by ZL Morris
“Right, let’s get you out there, I don’t think they’ll allow you to hide away in here for much longer. They’ll likely come and bash the door down.” He takes the small bunch of flowers off the bed and passes them over. “By the end of today, you’ll be Tallulah Argent, mate of Theo, Kenji, and Quimby Argent, and the future Luna.”
I take my father’s hand as we make our way through the Alpha’s quarters. When we walk down the glass hallway, the Argent pack’s ceremony circle becomes visible. Lots of empty chairs for the adults ring the circle with heavy logs in the inner circle for all the children to sit on. All the empty seats confuse me.
If they’re ready for us to come now, why isn’t everyone already here?
I find myself frowning when Dad turns towards a door which leads to the opposite side of the pack house. With no windows on this side, I’m unable to get a proper look at what’s on the other side.
My stomach tightens with unease, and my steps slow until I tug Dad to a standstill. “What’s going on, Dad?”
He must see the concern on my face because his smile slips a notch, but doesn’t disappear. “It’s okay, Tallulah, the guys have planned a little special surprise for you before the pack ceremony, that’s all. No need to worry, honey.”
As I absorb his words, I take a couple of breaths to calm my nerves. I trust the guys and my dad. Holding that tight, my death grip loosens on his hand, and I smile. Whatever waits on the other side of the door, I can face it because the guys will be there for me.
Dad places his hand on the door and raises an eyebrow in question. I glance down one last time to make sure my dress is still on right, and I didn’t somehow put my shoes on the wrong feet. Everything still looks right. In answer to Dad’s unasked question, I nod, and I miss the door opening.
A slight breeze blows against my arms, and I focus on the scene revealed on the other side of the door. An archway waits at the end of the aisle with the whole Argent pack seated on the chairs that line the aisle. All their eyes fix solely on me. My face immediately heats under their watchful gazes.
To distract myself, I take in the flowers set up along the aisle, petals scattered along the floor to show me the path to walk. Ahead, three figures stand underneath the beautiful wood and flower arch. Theo, Quimby, and Kenji are dressed in immaculate navy suits with crisp white shirts. My mouth waters at the sight of them. All three greedily run their eyes over me without a care for who witnesses it.
Together, they stalk down the aisle towards me with the finesse of wolves after their prey. But it doesn’t make me want to run away. Instead it heats my blood with excitement for what’s to come. It also makes me impatient for the show to be over and to finally have all three of them locked behind closed doors.
“Keep watching us like that, Tally, and we’ll never get through what we’ve planned for you,” Kenji whispers in my ear and places a kiss to my cheek.
“You’re absolutely beautiful.” Quimby kisses my other cheek.
Impatient with the heated stares and unusual gathering, I fidget. “What’s going on guys? What is this?”
Theo’s expression turns unsure for the first time ever, and he fusses with the wolf cufflinks on his shirt. He takes a deep breath. “We want to embrace your human side. We want you to be our wife by marriage. Then after, we’ll do the pack binding, so you’ll also be our mate.”
My eyes fill with tears at his words. Headless of my dress, I launch myself at them. Kenji and Quimby instantly wrap themselves around me, and the atmosphere changes around us. Everyone holds their breath while they wait for me to speak. I squeeze them tightly for a few more seconds in a bid to stop myself from crying. The last thing I need is to walk down the aisle resembling a panda.
Slowly, I pull back and notice the worried looks on everyone’s faces. Guilt goes through me; the guys’ faces are sick with worry. Plastering a smile of reassurance on my face, like Dad did earlier, for the first time ever I feel happy to do something so human.
“Yes!” I practically shout my joy.
The tension in the air immediately dissipates. All three of my men place kisses on my cheek, and then they stalk back to the end of the aisle. Dad and I stay at the entrance.
Huge smiles break out over the faces in the crowd, and they burst into applause.
