“White?” Nova chuckled, holding up the gauzy fabric of the robe she would be wearing for the mating ceremony.
“What about mine?” Liberty replied, holding up her mating clothes.
“At least yours is red,” Nova smirked.
“Talon says mine is red because I am the alpha’s mate,” Liberty defended, turning toward the mirror with a huff. She turned sideways and admired her belly. She still hadn’t started showing yet. Now that Nova was one of the panthers, she understood the scent Liberty gave off. It was soothing and reminded her of the scent of a newborn baby.
Nova shook her head and slipped out of her jeans. They were to wear the robes, and nothing else, during the ceremony. After they were officially mated, the couples would shift and run in their panther forms. Liberty did the same, and in just a few minutes, both were standing in the upstairs bedroom of the alpha’s home staring at each other, tears welling in their eyes.
“Mom and dad would be happy for us,” Liberty said, wiping a tear from Nova’s cheek.
“Daddy would’ve shot Talon in the ass because he knocked you up before he married you,” Nova snickered through her tears.
“You’re probably right about that.” Liberty smiled, reaching up to wipe away her own tears.
Nova hugged her sister tight. There had been a few years there where Liberty was Nova’s only family, but since falling in love with Winter, she realized the two of them wouldn’t be alone forever. They had the pride and they had each other.
“Why are you crying?” Talon’s booming voice asked from the doorway.
“Whoever made them cry is a dead son of a bitch,” Winter snarled.
Nova turned, seeing their mates filling the doorway. The men were wearing only loose pants that matched their mate’s robes. Their large, muscular and tanned chests were bare. Both of their eyes were glowing amber, and before she could say anything, the men were scooping them up into their arms.
“We’re fine, Talon,” Liberty sniffled. “We were just having a moment.”
“Is my cub okay?” Talon worried.
“Everything is fine,” she sighed. “Are you here to make honest women of us?”
“We’ve come to take you out to the circle,” Winter announced.
The circle was the official meeting area behind the alpha’s home. Each Equinox and Solstice, the pride would gather in that one spot for Talon to officiate matings, present a new cub to the pride, or in this case, marry his own bride.
Winter presented his crooked elbow to Nova and she threaded her arm through his, walking behind her sister and their alpha. A hush fell over the pride as they approached the inner circle. All of the Guardians were there, waiting in a ring of protection at the center of the circle. As soon as they approached, Dane and Savage separated, allowing all four of them to pass through.
Someone had placed a raised platform in the circle. It was made of sturdy wood and had been painted white to match her robe. Liberty and Talon stood to her and Winter’s left once they climbed the two short steps onto the platform. Winter squeezed her hand and she felt her panther purr with happiness. It seemed like any time he touched her, the beast inside her would calm.
“Tonight, we celebrate two matings,” Talon began. “My Guardian and his mate, Nova Raines, have asked that we also marry them by the human laws. I have asked my mate to do the same.”
The crowd cheered, a few Guardians roared as a sign of their approval. Harold, the pride’s healer, came forward, wearing a black robe of his own. It had been revealed that the healer was more of a jack of all trades. He was ordained as a minister many years prior to legally marry the members of the pride.
Nova had been given a crash course on the traditions of mating by several of the women in the pride. She was nervous, but was ready when Harold gave them a nod. Liberty and Nova pulled their hair over to one shoulder so their mating marks could be seen by the pride.
“On this night of the Winter Solstice,” Harold began. “Our leader, Talon Shaw, has found the mate of his life. Liberty Raines has accepted the mark of our leader. She will become an equal to our alpha, and the pride will accept her order as if it came from Talon himself. If there is anyone in attendance who believes this mating should not happen, please step forward.”
No one in the crowd so much as took a breath while the healer paused. The Guardians shoulders seemed to swell in protection. Nova had a feeling that if someone had protested, the men would’ve fought to the death for this mating.
“Our Guardian, Winter Blue, has found the mate of his life,” Harold stated, looking over his shoulder at Nova. His eyes softened only a second before he turned back to the crowd. “Nova Raines has accepted the mark of a Guardian. She will be held as high in the ranks of this pride as her protector and mate. If there is anyone in attendance who believes this mating should not happen, please step forward.”
