The Wolf's Mate Book 2: Linus & The Angel Page 17

  Drying his hair, he dressed in the clothes laid out for him, what he assumed was traditional for the Angel ceremony. Hand stitched buckskin trousers hung low on his hips, with a matching embroidered vest. On the front of the vest, Karly’s tattoo was stitched with shiny black and gold thread.

  Opening the bedroom door, he walked down to the front room where Kamren, Pops, and his three brothers-in-law were wearing identical clothes, minus the embroidered tattoo on the vest.

  He noticed none of them had shoes on either, so he didn’t mention the lack of them. “Did Karly explain the ceremony?” Kamren asked.

  “Kind of.”

  “Well, it’s pretty straight forward. My wife will officiate over the angel part and then alpha Krayne will welcome you into the pack as the mate of a member, which gives you the status of honored guest for the span of your life. Then the pack will walk by you single file and they’ll embrace you one by one. It’s a way to cement your scent into their memory as well as welcome you. When that’s done, you’ll be presented with the gifts from the pack in the form of the hides of the kills. The meat will be cooked, and you’ll have a chance to rest before the evening meal, but you’ll have to rest alone and without Karly. After the meal, you’ll have to stick with the party until sunset and then you’ll come back here and stay in our home for the night. Sophia has made up the largest guest room for you to make yourself comfortable. In the morning, there will be a large breakfast at the alpha’s and then you can head home afterwards.”

  They began to walk out towards the full moon meeting place. “You could always join this pack, you know.” Rico said, falling into step next to him. “If you wanted, I mean. We all have our own packs and all, but your Pops was telling us how modern your pack is. Alpha Krayne would welcome you and Karly as full members.”

  Linus was a little speechless. It had crossed his mind, because Karly was so happy to be home with her family, but he had responsibilities to his own pack, not to mention his own family.

  “Now, now, don’t rush the boy,” Kamren chided his son. “There’s time for life altering decisions another day.”

  Glad he didn’t have to say one way or the other what he thought, he kept his mouth shut and followed them to the open space and tried not to think about how frozen his feet were getting already.

  The sky was the most possible black it could be just before sunrise as he stood alone in the center of the full moon meeting place. The bonfire had been extinguished and all the wolves around him were quiet in anticipation. A torch dotted the darkness, drawing closer, Karly’s mother’s face shining in the play of light and shadow.

  He could just barely make out Karly walking behind her mother through the trees and into the sacred circle. Sophia dipped the flaming end of the torch into the bonfire and it roared to life, laid heavy with new wood soaked with an accelerant to burn quickly, and then she placed the torch in a tall holder next to a small wooden stand with a book on it.

  As Karly drew close to him, Linus was simply stunned. She looked like a vision. A real angel. Wearing a plain white long gown, her shoulders were draped with a cloak made of pure white rabbit pelts that trailed the ground. She reached her hands out for his and he took them, finding hers trembling and ice cold. Immediately he wanted to pull her into his arms and warm her up, but he fought the urge and tried reasoning with his wolf that this was tradition and important.

  Sophia wore a similar gown of plain white but her cloak was gray like fox fur. In her hands, she held a length of green vine full of white flowers that smelled like oranges. With quiet care, she wrapped the two of them up in the vine, threading it across his shoulders and down both arms and their clasped hands and tied it around Karly’s shoulders. The whole time, he was only barely aware of anything except the sweet, love filled look on Karly’s face as the sun began to rise and cast the woods in amber light.

  Sophia stood behind the small stand and opened the book. Clearing her throat, she looked up at the sky and then at the two of them.

  “When the first wolf was created, too full of his beast to be man, the great wolf spirit felt pity for him and his misery and sent him an angel. She was his salvation; a perfectly made mate for his beast and his human natures twined together in one being. The Angel Mate was created on that day, so the werewolf would not have to choose between his beast nature and his human nature. Because of the Angel Mate, the werewolf could live in society as he was meant to: a protector of innocents, a leader of his kind, a father to his cubs, and most importantly, mate to his angel.

