Winds of Change

by Kat Keppeler

  Skye shut the door to their bedroom, turning the lock before she went to pull the small boxes out of the bag. They were clearly jewelry boxes, though not from the same place. Skye had to speed - just a little - to get to a town large enough to have choices for her selection.

  “I was going to surprise you all but I don’t know if it would make it better, or worse, and I don’t trust my instincts when it comes to knowing which it’s going to be. Regardless, it’s probably going to be a thing between Finn and Rory until they work out their issues. I don’t think that should take away from giving this to you, or giving Chance his. Although Chance will probably just make a smart ass comment and then toss me over his shoulder,” Skye smiled, the expression fond, “He doesn’t really like to admit to having feelings out loud. Especially not in public. I blame being British.”

  Chance did have feelings, though. He cared a lot more than he was ever willing to let on. Lee and Skye both recognized the grumping and fussing for what it was; Chance’s devotion to keeping those he loved safe.

  “Here. You’re all different with really different tastes so I didn’t get you anything that matched, I hope that’s okay.”

  She thrust the box into his hands without saying more, her blue eyes worried and searching his face for his reaction. The words just kept tumbling out, not giving Lee a chance to respond or even get a word in edgewise.

  “If you hate it, we can pick out something else and you don’t have to wear it…” Skye trailed off finally. It was a man’s wedding band and she’d been fairly dead on with estimating the size for it. She’d been thinking about it for a while, honestly. It was white gold with a turquoise inlay. Skye figured it was a little flashy but not in any way that would make it clash with anything he chose to wear. The turquoise, after all, was the same shade as his eyes and the dye he chose to color his hair with.

  “Is it a terrible idea? It’s a terrible idea…. Is it?” Skye’s worried blue eyes searched his shocked face for a hint of his feelings as the silence stretched on.

  “Are we getting human married?” Lee asked finally, looking at it with glittering eyes. His turquoise eyes were bright with unshed tears. “Is that what this is? A wedding band? Like, legit all dress and tux stuff?”

  For once, her gentle mate was at an absolute loss for words. Finally, his lips quirked.

  “I don’t know what to say Skye, this is for me? Are you gonna start calling me husband?” He smiled, a tear slipping down his cheek, but they were happy tears. “This is sooooo weeeeeeird…. It’s a good weird! Still weird. I never really figured I'd be anyone’s husband. Or mate.”

  “If you want me to,” Skye said firmly and she set the ring in his hands to examine, “And as human married as we can really manage, since they have a thing about marriage only involving two people, largely because it’s all about the tax breaks but that’s not the important part. I don’t really know how it will all work but we’ll figure it out. I mean, you and Chance and Rory will have to figure out what you want to call each other since I know that you have a relationship with each of them and I’m honestly not entirely sure whether Rory and Chance do the romance thing when none of us are there. Chance is so hard to read sometimes.”

  Skye realized she was dithering and just pulled the ring from the box to see if it fit on his finger, which it did, thankfully. Skye’s relief was palpable. “Oh, good, it fits.”

  She kept a hold of his hand and stretched up to press a careful kiss to his cheek so as to not disturb any makeup.

  “I don’t know how to make it clear how I feel in the way shifters work but I do know human traditions. I love you. I’m yours and you’re mine and we’ll get through everything together. That’s the important part of marriage anyway, right?” Skye told him simply.

  “Yes.” He drew her close, his arms around her narrow waist as he sighed heavily. For once, Lee didn’t give a damn if the makeup smudged or his clothes rumpled as as they stood entwined in each other’s arms. “Don’t know how I’ve made it almost two centuries without you, Skye. I love you too, Skye.”

  There was a knock on their bedroom door. Caleb’s voice was clear and easy to pick out, “Anyone there, parties starting in thirty minutes.”

  Lee let her go then. He paused at the door, turning and winking as he remembered her earlier comment about Rory and Chance, “For the record… Rory and Chance do things together. You just gotta get them going sometimes. I like to get them started with some heavy kissing sandwiched in between them and pretty soon if you just move out of the way they're all over each other. Dominant males, can’t admit they feel a certain way. More macho baloney if you ask me.”

