Chapter 13 Julian
THIRTEEN
JULIAN
"Tell me more about the mating ceremony." I rested a hand in my belly because I was so protective of our baby and I needed that contact.
"Alpha will mark you and then me and we’ll be bonded for life." He explained that while we wouldn’t be able to sense one another’s emotions any more than two humans would, we would feel more secure and complete. "And it’s permanent, there’s no going back. But you’re aware of that." He grinned.
"Oh, no and here’s me thinking it was temporary."
"You’re hilarious." He side-eyed me. "But you’re stuck with me forever."
We shared a glance and he blew me a kiss.
Stop fidgeting." Renard reached over and squeezed my thigh as he drove. "They're going to love you."
"You don't know that." I stared out the window at the trees flying past. "What if they think you should be with another shifter? Someone who understands this world better?"
"Then they'd be wrong." He brought my hand to his lips, kissing my knuckles. "You're my mate. That's all that matters."
The certainty in his voice settled my nerves a little.
We'd been together for such a short time, and every day I fell for Renard harder.
He'd started sleeping with one hand on my stomach, protecting our baby even in sleep.
When he thought I wasn't paying attention, I caught the loving looks he gave me.
I was completely, helplessly in love with him.
"What if I embarrass you?" I asked.
"Impossible."
"I could trip during the ceremony." Renard’s Alpha would be performing the short ceremony.
"Then I'll catch you."
"I might throw up from morning sickness in front of your entire pack."
He smiled, that rare unguarded one and I dragged in a deep breath. "Then someone will get you water and everyone will tell you pregnancy stories. You're worrying about nothing."
That was easy for him to say. He wasn't about to meet his mate's entire shifter family while carrying said mate's baby.
The pack land was beautiful with hills in the background covered in dense forest, and a large lodge that belonged in a nature magazine. Several cars were parked outside.
"Ready?" Renard squeezed my hand.
"No. But let's do it anyway."
The door opened before we reached it. A woman who had to be Renard's mother greeted us, and I saw where he got his looks. He had the same dark hair and striking features. But where Renard was serious and controlled, she was beaming.
"Julian!" She pulled me into a hug before I could react. "I'm so happy to finally meet you. Renard's been talking about you nonstop."
"Mom." His ears went red. "Can you let him breathe?"
"I'm just excited." She pulled back, studying my face. "You're even more handsome than in the photos."
"Photos?"
"Renard sent us approximately thirty pictures of you over the past month," a voice said from behind her. A younger guy grinned at us. "Hi, I'm Theo, the favorite sibling."
"The only sibling," Renard corrected.
"Still the favorite."
Renard's father appeared. He was quieter than his wife and son. He shook my hand. "Welcome, Julian. We're glad you're here."
Inside, the lodge was filled with people. Renard introduced me to aunts, uncles, cousins and pack members. Everyone was welcoming, and several congratulated us on the baby.
"Can I touch your belly?” An older woman nodded at my stomach.
"Oh, um. Sure?" I was barely showing, but she placed her hand on my tiny bump.
"Your little one has a strong heartbeat," she said with a smile. "This one's going to be a fighter."
I leaned into Renard, and he pressed a kiss to my temple.
"Your family is really nice."
"They better be," Theo said, appearing at my elbow with a plate of food. "Here. Mom said you need to eat. Apparently pregnant omegas get hungry."
I took the plate. "Thanks."
"So." Theo grinned at Renard. "Ask me about my brother’s childhood." He tapped his head. "I have all the embarrassing stories stored here."
"Tell me everything."
"When Renard was in third grade, the teacher made everyone sing 'Three Blind Mice."
"Theo, no." Renard tried to shush his brother.
"He got so annoyed at how off-key everyone was singing that he growled. Like, actually growled."
I tried not to laugh and failed.
"It's not funny." Renard’s lips were twitching.
"The teacher thought he was being disruptive," his mother added, joining us. "Called me in for a conference about his 'unusual vocalizations.' I had to explain that he had a throat condition."
He looked so uncomfortable that I had to kiss him. "Still adorable," I whispered against his mouth.
He kissed me back but without tongue, thank gods. "You're trouble."
"You love it."
"I love you."
The words were meant just for me. He'd said it many times before, but hearing it surrounded by his family, with his hand on me and our baby between us, made it real in a way nothing else had.
