by M. K. Harper
“Swear. Jar,” she punctuates through clenched teeth, snatching Caulder by the hand like she’s worried he might announce that to the whole room. Honestly, it wouldn’t shock me if he did. I stare at my feet as we walk in, avoiding looking around the room at all cost. Maybe if I’m not actually aware of how many people are here, I can pretend they aren’t here at all. Solid thinking, but a shit plan. You know how when someone’s talking crap and says, “don’t look now, but...” and then all you want to do is look? Yeah, that’s all that little pep talk has done for me. Mom’s shoes come into view, since I’m still focused on the ground, and I sigh in relief. I sit quickly, Caulder and Beatrix following suit. Taking a few seconds to pull myself together, I steady my breathing and wait for Carder to begin. I’m not sure what to expect, since I’ve never witnessed a bonding ceremony before, but Dax assured me it wasn’t some lengthy process that I needed a walkthrough of beforehand.
“Pack Bardot and friends, I’d like to formally thank you for coming out today to celebrate the bonding of Dax and Linden. As the future Alpha of this pack, I can say with absolute certainty that he will be leading with a strong and compassionate mate by his side. Two qualities that will take them both far as leaders, especially when my son inevitably throws a fit and needs to be put in his place.” The crowd laughs, easing my anxiety a little more.
“Finding our fated mate is a beautiful and exciting experience. For someone like Dax, it was an easy transition. But Linden never knew shifters existed until moving to Pleasant Falls. Yet, she still accepted our boy and loves him fiercely. It’s no secret we’ve had a rough go of it as of late, but I know the two of them will only grow stronger because of everything they’ve already had to weather. Itty Bitty,” Carder’s strong and sure voice cracks, that more emotional one that brings out his accent coming through.
“You know how we feel about you. We couldn’t be prouder to have you as our son’s mate. Always remember that if it ever came down to it, we’d choose you. Dax can fend for himself.” Laughter rings out again, and I think from the other side of the aisle, my mate scoffs.
“Dax and Linden, please join me,” Carder motions for us to come forward. Oh fuck, it’s time. Swallowing audibly, I carry myself to the front on shaky legs. I really hope he doesn’t ask us to hold hands. My palms are sweating profusely, knees so weak I’m worried they’re gonna give out any second. Wouldn’t that be a freaking sight. I can vividly see myself face hugging the worn hardwood floors, and that image alone is enough to make me stand a bit straighter.
I’m getting lost in my head again. Thankfully, my attention shifts to the man I love more than I ever thought possible, his scent wrapping around me as he draws closer. The moment Dax is in front of me and our eyes lock, everything else just sort of falls away. His words from earlier come back to me and I can’t help but think how right he was. It’s just us. The strangers staring aren’t even a thought, not when those gorgeous green eyes are holding me captive. It takes me a second to realize that Carder has been speaking, my mind completely lost in Dax.
“...if there are no objections to this bonding, I’ll begin.” Nothing but silence. I almost expect Allana to pop up for a pew or swing in from the rafters, but thankfully everyone remains quiet. For as much as Dax says this isn’t anything like getting married, there sure are a lot of similarities. “Dax, Linden, please hold out your right hands, palm up.” I do as Carder asks, mentally crossing my fingers that there isn’t some blood buddies stuff about to take place that Dax conveniently forgot to tell me about.
“Daxton Elias Bardot, of Pack Bardot, do you accept the mate that fate has chosen for you?” Carder questions.
“I do,” he answers. Sounds a lot like a wedding, for this to not be a wedding.
“Linden Elodie Britton, born of Lycan decent but no current pack ties, do you accept the mate that fate has chosen for you?” I flinch the tiniest bit at hearing my last name. I’ve grown so used to Lockwood that I’ve almost been able to detach from Britton altogether. It’s also a reminder that the giver of that name is currently locked away under the gym, waiting to be dealt with. Dax squeezes my hand, likely aware of where my mind just wandered.
“I do,” I reply quietly.
“Please lock hands.” Dax reaches out for me, wrapping his hand around mine and grasping my wrist, so I do the same.