  As if he had heard his name, Chance walked past the bedroom.

  “Chaaaaaaance!” Lee drew the dark haired man’s name out in one long lilting syllable as he followed the pack's beta out to the porch and left Skye alone to get changed.

  Skye sagged a little as Lee left, thankfully shutting the bedroom door behind her. What a picture he’d painted. If Skye hadn’t been a bundle of nerves, not to mention sore, she’d have been very tempted to go try that out rather than spending the time to get ready for the party.

  Instead, though, she locked the door and took a quick shower before spending the time to wash and dry her hair, brushing it out until it fell straight past her shoulder blades. Her fingers weren’t quite as clever as Lee’s when it came to styling, but she twisted it up in a soft chignon and put on just a little bit of makeup to bring out her bright blue eyes and give her lips a little more color and gloss. She’d save high glam for when Lee wanted to go on his promised date night but she figured this worked for a patio party.

  Normally, Skye tended towards comfortable and casual but today called for something a little more dressy than that. She could go a little lighter in layers as they were heading into late winter and had the patio heaters going. Skye had a soft turtleneck sweater dress that she’d not had a reason to wear as it was a little more fancy than going down to eat at the diner in town. It was a soft pastel blue that flattered her pale skin and brought out her bright blue eyes. A pair of charcoal leggings and heeled boots completed the look. Skye looked at herself for a moment in the mirror before she reached under the dress to pull out the necklace and let it rest on top. Perfect.

  Collecting her small bag with the other three rings tucked inside, Skye left the bathroom, to follow the scents of Betty’s fantastic cooking out onto the large patio.

  “Wow, this looks amazing.”

  The patio was slam full of people just laughing and carrying on. Betty and Liam were in a corner staring into each other’s eyes despite the many compliments to the food, and they’d raided the beer from the fridge in the garage. Chance was talking to a group of other beta males, laughing at something that had Lee rolling his eyes. Skye’s gaze slid past them as she smiled to land on Rory where he was chatting quietly with Anna. She was clearly flirting at their leader but he was not interested by the way he kept trying to slip by her without hurting her feelings.

  The radio played some sort of pop music much to Chance’s chagrin and Anna was trying to drag Rory to the middle to dance with him despite Rory’s clear reluctance. Micah and Caleb perched on a bench across the patio, beers in hand, as they snickered about Anna’s efforts. The pack said it was the lady’s choice and apparently Anna was taking that to heart.

  Finn was nowhere to be seen until he stepped out from behind Skye and wrapped his arms around her. He kissed her ear gently, his lips were soft and gentle as he brushed them against the fragile shell of her ear before he caught the tender lobe with his teeth. He didn’t even nip, but the slight rasp of his teeth against her flesh was a reminder of more intimate caresses. It was a gentle reminder that she was his, and that he was hers. Skye shivered in his arms, but it was neither from the chill in the air or fear.

  “Hello, beautiful,” Finn’s whisper was soft against her skin. He relished the intimate greeting he’d gotten to share. Rory glanced up, coming to attention
at the possessive hands on Skye’s waist, but Finn had listened to Lee’s diatribe in the car. Finn had taken it to heart. Letting her go, Finn’s limping gait took him to where Anna and Rory were at the edge of their impromptu dance floor.

  “Can I have this dance?” Finn offered politely. Anna all but flung herself into his arms.

  The smile Skye gave him for making Anna’s day was brilliant. Anna still struggled against centuries of social pressure to find the most dominant males. Eventually, she’d realize that the ranking didn’t define her worth. It was a process, and it took time. Over Anna’s head, she caught Finn’s gaze and mouthed a silent ‘thank you’. Skye recognized that he was trying and she knew that dancing wasn’t the easiest activity for him with a prosthetic leg that he’d already been on all day.

  “I might steal you for the next one,” she told Finn softly, trusting his hearing would catch her words before she turned with an equally radiant smile for Rory. Her arms slipped around his shoulders as his big hands landed on her hips.