~
The wedding ceremony passes in a blur. I hardly remember the vows we repeated the moment after saying them. After the ceremony, we have a few moments of calm as everyone moves over to the binding circle. The guys and I pause before we walk over, and my eyes catch another glimpse of the glittery ring they put on my finger.
True contentment flows through me as I watch their parents and my dad usher everyone else to their proper places. The children screech as they happily race each other to take their seats on the logs. Excitement buzzes through the air for what comes next.
Theo wraps his arms around me and pulls me securely against him. I feel oddly shy when his excitement presses firmly against me in front of the crowd of people. His arms snake around my waist, and his hands come to rest below my breasts. When his thumbs gently stroke the underside of my curves, it distracts me.
“As much as I want this feeling to last forever, and for the celebrations to begin, right now I want you naked more.” Need fills Theo’s husky voice.
The heat of his words sends a rush of desire through my body, and I blurt out the first thing that comes to mind to distract myself. “Henrique will need blood for the mating ceremony, won’t he?”
Kenji laughs. “Way to change the subject, Tally. Yes, Dad will need some blood, but not much, a few drops at most.”
I roll my eyes, glad he didn’t give me too much stick, even if my cheeks feel fiery hot. “Thanks, Kenji.” I hope he knows it’s my way of thanks for more reasons than the obvious.
“They’re ready for you,” Rosalina calls out.
She stands with her back to the crowded circle, a soft smile on her beautiful face and her hair pinned up in a way that a few curls escape to frame her face. She put similar flowers in both our hair. Crafty as she is, I find the smell of them has a calming effect. Heavens knows how much worse I would’ve been earlier if she hadn’t been so sneaky.
Theo takes both my hands while Kenji and Quimby hook their arms around my waist. Slowly, Theo moves backwards and pulls the three of us together through the opening of the circle. My hands grip his. Overwhelmed from being scrutinized by the pack, I’m still impressed by his wolfy powers of walking backwards with grace.
Once we get to the centre of the circle, a hush falls over us. Not one single person makes a noise; even the birds have gone deathly silent. Alpha Henrique steps out of the crowd and stops in front of the four of us. In his hands, he holds a small copper bowl, decorated with an intricate wolf and vine detail around the outside, a piece of cloth gathered underneath it, and a wolf’s tooth dagger strapped to his belt.
“Do you, future Alpha and Betas, want Tallulah Mardak as your mate and future Luna?” His voice echoes out and causes me to start.
All three of them smile hugely at me and respond in unison. “We do.”
“And do you, Tallulah Mardak, want to take these three as your mates? To become the future Luna to the Argent pack?”
“I do,” I whisper, my eyes fixed on my future in front of me.
Henrique says a few more words, but the heated looks and scent of arousal that comes from the guys distract me once again. The sound of a button snap pulls my eyes away from them in time to witness Henrique take the dagger from its sheath.
My palms grow sweaty as I watch Theo, Kenji, and Quimby hold their thumbs out. Henrique places the bowl underneath each in turn and quickly and efficiently slices across their thumbs. The bowl catches the spilt blood. As soon as he moves from one to the next, the wound on their thumb heals. The end result is a small, pink mark.
He stops in front of me and offers up a gentle smile. It doesn’t stop my stomach from doing a nervous flip-flop. I’m such a wimp for bein
g afraid of what comes next. I look to the guys one more time, needing to make absolutely sure that this is what they truly want. Once we’re bound together, there’s no way to unbind us.
They each offer a unique grin full of their love and hope. It reassures me enough to slowly raise my hand and stick my thumb out. With my eyes glued to theirs, I ignore the stinging sensation that runs across the pad. A soft material gently presses against my thumb, and I break eye contact with the guys. Henrique uses the cloth to stanch the light blood flow. I don’t heal as quick as the guys do, and I appreciate the small gesture, especially so I don’t accidently ruin my dress with blood.
Satisfied the wound is properly tended, Henrique places his own thumb into the bowl of blood while he begins to chant in a language I’ve never heard before. The more words he chants, the louder he gets, and others in the crowd join in.
