by R. E. Butler
She ran the back of her hand across his cheek. “You don’t really look thrilled with the prospect.”
“No, baby, I do want to marry you, I just, if we do this right now because we’re trying to send a message, than it’s like he’s forcing our hands. I’m not really crazy about giving him that much power.”
She chewed the inside of her lip. Yes she wanted to marry Linus, but he was right. It seemed almost like a last ditch effort to keep Phoenix off their backs. And then they’d always know that the timing was born of violence.
“Well, you know, there’s an angel mating ceremony. My mother would oversee it. It’s kind of like the wolf ceremony, done in front of the pack. My mother always expected to do it twice, once for my home pack so that my mate would be welcome as an honored friend and once with my new pack like a joining ceremony. If we went up to my parents’ pack and did the angel ceremony, that’s as good as being married to them and will give us something like an alliance with that pack. For both of us.”
“Yeah? That’s pretty cool.” He scrubbed his fingers along his jaw. “Are you okay with that?”
“Sure. I want you to meet my parents and my home pack. When we went up for our visit in March she probably would have wanted to do it anyway to bind us all together as family. It’s important to angels that their girls are happy and their mates are welcome in their pack. My parents were in the same pack, they grew up together, so the angel mating ceremony was done at the same time as the pack joining ceremony and the legal marriage.”
She explained the ceremony was done at sunrise, so the world would look new on the mated pair, and that ancient and sacred prayers of her kind were spoken over the couple that were draped in orange blossoms, signifying a sweet life. Then the males of the pack would embrace the couple to commit their scent to memory, so that if help was called for, they would be able to find both and support them. The females of the pack would bring mating gifts for the couple of prepared hides and blankets for their new home and then the male would go on a hunt with his angel’s pack and the kills would be brought back for a feast that would last until midnight. Then the mated couple left to spend the night together in the home of her mother, that signified the mother and father supporting the daughter and her mate in the first steps of their life together.
“It’s really incredible,” he murmured, cuddling her into his side. “I had no idea how much we were all missing out on because of the modernization of our pack. You make me want things to be different.”
“Just because your pack is modern doesn’t mean that you have to raise our children that way, and I want our family to embrace the laws and the spirit of the old ways. Our sons are going to be alphas. We have to prepare them for that burden.”
“And our daughters will be Angels,” he added, kissing the tip of her nose with a soft smile. “They have to be prepared for that, too.”
“I’ve always thought that Peter was the detriment of the pack,” a rumbling voice said behind them and they both turned around in surprise to see Linus’ grandfather, known as Pops, leaning heavily on his cane in the doorway.
“Pops?” Linus questioned.
“Well,” his grandfather drawled, “Abraham, Peter’s father, was one of the most powerful alphas I’ve ever had the pleasure of knowing. When his wife was shot and killed by a hunter, he was paralyzed, devastated by the loss and unable to handle his duties as alpha. Peter took over, partly out of fear that the other males in the pack might try to take him out and that he was in such deep grief that he would just give up and go to the grave. But also, partly because he didn’t want the pack to splinter under poor leadership. Peter is powerful enough to be alpha but he didn’t have the drive for it. The…hunger I guess is the right word. He didn’t want to spend the time teaching the cubs about the old ways, because he had never wanted to follow them himself. And then he was injured and Jason took over. He’s a good alpha, because the pack is safe in its territory and relatively small, but if another pack ever really came against us, I shudder to think what might happen.”
Linus tensed and his voice was edged in defense. “He proved his ability to lead when he hunted down and killed the rogue that kidnapped Cadence.”
“Yes, out of necessity. But that wasn’t pack business, Linus, not entirely. That male took his mate. Ask yourself if Jason would spend all night chasing a rogue for one of the lesser wolves’ human mates or an unmated female?”
He opened his mouth and then he sighed, “How can I teach my own children things I barely know myself?”
“Our family will help you, Linus,” Pops said with a gentle smile. “And I’m certain that Karly’s family will be more than happy to share all they know. It’s about time that some grandcubs scampered around this dusty old place.” His eyes twinkled in happiness before he turned and moved slowly out of the room.
She smiled at the empty space where he had stood. “Are your grandparents still alive?” He asked, turning her gently by the shoulder to face him.
“No, my mother’s parents were quite a bit older by the time she was born. They lived into their late 80s and died within a few years of each other. I have some memories of my grandmother, but they’re very faint. And my father’s parents died when I was a teenager. What about your dad’s parents? Are they still here with this pack?”
Every feature in his face changed from curiosity at their conversation to unhappiness in a blink. “We should get something to eat for breakfast and then make arrangements with your parents to do the angel mating ceremony.”
He nearly ran out of the room and left her sitting there in surprise. Unfortunately, they really didn’t have time to deal with his demons, since her own were blood and flesh and stalking her. She wasn’t sure if she entirely believed that doing the angel mating ceremony would change Phoenix’s mind about her, but being around her family and the pack might. She could hope, anyway.