“What fate has chosen, nothing shall break. From this moment forward, you are no longer two, but one. I bind your hearts, like I bind your hands.” Carder takes a thick, old ass rope and knots it around our wrists, tying us together. The moment he steps away, Dax yanks me forward and slams his mouth against mine. I don’t even have time to protest that we’re giving all these people a show. He simply consumes me.
“I have to bite you, baby. Just a little bit so that our blood can bind. I’m sorry,” he whispers against my mouth. Looking back on this moment later on, I’m sure I’ll realize that he just rendered me stupid with that kiss so I wouldn’t freak out on him. Not able to process much, I just nod. Guess some blood swapping is going to happen. Dax’s lips meet mine again, but this time his kiss is tender and languid. I’m not sure what I expected, maybe for him to tilt me back and sink his teeth into my neck like I’m a snack, but the tiny bite to my lip wasn’t it. It probably would’ve been less embarrassing if he had gone that route, as it likely would have hurt like the dickens. But no. I whimper, in front of God and all these strangers. Dax licks my lip, taking the tiny amount of my blood he drew. I’m practically panting and he just chuckles.
“Your turn,” he growls low enough for only me to hear. “But be careful, sweetheart. I’m already at the very edge of my restraint.” His free hand grips my waist, his fingers digging against my ribs with just enough pressure to make me squirm.
Audience, Linden. There’s a whole room full of folks, and you aren’t into exhibitionism.
Feeling too much at once - want, need, embarrassment, and even a little bit of aggravation - I lean up and snag Dax’s lip between my teeth and bite. It’s aggressive and wanton, and so far out of my normal behavior when it comes to this sort of thing that I shock my own damn self with my brazenness. My mate groans, not helping the situation in the slightest. I quickly lick away the bit of blood that pools on that perfectly plump bottom lip of his and pull away. I try to ignore the metallic taste sliding down my throat, because gagging in the middle of our bonding ceremony will surely ruin the moment. I could really use some fresh air right about now. I can only imagine how flushed I am, and I’m not sure if that’s from embarrassment or from being turned on, so I’m sure the crowd isn’t sure what to make of me either. Carder clears his throat, grabbing my attention. He has one eyebrow raised and a coy smile on his face, causing me to quickly look away. Christ. There isn’t a single, justifiable reason that your future father-in-law should ever see you all hot and bothered, and yet mine has witnessed it on multiple occasions. A class act, I am not.
“From this point forward, your souls are now bonded and we recognize you as one.” Papa Wolf smiles, his eyes shining with so much love. Right as he opens his mouth to speak again, a familiar little voice pipes in.
“Nuh uh. I think you meant hearts, Bear. Their hearts are bonded. Lindy’s soul belongs to me,” Caulder says tartly, glaring daggers at Dax. Snickers can be heard, but poor Beatrix looks ready to keel over. I knew that warning she gave him went in one ear and out the other. I just smile and wink at him, causing Dax to shake his head.
“Well, there you have it, folks,” Carder laughs, redirecting the ceremony. “We welcome you all to stay awhile and celebrate our newly bonded pair. I’m sure Linden and Dax would love to thank you for being here today,” Carder says pointedly, practically spelling it out for me that I won’t be ducking out anytime soon. The room starts to empty, everyone making their way outside. I’m still standing there, feeling a bit...underwhelmed? I hate that that’s the word that springs to mind, but I guess I just thought there would be more to it than that.
“Did
n’t believe me when I said it would be over quick, huh?” Dax teases me.
“It’s not that,” I shake off the melancholy and face him. “I think I was just under the impression that there’d be something more magical that would happen? Like maybe a tug when the words were said or some feeling washing over us.” I scrunch my nose, feeling silly but also hoping that didn’t come across as rude. Dax laughs, just the two of us left inside the little chapel.
“The magic already happened, baby. We didn’t need some Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo, I choose you bullshit. The moment we saw one another for the first time, that unexplainable draw you had? That was our souls aligning, Linny. Today was just a formality. And I can assure you, when we cement our bond tonight, I have no doubt you’ll experience that feeling you’re talking about.” His gravelly voice makes me woozy, and I’m pretty sure he just referenced Cinderella and Pokémon, but I don’t have a chance to formulate a response before he’s tugging me outside.
