48. Chapter Forty-Eight
Chapter Forty-Eight
Violet
“ A re you ready for tonight?” Bells asked as we walked back to Crescent Moon.
We spent the morning with Areli and David in Cade's temporary house, which he was now using as a headquarters, finalizing the layout of their new pack house. Or rather, the house that was to be attached to the pack house. Cade wanted a place where he and Bells could have privacy, but didn’t want to be far from the pack house, so they were making their new house as an addendum. It would have its own private entrance and yard, but one side of the house would have a short hall leading to the pack house.
I was mostly along for the ride. David hired a few contingent workers from Crescent and Guardian Moon with construction experience, to finish the project ahead of schedule. One of those people was Chris, so when Bells asked me to come along, I was more than happy to accept. I liked seeing him hauling wood and support beams as he worked. My man looked good with a tool belt and a hard hat. These pregnancy hormones were no joke.
“I am. I’m a little nervous, too,” I admitted.
Tonight was the full moon. It was taking place in Guardian Moon tonight, and Mom and Dad had a dinner party planned before they had to head over to run with the pack.
“Chris said he has it all planned, but won’t tell me what.”
“Aw, he’s trying to be romantic!” Bells said.
“I feel like waiting to accommodate Dad made us build the night up too much. What if it doesn’t live up to our expectations?” I told her, voicing my fears out loud for the first time.
“It won’t,” Bells said, making me more nervous. “It will surpass anything you could possibly think it should be. Vi, there’s no way to describe the way it feels when your soul connects to his.”
“Bu-But we’re not fated mates, Bells.”
“It shouldn’t matter. You’re binding your souls together and that's a beautiful thing, when you’re in love.”
I didn’t miss her adding that last part to her sentence. It was one more reminder of what she’d gone through at the hands of Brandon. At least, I knew she was getting therapy now, and that would help her heal from it all.
I heard honking as we were nearing the borders of their pack. Bells placed herself between me and the oncoming vehicle, ever the protective big sister, but relaxed when she saw Cade and Chris in the cab of the truck.
“What are you doing, Little Warrior.” Chris was jumping out of the vehicle the moment it rolled to a stop.
“Walking home for lunch,” I answered, confused. I told him we were leaving, and would be waiting for him when he was out for lunch in about an hour.
“Why are you two walking? You could have just taken my truck,” Cade chided, getting out of his car and walking toward his mate. “What if someone ran you over?”
“It’s a thirty-minute walk from our borders to Crescent Moon, Cade. And, there’s nothing but pack lands in between,” Bells replied.
“If you need to go to and from, take my truck, My Queen,” Cade insisted, making me smile at the new term of endearment he had for Bells.
I looked up at Chris, whose lips were pursed as he looked down at me.
“You going to tell me to take the car, too?” I asked, trying to hide my grin, knowing what his response would be.
“Not until we go buy a new one. Your car is too low to the ground, and the shock absorbers are shit. You need something better.”
“I’ve driven that Cavalier since I graduated high school. It’s in good condition,” I countered.
It had a couple of dents from where I lent it to Areli, but I kept it well-maintained. Dad never understood why I wanted his first car, instead of a new one, as my graduation present, but what could I say? I was a sentimental fool. He taught me to drive in that thing.
“Not good enough. We're getting one that’s safe for the most important people in my life. Take Cade’s until then,” he finished with a grin, making Bells snort, but Cade simply nodded his head in agreement, making me roll my eyes.
Between these two, Cory and Lucien, we weren’t allowed to do anything remotely thought of as potentially risky. They kept ganging up on us and Evie. While I appreciated it more than Evie and Bells, I drew the line at walking.
“We’re just walking. Walking is good for the pup,” I reminded him.
“Not when you’re leaving pack grounds,” Chris argued, his pleading eyes making me want to agree.
I knew he worried more than others because we weren’t mates. He couldn’t feel if something was wrong with me like others could. I smiled up at him and gave him a tiny nod, making him relax a little.
“Fine, can you drop us off at the borders then so we can go snack?” Bells also caved, and my smile turned into a grin.
