Chapter 38
Jaxon
“Come on, we’re going to be late.” Tisiphone scolded me through our bonded link as she shifted into her human form.
I got the view of my mate’s perfectly rounded backside before she slipped on the dress and I had to bite back a groan. Even my wolf wanted to sink his teeth into it.
We’d been in Cadejo territory the past few weeks and every moment I wasn’t catching up on what I missed or introducing the pack to their new Luna as we got ready for the harvest, we’d spent tucked away in our bedroom.
And in the kitchen.
And the hall.
And the back veranda under the stars…
I still couldn’t get my fill of my mate.
I wasn’t sure if all the years we’d missed would’ve even been enough to satiate my desire.
One taste of Tisiphone urged another and another.
It was a struggle not to pin her against a tree right now, to call upon the roots to bind her ankles, and rip the dress off—
“Put your clothes on.” Tisiphone laughed, tossing me a pair of pants from the travel bag that had surprisingly survived the journey here.
I guessed my curse was broken.
That meant I should thank my mate, and I could think of many ways to show my appreciation…
Do as she says. My wolf sighed, reminding me to tone down some of my more primal urges. This wasn’t the place or time.
Regretfully, I pulled on pants.
“Are you ready?” Her fingers laced through mine as another beautiful smile lit up her face.
She gave them so freely now, but I never took one for granted.
I returned that smile with one of my own. “Lead the way.”
Sunday dinner at my mate’s childhood home in Cerberus territory was as cramped an affair as Tisiphone said it would be.
The kitchen table inside the cabin was too small to fit us all, so we were going to sit outside under the torches and strings of solar fairy lights with the stars shining overhead.
Tisiphone’s eyes filled with pride as she explained her father, Maddock, had carved the wooden picnic table that seated at least twenty shifters.
When I complimented his craftsmanship, he just grunted.
“Why don’t you make yourself useful and come help me stack wood?” he said.
“Anything you need.” I nodded.
“Don’t let him boss you around, Alpha.” Tisiphone winked as she pressed a kiss to my cheek, and then ran off to help in the kitchen.
Apparently, she was welcome in the kitchen again now that her magic had returned. Though she didn’t spend much time in our kitchen at home. Not that I minded. I enjoyed feeding my mate unburnt food.
The wood pile was higher than the cabin, with more rounds still to be split, no doubt being used to heat the house in the winter.
We had more efficient ways to do this, but I understood some shifters’ reluctance about being reliant on the biodiesel my pack produced.
Unlike Alpha Oscar, I didn’t press the issue.
My mate’s parents needed this to stay warm, so I had no problem helping. I started to stack, as Maddock stood watching Halley’s Comet continue to forge its path through the night sky.
I’d made a good dent in the pile, and still Maddock stood there. It wasn’t my place to comment on it. As I returned for another load, Maddock sighed and perched himself on a large stump.
“Hang on a second, son.”
I froze at the use of that word, realizing I’d never heard someone call me it before.
And I hadn’t ever expected to hear it from the pack Sigma, who defied all the rules I knew of hierarchy and belonging.
His strength rivaled an Alpha’s, but he didn’t ascribe to the traditional roles of pack.
Tisiphone said he and his sigma daughter were much alike in this.
They both scared me.
“Nice night,” I commented as the silence stretched between us.
“It is,” Maddock grunted. “I was thanking the gods for my lucky stars.”
I nodded, not sure what else to say. I’d had enough talk about gods and goddess for a while. Not that I didn’t believe in forces greater than us, but dealing with Vincent had left a bad taste in my mouth.
“Don’t you want to ask what makes me so lucky?” Maddock scratched his salt-and-pepper colored beard.
I shrugged. “I figured you’d tell me if you wanted to.”
His jarring burst of laughter was cut short with a grin. “Don’t tell any of the other males who’ve mated into this family, but you might be my favorite so far.”
I thought of Alpha Kera and her mate Alpha Jareth, and of Sage’s younger sister, the Beta Coral and her mate Skoll. Plus, he had three daughters. Maddock was surrounded by females. Cerberus females, nonetheless… I almost felt bad for him.
Pssh. Tisiphone is an angel.
I smiled at my beast.
Maddock sat watching me. “You know, I always thought you were the one for my daughter. I’d say I hated that it took so long for her to figure it out, but I’d be lying. I liked having her here for a few extra years.”
I nodded, not having thought of it like that. We would’ve been different than we were now if we’d mated young, but so would the people and circumstances around us.
Fate works in mysterious ways.
“She’s stubborn. All my girls are. They get that from their mama,” Maddock said. “But now that Trish has figured out her heart, she’ll love you something fierce.”
“I’ll love her fiercely too,” I said.
