Marking Melody Read online

  Shaking the morose thought from his head he said, “Jilly took her birth certificate with her when she moved out. I found out through a teacher in Ashland that she had come in with a woman who claimed to be her mother and withdrew from school. I’m assuming that the females had false identification of some sort that allowed them to fill out the appropriate paperwork for her to quit school, get her license, and get her GED. They didn’t want any of the younger females to go to school and be exposed to any other were-groups or humans.”

  “Another way to control them,” Sam mused.

  Aaron nodded. “It’s crazy how different Jilly is. I’m so glad she was set free of the curse and she’s back in the pride where she belongs.”

  John was glad for that, too.

  “It looks wonderful in here. A perfect room for a young lady.” Sam looked around the room and smiled.

  “I hope she likes it,” John said, but knew in his heart that she would.

  After dinner on Friday, the kids hurried up ahead of Jilly to her new bedroom and Henry opened the door for her. She stepped into the room and turned in a slow circle, taking it all in.

  “Oh, Daddy,” she said with a thick voice. Her mouth turned down, and tears filled her eyes.

  He hugged her tightly. “Do you love it, baby?”

  “I do, so much. Thank you.” Her hands balled against his back, and she shuddered as she cried, but she never pulled away from the hug. For so many years he had never been able to really hug his daughter, and it was a balm for his soul. She’d been a missing part of his life, and she was here now. Home, where she belonged.

  “I’d do anything to make you happy, baby. I’m so glad you’re home.”

  “I don’t want to be anywhere else.”

  Chapter 20

  *Nine Weeks Later*

  Tristan bent Melody back and kissed her soundly. She laughed, throwing her arms around his neck. The music from the stereo on the back porch filled the air, along with the laughter and chatter of their wedding guests.

  “Are you happy, Mrs. Harrison?” Tristan righted her and spun her in a circle, releasing her into Micah’s waiting arms.

  “Very,” she said and grinned.

  Micah kissed her, too, but instead of bending her back in a grand show, he simply cupped her cheek and kissed her. She loved how different they were. Hard and soft. Aggressive and sweet. Will-kill-anything-creepy-crawly and scared-to-death-of-spiders. She giggled inwardly at the thought. She’d never met a grown man who was afraid of spiders, but Micah froze up like an icicle at the sight of any eight-legged creatures.

  He told her – one day when he was flame-red from embarrassment at freaking out over a spider in the kitchen – that when he was a kid, he’d been canoeing with his dad and Tristan and they’d turned a sharp corner in a creek and run against a tree. The tree was home to thousands of spiders that dropped from the limbs and scurried over all of them. Micah had been just young enough to be traumatized completely. Tristan never teased his brother about his fear and Melody didn’t tease him either. Spiders didn’t bother her. But snakes? She’d run for the hills if she saw a snake.

  “We’re married, sweetheart,” Micah whispered in her ear, and she shivered as his voice trailed down her spine.

  “I thought the day would never come,” she said and smiled.

  Which was very true. Her uncles had seemed to take forever to tie up their affairs in King, but had finally moved to Ashland the week before. They’d set a tentative date for their wedding for the third Saturday in September. She’d been worried they might not make it out in time and they’d have to postpone, but she was thrilled when they finally showed up with their moving truck packed full of all their belongings.

  She moved into Tristan’s room with Micah. They shared the third floor with Ray, Wesley, Chase, Dylan, Hunter, and Henry, who each had their own rooms, and Lachlyn, Jericho, and Alek who shared a room. There were two empty rooms on the third floor. The second floor held the younger kids and now Jilly, along with her dad, John, James, Aaron, Grant, and Sam. Her uncles decided to live on the second floor and took two of the empty rooms for themselves.

  She hadn’t known how busy the boarding house would be, but it was a haven of activity all the time. In August, the entire pride went camping, and Melody spent time with Jilly, Lachlyn, and Sam and got to know the ladies. She liked the sweet music teacher, the fun loving she-bear, and the young teen a lot and was looking forward to getting to know them better.

  In August, she and her mates went to Bent Creek for a long weekend and hung out with Scarlett and the wolf pack. The kids headed back to school at the end of the month, and the house was suddenly calmer.

  Melody’s photography business was booming. There were no professional photographers in Ashland, and once her pictures of Callie’s kids appeared in frames on Eryx’s desk in the police station, requests rolled in like crazy. Ray, who was very good with computers, designed a website for her, and Chase who had an accounting degree set up her billing and finances. She was booked solid through the following spring.

