Chapter 30
Casey
Six months later
I sat on the porch of the cabin we lived in when visiting the commune, watching Jules and James with a bunch of shifter kids, Theo included. They were playing a game of shifter tag. Whoever was ‘it’ changed into their animal form and chased the others. Most of the children were wolves, but more and more shifter families joined us every day. Theo, in his light-brown wolf cub form, pursued a little girl of about six. He caught up to her, tapping her with his paw and transforming back into his human form with a laugh.
“You’re it!” he shouted before running away.
The little girl shifted into a bear cub and looked for a target. She gained speed, running across the play area and tackling James. The other kids also shifted and gathered around a laughing James. There were mountain lions, wolves, and even a hyena whose family had moved in last week. They piled atop James, who playfully yelled for Jules to save him.
“Every man for himself!” Jules called back.
But the kids were quick to divide and conquer, promptly pouncing on Jules, who dramatically fell to the ground with a flourish.
“Goodbye, cruel world,” he lamented, making the kids giggle.
I couldn’t stop smiling. A lot had changed in six months. Under Bastien’s leadership, the Moon Edge pack had opened its doors to all shifters and supernaturals who came to the forest without aggression. He’d brokered alliances with nearby communities, including Oscar’s old pack, and ushered in a new era of peace.
At first, the role of Alpha hadn’t sat comfortably with him. It was no surprise with Kildaire as his predecessor. But leadership suited Bastien well.
My phone rang, interrupting my thoughts, and I smiled when I saw Vivian’s name on the screen.
“Hey, Viv. How are you doing?”
“I’m fine, but tourist season started early, and the shop is swamped today,” she said. Vivian was now a fifty-fifty partner in the shop and ran things whenever I was at the commune with Bastien. One of the benefits of Kisatchie Forest becoming a hub for shifters again was that they inevitably learned about Delta Springs. Those who didn’t like the isolation of the forest put down roots in the seaside town, and business was booming as a result.
“How is our new employee working out?” I asked. One of the newcomers, Grace, had witch blood like me and started working at the shop to help Vivian while I was away. When I got back to town, I’d begin teaching her what I knew.
“Oh, she’s a dream,” Vivian gushed. “I swear, I couldn’t have made it through these past few days without her.”
“That’s great,” I said. “I think we’ll be back tomorrow or the next day, depending on how fast Bastien wraps things up here.”
“Do you need me to begin organizing things for Theo’s birthday party?” she asked, reminding me how great of a friend she was.
“Thanks, but I’m sure I’ll have enough time.” I leaned back in my seat, watching Theo roughhouse with the bear shifter girl. James was still buried under a furry pile of shifter kids, but Jules had managed to break free. “Theo keeps making new friends and inviting more of them to the party, though.”
“Thank God, you’re having it on the beach,” she said, echoing a thought I’d had more than once.
I spotted Bastien walking toward us, and my heart swelled. Even after six months together, the excitement hadn’t faded, and thanks to the mate bond, I felt his answering happiness at seeing me and Theo.
“I have to go, Viv,” I said. “See you soon. I’ll let you know when we’ll get back.”
“Sure thing. I’ll hold down the fort until then.”
I hung up and watched as Bastien greeted Theo first.
“Dad!” Theo said, running up to Bastien and barreling into his arms. It hadn’t taken long for Theo to address Bastien as such once I revealed the truth to him. He already adored Bastien and was thrilled to find out Bastien was his father.
Bastien picked Theo up and held him tight. He always hugged Theo like he was afraid Theo would slip away, and I understood the feeling. As great as things were now, we were all still healing from Theo’s kidnapping and the showdown with Kildaire.
“Hey, buddy,” Bastien said warmly. “Have you been good for Uncle Jules and Uncle James?”
“No.” Theo laughed.
“Good boy,” Bastien said, winking as he set Theo down.
“I’ve been practicing my shifting, Dad. Look!”
Theo concentrated hard and shifted into his wolf form with a playful growl. He was shifting faster and faster each day, already showing his power as the child of second-generation fated mates. Thankfully, it didn’t matter how dominant Theo’s wolf was. We didn’t expect Theo to grow up to be anything but himself.
“That’s amazing. You’re getting so good,” Bastien said. He often told me he felt the need to make up for lost time with Theo, but Bastien was a wonderful dad, and Theo loved him to bits. There was no need to make amends.
