A Mate's Revenge (10 page)

As Cael unlocked the door to the alpha lodge, he realized how nervous he was. He’d hated living here. It was too big, too much for him. All he needed was a bed and a kitchen. The five bedroom monstrosity was out of his league. Now though, he was glad for it. It would be the perfect place to raise his family.

He opened the door, letting Isabesh walk in first.

She turned around in a wide circle, taking in the spacious front room. He hadn’t decorated. There were curtains on the windows, but they were plain white against the log walls. No pictures. No art or bookshelves. He’d treated his books badly. His reading selection was stacked on his bedside table.

“I love it,” she breathed.

“You can do whatever you want to it. I don’t care. Make it yours, baby.”

She smiled so bright, he felt it in his gut. Her smile was the greatest gift he’d ever received. He hoped to make her do that over and over for the rest of their lives.

“Ours,” she corrected. “I’ll make it ours.”

He stepped forward, grabbing her face and kissing her like there’d never be another chance.

But there would be. He had the rest of their lives to do this.

“Mate me,” he breathed. “I want your mark in my flesh.”

Trager was already on his way back. He and Farrow had found Gabby exactly where Besh explained. Gabby needed time with her mate, and so did Trager. Cael would give him time away later, to catch up with her. In the meantime, there was a ceremony to perform.

More than one, if Besh said yes.

“Are you sure?” she asked.

“So fucking sure.”

Her smile was careful, and she brushed a strand of hair from his eyes. “On one condition.”

“Anything.”

“You teach me how to shoot a rifle. We never got that far.”

Fuck yes, he’d teach her that. And combat too. They’d start with martial arts. Tai kwon do, maybe. She’d be the most badass submissive wolf ever.

Cael kissed her hard.

“Done…”

And then again.

“Fucking…”

Once more for emphasis.

“Deal.”

***

“Kerri, this is ridiculous. Do you know what you sound like right now? A flabbergasted goat, that’s what. And you know exactly what I’m talking about.” Vesh’s mate made some kind of god-awful noise from deep in her throat. It sounded nothing like a goat, and nothing like Kerrigan, but Besh kept quiet.

“I can’t help it,” Kerrigan huffed. “This dress doesn’t fit anymore! How come you didn’t tell me I was gaining weight?”

Braeh blinked twice. “Uh, maybe because I didn’t notice? You look gorgeous, as always. And besides, you’re going to jam that hot emblem into Tragie’s chest, the elders will give you their blessing, and it’ll be over. Then he’ll hulk you back to your cabin and rip that sucker off and…” she continued her thought by thrusting her hips several times.

Besh snickered. Vesh’s mate was funny. The perfect complement to her brother’s serious demeanor.

“He hates when you call him that, you know.”

“What? Tragie?” Braeh leaned toward the mirror, touching up her makeup and fingering her short blond locks. “Tragie Wagie doesn’t like my nickname? I’m hurt.”

Kerrigan looked at her reflection. “It’ll have to do,” she muttered.

“I swear to god, Kerri. If you don’t shut up about that dress…”

Besh still felt a little out of place around the two women. They’d welcomed her with open arms, always so very kind. She just wasn’t used to having girlfriends. She still wasn’t the most confident woman, but maybe she could help Kerrigan.

“She’s right,” Besh spoke up. “You look beautiful. I’m guessing your mate will notice your flared hips and the way your breasts curve the fabric. You look like you’re ready to conceive his young. No doubt, he’ll try to make that happen tonight. You’re lucky your fertile time comes around more often than once a year.”

Both women froze.

Uh oh. She’d said something wrong.

“I’m sorry. Never mind. I just meant—”

“No, it’s okay.” Kerrigan’s voice was strained. She swallowed several times before continuing. “It’s just… I can’t…”

“Kerri and Trager are still working on that,” Braeh explained. “There are some difficulties.”

Besh’s heart broke. “Oh.”

Braeh nodded while Kerrigan tried to compose herself.

“Damn it. I didn’t mean to upset you.”

Kerrigan smiled through misty eyes. “I know. Don’t worry.”

Braeh walked over to sit beside Besh on the bench. “It’s why we’re all very excited for little Willie to come along.” Her eyes went to Besh’s belly.

“Willie?”

“Yeah. It’s a good name don’t you think?”