She’d been getting very snackish lately. Those twins were hungry little things.
“Get in,” Cade motioned to his truck. We all crawled in, and he drove to Crescent Moon, but after we crossed the borders, Cade still wasn’t stopping.
“I thought you were dropping us off?” Bells asked.
“I decided we were having an early lunch,” Cade answered.
“Oh really?” Bells asked.
“Well, that and Cory called. Evie was having a craving for chimichangas for some reason, and he's been at the stove for the last hour.”
I bit my lip to stop from laughing. Bells called the chupacabra, chimichanga, this morning as we recounted the struggle to catch it, to Evie when we took her a morning snack to her office.
We arrived at the pack house a few minutes later, and went up to the alpha floor to eat lunch with everyone. The chimichangas were very tasty and I ate too much, so I needed a nap after. Chris tucked me in before heading back to work, giving me a kiss that made me wish he would play hooky with me. A few minutes after he left, though, I smiled when I heard a familiar knock on the door. Bells walked in moments later with one of Adam’s stuffed toys, and crawled into bed with me.
I was just falling asleep when I felt Evie pulling at the mind link.
‘Hey,’ she started.
‘Hi. Everything okay?’
‘Cory had to go to the office in town, and I have the afternoon off. What are you up to?’
‘Bells and I are in my room, about to nap, wanna join?’ I offered.
‘Can I? I ate too many chimichangas,’ she admitted.
‘Plenty of space.’
A few minutes later, there was a knock on the door. Evie walked in with her own pillow and blanket. She came around to the other side and crawled in behind me.
“Thanks, Vi. You’re the best,” she mumbled as she spooned me.
“No problem,” I chuckled, and fell asleep moments later, spooning Bells.
This was how our men found us hours later in the evening, because apparently, three pregnant women in bed make for the most comfortable sleep, and we slept the afternoon away.
I was the first one awake as I heard men’s voices in the room. I might have freaked out, if I didn’t recognize all of them right away.
“Send that to me,” Cory whispered.
“Already did,” Chris whispered back.
“I don’t even want to wake them,” Cade mumbled.
“If we’re late, Mom’ll eat us alive. We’ve got a delicate balance of private and pack celebrations to get through. She won’t like it if we have to rush,” Cory answered.
“I’ve been working on this all week. We should wake them,” Chris agreed.
“Another half hour won’t hurt. You’ll st—”
I held my breath as I waited for Cade to finish his sentence. I’d been trying to figure out what Chris had planned, but no one was giving up any details.
“I can see you’re awake, Little Warrior. Stop trying to figure it out.”
Nenetl was laughing in the back of my head and I huffed, opening my eyes and glaring down at the foot of the bed, where I knew they would all be standing.
Chris, Cade and Cory were smirking down at me, and I felt the heat coming to my face.
“Cheater,” Cory taunted.
Evie stirred behind me, and I felt her arm withdraw from where it was wrapped around my waist.
“Studmuffin?” she mumbled.
“Hi, Little Pokémon. Have a nice nap?” Cory was instantly at her side, glaring threateningly at Chris and Cade for snorting at the pet name.
“Hmmm. Violet's a good nap buddy. I’m going to have to join them more often,” she mumbled, standing up.
“Wake up, My Queen. We have to go get ready,” Cade cooed at his mate, picking Bells up.
“Oh, what time is it?” Bells asked.
“Almost six.”
“I’m starving.”
“I’ll grab some snacks for you to eat while getting ready. The kitchen smells too good to spoil your appetite,” he promised her.
“Mom makes the best food.”
“I’m beginning to realize that.” Cade walked away with Bells first, and Cory and Evie were right behind her.
“I’m leaving my pillow and blanket, Vi. I want in on the afternoon power nap deal.”
“You got it,” I chuckled.
Once they were gone, I was left looking at Chris standing at the foot of the bed. I lifted the blankets and motioned him over with my head. Chris chuckled and crawled up behind me, pulling me into his safe and warm embrace.
“I should be jealous that there are two more scents in our bed, but you looked so cute being surrounded by two other pregnant women.”