The healer motioned for Talon and Liberty, asking them to step forward. He then asked the same of Nova and Winter. “Face each other,” Harold instructed.
The Guardians in the crowd began to chant, their voices low enough so the healer could be heard. The men didn’t speak in a language Nova knew, but what they did say couldn’t be construed as anything other than a chant of their heritage.
“Do you, Talon and Winter, take your mates as to the human laws of marriage, loving them, protecting them as your wife for long as you shall live?”
“I do,” both men growled, their eyes glowing amber.
“Do you, Liberty and Nova, take your mates as your husbands in the human’s world? To honor and protect them as they would do the same unto you?”
“I do,” Nova and Liberty replied at the same time.
Again, a silence fell over the pride. Nova wasn’t sure how long she held her breath, but when Harold looked at her, a big smile plastered on his weathered face, he said the words she’d been wanting to hear.
“I pronounce you mated and married by the human laws,” he announced. “Males…kiss your mates and then you may run.”
Winter scooped Nova up into his arms, his lips pressing to hers as he stepped off the platform. The pride cheered as Winter carried her toward the woods. He didn’t stop kissing her until they reached the edge of the yard.
“Shift and run, little one,” Winter purred. “I’m going to catch you. And once I do, we are going to spend the next two days in our mated bed.”
Nova dropped her robe and gave over to the push she’d been feeling from her panther. Just before her beast completely took over, she gave Winter a saucy wink. “Catch me if you can.”
She heard her mate snarl as she darted into the woods, her panther taking over and running free and wild.
The cold December air bit at Winter’s human face as he watched his beautiful bride dash into the woods behind the alpha’s home. He let his panther free, shifting quickly so she wouldn’t be too far away from him.
Nova was his, and although he’d been a stubborn asshat, she loved him. He didn’t know how he’d gotten so lucky as to find a woman like her, but he wouldn’t ever take her love for granted.
A piece of his heart ached when he thought about his baby sister and what she would have said about Nova. He was sure they would have been close.
His panther rushed into the night, following the scent of his mate. She was somewhere close, but he couldn’t hear her movement through the dried leaves. A cackle was his only warning before a small black panther pounced on his back, both of the animals taking a tumble.
Nova’s panther rubbed her face against his neck, a strong purr rumbling from her chest. His panther huffed, climbing to his feet. He’d wanted to chase his mate’s panther, but she wasn’t having that.
Her eyes flashed blue a moment before her body began to change. Winter didn’t waste any time shifting back to his human form when he saw his mate standing before him.
“You’re going to freeze to death out here,” he growled, picking her up.
“I want to go home, Winter,” she said, wrappin
g her arms around his neck.
“Are you feeling okay?” he asked, worried.
“I’m fine,” she said, rolling her eyes. “I don’t want to play in the woods tonight. I want to make love to my husband…my mate.”
“That’s all you needed to say, little one,” Winter replied, taking off at a fast pace. He could see the lights from his front porch and it only took a matter of moments before he had his mate in their bed.
“Winter, please,” Nova begged, pulling him closer. He didn’t need any encouragement to come together with her. She was already primed for him and the scent of her arousal was driving him crazy.
“I love you, Nova,” he admitted as he made love to her. “I’ve loved you since the first day I laid eyes on you.”
“And I’ve loved you for a long time too, you asshat,” she moaned, throwing her head back as he continued to thrust inside her. “Now, fuck me.”
“Anything, my mate,” he said, giving Nova exactly what she asked for.
The End…
Savage and Mary Grace’s book coming soon…
About Theresa Hissong:
Theresa is a mother of two and the wife of a retired Air Force Master Sergeant. After seventeen years traveling the country, moving from base to base, the family has settled their roots back in Theresa’s home town of Olive Branch, MS, where she enjoys her time with family and old friends.
After almost three years of managing a retail bookstore, Theresa has gone behind the scenes to write romantic stories with flare. She enjoys spending her afternoons daydreaming of the perfect love affair and takes those ideas to paper.
Look for other exciting reads…coming very soon!
Winter (Rise of the Pride, Book 2) Page 17
