by R. E. Butler
Mire was ready, too. Mainly because Noelle was worried and it agitated his beasts when she was unhappy. Whatever happened, they were both ready to start the next chapter of their lives together, once this situation was resolved. He was already planning the next few dozen years in his mind – a home full of love and happiness, lots of kids, and making Noelle smile every chance he got.
* * *
Noelle sat next to Mire in SC and Mrs. C’s home. The big guy was back in front of the mantel, one arm resting on the wooden beam while he stared into the fire. Mrs. C was sitting in a rocking chair, which reminded Noelle of a picture she’d seen once with Mrs. C whiling away the hours of Christmas Eve in front of a fireplace, waiting for Santa to return from delivering toys. But there wasn’t anything really homey or cheerful about the scene right now. The quads were seated in chairs in the family room, and her father was standing in the center of the room on a braided oval rug, explaining his actions to the group.
She listened to him once more talk about that night with her mom, meeting Noelle for the first time the next year, and then the annual visits. He was stopped from time to time by SC and some of the quads, asking questions about how he explained his absences to the builder team he traveled with, how he managed to have a computer and email system that bypassed all their security, and what he’d planned to do with her in the future.
She’d wondered that herself. Although her dad had been candid in the hospital room, he hadn’t said how long he thought this could go on. If he’d died, she may have never known the truth of his absence. Just one day there would have been no more calls or emails. She didn’t like to think about what that would have done to her. She hadn’t known how to contact him any other way than his email. He’d never told her the name of his company or their address. Thankfully, when he was injured, he’d said her name, which had led to the scouring of his room in the barracks. His deception had quickly unraveled. Would that have happened if he’d died and never spoken her name?
SC cleared his throat when her father finished the story. It seemed like everyone in the room held their breath, and she did, too. Her dad didn’t look worried about whatever SC was going to say or do to him. He appeared calm, with his shoulders straight, and his gaze directed to the leader of NPC.
“When you first learned of Noelle’s birth, you should have contacted me immediately,” SC said, lifting his head and staring at Tobias. His brows were drawn and he frowned as he spoke. “Why did you continue to hide her existence?”
“I was afraid you’d take her from me.”
“She’s half-elf,” SC pointed out. “She could have unintentionally revealed us to the humans.”
“Her mom knew nothing of my nature, and our relationship, while not ideal, was amicable for both of us. We cared for each other. I provided financially as I was able and stayed in contact as much as I could. I know what I did wasn’t right according to our laws, but my own fears and selfishness kept me tethered to the secret.”
Her dad looked at her and smiled. Her eyes stung as fresh tears surfaced. She felt like she’d cried a dozen times since he’d woken.
SC looked at her. “You’re certain your mother knew nothing of your dad’s nature? That you didn’t suspect or guess that he was something other than human?”
She thought back over her life, but it was just a cursory glance because she knew that she’d never thought anything was suspicious about her dad’s behavior. “I didn’t. For a while when I was a teenager, I thought he had another family somewhere and that’s why he couldn’t stay with us or take us with him, but he told me that wasn’t the truth, and he just traveled constantly for work. My mom believed him, and I did, too. I don’t think she suspected anything was wrong or different. She was content. And I was, to an extent.”
“To an extent?” SC asked, his white brow arching.
“I missed my dad. When mom died, I wanted him to be there with me, to help me with the arrangements and pack up her stuff. He said he couldn’t, that work got in the way, and I hated him for a little while because I felt so alone. But mostly, I just missed him. One day a year wasn’t enough.”
She switched her gaze from SC to her dad and smiled at him.
He smiled in return. “I love you, honey.”
“I love you, too, Dad.”
Mrs. C said, “If you’d come to us at any point in the past, Tobias, we would have made arrangements for Noelle and her mom to come up here. Even if she wasn’t your fated mate, she was the mother of your child, and that would have made her an honored guest and member of our community.”
For the first time, her dad looked sad. “In the back of my mind I knew it, but I was afraid to lose everything.”
SC straightened. “My wife is right, but we have to leave the past in the past. The security team has scoured yours and Noelle’s laptops to ensure that no information pertaining to our home was compromised, and that’s been cleared. Noelle’s laptop has been returned to her room. Now it’s time to discuss your punishment.”
Another hush fell over the room, and Noelle’s heart raced as she watched SC’s face. Did they have jail in NPC? Would she not be allowed to see her dad again? She knew she was secured in her new life with Mire, but she didn’t know what would happen to her dad.
“Three things are going to happen because of your deception. First, every Christmas Eve going forward, all residents of NPC must check in with the security team where they’ll be fitted with a GPS locator wristband and be required to log in their destination, and their GPS log will be recorded and inspected upon their return. I’ll be making an announcement to the residents after the first of the year. Second, you’re not allowed to have Internet access for the next five years. No online ordering, no emails to anyone, no surfing. If you require something for your job, another builder can order it for you, or someone in the security office can. Do you understand?”
