by E Hall
“I was enjoying the carols, but if you say so.”
When we drive back to Headquarters, Kenna is especially quiet. It seems like something changed in the last little while.
And I can’t help but wonder if there’s something she’s not telling me.
Chapter 13
Kenna
My wolf dream came back. This time, instead of wrestling and playing with the wolf with copper eyes, he gave me a long, sorrowful look. Then I turned away and trotted off. As I got farther and farther away, my wolf ears picked up a noise. But I couldn’t identify it. Thankfully, it wasn’t singing. Rather, footsteps and whispering. I wake with a start.
Corbin isn’t sitting in his usual spot at the foot of the bed by the window. He had patrol last night and is probably still eating breakfast. My stomach growls. I’m starved.
The curtains are partially open. The morning is sunny and the birds chirp pleasantly outside. I hear shuffling from the hallway. Someone whispers again.
I get up and pad wolf-silent to the door. From the other side, voices rise and fall. I put my ear up close to find out what I’m dealing with.
If we’re under attack, I’m ready to shift.
“Did you hear the bed creak?” a female whispers.
“I think she’s up.” This one sounds like one of my betas.
Oh, if Inga and Camilla think they’re going to prank me, they have to get up earlier than this.
“Let’s go see.” Definitely Inga.
“No, wait for her to come out,” Camilla says.
I whip open the door to find Camilla, Inga, and Avril hovering in a circle.
“Surprise!” Inga and Camilla shout.
“Guys, it’s not my birthday,” I stage-whisper. They’re sweet and all, but my birthday was the day Corbin abducted me and brought me here. “We already celebrated, remember? Chocolate cake in the den.” I’m trying to be helpful and not insult their thoughtfulness.
“No, silly,” Camilla says. “This is for your bachelorette party.”
My eyes widen. It didn’t even occur to me that I’d have a bachelorette party. This means that Corbin will have a bachelor party. I’ve heard enough from some of my mother’s ex-boyfriends to know how those go. My stomach swims with trepidation.
Inga elbows Avril.
“Oh. Right. We are your official I Do Crew. Think of us as team bride. Your every wish is our command. Be prepared for a day of fun as you kiss the miss goodbye. Today you are the wife of the party,” Avril speaks in a monotone as if reading from a script.
I crack a smile.
“That was supposed to be said with enthusiasm,” Camilla whisper-shouts at her then turns back to me. She bounces on her toes. “We’re going to have so much fun.”
The fear from when I woke up dissolves. “This is what I imagined having sisters would’ve been like, and I love it. Thank you.” I hook my thumb over my shoulder. “I have bed head and should probably go get ready. Be right back.”
Avril grabs me.
My Alpha wolf rises on instinct.
She gently lets go. “They have plans for you,” she says as though uncomfortable.
I lift my eyebrows.
“Are you ready for a day full of pampering?” Camilla claps.
“Do I have a choice?”
She chuckles. “Nope. We’re bride-napping you. You’re going to have the head to toe treatment.”
She hands me a T-shirt that says bride-to-be on the front in curly script. Then a pair of sweat pants that say bride tribe along the length of the leg—they have matching outfits but with bridesmaid across the chest.
“Wow. You guys went all out.”
“You just wait and see. Go put those on and we’ll get started.”
I follow along without giving myself a chance to talk myself out of it—I’m not the center-of-attention type, although there has been a lot of that lately.
Teeth brushed, face washed, and wearing this comfy uniform, I pop back into the hallway. “I guess I’m ready then.”
“Ready to get hitched?” Inga asked with a lifted eyebrow.
I take a deep breath. “Absolutely.” There had been many times in my life when I wasn’t sure of something, but of the fact that Corbin is my fated mate fills me with more than certainty.
“Let’s get this party started.” Inga cheers.
Like a stealth operation of undercover agents, they sneak me through the lodge—presumably, so Corbin doesn’t see me. The scent of blueberry scones baking draw me toward the kitchen, but they bypass it with a yank on my arm.