Off balance, I grab Quimby’s hand since he stands nearest to me. He gives me a gentle squeeze to let me know it’s fine. More and more people join in, and their feet begin to stamp in time with the rhythm of the unknown words. The whole pack chants the words while the four of us stand in the middle and let the sound wash over us.
As quick as they started, the words stop abruptly.
Henrique takes his now blood covered thumb and drags it down Theo’s forehead, the same with Kenji and Quimby. As he slowly draws the same line down my own face, a weird electric sensation pulses through my body. It starts at the soles of my feet, slowly moves up my legs, and around my waist. It causes a small gasp to escape when it moves up my torso and across my breasts, but it quickly travels to the top of my head. It’s nothing like the tingles I feel with the guys, and although it’s a weird sensation, it doesn’t hurt in any way.
Henrique smiles and whispers, “Welcome to the family, sweetheart.”
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
- Tallulah -
Music plays softly in the background as my eyes take in all the pack members who surround us in the yard.
Rosalina excelled any expectations I might have had when she took control of decorating everything. Although there were differences between the marriage ceremony, bonding circle, and now with the main yard, I notice small similarities between the three. The same flowers that decorate my hair and hers are dotted around the area in small pots upon the tables. There’s also little bouquets attached to the backs of chairs adorned with a small white ribbon that matches my dress perfectly.
When Quimby walks towards me with a purpose, my attention strays away. As he comes to stop in front of me, his arms circle my waist, and his nose burrows into my neck, setting off the tingles. “Hello, my wife, my mate. My parents have something they want to show us.”
I pull back and place my lips to his, but pull back before we both become too lost. “They do? Do they want us to leave now? What about everyone here?”
His eyes overflow with the happiness, and it makes my own smile grow. “Don’t worry about everyone else, they’re in full party mode. I doubt they’ll miss us.”
Unable to resist, I lean in for another quick kiss and murmur against his lips, “Lead the way, husband.”
He doesn’t waste any time and steers me over to where his parents stand with Theo, Kenji, and my dad. The excitement buzzing through Rosalina doesn’t go unnoticed, and I can’t work out what she’s up to.
“Oh, there you are! Come on, no time to waste.” She claps her hands excitedly. “We have something we want to show you.”
I look to my father, confused. “What’s going on?”
He shrugs, but I don’t miss the gleam in his eye. “No clue. Better do what the Luna wants, though.”
My eyes narrow on his. He definitely knows something, but I’ll play along and not pester him. He never was any good at keeping anything to himself if I applied the right amount of pressure.
My confusion grows as we take the small gravelled path around the side of the Alpha quarters, then follow it past some of the smaller pack houses clustered together. As the path begins to widen, it makes it easier for us to walk in twos down the path. Rosalina and Henrique take the lead, my father and Leverette behind them, Quimby and I next, followed by Theo and Kenji, who finish off the line.
My eyes stay on Henrique as he pushes a small gate open and allows Rosalina to step through first. Dad and Leverette pass through next, and they stand sentry on the path so we have to walk through the middle of them. I look up, wondering why they stopped, and almost face-plant. Thankfully, Quimby manages to save me from the humiliation of gravel stuck in my face.
Eyes wide, I look to the guy’s parents and then my dad. “What’s this?”
Rosalina smiles and wipes a tear from her face. “Your new home.”
Staring at the small house, I try to take it all in. An arch covers the front door, decorated in a mixture of beautiful flowers. Each of the four windowsills sports a window box, too, and the smell of flowers lingers softly in the air. More than once, I swallow thickly before I’m able to finally speak. “Why?”
“Because it’s been a long time coming, and all families who have bonded receive their first home from the Alpha. You’ll need the privacy of your own home to get to know each other more inti—”
My father cuts her off with a rude cough, his face flushed with embarrassment.
Rosalina sighs with disappointment. “Oh, Solomon. She’s a grown woman for heaven’s sake.”