"I love you too." I pulled away from Renard. "Wait, you told me shifters don’t meet their beast until adolescence. How did you growl in the third grade?"
He wrapped an arm around me. "That was an oops moment. My beast wanted out early but my parents’ wolves convinced him to stay where he was for a few more years."
The mating ceremony was held outside as the sun set. The pack gathered around us, and Caspian, the Alpha, stood at the center with us.
"Julian, this is an ancient ceremony and once mated, other shifters will recognize you as mated and under pack protection," Caspian explained. "But it will also complete the connection you both already feel. Are you both willing?"
"Yes," Renard said immediately.
The man who'd taught me about shifters with patience and care was about to be bonded to me for all eternity. He loved me and our baby with an intensity that still took my breath away.
"Yes."
Caspian handed Renard a small blade. "The marking is your choice. Traditionally it's done at the junction of the neck and shoulder, but you may choose differently."
Renard looked at me. "Where do you want it?"
"Wherever you want."
His hand came up to cup my neck and his thumb brushed over where my pulse beat. "Here. If that's okay."
I nodded, not trusting my voice.
The blade was cool against my skin and the cut was quick and shallow with a sharp sting followed by warmth as blood trickled out. Renard's eyes never left mine as he made the mark, and I witnessed love and commitment reflected there.
When it was my turn, my hand shook as I took the blade, but Renard steadied me.
"It's okay," he said softly. "You can't do this wrong."
I made a matching mark on his neck. A thin line of red appeared, and I sensed a connection I couldn't explain but felt in every cell of my body. It was as though a door opened and a thread connected us that would never break. Renard gasped and I guessed he felt it too.
"According to the laws of our pack," Caspian intoned, "I recognize this mating. The bond you now share is everlasting."
The pack erupted in applause. Renard pulled me close and gave me a kiss full of promise. "Mine," he whispered.
"Yours," I agreed. "Always."
The celebration afterward was joyful. Renard's mother had prepared enough food to feed a stadium of people, and pack members kept congratulating us. Theo regaled me with more embarrassing childhood stories while Renard pretended to be annoyed but kept his arm around my waist the entire time.
Later, when the party was winding down, Renard and I escaped to a quiet corner of the porch. The stars were bright overhead, and the sounds of laughter drifted from inside.
"How are you feeling?" Renard pulled me between his legs as he leaned against the railing.
"Happy like I just joined a very large, very enthusiastic family."
"You did." His hands settled on my hips. "They already love you."
I reached into my pocket and pulled out the photo his mother had slipped me earlier. "Your mom gave me this."
Renard looked at it and groaned. "No."
"Yes." I grinned at the image of tiny Renard in a homemade superhero costume, complete with cape and mask. He looked so serious, like he was really on a mission to save the world. "I'm framing this. It's going on our mantle."
"Please don't."
"Too late. I already love it." I tucked it carefully back in my pocket. "You were the most adorable superhero."
"I was seven and thought I could actually fly. But I could jump really high, which seemed close enough." He pulled me closer. "Are you actually going to frame that?"
"Absolutely. Our kid needs to know their dad was once a tiny, serious dude.”
His expression went soft. "Our kid."
"Yeah." I placed his hand on my barely-there bump. "They are going to love hearing stories about you."
"I can't wait to meet them." He leaned down and kissed me. "You’ve given me everything I didn't know I needed."
Inside, someone put on some music. Through the window, I could see pack members dancing and Renard's parents together in the middle of the floor.
"Dance with me." I nuzzled my mate.
Renard pulled me close, and we swayed together under the stars. His hand was splayed across my lower back while the other held mine against him. His heartbeat was steady and strong and he smelled like soap and that woodsy aroma that was just him.
He kissed my forehead. "My mate, the father of my child, you are the person who makes everything make sense."
I leaned on his chest and breathed in his scent. "I never thought I could have this kind of love and happiness."
"You deserve all of it." His arms tightened around me. "And I'm going to spend every day making sure you know that."
We danced until the music stopped and Renard's mother called out that it was getting late and did we want to stay over.
We didn't. We drove home through the night with our hands linked across the console. I could feel the mate mark on my neck with every turn of my head. It was a pleasant ache that reminded me of what we'd done.
And when we finally fell into bed in Renard's house, now our home, I was right where I belonged.