Page 60 of A True Mate Bond

Olivia gently nodded, the fear in her eyes slowly fading.

The rest of the evening was as most meals with his family, loud and full of joy. Only this time, he felt as if he could truly enjoy his time with them. Not that he hadn’t enjoyed it before, but this time, his heart and soul felt so much lighter.

At some point during dessert, Niev laid her head on his shoulder and yawned. “With all this food stuffed inside of me you might need to roll me back home.”

“I prefer carrying you,” he laughed, kissing her head.

“You did have a long day,” Lyliann chimed in, leaning over Seth to be closer to them both. “You two should go home and rest up. Tomorrow will be a long day too.”

Blake’s euphoric feeling about the gender reveal dampened a little. Tomorrow, the Skadu Wolves would join the pack and that gave him an odd feeling. Like most in his pack, he was still not convinced it was the right decision. He didn’t agree with his father, even if he stayed out of it. He’d accepted Olivia but was still hesitant toward the others. His father had started merging the packs after Selene’s night. The women were assisting with tasks concerning the pack and the men had been sent to work with all other Timber Wolves. Over the past few days, a few more Skadu Wolves had shown up, and his father had allowed them to join in with the ceremony.

Niev gently squeezed his hand and pulled him out of his thoughts. “Do you mind if we go home?”

“Not at all.” He looked up and searched for his mother. “Do you mind if Niev and I leave?”

“Take her home and let her rest. It was a long day for her.”

Niev stood up and went round the table hugging everyone and saying her goodbyes. His mother came around the table to him and wrapped her arms around him.

“Blake, I’m so very happy for you!”

He pulled her closer to him and soaked in her motherly love. He’d always adored her but had distanced himself from her in the past. Not that he loved her less, but rather for his own protection.

“Thank you.”

His mother mischievously looked over her shoulder to find Niev and then back to him. “Are we still going ahead with our plan?”

He grinned, his mother was enjoying their secrecy far too much. “We are, and if Father likes he could also announce the twins.”

His mother’s smile brightened. “Wonderful.”

Niev came around the table and hugged Olivia before pulling Tristan into her arms, hugging them both together. “I’ll see you two tomorrow.” Before looking at Olivia with an excited expression. “I can’t wait for you to be part of our pack.”

Olivia blushed and quickly looked at the floor, her voice soft and shy. “Thank you.”

Niev let go of them both and looked at Tristan. “Will you walk her home for me?”

With a bright smile Tristan nodded. “Of course.”

Niev then took Blake’s hand in hers. “Ready?”

“Are we not taking the dress with us?”

“No, I gave it to Mayra for safe keeping. I think I would be far too tempted to show it to you if it were in our closet.”

He nodded and waved everyone goodbye before leading her out of the house. They walked in silence next to each other with the last of the sun rays peeking over the trees. Blake had added a little bow to the tree that marked the entrance to their path and every time Niev saw it, she grinned. At first, she’d been ashamed of needing it but now she seemed to like the idea.

They walked down the path and he was eager for her to see the progress he and Tristan had made throughout the afternoon. Just as he’d hoped, she stopped in her tracks as she entered the clearing.

“Is that what you’ve been up to today?”

“Yes, it’s not quite done yet though.”

She laid her arm around his waist and hugged him from the side. “It looks so much better now. Thank you.”

“I would do anything for you.” He bent down and swept her up and carried her inside bridal style. “This is our home now and I want it to be perfect.”

She laid her arms around his neck and started playing with his hair. “It’s already perfect with you in it.”

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