“What about breakfast?” I’m practically whining.
Being a wolf shifter has given me a hearty appetite—not that I was a slouch when it came to cleaning my plate before I synthesized.
“Oh, there will be breakfast.”
A white stretch limo Hummer idles in the driveway.
My eyebrows shoot right off my forehead. Music and laughter filter through the closed doors. They fly open and the subordinate wolves pull me inside.
I’m captive and my wolf doesn’t like it, but in the name of fun and what I wanted—a traditional human-style wedding—I play along.
The music lowers only slightly as Camilla and Inga lead a “how well does the bride know the groom” game. It’s hilarious and mortifying. Poor Avril looks like she’d rather be facing down Melchior or a pack of lone wolves.
I’m drawn in, but almost as soon the game is over the limo stops. I pick up the scent of doughnuts and practically tear out of the limo.
Pink, gold, and pearly white balloons decorate the front of Sugar, Spice, and Everything Nice Bakery. We all go inside, filling the space to overflowing.
Pepper stands behind the counter. Her apron says maid-of-honor across the front. She rushes up to me and practically bulldozes me with a hug.
“Girl, you’ve got to get used to your dragon strength.”
She laughs. Her grandmother bustles around, filling the counter and a long table with trays of baked goods. My mouth waters at everything from doughnuts topped with paper diamond decorations made to look like engagement rings to towers of muffins, pastries, and other brunch items.
“Surprise,” Pepper says. “We knew you wouldn’t want to get your special day started without something sweet.”
I shamelessly pluck a doughnut from the tray, pretending to wear it like an engagement ring. “But I don’t have one of these yet.”
Avril stabs the air with the toothpick attached to the paper diamond. “No, but you did. Turned out to be a very important jewel.” She lowers her voice and hisses, “And I think we should be searching the scepter right now instead of this.”
I wrap my arm around her shoulder. “I wholeheartedly agree. A few more days, and it’ll be Christmas, then the wedding, assuming I get the ring Corbin promised then—”
“Then your honeymoon and then what?” Avril asks.
I swallow thickly. She has a point. What feels like an urgent need to capture Melchior and destroying him distracts me from letting myself get caught up in the season—it’s Christmastime after all.
I think back to Christmases past. “I’ve never had a family like this. Most of the time my mother worked the ER at the hospital on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, basically all holidays. If I’ve figured out anything from being with the wolf pack is that you don’t let a holiday pass without celebrating it. Usually with food. Even if it isn’t necessarily a Concordian holiday or tradition.” A smile grows on my lips.
A frown fills in Avril’s. “Yes, but you know as well as I do that Melchior isn’t completely out of the picture.”
Good thing I devoured that doughnut and my stomach isn’t empty because it suddenly swims. “You’re right, but that also means he’ll still be there in a couple of weeks. Let’s indulge and then we’ll figure out what to do.” I speak the words with ease, but am torn.
Avril crosses her arms in front of her chest.
Inga bravely sidles up next to her a chocolate-covered st
rawberry on the end of a fork, tantalizingly waving it in front of Avril’s face. If a subordinate tried to do that, Avril would’ve grabbed her by the arm, and flipped her in the air before body-slamming her on pure instinct. Fortunately, they’re equals.
“I know you love these,” Inga singsongs.
I lift my brows. “I didn’t know Avril had a taste for sweets.” She’s more of a meat and potatoes girl.
She pouts and doesn’t part her lips.
Inga says, “They’re delicious, fresh, and—it’s like feeding a toddler.” She mashes the strawberry to Avril’s mouth, forcing her to eat it.
I can’t help but laugh. Again, I only get away with it because I’m the Alpha.
Avril chews but begrudgingly. However, a slight smile soon replaces her scowl. While Inga chats with me, I notice Avril go over to the brunch table and snag another of the chocolate covered strawberries.
After the fabulous meal, we venture to a spa several towns over. Over the next hours, we have massages, facials, pedicures, manicures, and then I have my hair professionally washed, trimmed, and styled. All the while, there’s chatter about how I should wear my hair on the big day considering the style of my gown. Eventually, we settle on leaving it down with loose waves.