  “I love you,” Skye said softly to Rory, unprompted. Her hands smoothed over the fabric of his shirt, “You look so handsome tonight.”

  “Lee dressed me.” Rory said about the grey sweater and slacks. “He said I needed to look official. Does it work?”

  He gave Skye a bright smile cuddling her in close. While she was snuggled against his chest Rory glanced over her head, out toward Finn and Anna. Rory didn’t say anything and it seemed like Finn avoided meeting Rory’s gaze. It wasn’t exactly an apology or a peace offering but it was a start. Anna danced in front of Finn, bouncing to the music, while Finn just swayed like he knew how to dance.

  “We might have to amend the ladies choice proclamation to make it clear that it has to go both ways. The guy has to be interested in return,” Rory commented softly to Skye. “ Anna has her sights set on either of us.”

  “She’ll get there. She’s not actually interested in you or Finn,” Skye pointed out. For once, the keen shifter senses were in Skye’s favor. There was no arousal on the air when Anna turned towards Finn or Rory. Oh, they were handsome, certainly, and Anna probably could have enjoyable sex with either of them, but her instincts weren’t pushing her towards either men and she wasn’t so much interested in them as what they represented. Eventually, Anna would recognize it in herself. “She wants to have children, I know. You and Finn are the most likely to provide that. There’s no one in the pack that she’s really clicked with… I think we haven’t found a mate for her yet among those here.”

  Skye tipped her head to the side, squinting a little at Anna as she tried to figure out who the pretty woman might find a good match with. So far, Skye had come up blank.

  Finn excused himself from Anna much to her dismay once the song ended, settling in a nearby chair to rest his leg as an excuse. Anna went to snag a beta from Chance’s group, to entice them into dancing, too. Skye chuckled in Rory’s arms as she caught sight of Chance’s pained expression over the next song that came on the radio. Her laughter drew Rory’s gaze back down, and he noticed the necklace. He picked the charm up to get a closer look, turning it over to see two sets of initials on the back carved into the metal. “D.B. And P.B. That’s not your parents’ initials.”

  Skye gave a shake of her head.

  “No, Finn gave it to me today,” Skye explained as he glanced down as well to notice the initials. Her brow creased in confusion. She knew Finn’s last name was Barrowman.

  “It must have belonged to Dru,” Skye said softly, touching the necklace and smoothing it down in place once more. “He didn’t keep the photos but clearly he held onto this.”

  Rory was silent, his gaze traveling back to the big wolf sitting across the deck. There was just so much they didn’t know about Finn, so much that he kept to himself. Catching his frown, Skye decided to change the subject.

  “My father is Reid and my mother’s name is Karen. Reid and Karen Carmichael,” Skye offered as her arms slipped up around his shoulders once more, “I’m going to have to figure out a way to introduce the four of you to them. I won’t be able to put Mom off about visiting anymore when the weather finally turns to spring completely.”

  The music stopped abruptly as Chance had enough and turned it off. Before the complaints could be more than a few murmurs, he turned to a case that he’d drug out of the closet and began to flip open the locks. In a few moments, he had an older, but clearly well cared for, high quality fiddle in his hands. He winked once at Lee before he gave Skye a half smirk that showed that dimple in his cheek. Without saying a word, he put the bow to the strings and began to play a cheerful reel that had many of their pack mates bouncing up to their feet. Skye often forgot that except for Caleb and Micah, she was the youngest of her pack mates. The forms of the dance that her pack mates spun into were clearly well known to all of them.

  Rory laughed, his arm on her hip as he pulled her away from where their pack mates had begun to spin through the movements. Chance really had never been the type to like any of the modern day pop for any era. Rory was a Queen kinda guy himself. The pack were all stomping their feet in tune to the fiddling, Anna and Caleb were dancing. Well, Anna was trying to show Caleb how to dance anyway. Like Skye, he was too young to have learned the steps.

  The celebration was both boisterous and joyful with easy laughter and good food. The party went on well into the night before Rory stood up and cleared his throat.