“I do.”
“Now, the final thing that will happen is that for the next twenty-three years, you’re not allowed to leave NPC, period. Not for work, not for any reason.”
“Why twenty-three years?” Noelle asked.
SC gave her a contrite look. “You’re twenty-three years old, Noelle. One year of inability to leave NPC for each year of your life. That’s a reminder to your father that he could have come to us at any time, and also to other NPC residents, that secret lives outside of our city are forbidden.”
“You’re more generous than I deserve,” her dad said. “Thank you.”
“Now that I’ve laid the hammer down,” SC said, his eyes twinkling as the annoyance in his gaze disappeared, “I think we have some celebrating to do. An injured worker is well, a daughter has come home, and a fated mate has been found. It’s been a busy week.”
Noelle rushed to her dad and hugged him. He lifted her from the floor and swung her in a circle. “I told you not to worry.” He set her down and smiled at her.
“But I still did. Were you worried?”
“Only a little. SC is fair. I’m still sorry that I wasted so much of our time together.”
“No more apologies. I forgive you.”
Mire and the quads joined them, everyone congratulating her dad on his recovery, and officially welcoming her to the city. At SC’s direction, they bundled up and headed outside, up a winding cobblestone pathway, and over a wooden bridge to a beautiful, frozen lake. The Northern Lights shimmered and played in the night sky.
“This is how we celebrate in NPC,” Mire said, hugging her tightly.
“It’s beautiful,” she said. “It’s good to be home.”
Chapter 9
Thanks to help from a few of the quads, all Noelle’s and Mire’s belongings had been taken to their new home while he treated her to breakfast in the commissary. They sat with Rhys, Merri, and their son, RJ; Arian, Charli, and their two children, Hope and Arjan; and Sullivan and Kerri, who was three months’ pregnant with their first child. The mates all chatted while the males talked about how things h
ad changed so drastically for half of the sleigh team in just a few years.
“The others are hopeful things will move forward for them, too,” Arian said. “Jack thinks that next year will be his year.”
“Roi, Declan, and Vaughn told me the same thing,” Sullivan said with a chuckle. “Everyone wants to find his fated mate and start a family. And they should because it’s amazing.”
“It sure is,” Noelle said. “And so is this french toast.”
Kerri, who was head of the commissary, smiled. “Thanks. I’ve been experimenting with different types of bread.”
“It’s delicious.”
When their meal was over and they’d said goodbye to their friends, Mire helped Noelle on with her coat. “Are you ready to see our new place?”
“Definitely. I do like the room, though.”
“It’s small.”
“Cozy,” she corrected. “Just right for two. Or, it would be fine if it had a bathroom.”
“Agreed.”
They left the warmth of the commissary and walked to their home. “So no vehicles up here?” she asked, snuggling into her coat.
“No. Sorry. We walk everywhere.”
“Or shift into something warm and fuzzy and don’t mind the cold. Speaking of shifting, when can I see you become a fox and an owl?”
“How about tomorrow? We can go for a walk, and I’ll shift for you.”
“That would be cool.”
“I think you like my bear best, though?” he asked.
Her father had given her a stuffed polar bear for Christmas, which she’d happily named Lollipop. She was looking forward to her’s and Mire’s children someday playing with all the stuffed animals that her dad had given to her over the years. “Well, it’s not fair to say that when I haven’t seen your fox and owl, but polar bears are my favorite of all animals. You said the bear is your favorite. What do you like about your other shifts?”
“I like flying as the owl, and the fox is fast. Without the reindeer, I wouldn’t be able to help pull the sleigh. But the bear is still my favorite, and he always has been.”
She stopped at the bottom step that led up to their porch. They’d seen the inside of the house when they were first told about its availability, and they’d picked furniture from a storage barn in NPC, but they hadn’t been back inside after that first visit. They wanted to be surprised when it was ready.
“I thought I’d miss television, or work, or my friends, but I feel like I gained so much by coming here,” she said. “Thanks for kidnapping me.”
He snorted. He loved her sense of humor. “You’re welcome. I’d do it again in a heartbeat.”
“Maybe later,” she said, waggling her brows. “Let’s go inside.”
“Hold on, sweetheart,” he said, swinging her up into his arms.
She squealed out a laugh and wrapped her arms around his neck. “What are you doing?”
“Being romantic by carrying you over the threshold.”
“Aw, I’m so lucky.”
“I’m the lucky one, Noelle.”
“We’ll call it a tie.”
He carried her into the house, kicking shut the front door, and kissing her. “Let’s skip the tour and go tour the bedroom first.”