“C’mon, let’s go get this over with. With any luck, Caulder will eat everything in sight and no one will stick around for too long.” I grunt, thinking there’s a strong possibility the tiny terror has already raided whatever food they have out. Forget a Hoover, he’s more like a Roomba. Constantly on the hunt for any little crumb he can snatch up.
Chapter 3
Linden
The moment we step out the door, we’re bombarded with guests who want to congratulate us and wish us well. Which is why it takes a minute for me to realize that Dax and I are still tied at the wrists by that rope that looks to be on its last leg.
“Uh, can we take this off now?” I wiggle our arms.
“Yeah, about that,” Dax smirks. “It’s not supposed to come off till after midnight. It’s kinda tradition that you wear it until the next day, and as long as you stay joined, the fates approve and you’ll remain mated. But if the rope unravels, you’re basically doomed.” My eyes widen.
“Dax! This thing looks like it’s about to crumble, how the hell are we supposed to keep it on for another,” I snatch his free hand to me so that I can check his watch, “eleven hours and forty-five minutes?!” I nearly screech.
“Baby,” his eyes twinkle. “It’s just one more thing we do for tradition’s sake. As you can tell, this thing has been around for years, but not once has it come undone. Even though, judging by how fragile it looks, that shouldn’t be possible. So maybe there is a bit of magic involved today.” He shrugs his shoulders and kisses the tip of my nose.
“All I know is that this damn rope could disintegrate here and now and it wouldn’t change a damn thing for me, Linny. You’d still be mine and I’d still be yours.” I melt a little. I guess it’s sweet that he’s willing to go against fate for us if that were the case. But that seems a tad finicky if you ask me. Oh, fate here, just wanted to let you know that we got you a mate all lined up. But if that janky rope falls off before midnight after you bond, well...takebacksies.” Wut? That makes about as much sense as not a damn thing. First, you can only be with your destined mate, otherwise you might go all psycho, but then - just for shits and giggles - that fated matching might not work out either. I guess two people could claim to be mates and go through with a bonding ceremony to try and trick whoever’s in charge of this sort of shit? So, a relationship audit is fate’s solution after the fact. Way too much work if you ask me. I’m not sure what’s flashing across my face, but Dax can tell I’ve launched into a whole ordeal with myself.
“Get out of that pretty little head, it’s just an old wives’ tale.” He throws an arm around me and steers us towards the food table.
“Don’t you mean an old wolves’ tale?” I reply cheekily. Ha! I crack myself up.
“Jesus, that was awful, Linny,” Dax tries to look appalled, but the smile he’s fighting tells me otherwise.
“Lindy!” Caulder shouts from the opposite end of the buffet we’ve finally made our way to. “They’ve got little weenies! Do you wanna eat some little weenies, too?” Everyone, and I do mean everyone, has turned to watch this spectacle unfold. Dax groans, dragging us towards LT rather quickly.
“Weeeenies!” Caulder clinks two together from where he has them stabbed on a pair of toothpicks, like some sort of weird cheers toast, and then shovels them both in his mouth hole.
“Quit saying weenies,” Dax growls once we’re close enough to not be heard by anyone else. “It’s a damn sausage.” Caulder just rolls his eyes.
“...on’t beee such uh chil,” LT mumbles around a mouth full of half-chewed sausage. Dax gags, Caulder grins. Then the little hellion purposely chews noisily with his mouth wide open, just to fuck with his uncle some more.
“Ooookay,” I tug Dax away, not really wanting vomit to play any part of the day we finally bonded. Can’t imagine that would be a fond memory to look back on. Steering us through the crowd, strategically avoiding anyone that looks old enough to fall into the pinch your cheeks category, we finally make our way to Mom, Beatrix and Chevy. They’ve managed to find some shade under a massive tree and don’t look too keen on moving about and risking their spot.
“Congrats, you two,” Mom side hugs Dax and kisses his cheek. “Now we need to set a wedding date!” Her and Beatrix beam. It’s hella obvious that the two of them are conniving together on this one. I honestly have no qualms about marrying Dax tomorrow, but it might be nice to just settle into our new life together. Cohabitate. Get a feel for how the other is on a day-to-day basis. I’ve learned a lot about him over the past few weeks, but there’s still a huge amount I don’t know. There’s no rush to the alter as far as I’m concerned.