“Well, get used to it. It looks like we just formed a nap club. How was your day?”
“Busy. We need to shower and get ready. Your mom wants us downstairs by six thirty for dinner.”
“That doesn’t give us much time,” I pouted.
“Forty-five minutes to shower and change isn’t enough?” he asked, confused.
“I was hoping for a little snu snu,” I pouted.
Chris chuckled, his hand dropping down to my core.
“Have I mentioned I love your pregnancy hormones?” he whispered in my ear. “It makes me want to keep you pregnant all the time.” I shuddered and pushed my butt back until I could feel his cock growing against me. “But, we have no time right now, so let’s go, Little Warrior.”
I let out a huff of frustration, which only made Chris laugh at my misery, as he stood and headed toward the bathroom. “Come on, I promise it’ll be worth it, and then I’m yours to do with as you please for the rest of our lives.”
“Well, that surprise better include cookies now for teasing me,” I said, standing up and stretching.
“I bought the kind you wanted before coming home,” he called out from the bathroom.
“The snickerdoodle ice-cream cookies?” I asked, excited.
“Yep. They’re in the freezer with a note warning them of eating a pregnant lady’s craving.”
“I love you,” I swooned, joining him in the shower.
“You better. I went to three different places to find them,” he chuckled, running his fingers down my hair as it got permeated with water.
Then, he poured some of my shampoo and washed my hair. He liked doing that. I wanted to do it to him too, but he was much taller than I was, so I always washed his body instead. The perils of a short girl.
I thought about trying to seduce him in the shower, but refrained. Chris hated being late, and he hated it even more when he knew people were waiting for him. Tonight was important to both of us, and whatever he had planned included people whose opinions mattered to him, so I controlled my hormones.
Once we were out of the shower, I pulled on a pretty, white, high-waisted dress with big, gray, blue and peach flowers on it, that Bells gave me earlier this week. It was a thank-you for helping her and Cade get back together. I slipped on an old pair of black flats mom had dug out of my closet this morning for the surprise, and then blow dried my hair, leaving it down for dinner. I added a bit of lip-gloss and was done.
I walked out of the bathroom and found Chris waiting on the couch for me. He was wearing a dark gray button-down and black slacks. His face lit up as he looked at me, his eyes wandering down my body, lingering around my stomach, where the tiniest of bumps was beginning to peek out because of my small frame.
“You’re the most beautiful woman I’ve ever had the pleasure of knowing, Violet,” Chris whispered as I approached.
“You think so?” I asked, wrapping my arms around him as he stood and inhaled his scent.
“I know so, mate.”
“You’re very handsome yourself, my grumpy old wolf,” I teased, kissing his chest when he chuckled, the vibrations of his deep voice my favorite sound in the world, right there next to our pup’s heartbeat.
We walked to the elevator to head down to dinner. Mom made tamales, and I squealed the moment the doors opened and the smell reached my nose. Chris chuckled, but when I started heading to the private dining room, Chris pulled me to a stop.
“What’s wrong?” I asked.
“We’re not going in there, yet.”
“What? Why? I’m hungry,” I pouted.
Chris brought me outside of the main dining room, which was oddly quiet for it being dinner time. Dad walked out and nodded at Chris, who bent down to kiss me before he walked inside without me.
“What’s going on?” I asked Dad.
"These are your mother’s. She wants them back afterward," Dad answered instead, holding out a pair of diamond earrings for me to put on.
“After what?” I asked, humoring him and attaching the pretty earrings to my ears. I’d always liked these growing up.
Dad kissed my forehead and when he pulled back up, there were tears in his eyes.
“You found a good man, Violet. I hope he’s everything you deserve and more.”
“You’re freaking me out, Dad.”
Instead of explaining, Dad moved to my side and placed my arm around his. He looked down at me with an emotional smile on his face and asked, “Are you ready?”
“Ready for what?” I squeaked, my nerves spiking.
The doors to the dining room opened and my heart stuttered to a stop for two seconds, before it started back up, hammering against my chest as if it wanted to escape.
