The day of our mating shimmers with excitement in the air. It reminds me of the human weddings I've seen in movies. A mating is usually a private event. Sometimes the couple doesn't even announce it until after and the family hosts a small party. Those are matings of love and probably happened during intercourse. A mating for an Alpha is completely different. This public affair will tie our packs together. Everyone wants to witness.
Paloma stays by my side the whole morning. She has anointed herself as my maid of honor and I think she might be a little too obsessed with human traditions. She brushes my long auburn hair and helps me dress in a cream colored dress.
Grayson looks in my eyes and pledges to protect me, provide for me, and father any children we shall have. My words are different. I promise to give myself only to him, to obey him, comfort him, and care for him. Then together we agree to have pack safety and peace at the forefront of our minds at all time.
With an ancient knife from the Harbor Springs pack, a slice my finger and place my hand in Grayson's. He brings my finger to his mouth and places the bloody digit on his tongue. His pupils dilate. His skin shimmers and I know his wolf is right under the surface, waiting to break free. He uses a Pine Mountain pack knife to cut his own finger and I place it in my mouth. His blood lands on my tongue and I can almost feel my wolf pushing against my skin. She wants out. She wants him. I think I might too.
Suddenly there is another sense in my head. Normally there is my own voice and the feelings that my wolf sends through, but now Grayson is added to the mix. I can't hear his thoughts, but his emotions nip at the back of my mind like a nagging thought you almost forgot about. Focusing, I can better pin point his feelings. Excitement, desire, and a hint of nervousness flood into my mind. I wonder what he must be feeling.
He leans forward and captures my lips in his. Immediately, Pretty Boy, who I now know actually goes by the name River, begins to howl. The rest of the packs join in and then they are waiting for Grayson and I to shift. He sheds my clothes while I do the same to him. Like the last time we shifted together, he places a kiss on my mouth and we change into our wolf forms.
Everyone else follows and we all run off into the woods. I've already said my goodbyes and packed my belongs in bags that some of the males in my new pack are now carrying. The Pine Mountain pack follows us to the edge of the territory line. Paloma's wolf gives me an extra rub against my side and we continue, listening to the howling fade into the back ground.
Next the Harbor Springs Pack branches off and continues on to their land. They still have another two days of traveling before they will be home. I offered to have their pack rest with ours, but Yara declined and told me that my pack needed this time to bond.
We approach the familiar cabin that will be our new home base. It is large, with ten bedrooms and plenty of space for our new pack of seventeen. Since all of our pack members are unmated, with the exception of Grayson and myself, we will all be living together. Eventually, pack members will start building their own smaller cabins around the picturesque lake.
The wolves with the packs shift first, pulling out clothing for the rest of us. Griffin stands in front of me while I shift and quickly change into my clothes. Werewolves and nudity go hand and hand, but being raised as an alpha's daughter I learned to conceal my body when its not absolutely necessary. Being an alpha's daughter is a little like being a bargaining chip. Virginity is essential, being the only way to promise there aren't any pups from other lovers already growing in the womb. The pack attempts to remove the temptation by sheltering the daughters.
Living so close to the human world aided in my modesty. I've heard stories about the Harbor Springs pack where sex in public and/or with multiple partners is completely normal. I'm hoping to find some middle ground with our new pack.
Once dressed, Grayson takes my hand, a gesture I can only describe as romantic. His emotions swirl through my mind. Exhaustion, anxiousness, and still a hint of desire. He leads me up the front steps and into the beautiful cabin. We silently take the stairs and when I go to turn right, towards the alpha suite, he guides me left.
"I have a surprise" He winks at me when I start to protest. I let him lead me down the hall and we go up the attic stairs. At least, it use to be the attic stairs. Now the whole attic has been transformed into a suite that makes the old alpha suite look tiny. It spans the whole house with an area for sitting, a gigantic bed covered in blankets and pillows, and a walk-in closet.
"How did you..." I start to ask. I was here just last fall and I didn't notice anything different in the attic.
He smiles. "I spent the last six months getting ready for you. I changed a few other things too, but I wanted a bigger suite for us and more privacy."
Grayson sets my bags down and turns to me, "Get settled in. I'm going to make sure that everyone is finding a room alright."
When he leaves, I take a few more minutes to explore the room around me. There are gigantic bay windows on either side of the room and right now the sunrise is visible through the window facing the woods. We ran for a little over eighteen hours and I realize it has been almost a day since I've been mated.
I check out the other bay window and an amazing view of the lake. A door to the left leads into a master bathroom fit for a king and queen. I think of River's nick-name for me and giggle. There was a walk in shower with intricate stone work and multiple shower heads. Double sinks ran along the opposite wall. To the side a tub large enough for two. I noticed the shower was already stocked with my favorite honey almond shampoo and lavender soap.
Feeling achy and dirty from the run, I stepped out of my clothes and turned on the shower. It felt wonderful. A felt like a whole new woman when I emerged and covered myself with a plush gray towel. Yawning the entire time, I put on a loose t-shirt and comfortable shorts and climbed into bed. The bed smelled faintly of Grayson. He must have slept here while renovating. Just before I drifted off, I wondered where my mate was. I could feel that he was happy, but he was tired too. I hoped I would wake with him next to me.
~
I woke alone to the sun setting in the window closest to the bed. Leaning over to sniff the other side, I learned that Grayson hadn't been there recently. A thought nagged in the back of my mind, thinking about his threat of filling his bed with other women and wondering where he had been all day.
I padded down the stairs and into the kitchen to fetch a glass of water. The cabin seemed empty. I felt strange and awkward in my own house and it was putting me in a sour mood. I stepped out onto the porch in an attempt to shake it. Remembering the bond, I searched my head for Grayson. I could feel joy, passion, and... arousal.
