Chapter 16
Chapter Sixteen
Myla had lasted a week at the theater before the part of her that was connected to Alfie—however that happened with soulmates—had decided they were too far apart during the day.
She turned in her notice, and her bosses let her work one week and then take the rest of her two-weeks’ notice as her vacation time.
On her last day, she packed up her little locker and grabbed a bag of popcorn for the road, and then walked out of the theater with a smile on her face.
Alfie kept telling her that he would be there for her however she wanted, whether she stayed at the theater or took a job inside the park.
Although she could feel that he wanted her close, because she knew she wanted to be close to him, she never felt an ounce of pressure to make any changes to things.
He let her make the choice herself, and that made her feel so close to him.
Joss and Jeanie had been happy to have the mating ceremony during the January full moon.
Myla had never given the full moon much thought, but she could feel a subtle change in her mate as it drew closer to that time of the month.
He was a little more protective of her, a little more growly, and holy stars did he rock her world even more in the days leading up to the full moon.
She’d never been quite so satisfied, and deliciously sore.
The day of the full moon, she called her mom from the little theater in the park.
It was supposed to snow later that day, and there was a quiet stillness to the air with the upcoming weather change.
She thought it might be weird not to share such a big part of her life with her mom because she’d always shared everything with her.
But even though she trusted her mom explicitly, she understood the need to keep that part of herself tightly under wraps.
“Your bridesmaid dress is supposed to be delivered today,” her mom said.
Myla sat on one of the carpeted seats and looked around the space.
Alfie was on the other side of the room talking to Caesar about the wiring for the lights and upgrading the speaker system.
The lions, it turned out, handled the construction projects for the park as well as being in charge of security.
Everything within the park was handled by one group or another, from the elephants who took care of the norms to the wolves that ran the safari tour.
“I can come for a visit this weekend to try it on,” Myla said. “I can’t wait to see it.”
She’d ordered the burgundy dress from a website Alice had suggested, to match the wedding colors of burgundy and silver. The silver and burgundy strappy heels she’d found would surely hurt her feet, but they looked great and matched the dress perfectly.
“Would your fella like to come? I can make dinner.”
As if Alfie wouldn’t want to come anyway. He loved her family, and they loved him. “My favorite?”
“What’s Alfie’s favorite? Maybe I should make his?”
She pulled the phone from her ear. “Alfie?”
“Yeah, baby?”
“What’s your favorite meal?”
He arched a brow at her and then said, “Whatever yours is.”
Myla placed the phone against her ear just as her mom laughed. “You’ve got him wrapped around your finger,” her mom said.
“I think that goes for both of us,” Myla said. “We’d love to come visit Saturday for dinner. I do know his favorite dessert is dirt pudding.”
“The one with the crushed cookies and gummy worms?”
“Yep.”
She glanced at Alfie and saw his gaze was simmering, his smile nearly feral. She couldn’t hear his wolf, but she was sure he was growling in that purring sort of way he did when he was happy.
“Sounds good. Five?”
“Perfect.”
They talked for a little while about Myla quitting her job and working at the park in the small theater, her mom working on a quilt for Milo and Alice’s wedding gift, and her dad breaking the snow shovel during the last big snow and being unable to find one in any of the home improvement stores.
“See you Saturday, honey. I love you.”
“Bye, Mom, love you too.”
She ended the call and slipped the phone into her coat pocket, then she turned to face Alfie and Caesar.
“Sounds like we’ve got plans on Saturday that include dirt pudding,” Alfie said with a grin.
“I need to try on my bridesmaid dress. And maybe we can go to the mall and find a suit for you. That’ll give us enough time for alterations if we need it.”
“Check in with Jupiter and see who’s available for an escort,” Caesar said. “If no one steps up, I’d love to take Sera to the mall to walk around while you guys shop.”
“Sounds good,” Alfie said.
“So, I’ve got a couple guys who are good electricians,” Caesar said, “and we can get the lighting fixed in the next week. I’ll order an appropriate sound system so we can upgrade this ancient beast. The projector is fairly new, though.
I’ll get you the login information for the projector’s app, and then you can start to search for appropriate movies.
I think we should also find someone to take videos of the park attractions, so along with the movies at certain times during the day, we can have a rotation of mini movies about the attractions in the park. ”
“Is anyone in the park good with a camera?” Alfie asked.
“A few people,” he said. “But maybe one of these days we’ll get lucky and a soulmate will be a photographer. I’d sure love to get someone to take souvenir photos around the park for people.”
“Maybe one of your friends,” Myla said to Alfie. “Amadeus or Nathan or Hyde will be the lucky photo-bug’s soulmate.”
“Amadeus would love that,” Caesar said. “He’s not happy that he’s the last unmated male in the family.”
“She’ll show up when the time is right,” Alfie said. “Fate’s funny like that.”
“And certainly likes to take her time.” Caesar nodded.
Caesar ducked out of the theater and left her and Alfie alone. “Tonight you’re mine,” Alfie said, dropping to his knees in front of her and resting his warm hands on her thighs. “I have to check in with Joss and start to get things ready for the ceremony.”
His eyes flashed amber and she picked up the scent of his wolf, her stomach twisting pleasantly.