Besh frowned, rubbing her hand over her stomach. “I think it’s going to be a girl. But
if
it was a boy, I would never name him Willie.”

Braeh sighed sadly. “Why does nobody like my names?”

“Because they’re awful,” Kerrigan muttered, coming to sit on the other side of Besh. “We’ll be taking a pack vote for your baby name when the time comes. You can’t be trusted.”

The silence that fell between them was comforting. Soon the ceremony would start, and the three of them would be legally mated. A triple ceremony had sounded like a good idea. Vesh’s suggestion. They were a family now, and this made it seem even more official.

There was a knock on the door. “You ladies ready?” It was Asa, an elder she met her first day in the Ravendale camp.

“Ready?” Kerrigan asked. A smile snuck onto her face and grew and grew until she was radiating.

That was more like it, Besh thought. “I’m ready.” More than ready. Her wolf had been aching to mark Cael ever since he’d asked. She needed this,
wanted
this, promise for eternity.

The three of them stood, and Besh was swept into a group hug.

“Alright girls,” Braeh said, taking a deep breath. “Let’s go permanently mutilate our men for the sake of love.”

***

Cael stood in front of the crowd between Vesh and Trager, all three shirtless and anxiously awaiting their mates’ arrival. Soft guitar music filtered through the fire-warmed night air. The lanterns provided soft light and the pack elders looked on, anxious for such an important mating. Cael knew they were just as excited for Trager and Vesh as they were for him. The men had become well respected in such a short period of time.

Kerrigan entered first, looking nervous but happy.

Cael glanced at Trager. The wolf looked ready to eat her. Damn, he was the horniest wolf Cael had ever met. “Down boy,” he whispered out of the corner of his mouth.

“Shut the fuck up, Alpha.”

Cael snorted.

Braeh entered next. Her usual confidence was dialed down a notch but when she focused on Vesh, her shoulders stood taller. He growled low, and the side of her mouth slid up.

“You okay?” Cael whispered.

“What Trager said,” he snapped.

Whatever Cael was going to say next was cut short when Isabesh stepped into the aisle. She was like an apparition. An angel. A fucking dream come true. He had to pinch himself just to make sure.

She met his gaze for a moment before her eyelashes fluttered closed. Like that, his teasing came back to bite him in the ass, because he went instantly hard for her.

Shit. Did this happen to everyone during their mating?

When she reached him, she took his hand and he brought it to his mouth, placing a tender kiss on the back.

Asa stood before the three couples and said some words. Important probably, but fuck-all if Cael heard them. He addressed the other elders one by one, each nodding their agreement. Then finally,
finally
…

Asa took the brand from the warming kettle.

Cael gulped at the bright orange/white end. This was going to hurt so good.

“With this mark, you commit your life to the serving of your mate,” Asa’s strong voice rang out. “For as long as you both shall live and even into death.”

“The vows,” Isabesh whispered. “They have changed?”

“I told you, Ravendale is run differently. Our elders wanted better and so did I.”

“Furthermore, ladies, by placing the mark, you deem your mate worthy of your devotion. For as long as you both shall live and even into death.”

He passed the marker to Kerrigan, who looked like she was going to vomit.

“Let nothing come between you, and may your bond outlive the sun.”

She nodded, as he urged her on. Tears streamed down her face as she held it close to Trager’s chest.

“Baby, do it. Make it good.” Trager looked eager.

Cael understood. That mark would complete him. Waiting his turn sucked ass.

“I can’t hurt you,” Kerrigan whispered.

“The pain is trivial, Kerri. I
need
this.”

She nodded, working up her courage.

“Remember the night I marked you?” he whispered. “It hurt, but it felt right. Remember?”

She nodded.

“Do it, Kerri. Mark me.”

“Okay,” she breathed. “Okay.”

Then she jammed the marker into the skin covering his collarbone. He let out a roar before grinding his teeth together to cut off the sound. Breathing hard, he kept his eyes on her until Asa took the emblem back and placed it in the kettle.

“Congratulations.” He shook Trager’s trembling hand and then moved over to Braeh.

He recited the necessary vows and then handed the marker over.

She turned ghost white as she took it. “Vesh?” Her voice was small, like a lost child’s.

“Make me yours.” His voice barely registered, but the need there was overwhelming.