All the dining room tables were pushed to the sides. Chairs had been placed near the front of the room, already filled with all of my family and friends. Even Danielle and Kaia were standing next to their parents as they turned to look at me. A white arch was at the front of the room where the alpha tables usually stood. Beneath the arch was a woman I didn't know in front of a small podium. Standing in front of her was Chris, now wearing a tie and suit jacket. Cade and Elim were standing next to him, with big smiles on their faces, while Bells and Areli were across from them wearing pretty gray dresses, with tiny white flowers on them.
“What is this?” I whispered, already knowing the answer, but somehow not believing Chris had done all of this for us.
“Not the wedding you deserve, but the one I know you’d prefer,” Dad whispered back. “You’ve got your something new and something blue with the dress. Your something old is the pair of flats your mother saved from your graduation. The earrings are your something borrowed, sweetheart.” Music started playing from somewhere in the room, and he patted the arm I had around his. “Ready to start your forever with your mate, Princess?”
“So ready,” I whispered, feeling a tear fall from my eye.
“No crying,” Dad warned.
“These are happy tears.”
“Yeah, but if you start crying, I’m not going to make it down the aisle.” His oddly choked voice told me he was serious, so I chuckled and wiped the tear away from my face.
“You got it, old man,” I told him, letting him lead me to where the love of my life was waiting for me.
“I’m so proud of everything you’ve accomplished, Violet. I can’t wait to see where this new life takes you.” Dad kissed my forehead again when we arrived at the front, and I looked up and wiped a tear from his face.
“Thank you,” I whispered.
Dad nodded and placed my hand on Chris' waiting hand.
“I'm trusting you with one the most precious things in my life. Treat her well, son.”
“Until my last breath,” Chris promised.
Dad moved back and sat next to Mom, who was beaming at me, tissues already in her hand.
“A heads up would have been nice,” I teased Chris. “Or at least a proposal.”
“And risk you saying no? I’d rather ask for forgiveness than permission in this situation,” Chris answered, making people laugh. He slid a beautiful engagement ring with a two-carat, round diamond, set on a twisted vine band made of white gold onto my finger. “Will you marry me, Violet?”
“When?” I asked, cocking my head and making him chuckle.
“Right now.”
“Well, I guess since I’m dressed up and all...”
The officiant started her speech, but I could barely pay attention because my mind was busy wondering what I did to earn this man.
“Do you, Christopher Moises Knight, take Violet Marie Salonen to be your wife?” The officiant called my attention back to the present.
“I do,” Chris answered, making my heart skip a beat.
“Do you Violet Marie Salonen, take Christopher Moises Knight as—”
“I do,” I answered, blushing when I realized I cut her off, making people chuckle, and I could swear that was Miguel whooping from his seat.
“Chris has chosen to write his own vows,” the officiant let everyone know.
Chris looked a little nervous, not used to speaking in front of so many people, but he squeezed my hand before he brought out a wedding band, and slipped it over the engagement ring.
“Some people will think I’m an asshole for keeping someone like you to myself, Violet,” he started, making me want to interrupt, but he smiled when he saw my frown and continued, “I’m okay with that, Little Warrior. Because, no matter what anyone else says, I know no one is going to love you as much as I do, and no one is going to work so hard to protect you and our pups like I will. You are my light. My heart, my soul and my body belong to you, as do my shitty jokes.” He brought up my hand and kissed it. “I’ve never been more honored to witness the rebirth of a person as strong as you, and I will forever be in awe of being allowed to be by your side.”
“Violet, would you like to say something or recite the standard vows?” the officiant asked.
I swallowed hard and nodded at her, then I looked up at the love of my life.
“I’ve never heard more dad jokes in my life than when you came into it,” I started, making a few of my family chuckle. “You keep thinking you don’t deserve me, but you have no idea how much strength and comfort I pulled from you. Your silent presence and constant encouragement, helped me push up from a hole I didn’t know if I could get out off or the longest time. Everything I do from this point forward, every personal or professional triumph is only possible because you were the steady guiding hand in the darkness.” I took the ring from the hand offering it to me, and slid it onto Chris’ finger. “You say I’m your light, but you’re the one who changed the light bulb when it was going out."
