’d said,“I’ll miss you more than you’ll miss me,”and the hiss he gave in response made her second-guess her assumption.

After the ceremony Malachi unwound the cord from around their hands, but Rhett continued to hold onto hers with a possessive grip, twining their fingers and sticking by her side. At last Vivian tugged his hand and drew him away from the festivities and food.

“Just checking in,” she said quietly. “How’re you feeling?”

When he smiled, his eyes shone. “I feel right. Everything feels so right, Viv.”

---