My father crosses his arms and scoffs, “She’s still my baby girl. I’d rather not discuss it.”
The guys must sense an argument brewing the same time I do because Theo cuts them off by swooping me off my feet. He shouts his thanks over his shoulder as he marches up the path with a determination I’d only recently begun to catch small peeks at.
Quimby darts around us at the last second to get the door. He pushes it open and moves out the way for Theo to carry me over the threshold. I don’t get a chance to look around, though, because in the few seconds it takes for the door to shut, Theo’s lips slam down onto my own.
He adjusts me until my legs firmly circle his waist and my dress rides up dangerously high. The memory of the last time we were in this position goes through my mind, but I don’t hide my embarrassment like last time. Instead, I embrace it. My legs tighten around his hips, pulling him closer to where I desperately need him. Matching curses sound around me before the four of us enter a different room, and we all fall onto a soft surface.
Time seems to slow down between us. The guys leave me on the bed and stand to unhurriedly undress first. Before long, they leave themselves completely bare for my eyes to greedily take them in.
I look to Theo first, and my eyes move from his handsome face, stubbled jaw, then move down to a perfectly chiselled chest. I don’t bother to keep my gaze above a respectful level, and instead allow them to dip lower, taking him all in. I drag my eyes away, and they dart from Kenji to Quimby and back again as they move down their bodies. Kenji has bulked up more than Quimby, but there’s still enough similarities to know they’re twins.
Finally, I linger on each of the mate marks high on their thighs that match my own. Only when they’ve allowed me my fill do the three of them help me from the bed to stand between them.
Theo takes my face between his large hands and pulls my mouth to his. The kiss is enough to have my toes curl inside my shoes. Hands gently untie the ribbon around my waist, and the dress loosens before a gentle tug comes from the four buttons at the back being unbuttoned.
Lips caress the new bit of flesh revealed with each one, causing me to moan wantonly into Theo’s mouth. The material begins to slide off my shoulders, and Theo pulls back to watch as the dress falls from my body to gather in a small pile around my feet.
My ears pick up on two hitches in breaths from behind me, and my cheeks flush when Theo’s eyes darken as he takes in the underwear I bought on a recent shopping trip. I secretly purchased them with the knowledge that it’d likely drive the guys bonkers, but I hesitated to put it on this morning. I
wasn’t sure what their reactions might be seeing me in them for the first time, but looking at Theo’s face now, I’m glad I did.
A glance over my shoulder shows both Quimby and Kenji staring down at my lace-covered ass with a predatory look on their faces.
My breath hitches when Kenji’s hand reaches out to caress the material from my hip down to my exposed ass cheek. “Fuck, Tally, you’re going to be the death of all of us.”
I hardly recognise the sound of my own voice when it comes out low and throaty. “But what a way to go.”
Quimby steps forward and effectively traps Kenji’s hand between our bodies. His face lowers until his mouth presses against my neck, and I groan at the scrape of his teeth against my flesh.
Kenji’s voice comes out barely above a whisper, “As much as I want to bury myself deep inside you, I don’t think any of us will be able to last long enough to worship you fully. Is it weird if we want to explore you first? To just enjoy the moment and make it last?”
I turn to get a better look at his face and realise how truly vulnerable he feels. I reach up and wrap my arms around him. “It’s not weird, but I want to explore you all, too.”
Slowly, I move my hand from around his neck and over his collarbone. My fingers dip into the crevice of his collarbone before they languidly move over the smooth muscles of his chest. I relish the way his breath hitches as my fingers gently explore, then they begin to move farther down his body.
Unsure of what I’m supposed to do, I lightly caress the length of his cock until I circle around the head. Carefully, a single finger swirls around the tip before I move back along his length to the base, leaving a small trail of wetness behind.
A little surer the second time, I move my whole hand down his length, appreciating the way his velvety soft skin covers a hardness I’ve never felt before. My breath hitches like his own when I wonder what it will feel like to have him inside me.
