“And this one’s for my big brother,” Kade shouted into the mic as he set the needle on a record.
Frank Sinatra’s Love and Marriage blared from the sound system and the crowd cheered. Just about every member of the Blackwood pack had crammed into the pack house’s living room-turned-reception hall to celebrate the mating of Mason and Lucy. It had been a long time coming, and they’d all known what had been at stake. Consequently, Lucy had been treated like their savior—which wasn’t too far off, as far as Mason was concerned.
As the crowd sang along with the catchy tune and silly lyrics, Mason pushed his way past the bodies, his co-best man Gavin in tow. He stepped out onto the big front porch and took a deep lungful of fresh, crisp air. The music was just as loud outside, thanks to the portable speakers someone had set up.
“It’s getting a little stuffy in there,” Gavin said, leaning back against a porch rail.
“It’s not much better out here,” Mason observed.
Dozens more ceremony guests milled around outside, obviously as in need of a little elbow room as Mason. Most of the adults had champagne flutes in their hands and everyone was celebrating. And why not? Their alpha, who’d been dangerously close to losing his mind—which would have been bad for everyone—had just cemented the stability of their pack. If ever there was a day for a party, this was it.
The Tiptons spotted him from across the lawn and raised their glasses to him before Robert pulled Bonnie into his arms and started dancing with her. Lucy already had Charlie in her arms and was swinging him around and dipping him almost all the way to the ground. The kid giggled like it was the most fun he’d ever had in his life.
Kade joined his brothers, settling on the other side of Mason. Observing him. Especially the way all of his attention was focused on Lucy.
“It’s like he’s not even the same person,” he grumbled toward Gavin.
“Good,” Gavin replied. “I think Lucy is a good influence on him. I still can’t believe she killed Frank with a fucking garden tool. She’s one seriously bad-ass bitch.”
Gavin stopped short, his eyes growing wide. Kade grimaced. No doubt they were expecting Mason to react as he would have before he’d discovered his mate. Nearly feral Mason. But that Mason no longer existed. His brother was right—Lucy had a very calming effect on him, and he was no longer sent into an apoplectic rage over stupid shit. Only big shit mattered now.
“You’re right about that,” he said with a chuckle. “And she’s all mine.”
Movement caught his eye just in time to see Drew round the corner of the building. The Blackwood brothers followed.
“Hiding?” Mason asked as they caught up with the healer.
Drew smirked. “Congratulations, Mason.”
Mason gripped the man’s hand and grinned. “Thanks, even though you’re probably pissed I didn’t go feral. Bet you were counting the days till you could put me down.”
Drew frowned. “No… I never… What makes you think…”
Mason let the poor guy sputter for a few seconds and then slapped him on the back. “It’s okay, man. I wouldn’t blame you, after the all the shit I gave you whenever you came close to Lucy.”
“I’m not the kind of guy to hold a grudge,” he said with a shrug and a smile.
“Glad to hear it. Now let’s get back to the party.”
They headed back and found Agnes Dickey holding onto frail, little Arthur as they climbed the porch stairs. Mason and his brothers helped them both up and settled them onto the porch swing.
“Oh, goodness,” Agnes laughed, completely out of breath. “Let me tell you something, boys, getting old isn’t for the faint of heart.”
“I’m surprised to see you two,” Mason said, leaning back against the porch rail. “Thought you’d be at the diner.”
“And miss the mating celebration?” Agnes asked, shocked as only little old Southern ladies could get. “I never thought this day would come, let me tell you. But you’ve found yourself a keeper, Mason.”
“Thank you, Agnes.”
She breathed a heavy sigh and shook her head, topped with a hair-sprayed helmet of grey. “You’re such a nice boy. I would have been devastated if you’d gone feral, like that Riverson woman. Would have been a shame to put you down. Take my word for it, breaking in a new Ruling Circle is a royal pain in the ass.”
Silence fell over the little group, and then Mason burst out laughing so hard he doubled over. It took a good minute for him to catch his breath again.
“Glad to know my life means so much to you, Agnes.”
She shrugged. “Oh, it does, honey. Just sayin’.”
Arthur nudged his wife. “Stop while you’re ahead, my dear.”
Mason glanced over at Lucy again, now playing with a group of little kids from the lessons she was taking in how to control her wolf. They all clearly adored her. Smart kids. She wore a white dress that hugged her curves better than that one Marilyn Monroe wore. She was a vision.
Warmth spread through his chest and then all through his body. He’d do anything for her, without hesitation, and for the rest of his life. He’d bedded plenty of women in his life, but even the most passionate affair paled in comparison to his love for Lucy. He’d changed so much since meeting her, and his capacity for love startled him.