Linus’ mother made breakfast while Karly talked to her mother about the mating ceremony. They decided to wait a few days to see if Phoenix would show himself again, before they headed to West Virginia and they would plan to spend a few weeks there on an extended vacation. Linus’ family was going to join them, and after a few phone calls, the third ranked of the pack, Bo, was going to come with them, along with a few of their lesser ranked wolves and the former alpha Peter and his wife, Tina. Linus and her father both believed in safety in numbers, and they would only stay for the ceremony and celebration and then head home the following day. Her parents, along with members of the pack, would escort them back home unless Phoenix showed himself and was dealt with.
And she didn’t even want to think about that. She knew that wolves were fiercely protective of their mates, but she'd also seen Phoenix fight, and there was no telling what this time apart had done to him, how he’d trained and changed. If he was unbalanced before, he could be a total fruit loop at this point. A dangerous one, but a fruit loop nonetheless.
Aside from talking to her mother about the orange blossom garland for the ceremony, there wasn’t anything that had to be prepared special until the males went hunting. She’d heard the story about her parents mating time, and how she’d waited for her mate to come back to her after he hunted. She’d always pictured the angel mating ceremony in her mind and was thrilled that it was going to happen so soon, even as a tickling warning in the back of her mind told her that it wasn’t going to be the be-all and end-all of their problems with her ex. She was just not that lucky.
Chapter 12
Stroking down the soft curve of Karly’s waist, Linus pressed his mouth to hers and pulled her closer. They were leaving in the morning to head to her father’s pack in West Virginia. All the plans were in place and everyone was ready to get his mate safely to her parents’ pack and mated by angel standards before they headed home. He was nervous to meet her parents and be under the watchful eye of an alpha that expected wolves to know their history and laws, but he was also grateful to be taking her someplace that held her saf
ety in such esteem. With her father as second of the pack, he knew that every male there would be patrolling for that bastard Phoenix.
Yesterday he took her home so they could pack and then she sat in the shop while he closed up his workspace and handed off his jobs for the next few weeks. He felt like they were running away from the problem, but every time he mentioned his feelings, she promised him that she didn’t feel that way. It warred with his beast that he felt a kernel of unease in her mind. He should be able to protect her. She should have no doubt that he could keep her safe from harm, and not just her but their future children.
Karly’s whispered voice teased his ear, “If we make love, your family’s going to hear and I just don’t think I can handle that.”
Underneath the edge of her satin panties, he felt the warmth of her body as it heated for him. They hadn’t made love in two days. If his family hadn’t come to his house with them while they packed, he would have pounded Karly through the mattress to make up for everything, but it wasn’t to be.
He licked the edge of her jaw and she shivered. “What if I promise to go very, very slow?” His finger traced the lips of her sex, her silky honey coating the tip of his finger.
“Slow’s not the problem,” she breathed.
“No?” He chuckled.
“No, it’s, oh, Linus,” she moaned softly, dragging her teeth over her lower lip as he slid his finger inside her heat. The scent of her arousal spiked on the air and his already hard cock turned to stone against her side. He could guess she was worried about what his family would think about their lovemaking, that she didn’t want to be embarrassed. She should know better, though. His mother was so happy for them, and his grandparents, too. And wolves were notoriously horny. No one in the house would think twice about them enjoying each other and this small bit of time alone.
He felt her legs tense as she tried to resist spreading her luscious thighs apart to give him better access, but a press of his thumb to her already swollen clit made them slide apart and he buried his finger inside her. Keeping his thumb tight on her little pleasure button, he added a second finger, twisting it in his search for that one place that would rocket her to the heavens. She wriggled under him, her eyes closed and her nails digging in his shoulder, and a heartbeat before she came, he clamped his hand over her mouth and she screamed into his palm, her back arching off the bed in pure ecstasy.
Her body rocked on the bed and it shook and creaked but she was too lost to the sensations to notice, and he rolled on top of her, tearing her panties off with one hand and guiding his cock inside her. He gripped her ankles and brought them up to his shoulders so that her legs were locked together and straight, her channel perfectly tight and hot around him. After a few experimental thrusts, she groaned at the position and he gave her a devilish smile and bit down on the arch of her foot.
With such sensitive feet, his angel whimpered and ground her teeth together while he thrust into her to drive them both to the edge and over. He felt the tremors in her belly as another orgasm bloomed to life in her, and he pulled her ankles away from his shoulders and spread her legs high and wide apart so he could watch his cock disappear into the depths of her body. Completely at his mercy, she clutched at the blankets on the bed and whimpered and moaned. She was just made so perfectly for him; he couldn’t get enough of her. Sweat dotted his brow as he watched himself hammer into her willing pussy, oblivious to everything except the sound of her breathing and the hitch in her throat when she came. Her body squeezed him tight and he groaned, dropping her legs and going into a pushup over her to power the last few thrusts to his own climax.
She pulled him down and he took the brunt of his weight on his arms and settled into the cradle of her body. She kissed his cheek with a feather light touch, and hugged him tightly. “You come so hard, baby, it’s like you’ll break my cock in half.”
She breathed out a chuckle and tilted his face to kiss him on the mouth. “It’s because you love me so well, my sweet wolf.”
Eventually his arms protested the angle he was holding himself away from her body, so he rolled to his back and pulled her with him to cuddle into his chest. “My heart,” she said with a light yawn.