“Let’s go downstairs for a little while before you have to go,” she said. “I think you and your horny wolf want to spend a little time with me.”
“Hell yes, we do.”
He let out a growl and rose to his feet, pulling her with him. “Have I told you I loved you today?”
“Several times,” she said. “Starting with when you woke me up with your talented tongue.”
He grinned. Wolfishly.
Then he cupped her face and kissed her sweetly, biting gently on her bottom lip. “Let’s go, baby. Before me—and my wolf—combust.”
“Can’t have that,” she said with a laugh, as he took her hand and led her out of the theater, across the park, and down into their home, where he rocked her world.
Twice.
Several of the mated females in the pack came to spend the handful of hours with Myla after Alfie left to prepare the paddock for the mating ceremony. Jeanie was with Joss, but she’d stopped by to wish her good luck and congratulations on becoming part of the pack.
Jess was an owl shifter and ran the aviary with her mate, Auden.
Lark was human and mated to Evan, who was Auden’s younger brother.
Myla had bonded with Lark over them both being human and having close families they had to keep the truth from.
Myla appreciated having people who could relate to what she was going through in the pack.
Sarah, a wolf who was mated to a wolf named Requiem, had come by to congratulate her on the mating, then hurried off to prep the buffet for the pack.
While she hadn’t seen the paddock, Myla had been told that they’d set up a big tent with heaters for the food, along with tables and chairs.
The pack would eat after the mating ceremony and then shift and run around the paddock.
She couldn’t wait to see Alfie as a wolf again, and also his friends and pack members.
Melody walked into the master bedroom of the little house, a non-shifting wolf mated to Jasper, one of the pack members, and handed Myla a little box. “Sorry I’m late. That male of mine is horny as hell on the full moon.”
The others all laughed knowingly.
Myla’s cheeks heated, but she chuckled.
“I’m so glad I have you all to talk to about things.” She took the box and opened it, finding a necklace with a wolf charm. “Oh! I love it!”
“We all have them,” Jess said, touching hers. “Shifters or not, we’re the soulmates of wolves and that makes us sisters at heart. We’re so glad you’re here, Myla.”
“Welcome to the sisterhood,” Lark said with a grin.
“Thank you all,” Myla said. “I’m so happy to be here. I can’t believe that Alfie and I lived within an hour of each other. But if he hadn’t gone to the bar that night and I hadn’t had a disastrous blind date, we might never have met.”
“Fate is really crazy sometimes,” Lark said. “But also right on time.”
Jess finished curling Myla’s hair, then she stood and went to look at herself in the mirror hanging over the closet door.
She was wearing a thick black sweater with a V-neck and dark jeans.
Jess had braided the sides of her hair and pulled them back so the marks on her neck were visible.
She put the necklace on, the wolf charm shining in the overhead light.
“It’s time,” Melody said, looking at her phone. “Are you ready, girl?”
“Very,” Myla said.
“Then let’s go see your male,” Jess said.
The trio walked with Myla out of the house and to the stairwell that would take them up into the wolf paddock. The door in the floor of the maintenance shed was open and it was dark inside, but there were electric candles flickering to illuminate the space.
The women all hugged her and then left her with Jeanie, who’d been waiting for her in the shed.
“Normally, a family member would escort you to Alfie, or his best friend, but his closest friends aren’t wolves, and although I’m part of the ceremony, we didn’t want you to walk alone, so I’m going to be your escort.”
“Thanks, Jeanie.”
“You’re family now,” she said. “Friends and family and pack members, all rolled up into one. I’m so happy for you both, and I’m so glad you’re here.”
They hooked arms with a smile and Jeanie called out, “We’re ready.”
One of the massive doors opened, and through the darkness, Myla could see a roaring bonfire, pack members standing in the golden glow of the flames, and her mate, her Alfie, in front of it.
Snow was falling and the ground was dusted with glittering flakes, and the moon overhead was so bright it was like a spotlight.
“The moon and stars came out to celebrate,” Myla said.
“They sure did,” Jeanie said.
As she walked toward her favorite person, the world dropped away and it was just her and Alfie, and the promises they were making to each other in front of his people.
Who would be her people now.
When Alfie and Myla kissed and she was welcomed into the pack, the howls from the group echoed loudly, and it brought tears to her eyes.
“I’m so happy,” Myla said as Alfie brushed at the tears on her cheeks.
“Me too, sweetheart. I waited my whole life for you, and now you’re mine.”
“You’re mine too.”
The pack came to greet them, the men clapping Alfie on the back and the women hugging Myla.
And then they feasted on the food Sarah and Jeanie had prepared, before the pack shifted and headed out into the darkness.
Alfie stayed by her side as they walked around, finishing the night back in their home.
He promised that when the weather was nicer, they’d camp out in the paddock under the stars like others did during the mating ceremony night. But for now, they’d just enjoy the bed in their home, and the way they both knew exactly how to touch each other and drive each other wild.
When she came down from the stars a while later, heart pounding and skin slick with sweat, she was exactly where she’d always wanted to be: in the arms of a man who was her soulmate, who treasured her above everything else.
She never would have guessed he’d be a wolf.