“Can I play some more?” Theo asked. “Uncle Jules said he was going to teach me to howl!”
“Sure.” Bastien chuckled. “Just remember—”
“No howling in town or at night,” Theo drawled.
“Unless—”
“Unless I’m in trouble. I know, Dad,” he said.
Bastien gave me a look, and I didn’t need the mate bond to know what he was thinking. Goddess help us when he becomes a teenager.
Theo ran off, and I met Bastien on the edge of the porch, pulling him in for a kiss.
“How was the meeting?” I asked.
Bastien had asked the other pack leaders to join him for a discussion about expanding the commune and living as a fully integrated pack.
“It took a lot of negotiating, but we came to an agreement,” he said, his lips tugging into a proud smile. He’d been working on the specifics for weeks. “We’ll start construction on the new buildings in a few weeks.”
“That’s incredible,” I said, wrapping my arms around him. “I’m so proud of you.”
Bastien rested his cheek atop my head, breathing me in.
“Thank you,” he said. I squeezed him tighter.
“You’re an amazing Alpha. You know that, right?” I asked.
“Stop it,” he said, his cheeks reddening. Even though he excelled as the leader of the pack, the title still didn’t sit well with him.
“Never,” I teased. But I sobered, needing him to know just how much his work meant. “I’m serious, Bastien. You’re showing everyone that an Alpha doesn’t have to be an egomaniac or a dictator. Kindness and community matter more than strength and power—which you have in spades. I’m so blessed that you’re my mate, and we get to raise our son together.”
Bastien pulled me closer. He didn’t need to reply; warmth blossomed in my chest, and I knew it was him through the mate bond.
I felt his mood shift from contentment to desire. It fanned the already burning ember in my core.
“You know, Theo is going to be busy for a while,” I said, quirking an eyebrow at Bastien.
“Oh, really?” Bastien gave me a sly smile. “Well, in that case—.”
He slipped his hand into mine and led me inside the same small cabin he’d lived in before he became Alpha. Bastien didn’t put himself above the pack. He saw his role as one of service. Kildaire’s mansion had been torn down, and the pack planted a community garden in its place.
We walked hand in hand to the bedroom where we first had sex and where we’d consummated our mate bond.
“You’re so beautiful. Did you know that?” Bastien said, cupping my face.
“You only tell me that about four times a day,” I replied, but it didn’t stop me from blushing. Bastien could make me flustered, and he used that fact to his advantage. Often.
“Four isn’t enough,” he said, his brows furrowing. “I should be reminding you at least once an hour.”
“That’s excessive,” I protested, leaning into his touch. “We’d never have time to get anything else done if all you did was worship me.”
“Worship you, now there’s an idea,” he smirked.
He drew me into a slow, sensual kiss. His hands said the words his mouth was too occupied to say, every touch and caress filled with love and desire. I returned his attention with equal measure, my hands exploring the body I was intimately familiar with. The spark and excitement between us never faded.
We undressed each other in stops and starts, pausing to kiss and caress and admire. Bastien took his time on my breasts, licking and squeezing them until my knees quivered with need. I responded in kind by teasing him through his pants.
By the time we were naked, I ached with need, and Bastien’s cock throbbed in my hand.
Bastien picked me up and laid me on the bed, his eyes roaming hungrily over my curves. His hands and lips followed, tracing patterns and trailing kisses along my chest, stomach, and thighs.
“Please,” I whispered.
Bastien buried his face between my thighs, worshipping me with his mouth. He spread my legs with his strong hands, exposing me further while he lapped at my pussy and moaned at the taste.
“Mine,” he growled.
A shock of arousal shot through me as I remembered the night we’d cemented our mate bond five months prior. Our claiming was intense, and it left me wrung out, satisfied, and deeply in love.
I threaded my fingers through Bastien’s hair and pulled him away from my pussy. He looked up at me with glazed eyes and wet lips.
“Remember how you fucked me when we bonded?” I asked.
“How could I forget?” he purred, a half-smile tugging at his lips. “We almost broke the bed.”
“Fuck me like that again,” I demanded.
He shuddered, and his eyelids fluttered shut, but he didn’t make me wait for long. With a growl, Bastien picked my legs up and placed them over his shoulders. He bent me in half and used one hand to guide his cock inside me.
Bastien slid into my pussy like he was made for me. I moaned as he filled me up, never tiring of the satisfying stretch. He didn’t pause. He knew I was ready.