Braeh swallowed, straightening her shoulders. Isabesh’s hand tightened around Cael’s to the point where his fingers went numb.

“I love you,” Braeh breathed, and then put the hot iron to Vesh’s shoulder.

He jerked his head, a strangled sound coming from his throat. Then it was over and Asa was congratulating him. The naked adoration in Vesh’s eyes as he looked at his mate, made Cael feel like a voyeur.

Finally, it was his turn. His wolf pushed at him in excitement. He was finally going to carry the mark of the woman he’d loved for so many years.

Asa handed the marker to Isabesh. Recited the vows.

She gazed up at him, worried, but knowing this would cement their union.

“Don’t make me wait, baby,” he smirked.

She pressed her lips together, gathering her courage, and then…

The mark burned like a kiss from the fucking sun. His animal spasmed with joy, changing, becoming something new and different and altogether amazing. If he thought he lived for her before, she was his entire fucking universe now. Her life, her breath, her beating heart, it was all his now. One and the same.

There was no better feeling in the world. The pain, he hardly even noticed. The pain of the years apart had been worse than this. He’d endure this any day—everyday—just to have her.

Worth it. So fucking worth it.

The marker moved and he came back down to earth. Asa shook his hand, and the crowd cheered, but all he saw was her.

His heart. His soul. His strength. He’d never quit fighting for her, for them. And he knew, neither would she.

Vesh felt like he was finally waking up from a nightmare. It had lasted a lifetime, but it was worth it because of what he’d awakened too…

His love.

His family.

His happiness.

Happiness
. And it was only the beginning. He would give his mate young, and they’d raise them in the way of the Ravendales. They’d smile and laugh and never wonder about their worth because they’d
know
. Know that they’re everything to him. And when it got hard, when he started to wonder if he had what it took to love them…

She’d be there.
Braeh
.

Her name caught in his throat.

“Braeh.”

She looked up at him, so much emotion in her sweet eyes.

“You have all of me. You know that right? This is it. Nothing comes between us, ever. That was in the vows. I won’t hold back.”

Her hand cradled his cheek and he leaned into it. “I do know. And I love every part. Every single part, Vesh.”

He kissed her soft lips, and swore to never let a day go by without telling her how important she was. She’d need to know that in the hard times. And he wasn’t a fool. There would be hard times.

***

“… and they lived happily ever after in the great kingdom of Ravendale.”

The little girl sighed, hugging her pillow to her chest. “It’s so good mommy. What a story.”

The front door opened and closed, footsteps quietly inching down the hall. The little girl’s eyes went wide.

Her mom smiled. “I told you,” she whispered. “It’s late.”

Stella quickly slid under the blankets and pretended to be asleep.

“In here,” her mom called.

Her mate’s face peeked around the doorframe. “She asleep?” he murmured.

She pursed her lips, giving him a slight shake of her head.

He grinned, and then with a roar, he pounced on the bed. Giggles split the room.

“Daddy! I was sleeping.”

“Oh, Stella you were not.”

She sat up, crossing her arms defiantly over her chest. “You’re right. Mommy was telling me a story.”

He raised an eyebrow at her mom. “
The
story?”

“The fairytale version.” The real version of their history would be told when Stella was much, much older.

“You do love that story dontcha, kid?”

She nodded. “I really, really do.”

Her daddy kissed her cheek. “And I love you.”

She grinned wide. “Did you see aunty Braeh today? Did you? She’s as big as a whale. Mommy says she’ll have her baby tomorrow or the next day. Can you believe it? I’m going to have another cousin! Daddy how many do you think I’ll have altogether? A thousand?”

Trager laughed. “Not that many, I don’t think.”

Kerrigan smiled at her daughter’s joy, and her heart grew to its max once again. This was what made life worth living, the way the bad times rolled right into the best times. Life ebbed and flowed, but if you let it take you where you’re meant to go, it was always,
always
worth it.

The teacher had learned a few important lessons throughout the years. Now, Stella would learn them too. And at the end of it all, they’d be happy. Not because life was all sunshine and roses, but because it was not. After all, it was the clouds that made you really appreciate the sunshine.

Stella laughed at something Trager said, and then he turned to Kerrigan with a frown. “By the way, can you believe they’re naming that kid Willie?”

***********************