  A hush fell over everyone as instantly their eyes snapped to their alpha.

  “So... “ Rory said, sounding slightly nervous. “We’ve all been here together for over a month now and we’re starting to get the bearings for each other. It was a little rough at first, but I think we’re starting to settle in well.”

  They were all silent as Rory spoke, he looked up to meet each of their eyes.

  “You’ve… well we’ve all been through a lot and I’m sorry that you were in my territory and I wasn’t there to help you. I feel like I’ve failed all of you by not having known what kind of monster Halliday was. We’re healing, all of us, and it’s a slow process. I think the only good thing that has come out of it is that I’ve gotten the pleasure to know all of you.”

  He paced a little as he spoke, intent on his words and gesturing with his rough hands to make his points.

  “It’s beginning to feel a lot like family here, and I’m hoping that we can come together as that family we’ve all lost. I know most of you have had the pleasure of this…” He held up his wrist to show his destroyed marcas. “Either by choice, fear, or exile. You’ve known a lonely life without your pack. I want to make sure all of you never have to question your safety in the pack again. You never have to fear for your lives because of your status. We…”

  He held a hand in the direction of Skye, including her in his statement. “…Your leaders want to rewrite the status quo. Our pack is going to be one of harmony, of choice. Of love. We won’t be held by the same fear that our forefathers have spread over the land. Most of you were alive when fuil agas fiaclan were the biggest pack of the old world. They were slaughtered when their leader grew too bold, sure, but their ideals were life changing. We have the last daughter of their clan among us, her ideals are just as bold as her father’s. We need to stick to them for the preservation of our kind, and you can count yourself among the first to see the rebirth of fuil agas fiaclan. We’re the last hope of our kind…”

  He finished his speech and looked over at Skye like he was going to deflate even though his declaration was met with clear approval. Applause and cheering, and a few eyes that shone with suspicious moisture. Skye’s smile for him was brilliant, and her approval shone clear in her features. Skye couldn’t have been more proud of Rory in that moment.

  “I extend to you the invitation to stay in our clan, to accept a new marcas and pledge yourselves to the good of the pack. A pack that will not keep you in fear, a pack that will allow you freedom to mate as you please, and a pack that counts you as family.” Rory’s shoul
ders straightened with confidence at the light in his mate’s eyes, his words steady and clear.

  Lee handed the box with the silver brand to Chance, his eyes a light with emotion and pride in his pack. Rory walked over and held out his left wrist, presenting it to Chance. The three of them would be the first, Chance pressed the brand to Rory’s skin and their alpha bit back a wince as it began to instantly burn but he made no sound of discomfort. Chance’s expression was solemn as he held the brand firmly to Rory’s flesh for several moments before he pulled it away.

  “I pledge my life to the pack, my blood to my pack.” Rory stated, his voice clear and carrying, and then held his hand out for the brand. As the pack’s beta solemnly put it in his hand, Chance reached down to slide up his own sleeve. Rory pressed it to Chance’s skin, holding his arm steady as Chance repeated the ancient words. Behind Skye they all lined up.

  Lee had the honor of going third, instead of the higher ranked pack members, and then Finn after him. It took almost an hour to get through, every member of the pack full of reverence for the tradition and wonder at a second chance.

  Skye accepted the silver after Micah and Caleb were the last to take the marcas and give their vows, putting it gently back in the lined box that would keep it until the pack had need of it again.

  “Tonight,” Skye said, her voice clear and bright as she spread her hands wide, “We celebrate the joining of a pack, the claiming of mates and the beginning of something new, and something wonderful.”

  Her eyes twinkled, her lips curving in a smile as the solemn part of the ceremony fell away for a party that would likely stretch into the wee hours of the night, “I would like to stress that while a female has the right to take any mates she chooses, they have the right to politely decline and your alphas will support that choice. Rory and I want a new path for all of you; one where your lives are not defined by anything other than the choices that you make. This is our pack; our family. Now, let’s enjoy it.”