Page 101 of To Challenge a Wolf

It was Rhett-speak for happiness, contentment, a whole variety of good things he was still learning to identify. “Good,” she said, and they rejoined the celebration.

Their post-ceremony outdoor banquet had been catered by Ember and Malachi. Between Malachi’s grill-master status and Ember’s dream of her own catering business, the team-up was ideal, and the results were mouth-watering, a level above the usual cookout fare. Ember’s numerous side dishes all demanded to be tasted—stewed okra and tomatoes, cornbread dressing, roasted corn and peppers, green beans almondine, baked mac ‘n’ cheese which she claimed was for the pups but which both Sterling brothers dove toward more like hawks than wolves. Malachi’s meats, though more typical as he never failed at this and had every weekend all year to perfect his BBQ experiments,were no less tempting—venison burgers, of course, as well as BBQ ribs and pulled pork.

Vivian filled her plate to an alarming height, unable to ignore a single menu item, and followed Rhett. Snippets of conversation drifted around her, including a high little voice in a serious debate.

“Malpha, is Flannery your cat? Or is she April’s cat?”

“April and I share her equally,” Malachi said.

“Then can Ipleaseborrow her? She wants me to. I can tell from her face. Look.” Callie held the kitten up toward him.

“Well, here’s the problem with that, Callie. Your dad is a wolf, and the only wolf Flannery likes is me.”

Rhett had stopped walking, turned back to Vivian. “Viv—”

She risked her carefully balanced plate to hold up one hand, then point to the debate between the little girl and the towering alpha.

Callie said, “I know. Flannery hides from the other wolves, even Dad.”

“So if you borrowed her, what might happen?” Malachi said.

“She might hide the whole time she was at my house.” Callie gave a gusty sigh. “Okay, Malpha, I’ll just play with her at your house and let her stay with you.”

“Good idea.”

Vivian laughed. She still wasn’t over the nickname the Freeman girls had given Malachi. She continued toward what looked like a guest-of-honor seat at one of the tables. It was draped in purple fabric that tied at the back in a bow.

“What’s this?” she said.

“So your dress doesn’t get snagged on a picnic bench.” Rhett pulled out the chair and gave a little bow accompanied by a smirk.

“You thought about my dress?”

“Of course.”

“And you matched the chair cover to my shoes.”

“Nope. Coincidence. Just know you like purple.”

She shook her head and, for once, forewent a snarky comeback. “Thanks, Jamie.”

His smirk warmed to a true smile. They both seemed equally unguarded today as they dug into the delicious food and watched the community around them simply exist.

Over the next hours Vivian lost track of the number of times she heard the words “Welcome to the pack.” Every time, they soaked into her heart. She’d met nearly every wolf pack in the country, and most of them had received her politely as their guest, listened to the story of her search and wished her well. But never had she felt at home. Only here with Rhett, her wolf. Only his pack could be hers.

She and Rhett hadn’t talked much while they ate, so when she next spoke, it was without transition. But Rhett had never been one to need a segue.

“It’s like what you told me,” she said, “about the thing you were looking for all those years, looking for your pack. A place to rest and be.”

He cocked his head. “Today, you mean. Here and now.”

“Yeah. That’s what it feels like for me too. I was on a search for…gosh, it felt like forever. Looking for you, not knowing I was your mate but feeling…I don’t know. Maybe I felt that I was. That I wasn’t looking only for the wolf who got away. I was looking formywolf, chosen for me.”

“Meanwhile here I was, clueless as ever.”

“It happened the way it was supposed to. I don’t know why it took me so long to find you, but…well, if fate is real, then fate knows. And now I’m here, and you’re here, and both of us can rest and be.”

“Hmm.” His growl was thoughtful. “Don’t know about resting yet. We’ve got a condo in Chicago to sell and a moving truck tobook. And a whole lot of packing to do as soon as the full moon ends.”

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