The Marking Ceremony #8
“Alpha Caelan Kendrick of the Harvest Moon Pack, do you commit yourself to your mate, Shade Mallory, on this night under the light of the full moon within the gaze of the Goddess and these witnesses?” Alpha Leal asked proudly.
“Absolutely,” Caelan replied without hesitation, a goofy grin on his lips as he squeezed my hand.
Alpha Leal turned toward me. “Shade Mallory of the Harvest Moon Pack, do you commit yourself to your mate, Caelan Kendrick, on this night under the full moon within the gaze of the Goddess and these witnesses?” “I do,” I replied softly.
“Harvest Moon and honored guests, under tonight’s full moon, these fated mates will commit to each other, marking their skin and combining their souls for eternity,” Luna Maty announced to the crowd.
The room erupted in more cheers and applause before Alpha Leal silenced the crowd once more.
“Let us eat, drink, and celebrate in their honor!” he roared, leading the room in a celebratory howl.
With that, the music blared back to life, playing an upbeat song about finding your missing piece. The lyrics reminded me of how I felt about my relationship with Caelan.
He swung me in for a quick kiss before we were quickly swarmed by our friends and packmates, all of them offering us their congratulations, even though we hadn’t actually done anything yet.
Caelan grinned at me from over Dillon’s shoulder, a heavy, heated look in his eyes that promised we’d be fixing that very soon.
***
For the next hour, we spoke with various guests as Caelan introduced me to the members of allied packs who’d come specifically for our marking. They all expressed relief that both Caelan and I were all right. It was a bit overwhelming, but no one brought up what had happened the night before.
Eventually, we made our way over to the buffet where Caelan filled up a plate for both of us. He led me to one of the tables, passing me a fork as we sat.
“I got a little bit of everything. We can just share,” he remarked, grinning at the look on my face.
“I was going to say there’s no way I can eat this much food without needing a nap later,” I laughed, shaking my head.
“I promise you won’t be sleeping when I carry you to bed,” he replied with a lopsided grin.
Taffy, Dillon, Oliver, Briggita, Alma, and Zia joined us. Caelan straddled the bench and pulled me flush against him so that Taffy could take the spot next to me.
“I’m going to grab a drink from the bar. Do you guys want something?” Taffy asked as she set down her heavily laden plate.
“I’ll have a beer,” Caelan said.
“Anything for you, Shade? A glass of wine to celebrate?” Taffy suggested.
“Um…no thank you. I think I’ll stick with water.”
“Are you sure?” she pressed.
“I’m sure,” I replied, my cheeks warming as I glanced at Caelan. “I think I’d rather have a clear head for…you know…later.”
I felt Caelan’s chest rumbled in delight.
“On second thought, cancel my beer,” he called. “I’m going to stick to water as well.”
“I don’t mind if you have a drink,” I whispered as Taffy walked away.
“Alcohol will dull my senses, even if it’s only a little bit, and I don’t want that. I want to be entirely present for every single moment,” he explained as his hand slipped under the slit in my skirt and ran up my thigh.
“Eat your food then,” I commanded with a coy smile. “You’re going to need your strength.”
***
“Let’s dance!” Taffy suggested a little while later when we had finished our meal.
She jumped up, dragging me away from Caelan’s hold and out onto the dance floor. He grumbled unappreciatively before he and Dillon rose to follow us. We danced to several songs as a group, bouncing around to the high energy beat and laughing before the music shifted to a slow song.
Taffy drifted over to Dillon, and I found myself wrapped in Caelan’s arms, gazing deeply into his eyes. We swayed along to a song about finding true love, our bodies pressing tightly together.
The rest of the room faded away until it was only him and I. He lifted his hand, gently raising my chin up as his lips met mine in a delicate kiss.
His tongue brushed across my lower lip, requesting access I was more than willing to grant as he deepened the kiss, his fingers moving to rest gently at my throat.
I moaned softly, clutching him tighter and not caring for a second that we were standing in the middle of a crowded dance floor. My fingers gripped his shirt so firmly I could hear the buttons straining to pop free. I needed Caelan like I needed air in that moment.
We were both panting heavily as he pulled away.
“Now?” he whispered.
“Now,” I breathed.
He growled victoriously, lifting me up and wrapping my legs around his waist as the crowd around us whooped in encouragement. I squealed in surprised delight as he spun and ran out of the pavilion as fast as his legs could carry us.