  “We celebrate the joining of the last Angel Mate to her wolf this morning, as the sun rises on this first new day of their life together. May the wolf spirit and the spirit of the first Angel shine down on you for the span of your lives and bless you with cubs and angels to fill your home with love.” Sophia paused for just a moment, tears shining in her eyes, and as the sun broke through the horizon and rose silently in the sky, she said with a loud, clear voice, “Fentrita Kil-arne Postur. May the love you share between you keep you warm for all eternity. Angel, Wolf, Family.”

  Without a signal, the wolves in the pack lifted their heads to the sky and howled. “What has been joined together this day,” Sophia said as she undid the vine of orange blossoms from around them, “let none destroy.” Plucking two blossoms from the vine, she tucked one behind Karly’s left ear and put the other in a small stitched loop in his vest and then turned to the fire and cast the entire length into it. With a cheer, the wolves clapped and shouted their approval and Sophia turned with a smile and said, “You can kiss your mate now, son.”

  Not wasting a second, he pulled Karly into his arms and claimed her mouth, feeling as if it had been weeks since he’d enjoyed the sweet, hot taste of her. When the ruckus from the wolves died down, they pulled apart and his family and hers were standing around them.

  “It’s time for the pack to join you, son,” Kamren said, “and then we’ll take you back to our home for the day to rest.”

  His family and hers hugged both of them, his mom and grandmother with tears in their eyes and his grandfather looking as proud as he’d ever seen him. Alpha Krayne welcomed him as an honored guest of the pack for the span of his life and in a move that surprised him, hugged him and clapped him on the back. Nodding but saying nothing, Linus held Karly’s hand tightly as the pack filed by, including his new brothers-in-law and their wives. Congratulations were offered, but all Linus could think was that he’d have to spend the day without her. They hadn’t been apart this much since her abduction and it gnawed at his beast. He tried to hide his displeasure, but the moment the last of the wolves had hugged them both and committed his scent to memory, he had to let go of her hand and it felt like a part of him was being left behind.

  Kamren, Pops, and Karly’s brothers surrounded him and began walking and after glancing back and seeing her being led away as well, he frowned and tried to concentrate on what his new father-in-law was saying but it was difficult. He missed her. He needed her. Damn traditions!

  Back at Kamren and Sophia’s house, Kamren stopped at the bottom of the stairs. “You can change out of your ceremonial clothes. You’ll want to keep those for your future son-in-law the way that I did for you. For the party tonight, you can wear whatever you like. It would be a good idea to get some rest, even though we all know how hard it is to be separated from your mate. Welcome to the family, son. You’ve made my little girl very happy.”

  Linus trudged up the stairs feeling like his feet were now blocks of ice from being shoeless. Exhaustion plucked at him, but he wanted nothing more than to run out and find Karly and drag her into his arms and finish that kiss.

  Too keyed up to sleep, he opted to take a nice, hot shower until his body unfroze. Drying off, he looked at the clothes he’d folded carefully on the counter. He was surprised to know that Kamren had worn them. Once more, he was overwhelmed by tradition. He wanted very badly to be able to pass on all the knowledge he was surrounded by at this moment. Taking a deep
breath of the orange blossom and thinking of his mate, he walked out into the bedroom and realized immediately he wasn’t alone.

  Karly, still wearing her white dress but minus the cloak, was sitting in the middle of the bed. He paused and then climbed hurriedly onto the bed, the towel around his waist disappearing with his haste.

  She laughed quietly as he covered her face with kisses and held her close. “You have to leave, don’t you? Don’t go, baby, please.” He whispered, “I can’t bear another second away from you.”

  “I snuck out.” She wiggled her brows at him. “We shouldn’t make love, but we can sleep together. I miss you, too.”

  “I’ll be good, I swear.” He nodded vigorously. At that point, he would have agreed to being bound hand and foot to the bed just to have her there.

  “Then put something on, please, so I’m not so tempted.” She made an exaggerated motion of covering her eyes and he glanced down to see his cock hadn’t really wanted her to go anywhere, either.

  “Right.” He darted off the bed and rummaged in the suitcase.