  She was itching to take pictures now at her own wedding, too, but instead of her being behind the lens for the most special night of her life, she hired a professional photographer from another town. It had allowed her to just enjoy the night. From her uncles walking her down the makeshift aisle in the backyard to where her mates stood with Pastor Gisele under an arbor full of tiny white roses, to the monster wedding cake, to the way that she was dancing now with her mates.

  “What are you thinking about, sweet wife?” Tristan nuzzled her neck from behind and kissed her ear.

  “Taking pictures.”

  “Ooh, of our wedding night?” He snickered.

  She swatted at the arm he hooked around her waist. “Of course not, you naughty cat.”

  “Well, I’ve got it on good authority that the photographer has been taking hundreds of pictures, so I know that your special day will be well documented.”

  She sighed happily.

  James tapped his spoon against his champagne glass once they had been passed around to everyone, the kids drinking glasses full of white grape juice. “I’m so happy to see our pride come together for such an important event. The finding of truemates should be celebrated and honored. To Melody, Micah, and Tristan. May your love grow stronger every day.”

  He raised his glass and the pride raised theirs. Melody, Micah, and Tristan clinked glasses and drank a toast to their future.

  An hour later, Sam helped Melody out of her wedding dress, a simple white capped sleeve dress with a full skirt. Callie unzipped the bag for the wedding dress, and while Lachlyn helped maneuver the dress into the bag for safekeeping, Lisa held up the navy blue, short sleeved sweater dress Melody had picked out to wear after the reception.

  “Have they told you what you’re doing yet?” Lisa asked, handing the dress to Melody.

  “No. I kind of have the feeling they don’t know, either, though. They told me to pack for three days, so I guess wherever we’re going we’ll be back on Tuesday.”

  Callie made a soft sound, and Melody realized she was holding back a laugh. “Do you know?”

  “Who, me?” Callie’s eyes widened with mock surprise.

  “Oh, tell me!” Melody demanded.

  “Sorry. My lips are sealed under threat of punishment from my mates. I don’t mind teasing them, but I don’t want to piss them off outright, and it would if I spilled, so no way.”

  “Oh, fine.” Melody stuck her tongue out at Callie who laughed heartily.

  After she ran a brush through her hair and checked her makeup, Melody and the ladies left the bedroom that she shared with Micah and Tristan and walked downstairs. Her uncles were waiting at the bottom of the steps. Callie, Lachlyn, Lisa, and Sam scooted around Melody and walked out to the front of the house.

  Jax took one hand and Holden the other, and both looked at her with faces shining with happiness. “Your dad would be so proud of you, baby girl,” Holden said wit
h a thick voice. “I’m so happy for you.”

  “We’re proud of you too, honey,” Jax said. “You’re the best thing that ever happened to our family, and we’re glad to be here with you and share in your new life.”

  She hugged and kissed them, thanking them for their support and love. They walked her to Micah and Tristan who stood at the front door.

  “Are you ready for our honeymoon, baby?” Tristan asked, taking one hand.

  “Yes. Are you going to tell me where we’re going yet?”

  “We don’t know,” Micah chuckled lightly. “It’s a surprise to us, too.”

  The three of them maneuvered through the front door holding hands and stopped on the front porch. The pride was gathered on the lawn, the males looking handsome in suits and the females in pretty dresses. Scarlett, who had been her Maid of Honor, stood between Ray and Wesley, who had taken an instant liking to her sassy friend. Micah and Tristan’s dad and uncle had come for the wedding, and Jilly’s twin mates stood with her next to her dad. The kids were all adorable in their little suits. The excitement of the party colored their cheeks.

  For most of her life, she’d never been around other mountain lions except her father. She hadn’t felt as though she’d missed out on anything because her dad had loved her so greatly. But now that she knew how amazing the pride was, she sent a prayer of thanks heavenward to her dad, for walking away from everything to give her a chance at a normal life.

  James stepped forward and said, “The pride wanted to give you a present that expressed how much we care for the three of you. It wasn’t easy, but we managed to keep the location of your honeymoon a surprise,” he glanced towards the kids and smiled, “and we hope that you enjoy yourselves.”

  He stepped up onto the porch and gave them an envelope. As Tristan took it, James said, “We’ve paid for two nights at the Yellowwood Lake Cabin Resort. My boys and Callie spent their honeymoon there, and I have it on good authority that it’s amazing.”

