Page 99 of Shadow Bound

Two Months Later

Ilead her out of the house, my hands over her eyes so she can’t see the surprise I have waiting for her on the driveway. The excitement and chatter of Christmas morning at the Weylyn house is cut off when I close the front door behind us.

It’s Isabeau’s first Christmas ever, which means I may have gone overboard in the number of presents I got her. The first was something I gave to her in private last night, a box of new black lacy thongs because despite her complaining, I still continue to tear them off her body.

Watching her face light up when she took in the massive amount of Christmas lights my parents had decorated their large log cabin style house with was heartwarming. She looked at them with childlike wonder. Her pale eyes shone as she took everything in. It makes me sad she never got to experience holidays as a kid, but I’ll spend the rest of my life making up for all she’s missed out on.

In the past two months, I’ve been working overtime ensuring she finds her place within the pack. After we completed the mating ceremony under the full moon two months ago, the pack became more accepting of her and welcomed her into the fold. She’s been spending a lot of her days teaching many of the young single women how to fight. Rogues are never going to go away completely, and they will always be a constant looming threat to unmated females. Isabeau is teaching them how to better protect themselves in the event they aren’t able to shift in time.

She still continues to work with Winnie on her gun and knife skills. While Winslow is getting really good, Ranger still refuses to stand against the wooden board during target practice.Pussy. I’ve done it multiple times since the first time Beau threw knives at me, but then again, my mate never misses.

I trust her completely.

At the new house I’d purchased for us, I’d even had a new target built for her outside. It’s a little bit nicer than a random piece of plyboard leaning against a tree. In the basement of the two-story modern bungalow style house we now call home, there is a room just for Beau. A floor to ceiling shelving unit displays all of her weapons. She might not be an active assassin, but my girl likes her knives and guns. And I like making her happy, so of course I made all the accommodations she’d need. There’s even a shooting range being built on the property in the spring.

“I told you I didn’t want anything,” Beau complains as I lead her down the driveway.

That’s the thing about my mate, she never asks for anything, but that doesn’t stop me from giving her the world.

When she tries to pull away from my hands so she can peek a look, I pull her back closer to my chest and lean down so I can talk close to her ear. “Will you please just let me surprise you? You can go back to being difficult later.”

“Did you just call me difficult?”

“I didn’t say it was a bad thing.”

With an unamused sigh, she relaxes and lets me lead her the rest of the way to her waiting gift.

I grin when I see it sitting there with the bright red bow on top. It’s perfect for her, fits her style perfectly. She’s going to say that it’s too much and she doesn’t need it, but I don’t care.

Removing my hands from her eyes, I move so I can see her face as she takes in the gift in front of her. In true Isabeau form, she just blinks at it, giving nothing away.

“You got me a car?”

“Yes, I did.” I look between Beau and the brand-new matte black Jeep Wrangler. It even has black rims and black leather interior. It might be odd to some that I matched her car to her clothing preferences, but I couldn’t resist.

Slowly Beau moves toward the lifted Jeep, her pale eyes scanning over it. Finally, she turns and smiles at me. “I love it.” She jumps at me, circling her arms and legs around me, holding herself up. Kissing me softly she says, “Thank you.”

Smiling, I pull the second part of her present from my back pocket. “I have more.” I hold the car keys up for her to take from me. “You’re going to need a driver’s license if you’re going to drive that thing around.” Her face falls when she reads the name on the card. Gasping, her eyes shoot to mine, a look of bewilderment there. “Thought I’d give you my name too while I was at it.” I glimpse at the salt and pepper diamond that already sits on her ring finger. A week after our mating ceremony, we’d driven to Vegas and gotten married in a tiny white chapel on the strip. “Officially, that is.”

It wasn’t a necessary step. We are already bound to each other by mind, soul, and blood. In the grand scheme of things, a piece of paper didn’t mean anything, but I wanted to be tied to her in every way possible. Legally marrying her was one of those ways.

“Isabeau Rose Weylyn.” She whispers the name that is printed on the official document. She’s never been a real person before, just a ghost moving through the shadows of the world. I know it wasn’t necessary that I did this, but I wanted to give this to her. She deserves to have an official name.

“I hope the middle name is okay. I had to pick it myself.”

“It’s perfect.” She shakes her head, her eyes shining with emotion. “I’m a Weylyn now.”

From around the house, Ryker and Pruitt walk toward us. Ryker, having heard what Beau said, yells, “Hell yeah, you are!”

Over the past two months, Ryker and Isabeau have become shockingly good friends. Pruitt, of course, has been more than welcoming to Beau. She often makes jokes about how Beau shot her, but it’s all in good fun.

My wolf is at peace knowing that his mate is safe here and she is finding her place in my family.

As the alpha pair approaches, Isabeau slides off my body, but I don’t let her get too far away from me. I tuck her under my arm as I smile at my brother. “Ever think you’d share a last name with a vampire?”

“Never thought I’d meet a vampire, let alone call one my sister-in-law.” Ryker laughs. His demeanor since having Pruitt back has changed completely. He’s able to joke and laugh again, something he didn’t do for those months she was away. “Or spend Christmas morning with one.” The front door of the house opens and slams shut as Jax storms outside. He doesn’t look up at us as he disappears into the woods. “Also didn’t think I’d exchange presents with a demon, but here we are.”

Isabeau watches the direction that Jax disappears, a knowing and sympathetic look on her face. Beau and Jax have also become closer in the past few months, having bonded over their similar childhoods. I make a mental note to ask her what’s wrong with the hellhound later, but when my sister appears at the window, a pinched look on her face, I figure it out.

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