  “Toss me a shirt and some panties, would you?” She asked and he heard the sound of a zipper and just barely stopped himself from turning around and ravaging her. With a flick, he tossed a pajama top and panties behind him and pulled on briefs. When he heard the covers being moved, he felt it was safe to turn around.

  She had adjusted the blinds and drapes so that the room was bathed with only a bare glow of early morning sunlight. Patting the pillow next to her, she smiled at him invitingly and he didn’t have to be asked twice.

  “So will we get in trouble?” He teased her as he pulled her sweet, heavenly body against his.

  “Nah. My mom snuck out to be with my dad, too. And besides, the point of the separation was so that the Angel’s family could prepare her to leave if she needed to, pack her things, and also prepare her for the wedding night. I imagine that a few generations ago, Angels weren't making love to their mates ahead of the joining ceremony and would have wanted the counsel of their elders.”

  “I’m so happy you’re mine, Karly. I couldn’t live without you.”

  She tipped her face to his, her eyes happy but sleepy. “I love you, Linus. My sweet wolf.”

  With a long, soft kiss, they said goodnight and he cuddled her against his chest and both he and his wolf sighed in contentment and drifted off to sleep.

  Later that night, they gathered with the Soualit Pack for the equivalent of a wedding reception, rustic-wolf-style. Rough hewn picnic tables were laden with platters of food. Spits of wedges of different game caught from their hunt were roasting over an enormous bonfire.

  Alpha Krayne and Mary were standing in front of the fire when Kamren, Rico, Graise, Bren, Linus and Pops walked into the clearing and joined them.

  The pack joined them in a loose circle. Through an opening, Sophia led Karly, his mother and grandmother into the clearing. His mate looked so beautiful he could hardly keep his feet rooted to the ground.

  She wore a white long sleeved sweater and a long skirt. Her hair was fixed up at the sides with the orange blossom tucked behind her ear. His sweetest angel.

  Alpha Krayne took Karly’s hand and kissed her cheek. “When two amongst our kind find their true mates, it is cause for great celebration. Let us join in celebration tonight for Linus and Karly.”

  Linus took Karly’s hand and pulled her into his arms once more as his wolf rumbled his approval with the first, but not the last, kiss of the night. The pack clapped and cheered until the kiss broke. Within minutes, they were seated and enjoying the fruits of the hunt.

  Over the years, he had eaten his share of game, but the Tressel Pack didn’t bring the kills back and slaughter and then cook them. It was very traditional and ensured that nothing was wasted. And it also meant that Karly was taking a bite of the buck he’d killed. There was something very thrilling about that. In the most primal of ways, he was providing for his mate. He made a mental note to talk to Jason about it once they were back in Allen.

  “Penny for your thoughts?” Karly whispered in his ear.

  He put his fork down and put his arms around her and kissed her ear and nuzzled the warm spot just behind it. “I’m going to give you about five minutes to finish eating.”

  “Oh?” She laughed softly. “You can wait that long?”

  It was his turn to laugh. “I was just being polite.”

  She peeked up at him and grinned. “We can always be polite over breakfast.”

  Excellent point. Although his wolf would have liked to haul her over his shoulder like a caveman and race off to plunder her sweet body, his human side knew the better, less offensive thing to do was to say goodnight to everyone.

  When the pleasantries were done, they walked hand in hand away from the celebration towards her parents’ house. His mind raced as they drew closer to the house. This seemed like the sort of night that should burn in your memory forever.

  As her hand reached for the door, he swung her up into his arms and pushed it open, carrying her across the threshold and kicking it shut. She fisted her hands in his hair and attacked his neck and he barely made it into the guest bedroom without plowing them into the wall for her expert distraction.

  Leaning heavily on the closed door, he looked around the room taking quick stock. Their bags were on the dresser. The bed had been turned down. Candles waited to be lit. A platter of cut fruit sat on a small table with a bottle of wine in an ice bucket and two glasses. Putting Karly down on the floor, he kissed her and then went to light the candles.