  Melody looked down at Callie, who smiled broadly. “Thank you,” Melody mouthed to her friend, and Callie nodded, hooking her arms through each of her husband’s arms and leaning her head against Eryx’s shoulder.

  Tristan thanked the pride for their gift, and they cheered as the three of them made their way to the truck Tristan purchased a few weeks after they’d come back to Ashland. The navy blue truck was now covered with white silk flowers and ribbons, and someone had written on the back windshield with white paint, Just Married.

  “Oh good grief,” Tristan said, chuckling when he saw his truck. He opened the passenger door and scooped Melody up in his arms. “Think people will know we’re married now?”

  “I think they’ll figure it out,” she said, kissing him.

  He set her in the middle of the bench seat and walked around to the driver’s door while Micah climbed in next to her. When both were buckled in on either side of her, Tristan started the truck, and they waved to the pride watching from the front lawn. Tristan honked twice as he pulled away from the boarding house.

  “Two nights is going to go really fast,” Micah said, putting his arm around her and hugging her close.

  She peeked up at her sweet mate, and he looked down at her with his caramel eyes brimming with love. “I love you.”

  “I love you, too, sweetheart.”

  She took Tristan’s hand from her knee and kissed the top. “I love you, too.”

  Tristan glanced at her with a smile and told her that he loved her. As they left Ashland and headed towards their honeymoon cabin, she smiled. For a long time, she thought she’d lost everything when her dad died. But having Micah and Tristan in her life — finding them, mating them, marrying them — had given her back her heart and her spirit. She missed her dad terribly, but his memory would live on through her, and she would be sure to share everything about him with their kids, so they would know their grandfather.

  One night she’d tried to save the pride against a threat, but the pride had saved her in the end by giving her the two most precious males in her life and helping her to reconnect with her family. No matter what else came their way, she and her mates had each other and the pride, and there wasn’t any storm that could destroy their love for each other.

  The End

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  Contact the Author

  Website: http://www.rebutlerauthor.com

  Email: [email protected]

  Twitter: @rebutlerauthor

  Facebook: www.facebook.com/R.E.ButlerAuthorPage

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  Also from R. E. Butler

  Wiccan-Were-Bear Novella Series

  A Curve of Claw

  A Flash of Fang

  A Price for a Princess

  A Bond of Brothers

  A Bead of Blood

  A Twitch of Tail

  A Promise on White Wings

  The Wolf’s Mate Series

  The Wolf’s Mate Book 1: Jason & Cadence

  The Wolf’s Mate Book 2: Linus & The Angel

  The Wolf’s Mate Book 3: Callie & The Cats

  The Wolf’s Mate Book 4: Michael & Shyne

  The Wolf’s Mate Book 5: Bo & Reika

  The Wolf’s Mate Book 6: Logan & Jenna

  The Necklace Chronicles

  The Tribe’s Bride

  The Gigolo’s Bride

  Ashland Pride Series

  Seducing Samantha (Ashland Pride One)

  Loving Lachlyn (Ashland Pride Two)

  Marking Melody (Ashland Pride Three)

  Hyena Heat Series

  Every Night Forever (Hyena Heat One)

  Every Dawn Forever (Hyena Heat Two)

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  Coming Soon…Redeeming Rue (Ashland Pride Book 4)

  As an albino black panther banished by her people, Veruka Jennings knows if her clan discovers she had a child, it would mean death for them both. Labeled an abomination and forbidden from having cubs, she's spent the better part of her life as an outcast, believing she is worthless because of the color of her fur. After secretly overhearing traveling clan members discuss a bonding ceremony in Indiana, she decides to spy on the proceedings for one last look at the people who treated her like trash.

  When James and John Fallon investigate a shadowy figure in the woods during a bonding ceremony, they do not expect to find the woman they are meant to share. But instead of enjoying their mating, they are embroiled in a clan war as they fight to protect Veruka and her son, who have come to mean everything to them. If they can protect her, will they be able to keep her? Or will Rue believe she's not worthy of their love and disappear from their lives forever?

  Warning: This book contains one spunky heroine who will do anything to keep her son safe, two males who aren’t about to let the slippery female get away, and a ticked off clan of panthers who want bloody revenge for their broken laws. Expect plenty of growls and snarled curses, love bites, ceremonial mating, and scorching m/f/m loving that only happens when two mountain lions finally find the woman of their dreams. Contains m/f/m interaction.

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