A Romantic Surprise
SHADE
“Caelan, where are we going?” I asked as he skirted around the pack house instead of going inside.
I had assumed he was taking me to his bedroom, but as he raced through the packed parking lot, I realized he had something else in mind entirely.
“I have something a little more romantic planned for tonight,” he explained, setting me down in front of a small pickup truck.
“Okay?” I replied hesitantly.
“It’s a surprise, obviously,” he replied, rolling his eyes teasingly.
“Why didn’t we just shift?” I wondered as he opened the door and helped me up into the seat.
He shut it behind me, and I tried not to laugh at his eager expression as I watched him run around to the other side.
“I know that would’ve made the most sense,” he admitted as he jumped behind the wheel. “But I really want to peel you out of that dress. Call me selfish, but I’m greedy when it comes to you.”
“Greedy is the last thing I would call you, Caelan,” I joked as he started the engine.
“I am when it comes to you,” he said with a shrug. “And I’m not ashamed to admit it. I want you all to myself most of the time. It’s only because we both have responsibilities and you deserve to have friends that I even entertain letting you out of my sight.”
I felt the familiar burn spreading across my cheeks as we rumbled out of the parking lot.
“I’m greedy with you too,” I admitted softly.
Without taking his eyes off the road, he reached over and grasped my hand, interlocking our fingers before resting them on my thigh.
“I get jealous sometimes of other mates like Taffy and Dillon. They got to be normal, without all the chaos and danger we’ve had to go through. Sometimes I wished we had that chance,” I said.
Caelan sighed softly, his thumb running over the back of my hand.
“It’s true we haven’t had the most traditional start to our mating,” he conceded. “And I do wish that I had done a few things differently. Like I wish I had ended that stupid choosing ritual as soon as I recognized that you were my mate. But we’re here now, and that’s all that really matters.”
He brought my hand to his lips, pressing a kiss to my knuckles.
“Our story is ours, Shade. It’s evidence of everything we’ve had to overcome to get here.
There’s been a lot in our path, but we’ve come out stronger on the other end.
Could things have been easier for us? Yes, of course, but if that meant changing anything about us, I would choose this every time. ”
“Me too,” I admitted without hesitation. “Whatever struggles our mating has brought us before and whatever it may bring us in the future, I will always choose you. Life doesn’t seem so terrifying with you by my side.”
“Agreed,” he said with a soft smile as he pulled to a stop. “We’re here.”
He climbed out and rushed around to open my door for me. I giggled as he offered his hand, taking it and letting him help me out.
“We’ll have to walk the rest of the way, but it should only take a few minutes,” he assured me. “Would you like me to carry you?” “Would you like to?” I teased.
“I’d love to,” he mumbled, scooping me up and carrying me like a bride as he wandered deeper into the forest. “Careful, if I had my way your feet would never touch the ground.”
“I always want to be in your arms, Caelan,” I whispered against his skin, feeling his body vibrate as an eager growl rumbled through his chest.
After a few minutes, I heard the soft trickle of water.
The trees parted to reveal a babbling brook making its way down the mountainside. In its center, the stream split around a large flat rock. A perfectly made bed sprinkled with rose petals rested on the slab, a series of flickering, flameless candles placed all around it.
I gasped. “Oh, Caelan. It’s beautiful.”
“I thought this would be more romantic than just going back to one of our rooms,” he replied. “Something special just for you. I hope you like it.”
“I love it!” I assured him. “When did you have time to do all this?”
“I did it yesterday while you were getting ready. Fortunately, it didn’t rain last night so everything was still set when I came out here earlier to make sure it was all good to go for tonight,” he explained.
“How are we going to get over there?” I asked, not sure I wanted to get my dress wet.
“Just like this,” Caelan remarked, kicking off his shoes without setting me down.
“But your pants,” I protested as he marched into the brook, the bottom of his slacks submerging in the water.
“I don’t plan to stay dressed for long,” he retorted with a cocky grin.
I rolled my eyes but couldn’t suppress the giggle that escaped my lips. Caelan guided us expertly across, carefully setting me down as we reached the large, flat rock.
I smiled at the soft, romantic glow cast by the flickering LED candles. The fluffy pillows and silken sheets of the bed beckoned to us in the moonlight. Even the crickets seemed to serenade us, their song a delicate soundtrack playing in the background.
A copper bucket sat next to the bed, the long, foil-wrapped neck of a bottle sticking out through the ice.