As afternoon merges into evening, I envision walking down the aisle, exchanging vows, and everything to come after that. I feel jittery and nervous. As I’ve pointed out many times, I don’t even have my replacement ring yet.
This differs from the sealing of fated mates ceremony. I was anxious, but it was unknown and felt natural to my wolf. I grew up as a human and have all kinds of associations with weddings and marriage. I can’t stop thinking about Corbin. Swallowing my trepidation, I ask, “What are the guys doing?” The stylist dusts the hair off my shoulders and removes the haircutting cloak.
“Oh, well the guys are, um, taking Corbin out,” Inga stutters.
“What does that mean?” I ask.
“Just making sure he’s up to you know, being your husband. Only the best for our Alpha.”
“Are they testing him or something?” I ask.
My worst fears of the typical American bachelor party debauchery morphs into terror that they’re putting him through some kind of weird wolf initiation.
“He’s in good hands,” Pepper says. “They won’t do anything illegal.”
“I imagine the laws here are different,” I say.
“Okay, okay. Change of subject,” Camilla says.
Everyone goes silent. I can’t stop thinking about what the guys are up to.
“I think they went go-karting,” Inga finally says.
“And skydiving,” Avril adds.
Camilla clears her throat. “And bungee jumping.”
My face pales. “What if something happens to him?”
“As I said, he’s in good hands. He’s with the pack and Clove,” Pepper says.
“Have you settled on a place for the honeymoon?” Camilla changes the subject.
“Ooh. That’s a good question.” Inga lets out a long breath.
“Before we discuss that, can I just say that Corbin, voted least likely to settle down, is the most romantic,” Camilla says with an air of self-satisfaction.
“Did they really vote?” I ask.
She smirks. “I don’t think it was anything official, but he wasn’t exactly putting himself out there, though plenty of female wolves tried to tame him.”
I instantly think of Amanda and the queasiness returns.
Meanwhile, the girls giggle and chatter.
“But for the right woman, anything is possible...” Inga says.
I sigh because above all, I know that we’re right for each other. Nothing, so far, can change that.
When we leave the spa, we go on a shopping spree. The girls say it’s for the honeymoon, but they all pick out a closet’s worth of clothing and accessories for me. Afterward, we go out for a well-earned fancy dinner at an Italian restaurant. The girls load me up on garlic bread—garlic everything.
“It’ll be the last time for a while,” Camilla says. “Newlyweds and garlic aren’t a great combo.”
“We’re wolves, do we really care about bad breath?” I ask.
This wins me laughter.
When we leave, light rain turns heavy, washing away the snow. We drive in the stretch limo Hummer back to Headquarters, listening to pop music and singing along.
The lodge is the quietest it’s ever been. The male wolves are still out.
“Where do you suppose they are?” I ask.
Inga bites her lip. “Playing, um, tag.”
“In the dark?” I ask. “In the rain?”
She nods. “With paintball guns.”
My eyes widen.
We say goodnight and I give my girls the biggest hugs. I feel like they’re sisters and thank them profusely for the perfect day. The only thing that would’ve made it better was if my mom was there. But she’s busy making sure Lonsdale is ready for the wedding.
No, scratch that. The only thing that would’ve made it better was if Corbin was in my room waiting. Instead, I find a small box on top of my pillow.
I untie the silver and blue ribbons—Pack Hjalmor colors. Inside, a charm bracelet sits on a velvet cushion. Gift number two in Corbin’s countdown to Christmas. It contains three charms. One is a star, the second is a tiny mirror, and the third is a heart. Folded inside the box is a note.
These three charms represent your tri-magical heritage. The star for Canis Major and your wolf aspect, the mirror for the fae, and the heart for the vamp. I’ve always found it best to remember where I come from to know where I’m going—except that one time when I was cursed with forgetting. Xo, Corbin
A smile snags my lips at how thoughtful he is.