She laughed. “I love the idea, but I really want to see the house first. Then we’ll tour the bedroom twice.”
“Twice?”
“At least.”
He set her down, and they removed their jackets and hung them on a coat hook by the door. The family room boasted a white brick fireplace, and a fire crackled in the hearth. Lit candles were set on the coffee and end tables, highlighting the couch, and matching love seat, and the fake fur rug that had been arranged in front of the fire.
“The furniture is perfect,” she said. “The quads lit the candles?”
“I asked them to. I didn’t want to walk into a dark house.”
After checking out the kitchen, they walked down the hall and looked into the two spare bedrooms, the guest bathroom, and then they reached the door of the master bedroom. His heart hammered in his chest, and he picked her up again, opened the door, and carried her inside.
“I could get used to you carrying me everywhere,” she said with a laugh.
Then she gasped as she saw the room. Lit candles had been set on every flat surface, and a trail of red rose petals made a path to the bed, and the comforter was covered with them.
“Oh,” she whispered. “It looks amazing.”
He set her on the bed and dropped to one knee, reaching into his pocket and pulling out the ring he’d had a metal craftsmen make for her. The ring was made of a highly polished white gold set with a round, rose quartz stone in the center.
“Noelle, when I first saw a picture of you in your dad’s room, I felt connected to you in a way I couldn’t explain. And then you opened your apartment door, and I knew why I felt that way; because you’re my fated mate. You’re beautiful, smart, and sweet, and my life is better because you’re in it. Will you marry me?”
Her hands covered her mouth, and her eyes shined with unshed tears. She lowered her hands and held out her left one. She trembled and her voice wavered as she said, “Yes.”
He pushed the ring onto her finger and stood, drawing her to her feet. “I love you, Noelle.”
“I love you, too.”
He kissed her, his beasts clamoring in happiness. She was already theirs, and they were already hers, but this was an important tradition of her people, and he wanted to honor it.
He brushed the tears from her cheeks. “I asked your dad for your hand. He said yes, by the way.”
She laughed. “Well, that’s good.”
“I thought so.”
He sat down on the bed and pulled her next to him. She looked at the ring. “It’s so pretty. I love it.”
“It’s rose quartz. It’s called the love stone, and it’s supposed to bring good luck in marriage.”
“Can we really get married up here?”
He nodded. “SC will officiate for us, whenever we’re ready. We could figure something out if you’d like to get married down in the states so your friends can come.”
She looked thoughtful. “I’d really like to have the ceremony by the lake. It’s so pretty there. But we might freeze to death.”
“We can just bundle up and move indoors for the reception.”
“I like that idea.” She looked at him, and he swore she purred, her eyes glittering with interest and the sweet scent of her arousal spiking the air. She leaped at him, pushing him back to the bed. She straddled him, planting her hands on either side of his head. “Are you mine, Mire?”
“Yes,” he said roughly, pushing up her top and feeling the softness of her skin.
“I’m yours.”
“I know.”
She brushed her lips over his. “I’ve got a great idea.”
“Does it involve me finding out how many times you can scream my name?”
“Oh yeah. We need to celebrate our engagement and our new house. We have a lot of rooms to christen.”
He grinned and rolled them, rising above her with a happy growl. “I love how you think.”
After they’d christened the bed, twice, and then moved to the family room, laughing and loving the day away, he marveled how much he loved the differences in his life. He wasn’t alone anymore; he had his mate by his side. He wasn’t wondering what his future would hold; he knew that he and Noelle could face anything together. Every morning he woke up with her sweet scent in his nose and her warm body pressed against his, and he thanked his lucky stars for the twist of fate that had occurred when her dad had been hurt. He had his fated mate, and she was currently snuggled in his arms in front of the fireplace, stroking his arms.
“Heaven,” he murmured.
“Hmm?”
“You and me, all tangled up in front of the fire, is heaven.”
“It sure is.”
He kissed her forehead. “You’re the half of mys
elf I didn’t know was missing. Love you, sweetheart. My heaven on earth.”
“I love you, too, my sweet polar bear.”
Coming Next from R. E. Butler
Cupid’s Fated Mate (Arctic Shifters Book Five)
~*~ December 3, 2017 ~*~
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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
A Slash of Savagery
Awaken a Wolf
Daeton’s Journey
A Dragon for December
A Muse for Mishka
The Wiccan-Were-Bear Series Volume One
The Wiccan-Were-Bear Series Volume Two
A Wish for Their Woman
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 Wolf’s Mate Book 7: Lindy & The Wulfen
The Necklace Chronicles
The Tribe’s Bride
The Gigolo’s Bride
The Tiger’s Bride
Ashland Pride Series