Even the officiant sniffled and cleared her throat when I was done, but all I could see was the man of my dreams looking down at me with love, tears threatening to fall from his eyes.
“Having pledged your love and promise to one another today, in front of all of your friends and family, and by the power vested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may now kiss the bride.”
Chris bent down to kiss me, and I met him halfway, but pouted up to him when he pulled back too soon.
“That’s not a proper marriage kiss. Another,” I demanded.
He pulled me into his arms and dipped me, kissing me with all the love a girl could ever want or need. I barely registered the burst of cheers exploding from my family. The only person who existed at this moment was my husband.
Chris pulled me back upright when he finished and cleared his throat, making everyone quiet.
“Knock, knock,” he started, making some people chuckle and others groan, but I grinned.
“Who’s there?” I asked.
“Frank.”
“Frank who?”
“Frank you for loving me,” Chris finished, love shining through his eyes.
I ignored all the groans at the punchline, and buried my face in his chest, giggling.
“Goddess, she’s laughing at it. They really do belong together,” I heard James hollering from somewhere behind me.
As everyone chuckled, people started coming up to us, hugging and giving congratulations. All I could feel was happiness.
“Alright, let's go eat before we start the full moon celebration,” Mom called out after a few minutes.
“How did you guys get the dining room empty during dinner time?” I asked.
“They’re having a catered dinner over at Guardian Moon,” Evie answered, coming forward and hugging me. “I’m so happy for you.”
“Thank you,” I answered, smiling wide before Chris pulled me to his side, and he started leading us to the private dining room.
We stopped when we walked in, seeing a beautiful woman with long raven black hair standing at the head of the table.
“Hello, Chris, Violet,” she greeted us as if she knew us.
Something about her voice made my heart feel light, almost as if I was getting one of Mom’s hugs.
“Who are you?” Chris asked, pulling me protectively closer to him.
“Selene? What are you doing here?” Uncle Helios moved around us and hugged the woman, as everyone tried to look around us.
“Selene as in...” I trailed off, my heart rate spiking.
“The Moon Goddess,” Cory confirmed.
“About fucking time,” Kara growled, having pushed forward, her hands on her hips, but then she squealed and ran over to hug her sister.
“I pulled a favor and got some cover, so I could come down and visit. I thought they earned me getting into a little trouble,” the Moon Goddess answered her brother.
Everyone shuffled in, and Chris and I tried to blend in with them, but the Goddess’ eyes instantly found us. Chris’ hand around my waist tightened, and I could hear his heart beating out of his chest.
We were chosen mates. We just got married and were planning on marking each other tonight, despite not being fated mates. Was she here to stop it? Thankfully, I breathed a sigh of relief, and Chris relaxed a little, when she turned her gaze away from us.
“Bells, Cade. Among other things, I came here to apologize.”
Mom and Dad pushed the couple a few steps forward. Bells and Cade were rooted to their spot, a mixture of awe and fear on their faces.
“I—Apologize for what? You didn’t do anything,” Bells answered.
“No, but it took me a long time to figure out something was wrong. It took me a long time to notice you were only showing up on my platforms when you left your pack, Bells. I thought it was a sign things were going well. Since, for the most part, my platforms only show me when my children are in trouble or they’re in the middle of their happiest of moments.” The Moon Goddess frowned, and it was like the sunshine was taken from the room. “I didn’t realize there was a spell over the entire pack, preventing me from seeing anything within its depths. It was only the day you found out you were pregnant that I realized something had gone horribly wrong. I heard your thought, little one, and I’m so very sorry for it.”
Bells couldn’t speak, but tears left her eyes when she finally whispered, “I felt so alone.”
“And, I knew I’d failed you. I’ve tried to correct it since then, but my hands are tied when it comes to my family, and the little hints I dropped to them weren’t working.” Her eyes went to Cade. “I had to take more extreme measures.”
“What do you mean?” Mom asked.
