32. Ava #2
Kodiak grabbed a beautifully ornate knife from the stone behind him and sliced a tiny cut in the palm of his left hand before turning the blade to me, handle first. I licked my lips and grabbed it, doing the same to mine.
Then I placed my hand in his to combine our blood.
The pack’s magic spiraled into me, the strength of Kodiak’s connection to all of them.
It was similar to the mate bond but less personal, less intrusive.
Lycan and Poe were a part of my molecular makeup.
Kodiak existed on the periphery, almost like my sisters.
I could sense him, but he wasn’t as omnipresent as my mates.
“I recognize you as one of my family,” Kodiak said, holding my stare. “And my wolf recognizes you as one of my pack. You have the strength of the Bastards behind you, should you need it. And should the Bastards need your strength, we will require that you give it. Are you willing?”
“I am,” I said. Kodiak’s energy snapped tight, enveloping me in the power of the pack.
Orion’s strong, stoic grumpiness combined with Ren’s introverted brilliance.
Channing’s fiery sunshine warmed my veins.
Moose’s wisdom and candor, and Mill’s quiet resilience.
I sensed them all, every one of them, and I handed over my passion and kindness and courage.
If I needed to, I could pull on their strength, and they could count on mine.
Kodiak existed at the center of this universe, his bond the brightest and strongest, shimmering with intensity.
“We do not enter into the bonds of pack lightly,” Kodiak continued. “You are family now. The only way out is death.”
The permanence of my oath might have scared me a few months ago, but it didn’t now. It reinforced what I already knew—this was where I belonged. With Poe and Lycan. With my sisters. With my family. People I had sacrificed everything for, and would again.
“Poe,” Kodiak said, shifting his attention to the beautiful man on my right.
“Once you swear these words, there will be no others. You will use your body, blood, and soul to protect both Lycan and Ava. You will not choose one over the other. A bond this strong must be equal between the three, carried with the same weight on all ends. Do you accept?”
“Yes,” Poe said, turning to face me as he reached out to grab Lycan’s free hand.
“Ava,” Kodiak said, “once you swear these words, there will be no others. You will use your body, blood, and soul to protect both Lycan and Poe. You will not choose one over the other. A bond this strong must be equal between the three, carried with the same weight on all ends. Do you accept?”
“Yes,” I said. Lycan smiled, and Poe’s cheeks flushed an adorable shade of rose that made me squirm.
“Lycan, once you swear these words, there will be no others. You will use your body, blood, and soul to protect both Ava and Poe. You will not choose one over the other. A bond this strong must be equal between the three, carried with the same weight on all ends. Do you accept?”
“Hell yeah,” Lycan shouted, throwing his head back with a howl. The rest of the packmates joined in, shouting and cheering their acceptance.
“I am honored to announce Poe, Ava, and Lycan mated in the tradition of our ancestors,” Kodiak said. “May you know great joy. May you never be torn apart.”
The crowd erupted in applause. Lycan leaned forward to kiss Poe, and I bit my bottom lip, always happy to witness their love.
Then he turned to me, and I devoured my husband’s mouth with tender bites before turning to Poe and doing the same.
Words could not describe the elation resonating in my heart, the sheer, overwhelming happiness of finally being connected to them in every imaginable way.
We walked down the aisle, hand in hand, our magic strumming a tune only we could hear, knowing it would last for the rest of our lives.
The night dissolved into an after-party in the main house.
Drinks flowed, and bodies moved against each other, a sweaty mix of alcohol and pheromones clouding my senses.
I sat with Lycan and Poe at the head table while others toasted to our good fortune in the future.
Lycan relished the attention. Always easy to laugh and crack a joke, he shone at the center of our world.
Poe, on the other hand, preferred to exist in the background, taking it all in, reading the audience with his quick mind and supernatural observational skills.
And I sat between them with my hand on each thigh, reveling in how much had changed, how different I was now.
All I’d seen and done had reinforced what Lycan had told me weeks ago.
I was amazing. This life was amazing. And I was determined to live every second with the irrefutable knowledge that I’d earned it.
I deserved it, and I didn’t have to do anything or give anything for that to be true.
I could take the time to revel in it without feeling guilty.
“Beautiful ceremony,” Kai said, clinking his glass with mine. “Welcome to the pack.”
He was the next alpha, the one born with the scent. Kai emanated a certain stability that could only exist to lead others, to be their epicenter. Eventually, he’d leave the pack to form his own. Kodiak would encourage it.
“Thanks, Kai,” I said.
“You staying out of trouble?” Lycan asked.
Kai laughed and shrugged. “You know me.”
“Uh-huh,” Lycan replied.
“Alright,” Poe said, leaning toward me so he could whisper in my ear. “The suspense is killing me. What’s this little present?”