As I’m reminded how Melchior killed my vampire and the conversation Avril and I had earlier, I can’t help but sense that he’s still bent coming to kill my wolf and claim my fae for himself.
Chapter 14
Corbin
By the time I get back to Headquarters, I’m soggy from the rain, still high on adrenaline, and in desperate need of my mate. Being apart makes my wolf restless.
The bachelor party shenanigans were fun but exhausting. Luckily the guys provided plenty of fuel in the form of a hearty breakfast, lunch at a pub in Intherness, and an enormous barbecue spread for dinner. I’m bushed, but first, a shower.
Afterward, I slip into Kenna’s room. I want to be the first person she sees when she wakes up on Christmas Eve morning and every morning for the rest of our lives after we get married.
As I pad past her resting peacefully, I kiss her forehead and catch the glint of the charm bracelet around her wrist.
I slouch into the chair and catch a few hours of sleep before I sense her waking up.
My Alpha tunes to the activity of the pack, their moods, and more. I can’t help but feel like Kenna has been distracted or distant lately. Then again, we didn’t see each other at all yesterday. Before that, we’ve still been adjusting to the newfound peace we have in our lives.
After running on stress for so long, it can take a while to adjust. I should know after the trifecta of extreme action the pack organized. We went go-karting, but on steroids with tricked out karts that had all kinds of cool and crazy modifications. Yes, it involved fire and spikes.
We went skydiving that was part scavenger hunt as the subordinates dropped items from the plane we had to catch as we plummeted toward the earth. Then there was the cliff diving—Baker told the girls we were going bungee jumping. It was a fib I’m sure he’ll pay for later. We dove into icy water. The guys joked that it was so I’d know if I was getting cold feet. Ha ha. Not with Kenna.
Then they topped it off with a rain-soaked paintball battle—in the dark.
Kenna blinks a few times. “Good morning, handsome.”
I sit on the edge of the bed. “Good morning, beautiful.”
She smooths her hair as she sits up.
“Did
the girls spoil you yesterday?” I ask.
“They spoiled me rotten.”
“Do you feel like getting a little dirty?”
Her eyes widen. “We’re not married yet, Mr. Stone.”
I smirk. “I mean, shifting, going on a run. I wouldn’t want to ruin your mani and pedi,” I say with a laugh. “It rained last night. If the sun comes out, it’ll get muddy.”
“I’ll just have to get my nails done again. I have to admit, I could get used to that level of pampering.”
“Then you should. Anything for you, Kenna.”
She smiles a sleepy smile, but her eyes sparkle. “Thank you for gift number two.”
I shuck my hand. “Aw, that was just a little something.”
“It’s lovely,” she says, smoothing the bracelet around her wrist. Her finger lingers on the mirror charm for fae. I can’t tell if her strained expression is because she’s fighting between her wolf and fae nature or if she’d rather forget it altogether.
Kenna and I have breakfast with the pack, recounting the day before then we head outside.
I watch with awe as she shifts—something I didn’t expect that day I found her in the alley, but my wolf must’ve known she was special and to spare her. Panic seizes me every time I think about how close I came to ending her life—as ordered by the Council.
The ground is mostly frozen as my paws land firmly on the trail. Kenna brushes her tail from side to side. Her dark reddish fur shines in the sun. She looks over her shoulder and her smoky gray eyes meet mine. She yips and then takes off, running.
We race along the trails then climb to the bluff. When we get to the top, clouds smother the sun. As we’ve done numerous times, we gaze at the surrounding land, Headquarters, and beyond.
I sigh a wolfy sigh, content at what I’ve created as Alpha and will continue to develop with my co-Alpha, my mate, and soon-to-be wife. Wow. Never thought I’d have any of those. My wolf’s heart is pleased. Thankfully, he’s in charge right now. My mind has other things to say that amount to worries and what-ifs.
Do you think it’ll snow tomorrow? Kenna asks using the wolf-way of communication. A white Christmas would be perfect.