“Telling Cory to bring Bells home when he almost died the day he was kidnapped, didn’t work. Dreams, unfortunately, fade. I tried to get inside the spell. I kept sending some of my nicer rogues through dreams there, but they kept turning back, unsure of why they felt the need to be there. It was fine while they were working on instinct, but were unwilling to push when they finally got inside and encountered the pack. So, I had to take a more sneaky approach.”
“What was that?” Cade asked, finally finding his voice.
A smile twitched on Selene’s face as her eyes moved over the crowd until they landed on my brother.
“Want to tell them, or shall I?” she asked.
“You didn’t tell me that was going to be the result.” Lucien squirmed behind Mom.
“Would you have done it if I had?”
“No!” he said right away, then looked over at Bells and his eyes softened. “I don’t know. It brought her home.”
“What did you do?” Dad asked.
“I sent him on a task to California, to use his wind ability to shift the trajectory of the wildfires.”
“You’re the reason my pack burnt down?” Cade asked Lucien, his question explaining what he had done.
“I didn’t know!” Lucien squeaked defensively.
Cade walked toward Lucien and hugged him. “Thank you. It’s the best thing that could have happened to me.”
People chuckled at how uncomfortable Lucien looked, torn between feeling guilt and happiness.
“I also tried to contact Violet while there, but I couldn’t penetrate the spell to meet her in her dreams,” she said and I realized why I kept having those dreams of being alone in a serene location and having nothing happen. “Now, that the spell has lifted, your widows will begin finding second-chance mates, Bells. I’ve also spent the last two months pairing a lot of wolf spirits with the little ones born inside the pack in the last decade, and finding them mates. Something that usually happens at birth. Some of them are going to have a bit of a wait before they find them.”
“Wait, does that mean Adam won’t have a wolf spirit where he was taken?”
I could understand the quiver in Bells' voice. Adam was a werewolf, and without a wolf spirit, he was a human in the Forsaken Plane. Vulnerable, defenseless.
“Adam wasn’t born inside the pack. He was born in a hospital. He’s been matched with a wolf spirit, and a mate.”
“Will I ever see him again?”
“I don’t have the answer to that question, Bells. I’m sorry. The Forsaken Plane is out of my reach. I promise I will do my best to figure out how find him and help him get out, but I don’t know how long it will take me.”
“Thank you.”
I thought she was done, but then Selene turned back to us.
“Chris, Violet. Come over here, please.”
I was frozen in my spot, but Chris squeezed my waist reassuringly, and I moved with him as he walked us toward the Moon Goddess. When we arrived, we both bared our necks in submission to her.
“Don’t do that. Please,” she sighed. “I never meant for either of you to suffer as you did. You were supposed to have a happy ending. Yo—”
Chris cleared his throat, prompting Selene to stop talking.
“With all due respect, Moon Goddess. I found my happy ending,” he told her, his hand around my waist pulling me tighter to him.
A tear slipped from my face at his words. This was Chris standing up for us. Against our goddess, the mother of all shifters. Selene smiled, and looked at me.
“You did. I’d been watching you two over the last year, waiting for you to heal, so I could find you a second-chance mate that fit the person you were becoming. Then, you disappeared from my view and when you came back out of Redmon, I find you’ve healed each other. You made each other better. That’s what a mate does.”
My heart was thumping with happiness and relief. She wasn’t here to stop us.
“I know you’ve already chosen each other and don’t need my help, but I don’t think it’s fair that you’re denied more out of life. You don’t need it, but you have my blessing. Once the moon hits the peak tonight, you’re going to feel the sparks and the mate bond that you created—all on your own— snap into place. Chris, you were always enough. You’re a good man and will be a great father and mate. And, Violet, Chantico’s children don’t break, they bend under the heat and stand up stronger.” She looked over at my sister, and caressed her face before she looked back at me. “There is a certain beauty in feeling broken, though, and it’s that you have a chance to remake yourself into something much stronger. You’re not damaged, Violet. You never were. You were evolving, and that’s not always a painless process.”