The first thrust was bliss, sending shockwaves of pleasure crashing through my body. Long, deep strokes had me clawing at the sheets, biting my lip to stop myself from moaning too loud.
Bastien’s gaze never left my face, drinking in my expressions of pleasure and adjusting the angle until my eyes rolled back. His lovemaking was hard, fast, and intense. Even at our wildest, that’s what it was. Love.
Sensing my mood, he slowed so he could capture my lips in a passionate kiss. He folded me in half and draped his body over mine, savoring every second.
I blindly searched for his free hand and linked our fingers, keeping him close. He undulated his hips, grinding into me and driving me even higher.
I broke the kiss as my orgasm began to build, pushing my head back into the pillow as jolts of electricity swept through me.
“Bastien,” I whispered.
“I can feel how close you are,” he said, thrusting faster until the bed was creaking. “Through the bond and around my cock.”
I clenched around him, my orgasm so close my legs shook. The bond acted as a feedback loop, amplifying our collective pleasure.
With one final thrust, both of us spiraled over the edge together. I writhed beneath Bastien at the force of our combined orgasm. My body was alight with ecstasy—his and mine—and my mind grew hazy with fireworks and him .
When our pleasure waned, Bastien eased off me. He stroked his hands down my sides, over my legs and arms, touching me like I was the most precious thing in the world.
“See?” he said. “Beautiful.”
My heart swelled.
“I love you so much,” I said.
“I love you too.”
Bastien settled beside me, pulling me close, and I collapsed on his chest, listening to his heartbeat as it slowed. Bastien ran his fingers along my spine, the soothing rhythm threatening to put me to sleep.
A knock broke the blissful silence. A moment later, we heard the front door crack open.
“Bastien, are you decent?” Jules called.
I burrowed into Bastien’s chest as he sighed.
“Just a second!” he replied, still tracing patterns on my back. Quietly, he said, “Sorry, duty calls.”
“This is one of the reasons I love spending most of our time in Delta Springs,” I grumbled, tightening my arms around him.
“Yeah, we only have to deal with interruptions from our son, the shop, and Vivian,” he listed with a chuckle.
I laughed. “True.”
I took another second before I let Bastien get up. I followed him out of bed, and we got dressed. We found Jules waiting for us in the living room.
“Sorry, guys. I wouldn’t normally interrupt, but this is important,” Jules said sheepishly.
“What is it?” Bastien asked, stiffening.
“I just heard news that Tobias was spotted in some Texas backwater,” Jules reported. “Do you want me to put together a retrieval team?”
We hadn’t seen hide nor hair of the few pack members who sided with Kildaire since Bastien became Alpha. Tobias, Duncan, and his cronies fled the night of Theo’s rescue before the dust could even settle. We’d discussed whether to pursue Tobias or not, but there were no leads to follow—until now.
I waited for Bastien’s answer.
“Bastien?” Jules prompted.
“No,” he finally said. “There’s been enough bloodshed, and it’s not like we can send him to shifter jail.”
“Really? After everything he’s done?” Jules questioned. Tobias was complicit in the murder of Bastien’s father. Worst of all, he was solely responsible for the poisoning of Bastien’s mom.
I held my breath.
“Leave him,” Bastien answered. “I’m not in the business of revenge.”
“All right.” Jules nodded, then paused for a beat. “Sorry again for barging in here.”
“It’s not a problem,” I said before seeing Jules out.
I returned to find Bastien in the same place, staring at nothing.
“Are you okay, love?” I asked, tucking myself into his side.
He put his arm around me.
“Yeah, I am,” he said. He dropped a kiss on my head. “I’m proud of the pack we’re building.”
“Good. You should be.”
I kissed him softly, my lips lingering on his. I was lucky my mate was such a good man.
“Mom! Dad!” Theo burst into the cabin, beaming excitedly. “Uncle James just taught me how to backflip. Want to see?”
He was already getting into position—not waiting for an answer.
“Stop! Not inside,” I said, foreseeing disaster.
“Yeah, show us outside, bud,” Bastien added, ushering our son out the door.
I stood on our porch with Bastien, holding his hand while Theo repeatedly demonstrated his new skill. I rested my head on Bastien’s shoulder.
“Do you ever think about having more kids?” he asked.
I blinked in surprise. “And add another hellion to the family?”
“It was just a thought.”
“I’d love to,” I answered, squeezing his hand.