  “Was this your room, baby?” He asked, tipping a tall, fat candle sideways to catch the wick.

  “No. My dad turned my room into a den. This was Rico’s room.”

  He lit the candles and opened the wine, pouring half glasses for both of them before flicking off the overhead light. “I am the luckiest man on the planet, and I’ve been that way since I found you. My sweet little snow angel.” He tipped his glass to hers in a quiet toast and they both took a drink. He really didn’t want anything to get in the way of remembering all that they were going to do tonight, so he took the glass from her hand and put both of them back.

  “Later,” he said, reaching for her hands and clasping them in his.

  Her smile was the one he loved so much. The kitten and the wildcat mixed up together. “Do me a favor, baby?”

  “Anything.”

  “Strip for me.”

  He left her standing and sat down in a plush armchair near the window. She started immediately, kicking off her shoes. As she unzipped the long skirt, he grinned at his good fortune. His sweetheart really was perfect for him. She had almost zero inhibitions, she was as sweet as she was stunning, and she loved him. What more could a man ask for?

  Their night passed in a blur of tangled limbs, panting cries of pleasure, and one broken lamp thanks to a stray foot. After breakfast, they headed back home to Allen. Once more he was very aware that he felt like he was part of a larger family now. Not just a wolf family, but a human family. Karly's parents and brothers and sisters-in-law had stepped right up and accepted him without reservation. Having Karly was the best thing, but having her family's support in addition to his own was icing on a perfect cake. He'd never been happier in his life.

  Chapter 17

  “It’s my great pleasure, as Alpha of the Tressel Pack, to welcome the mate of one of our wolves to our pack as a treasured member and to announce for the first time anywhere, Mr. and Mrs. Linus Mayfield!” Jason said loudly, as Linus and Karly turned from where he had officiated the pack joining ceremony just minutes after the Angel ceremony and their legal marriage ceremony performed by a justice of the peace in the full moon meeting place back in Allen. June 30th would forever be the very best day of her life, when all the pieces of the puzzle of her life came together just perfectly.

  Her mom and Linus’ mom, already thick as thieves, cried together and Linus’ grandmother beamed at the two of them. Even her dad and Pops looked like
they were struggling to contain their happiness and it was very easy to see that Linus was trying to hold his own emotions in check. Men could be so silly sometimes.

  They walked through the makeshift aisle between the wolves and the ones lining the edge showered them with rose petals as they walked from the full moon meeting place back to Jason and Cadence’s home where the reception was being held. Her father had offered to throw them a big wedding, but in all honesty, neither Linus nor she really wanted anything like that. They just wanted to share their day with the people that meant the most to them, and that included her brothers and their families, Alpha Krayne and Mary, Linus’ family, and the Tressel Pack.

  Long tables and chairs had been set up outside in the clearing behind Jason and Cadence’s home, several mounded with food that her mother and sisters-in-law had been up all night preparing. It had been the last night without Linus that she hoped would ever happen. It seemed silly to keep that tradition, since they’d been living together for several months, but everyone kept talking about jinxing happiness and breaking long standing traditions, so they gave up arguing. She stayed at Linus’ mother’s house and he stayed at their house with Jason, Michael and Bo and had the wolf version of a bachelor’s party: shifting and hunting.

  The hides that her parents’ pack had given them for their joining ceremony had been given to a tailor who made two matching suede jackets for Linus and her, a long swing skirt for her, and two decorative pillows. And they had enough deer meat in their freezer to last until they were old and gray. Not to mention all that they’d divvied up between the two packs.

  Her dress was a simple strapless a-line, with lace and beading on the bodice. Her hair was pulled up and twisted around diamond clips that belonged to her father’s mother. Linus sent a gift to her in the morning of a beautiful diamond pendant. They’d decided that instead of getting a separate engagement ring and using his family ring as the wedding band, that he could buy her a wedding band instead, because she loved the band that he had given her when he proposed and she didn’t want anything else to be substituted. The ring he picked out for her was a gorgeous eternity band that sparkled on her finger like it was covered with tiny little stars. His own band was plain platinum that she had inscribed with their names.