Selene bent down and kissed my forehead, before doing the same to Chris, and I felt a weight lifting off my shoulders and peace settling into my soul.
“Thank you,” I whispered to her, emotions forming a knot in my throat.
Selene nodded, before she took a couple of steps back.
“You all have a hard road ahead, and for that I’m sorry. I’m doing my best to give you all the tools you need, but my hands will be tied when hell tries to rain down on you for being related to me. I fear before the end is over, some of you will come to hate me.”
A tear spilled from her eyes as she looked at all of us. Her eyes settled on Elim, and a mischievous smile took over her face.
“Don’t worry. Your mate is out there. You more than deserve her, but you might have to convince her of that first.”
There was a blinding light that made me bury my face in Chris’ chest, and then she was gone. We all stood in shocked silence for a few minutes.
“You all saw that right?” Miguel asked. “And we haven’t eaten yet, so this isn’t some sort of mass hysteria food poisoning episode? No one’s eaten Bells’ food lately?”
“It was one time!” my sister whined indignantly, making a few of us chuckle.
“We really just met the Moon Goddess?” Miguel finished from my left.
“Yo-you might want to keep that to yourselves, unless you want her to get in trouble with the other gods,” Uncle Helios warned, and I heard people mumbling in agreement.
“Can you talk to the other gods?” I suddenly asked.
It never occurred to me that Uncle Helios was a god and could technically communicate with them all.
“No. I forwent my ascendance when they decided to leave the physical realm and hide supernatural beings. I’m essentially in exile.”
“Is that why you don’t wield sunfire like in the lore?” I asked.
I was big into mythology in my teens when I found out who Uncle Helios was, but I was too shy to ask him these questions.
“Yes. I didn’t retain all of my powers and some evolved with time into what I they are now. It’s... complicated,” he finished with a chuckle.
“Alright, the tamales are getting cold, and Lalo and I worked on them for hours. Let’s eat,” Mom ordered.
Everyone hurried to the table, chatting about the encounter. I looked up at Chris and found him looking back down at me.
“That went well,” he said, emotion shining on his face.
“So, it seems, mate,” I answered, pulling on his tie.
He bent down and kissed my lips in a brief but passionate kiss.
“Let’s go feed you and my pup, wife,” he told me when he pulled back, taking my hand and guiding me to the table.
We sat next to Elim, who was nursing a tumbler in his hands, lost in his own world. Chris bumped him on shoulder, startling him out of his thoughts.
“So, a mate. Excited?”
“I was. Until she pretty much warned I’d have my work cut out with her,” he replied, blanching at the thought.
“The harder the chase, the sweeter the reward,” Uncle Lalo clapped him on the shoulder.
“Are you calling me sour, Dad?” Adrien asked from across the way.
“I’m not falling for that one,” Uncle Lalo laughed, and stuffed his face with a bite of tamal.
After dinner, everyone started heading toward Guardian Moon, but Chris held me back.
“Did you want to try to shift tonight?” he asked.
Cory had suggested we use the training grounds if I wanted to try, since it would be empty tonight.
“No. Nenetl wants to wait until after our pup is born. She doesn’t want to pass out and potentially leave us vulnerable.”
“Come with me, then.” He placed his hand on my lower back and guided us back up toward our room.
We walked into the room, and I stopped, taking in the changes. Candles, and hundreds of roses of all colors, covered every surface. Red rose petals were scattered on the bed.
Chris pulled me into his arms and kissed me, before guiding me and sitting me down on the bed. He took a step back reluctantly and walked to the windows, pulling the curtains open. He looked up at the moon, and then pulled out his phone.
“We have about fifteen minutes,” he explained, pulling off his shoes and tugging at the tie on his neck.
I stood up and walked over to him, helping him remove the tie. I took off his suit jacket next, making sure to run my hands down his muscled arms every inch of the way down. I tossed the jacket onto the couch and looked up at my mate, holding eye contact as I unbuttoned his shirt. Sweeping it off, I enjoyed the way his chest rose and fell harshly as he watched me undressing him.