“Somebody say grandbabies?!” Carder comes out of nowhere. I swear he’s always got that question on the back burner, just waiting for the right conversation to slip it into.
“My God, can we cement the damn bonding before we start working on procreating?” Dax moans in frustration. Meanwhile, I turn so red there’s undoubtedly a Pantone paint swatch that could color-match me.
Kill Me Now Red - 7598 C, goes well with What Am I Marrying Into White 11-0601 TCX.
Chevy’s trying so hard to bite back a bark of laughter at my expense, that he’s almost as red as I am. I hope he chokes on it, the traitorous little punk. Beatrix, taking pity on me, thankfully changes the subject.
“Lovely day today, isn’t it?” She scrunches her nose, staring up at the sky, as if she’s searching for something. I never said it was an intelligent change of subject. Another couple Dax has known since he was young joins us, effectively breaking up the weirdness and redirecting the conversation. My eyes instinctively seek out Caulder, wanting to make sure he’s doing okay with the large crowd. I shouldn’t have worried, though, because my Little Tyrant is currently marching around behind Lex, mocking everything she does. I think he’s even trying to copy her freaky smile-thing she does, but it just makes him look constipated.
I don’t know why Carder’s so worried about grandbabies when he’s already got one that’s perfect. They’ve always filled that role for Caulder, but maybe one day soon we can make it official.
Chapter 4
Linden
For the next few hours, we socialize and enjoy the company of our friends and family. Surprisingly, I enjoy myself. I thought I’d want to leave the first chance we got to slip away, but I’m actually the one who’s kept Dax here. I can tell he’s impatient and ready to go, and I’m not oblivious as to why. I might also be taking a wee bit of joy in torturing the poor man. Caulder tapped out about two hours ago, having worn himself out trying to keep up with Lex. Eventually, Chev and Finn wandered off and haven’t been seen since. I definitely need to find out more about what’s going on between the two of them. So, now it’s just me and Dax, his parents and my mom. We’ve been sitting quietly for the past half hour, enjoying the small bonfire Carder started. A nervous, excited tingle has begun humming inside of me and keeps growing stronger the closer we get to saying our goodbyes.
“I think it’s time for us to go, sweetheart,�
� Dax speaks low against my ear, his hot breath causing my flesh to pebble. Before I can protest, he twines our fingers, as if the rope holding us together wasn’t enough, and pulls us to our feet.
“Well, goodnight,” he rushes out, walking away before anyone can respond.
“Dax! That was rude!” I grumble as I’m being tugged along, faint laughter echoing from behind us.
“Yeah? So, you would’ve rather stayed and made awkward chit-chat before we excused ourselves, when every one of them is aware of where we’re headed and what we’re about to do?” It’s gotten so dark that I can barely make out the arch of his eyebrow, his sardonic question causing me to groan. He’s right, that would’ve been super cringe worthy. The rest of the walk, or should I say anxious sprint, is spent in silence. Unfortunately, that five minutes gives me just enough time to get inside my own head and start to worry. I blink, and we’re already at our new home. Dax deftly pulls out the keys and unlocks the door before yanking me inside. The moment the door is closed, I’m turned and crowded against it, Dax’s lips coming down on my own in a fevered kiss.
Those pesky worries start to slip away, his mouth easing from brutal to sweet. Slowly, he moves from my lips to my jaw, leaving a trail of heat all the way down my neck. His tongue swipes against my flesh where the throbbing of my heartbeat is likely visible. I can feel the slightest bite of his teeth and the vibration of his groan.
“I can’t wait to mark you,” Dax says huskily, his hips pinning me harder against the door and drawing are bodies closer together. I’m so full of want and nerves, desire and fear. It’s an odd mixture of slow down and keep going. My thoughts are all over the place. One minute, I’m ready to rip his clothes off and the next I’m second guessing myself, allowing my own insecurities and doubts to lead me. As if sensing my turmoil, Dax eases back. His hand comes up to cradle my cheek as we lock eyes.
