Page 100 of Brody
Again, silence.No one would dare challenge what the universe had clearly ordained.
Freya’s smile was radiant as she looked back at Brody.“Brody Thornbern, will you take this female you have claimed as your fated mate forever?”
“Absolutely yes.I do,” he replied, his voice rough with emotion that made my chest ache with love.I remembered how that same voice had whispered, “I love you” in the darkness of our cabin, how it had grown hoarse with passion during our first mating heat, how it had steadied me when the weight of transforming Dhahabu Pharmaceuticals had seemed too much to bear.How it dropped to that dominant register that made my pussy clench with anticipation when he commanded my pleasure, and how it broke with vulnerability when he surrendered to me.
She turned to me.“Rozi Dhahabu, will you take this male you have claimed as your fated mate forever?”
“Yes.I do.”The words scraped my throat raw with emotion.Tears blurred my vision, turning Brody into a silver silhouette against the pool.My fingers trembled in his grasp.
The moment I spoke those two simple words, something extraordinary happened within me.Heat bloomed behind my sternum, radiating outward until my skin felt too tight to contain it.My heartbeat stuttered.A dizzying wave of vertigo swept through me, not unpleasant but overwhelming, as if the earth had shifted beneath my feet, rearranging itself around this new reality.
My cheetah, usually so composed, somersaulted beneath my skin, stretching and purring with such intensity that I half expected my body to transform right there in the ceremonial circle.The claiming bite at my neck throbbed in perfect synchronicity with my heartbeat, pulsing with golden light that I could somehow feel more than see.Every nerve ending in my body seemed to recalibrate itself, becoming exquisitely attuned to Brody’s presence beside me, his heat, his scent, the sound of his breathing.
For decades, I’d built my identity around standing alone, Dr.Rozi Dhahabu, an independent woman who needed no one.I’d constructed walls brick by stubborn brick, convinced that needing someone meant weakness.
Brody’s thumb traced circles against my palm, and I felt something I’d never expected.Freedom.Not chains binding me to him, but wings unfurling from my shoulders.Not losing myself, but finding parts I’d never known existed.
The love in his eyes as he looked at me took my breath away.This was really happening.After years of wondering what if, we were finally choosing each other publicly and permanently.The man who’d once walked away from me was now claiming me before his pack, his community, the world.
Freya raised her hands again, her fingers sparking with white light that matched the glow of the COL water.“Luna approves of the union between this shifter and his mate.”
The magical energy washed over us like a benediction, making my skin tingle with otherworldly power.The pool beneath us seemed to respond, its blue glow intensifying until it cast our faces in ethereal light.Through our bond, I felt Brody’s wolf howling with satisfaction, while my cheetah purred with contentment.No more fighting between animal and human sides, just perfect harmony.
Freya stepped forward, giving each of us a light kiss on the cheek then declaring, “Before your family, pack, and coven, we declare you officially mated.”
Cheers erupted around us, the sound amplified by the cave’s natural acoustics until it seemed the very earth was celebrating with us.Pack members clapped Brody on the back while the women embraced me one by one.
“I can’t believe you all wore those shirts to my mating ceremony.”I laughed, my throat tightening as I took in the sea ofGlitter Is Always An Optionshirts surrounding me.The matching T-shirts, an inside joke I’d learned during my first girls’ night at Mama June’s Bar, made my heart clench with unexpected emotion.What had once been their tradition was now mine too, another thread weaving me into the tapestry of this pack that had become my family.
“How could we not wear them?”Imani said then winked before showering me with sparkling pink and green glitter that caught the moonlight.
“Congrats!”Rose yelled.
“Y’all, warn a girl next time.”I laughed, wiping glitter from my eyes, my throat suddenly tight with emotion.
A year ago, I’d walked into Black Forest Ridge as Dr.Rozi Dhahabu, outsider, granddaughter of a woman the town despised.But the Bane pack females had swept me into their circle from day one, no questions asked, no judgment.
Memories flashed through me in vivid bursts.Home-Brew shots at Mama June’s Bar, where I’d shocked everyone by matching Nyx drink for drink.Sweaty mornings at yoga class, where Rose and Izzy had cheered my wobbly attempts at downward dog.Summer barbecues at Quinn’s, where I’d fallen asleep against Brody’s chest under the stars.Passionate debates about steamy monster romance novels during our Thursday book club at Seraphina’s Lusty Wine and Book Bar.
These women had held my hand through research failures, celebrated breakthroughs with champagne and dancing, and taught me that family wasn’t just blood, it was by choice.They’d embraced me without asking me to be anything less.
More glitter rained down on my hair, and I didn’t even try to dodge it.These women were my coven, pack, and my sisters.
“Glitter is a good look on you,” Brody murmured, his lips brushing my ear as he plucked a particularly large piece of glitter from my hair.
“Don’t you dare start,” I warned, turning in the circle of his arms to face him.A shower of glitter cascaded from my hair and cloak, settling on his shoulders and catching in his eyelashes.The mighty alpha wolf, dusted in pink and green sparkles, looked ridiculously adorable.
“What?”he asked, noticing my smirk.
I reached up to brush a piece of glitter from his eyebrow.“Nothing.Just thinking about how I’m going to tell our future children that their big, bad wolf father sparkled at our mating ceremony.”
His eyes widened fractionally at my casual mention of children, something we’d discussed in hypotheticals but never with such certainty.Before he could respond, Nyx snapped a photo on her phone.
“For posterity,” she declared with a mischievous grin.“And possible future blackmail.”
Brody growled playfully, but he tightened his arms around me, his heart pressed against my back, his hardness evident against my lower spine.The ceremony had affected him as strongly as it had me.His embrace felt like coming home, a sensation I’d spent most of my life searching for without realizing it.
His lips brushed my ear, his voice for me alone.“Do you have any idea how badly I want to claim you right now?Right here, in front of everyone?”