I removed his belt next, throwing it onto the pile of clothes that was accumulating on the couch. I unbuttoned his pants and lowered the zipper, letting my finger graze the clothed erection waiting for me underneath. His pants and underwear fell to the floor together. I was going to sink to the carpet, but he stopped me by holding onto my shoulders. He bent and kissed me, walking me backward until we were at the foot of the bed. He moved my hair toward the front. His fingers trailed down my skin along with the zipper, and then the dress was pooling at my feet.
Chris took one step back to look at me, before falling to his knees before me. I removed my strapless bra while Chris lowered my matching panties.
“Hang onto the footboard, Little Warrior,” Chris instructed, lifting one of my legs over his shoulder so I was exposed to him.
He placed a kiss on my abdomen reverently before he buried his face between my legs. His touch was gentle, worshiping, patient.
I let my head fall back as he ran his tongue from my clit to my entrance and back, circling my clit with his tongue before he let his lips close around it.
“Oh,” I moaned, holding myself steady against the footboard and placing my hand in his hair, keeping him in place as he wound me up higher than the gods.
He spent a long time sucking, biting and licking my clit, driving me insane with need. When his tongue finally breached my entrance, I was lost. My body shook with the force of my release, the growl of approval as he licked me clean extending my orgasm and turning my legs to jelly. By the time I came down from my high, the only thing holding me up was Chris as he held my core to his face until he was sure he’d drunk every ounce of liquid from me.
I released his head so he could stand, and he swept his arm under my legs, picking me up, walking around the bed and placing me carefully in the middle. He sat between my legs, looking down at me.
“You’re beautiful,” he said, kissing my ankle as he began crawling up my body. “You’re strong.” He kissed my knee. “You’re kind.” He kissed my core. “You’re amazing.” He kissed my stomach. “You’re a miracle.” He kissed my left breast. “You’re unbreakable.” He kissed my right breast, before pulling up so he was looking down into my eyes.
“You’re my mate,” he whispered, as he lined the head of his thick cock at my entrance and slid in, inch after inch, agonizingly slow.
He closed his eyes and rested his forehead against mine, his entire body trembling. He pulled back and thrust inside, making me moan at his slow torture. He withdrew again and opened his eyes to look down at me, and as I looked up into his beautiful brown irises, I felt the mate bond snap into place. My body exploded in sparks, making both of us gasp at the intensity of it.
“You’re mine,” he groaned as he thrust back in a little wildly.
“Yours. Forever yours,” I promised him, urging him to pick up speed.
He obliged, his canines lengthening as his eyes went to my neck.
“Can—”
“Please,” I begged him, turning my head to expose my neck to him.
Chris buried his face in my shoulder, licking, nipping and teasing as he pumped into me faster and harder with each snap of his hips. I was close to seeing stars when I felt his canines pierce my skin and I went careening over the edge, my body wrapping around him as my orgasm threatened to change the very definition of my existence.
I felt his emotions crash into me. Love, devotion and protection, shining above everything else. I sobbed as I let them envelop me in a protective bubble that I knew to be, in its very essence: Chris.
He slowed his thrusts as he helped me come down from my orgasm, but I clamped my walls around him on the next thrust, making him curse under his breath as he bucked his hips up. He picked up his speed again and I met him thrust for thrust. His arms began to shake and his rhythm became erratic. I brought his face down to meet mine in a kiss I hoped said everything I wanted to shout to the world. I pulled back a moment later, and pushed his hair to the side so I could have access to his neck. Nenetl pushed forward, lowering my canines as I zeroed in on the spot I’d been dreaming of sinking my teeth into, so I could finally claim him as I wanted to.
“Violet!” Chris roared when I sank my teeth and marked him as my mate.
He bucked into me, his cum rushing inside me as he shuddered above me with the force of his release. I removed my teeth from his shoulder, licking the wound closed, and Chris fell beside me when he was spent, pulling my body toward him until he was wrapped around my body, as closely as his soul was wrapped around mine.
“Mine,” I assured him, wiping his sweat-soaked hair away from his handsome face.
“I’ve been yours since that day at the bridge,” he admitted.