“It’s beating just for you, baby,” he promised, and closed his eyes.
Armed with directions, their caravan left Allen at 7:30 in the morning on February 3. In the back of the truck were their two suitcases and her angel book and camera equipment. She was determined to take a picture of him in the snow in his shift, and they’d not had an opportunity to do it before now.
Peter and Tina drove his mother and grandparents in their minivan and led the way. Behind them, Bo and the rest of the wolves followed in two vehicles. Bo had been curious if there were any single females in the pack, and Karly said that most of the females her age were already mated or had moved to other packs to escape the alpha’s rule. Unlike in their own pack, the alpha female, while powerful, wasn’t the boss of anyone and fell under her mate's thumb just as any other wolves did. Karly had thought it was odd that the males and females in the Tressel pack had their own hierarchy. For her parents’ pack, the females were not ranked, meant to be mates and supportive of their males. When he told her he thought it was slightly on the barbaric side and not all in keeping with women’s lib and the like, she had just shrugged. “All packs are different, Linus. None of them are entirely right, and the only thing that keeps the wolves in the pack is their freedom of choice. Alpha Krayne runs the pack with an iron fist and has fought for their territory alongside his people many times. There are females that think they should have a say in the politics of the pack and should be thought of as more than mates and mothers and caretakers, but they’re free to leave. It’s all I’ve ever known, and besides the fact that I was born to be a wolf’s mate, his leadership has saved the lives of nearly every wolf in the pack more than once.”
“You don’t have to defend the pack’s way of life to me, Karly,” he picked her hand up and kissed the back of it.
“I’m not trying to. I’m not a wolf so the politics of your pack don’t interest me. What does interest me is you being happy and our children growing up with a love for what they will be and the desire to see harmony and law within their pack.”
“I want that, too.” And he did. While they both allowed the subject to drop, he couldn’t help but think about how inadequate he felt in going to her old pack. He was worried he’d make a complete jackass of himself and embarrass her.
Three hours into their drive, Peter called on his cell to say that all the women in the minivan needed a bathroom break even though they hadn’t planned to stop for lunch for another hour. It sounded like complete anarchy over the phone so Linus had no trouble agreeing to stop. He knew just how feisty his grandmother could be, and if she wanted to stop, she’d crawl over Peter and put her foot on the brake herself.
The rest area in Ohio was surrounded by woods and a small clearing with picnic tables. The building was brick and typical, with one side for women to enter and the other for men. Another glass building housed vending machines.
Parting with Karly at the juncture of the two sidewalks, he kissed her briefly and watched her follow his mother, grandmother and Tina around the corner and into the bathroom.
Lowering his zipper at the urinal, he sighed and rolled his neck. He was tense in more than one way. “So, do you think her folks will like you?” Bo asked from next to him.
“I hope so. She said the only way that they wouldn’t like me is if she’d ignored her nature and just picked someone to be with.”
“It’s wicked cool, man.” Bo sighed. “That she was made for you.”
“I know, I’m really lucky. I really thought I blew my chance at happiness before, but it turns out that I didn’t really know what happy was until I met Karly.”
He joined the men out at the vehicles after grabbing sodas for himself and Karly. No one was in a hurry to get back on the road so they chatted about the trip and stopping fo
r lunch and meeting the pack.
Glancing at his watch for the hundredth time he looked at Peter. “They’ve been in there for ten minutes. This place isn’t so busy that they would be standing in line.”
“Maybe they’re just talking.” Pops said, “Your grandmother could talk a monk into breaking his vows if only to tell her to be quiet.”
He chuckled but it was forced. Suddenly he felt like something wasn’t quite right. He met Peter’s eyes again and Peter said, “We’ll, um, holler into the bathroom for them to hurry up.”
They walked together as a group and as they rounded the corner, he opened the door a few inches and said, “Karly? Baby are you okay?”
Silence followed. Frowning, he opened the door further and a woman he didn’t know looked at him from the sink. “Do you need something?” She asked.
“Yeah, my fiancé came in here like ten minutes ago with a few other women.”
“It’s just me in here, but three of the stalls are locked with people in them.” She shrugged and walked past him and he stormed into the bathroom and pushed one of the closed doors but the lock just rattled.
Peter and his grandfather both joined him and Bo stuck his head in, “Linus, Teller is freaking out. He says he can smell that rust wolf around here. Is Karly okay?”
His wolf snarled in his brain and he smashed the flat of his palm on the door and the metal lock broke apart as it opened. Tina lay slumped on the toilet, her head resting on the wall. “Oh no,” he breathed, darting his hand to her neck. Relief washed through him as the other doors popped open and his mother and grandmother were found in a similar position. Drugged into unconsciousness but otherwise unharmed.
He ran out of the bathroom to leave them to tend to the women and found Teller, a young wolf and one of their best trackers growling and flexing his hands like his claws wanted to break free. At the back of the small building, a service door had been broken and inside lay a man in a janitorial uniform, dead from a broken neck. Inside the small service room was another door that led to the women's restroom. It's clearly how Phoenix got inside.