“I know you will.” Maddock waved me off. “And now that you’re finally family, let me know if there’s anything you need. Okay?”
Family. I smiled, swallowing past the lump in my throat as I pointed to the wood pile. “What do you think? A few more logs?”
Maddock stood and patted me on the back before heading towards the dinner table. “A few more should do it.”
*
By the time I got back to the table, the pile of wood was stacked neatly in rows and everyone was taking their seats. Alpha Kera sat with her mate Alpha Jareth at the far right corner across from Coral and Skoll. Sage and Maddock were in the middle, facing Alec and Tisiphone.
My mate patted the bench next to her, saving me a seat.
“Where’s Meg?” Sage asked as she uncovered the basket of bread.
Kera poured herself a cup from the pitcher of beer. “I needed Meg to finish up some pack business. She should be here soon.”
Sage frowned. Maddock rubbed her back.
“Hey.” Alec leaned forward to glare at me. “Pass the potatoes.”
And just like that, I was absorbed into the family dinner like I’d been here all along.
We had deer steak and roasted vegetables and everyone told Sage she was a great cook.
Humbly, she waved them off. “Save some for Meg, okay? That girl is always working.”
“Is this too much?” Tisiphone reached for my hand under the table.
This is… nice. My wolf smiled, watching this new world through my eyes and soaking up every bit of it.
“It’s perfect,” I told my mate. “Just like you.”
“I’m glad you both could be here tonight.” Alpha Kera turned her attention to us. “It saves me the hassle of a formal invitation.”
Tisiphone’s hand tightened on mine.
I set down my fork. “What did Alpha Liam conclude?”
“I wish that Vincent character was alive to interrogate.” Kera gave Tisiphone a pointed look and Alec chuckled.
“But it’s probably better this way. Word is, he was wanted by the humans of Morala for some serious damage.
And those of his followers we were able to question said he’s been at this blood sacrifice ritual for over a year, leaving bodies up and down the East Coast, before he finally attached himself to the magical festival.
Liam says his high priestess Sarah is helping to clean up the mess that warlock made while she was under his spell. ”
Tisiphone glanced at me, and I shook my head. Whatever happened to Sarah was none of our concern. She’d made her decisions. As did we all.
And we all had to live with our consequences.
“I, for one, am glad that Vincent is dead and we can put an end to this story.” Sage winked at Tisiphone. “I knew it was a good idea for you to be there. My daughter did well.”
She sure did.
I brushed my thumb over her knuckles under the table, feeling Tisiphone’s quiet burst of pride.
Sage was still smiling as she made sure Maddock had some greens on his plate. “What about Gentry and Calla? Are the twins okay?”
“Calla is great. She’s come to visit us a few times,” Trish explained. “And Gentry just knocked up his mate.”
Cheers of well-wishes sounded around the table. I squeezed my mate’s hand as a few well-meaning glances were cast our way.
Later. Not yet. We were still having fun with each other. There’d be a time in the future for pups. For more of… this family stuff.
“The twins are helping Ophelia remodel her art studio.” Alpha Jareth spoke of his nephews, wiping his mouth with a napkin. “I’m heading back there after this.”
I watched as Kera leaned closer to him, the two stealing a moment of time just for themselves.
Jareth and I hadn’t talked much since he’d congratulated me on killing Alpha Oscar, but the look he gave me now spoke of the challenges it would take to run an entire pack and still make moments like this happen for your mate.
I’d do it, though. Maybe not every Sunday. But my mate needed this, and I’d make it happen as often as I could.
“And what of the witches still trapped in the human purist cities?” Alec stabbed her knife into the steak. “Or do the gods not care about them?”
Tisiphone tensed beside me. It was a question she still asked, mostly when we were lying in bed about to fall asleep at night.
Kera took a sip of her beer before responding.
“I understand what Vincent was saying, though I’m not sure of all that religious stuff.
I will say that he was playing on their sympathies.
But we can do more with the programs we have in place to help provide an escape for those who don’t think they can get out. ”
“And all we can do is keep giving them knowledge that there is something outside of those walls.” Sage looked at her younger sister.
Coral nodded. “They have to help themselves too, just like we did.”
“You’re right,” Tisiphone said. Even if she hadn’t been my mate and I couldn’t feel her emotions, the relief was obvious in her tone. “But we’ll also keep trying to help. Sometimes it’s easy to forget that you aren’t in this alone.”
Tisiphone tucked her teal hair behind her ear, glancing at me from the corner of her eye as she smiled. My heart swelled at the gratitude in that look. I knew she was grateful I hadn’t stopped trying to get her to come around.
Little did she know, I never would’ve given up on us. Even if it took the rest of my life to get her to finally admit that she was mine.