As Lucy bent down to listen to whatever Charlie was prattling on about, Mason imagined the pup was theirs. He needed Lucy on a cellular level, but just past that was a need to see her belly heavy with his baby. He couldn’t wait to hear its little squeals and yelps, to hold the squirming, shifting creature in his hands.
“Hey, Kade,” he said, beckoning his brother over while his eyes never wavered from his mate.
“What’s up, bro?”
“First thing in the morning, I need to you to head up to Pepper and pack up all of Lucy’s belongings. Her grandmother too, if she’ll let you.”
“Sure thing, but I thought you two were going to make a road trip out of that.”
A smile played on Mason’s lips. “Change of plans. Lucy’s not leaving pack lands until she’s pregnant.”
At that moment, Lucy glanced his way and smiled, and his heart lit up like a thousand suns.
Lucy’s heart swelled until she thought it would burst. The intensity of her love for Mason made her want to laugh and cry and scream, all at the same time. Those feelings flooded her every time she looked at him, and every time she looked at him, she wanted to throw herself at him. And she had.
Since moving into the pack house the day after her parents’ house had burned down, she’d barely let him leave their bedroom. Or rather, their bed.
He didn’t seem to mind.
She was still feeling her way around her new role as alpha mate, but she’d embraced it wholeheartedly, determined to be the best damned alpha mate she could be. And that included paying attention to the pack’s pups, like Charlie. Who was chattering away at her a mile a minute.
“…so there!” He gave her a satisfied smirk, but she had no clue why.
“I’m sorry, sweetie, what?”
He sighed dramatically at having to repeat himself. “I said…I shift faster than you, so there.”
Right, they’d been teasing each other about their capabilities as shifters. This is so surreal, she thought. A week before, she’d been a normal girl, living a normal life. Now…
“I can’t deny that but tell you something.” She leaned in close and arched an eyebrow at him. “Who’s better at controlling their shifts?”
“Doesn’t matter,” Charlie shot back.
“Does so.”
“Does not!” He stuck his tongue out playfully.
“Fine,” she said. “You’re a better shifter. But Ghosty likes me better.”
It was a low blow and she knew it.
“Nuh uh!” Charlie was outraged by the mere suggestion.
“Uh huh!”
He shook his head frantically. “No she doesn’t. She loves me best, and I’m going to name all the kittens so they like me best too, so there!”
“I want to name a kitten too,” whined a little girl, running up to join them. Soon a half dozen other pups ran up, all demanding to be part of the naming process.
“Tell you what,” Lucy said loudly, demanding their attention without having to resort to shouts or snarls. As soon as they’d quieted and were all staring up at her, she continued. “Tell you what. Why don’t you all go inside and suggest some names? You can all vote on each name, and the ones with the most votes win.”
The kids shot each other glances and then tore off toward the house, each trying to reach the kittens before the rest. Lucy smiled after them, eager to have her own pup join their ranks. She was jolted out of her reverie by a light tap on her shoulder.
Spinning around, she found a lovely older woman in a gauzy purple dress. She had an aura of serenity about her and Lucy liked her immediately.
“I’m Ida Abbot,” the woman said, shaking Lucy’s hand gently. “I manage the pack house. I’m sorry I haven’t introduced myself before now, but things have been a little… hectic.”
Lucy laughed. “You can say that again.”
“I just wanted to tell you how happy we all are that Mason finally found his mate and that you’ve joined our wonderful little family.”
“Not as happy as I am. Before I met Mason, I was wandering around rudderless. I only had my grandmother and my best friend to keep me on course.” She let her grateful gaze skim over the knots of people gathered to celebrate her mating with their alpha. “Now I feel like I’m part of a real family again. I don’t think I have the words to express how fulfilling that is.”
Ida reached out and laid a cool, dry hand on Lucy’s. “I can imagine, after all the trauma you’ve suffered.”
Lucy blinked in surprise. “Word sure does travel fast in the Blackwood pack.”
“Can’t deny that,” Ida said with a soft chuckle. “Word also got around that you killed an alpha with a… garden hoe. Is that really true?”
A few people had broached the subject with her before, but she didn’t like talking about that night. She’d only discussed it with Mason a couple of times, and Drew once, when he’d examined her for injuries. But Ida had a way about her that crumbled Lucy’s self-defenses. She knew she could trust this woman with her deepest secrets.
“People talk about it like I did something amazing,” she started, her voice catching in her throat from the emotions dredged up by the memory. “All I can really say is that knowing I took a life certainly doesn’t feel amazing. Don’t get me wrong, I’d do it again without hesitation. He was trying to kill Mason and me. I had no other choice but to protect my mate.”
“It probably didn’t help that all those years ago he’d stood by while his mate murdered your parents.”
Lucy shook her head, swallowing the grief trying to bubble up inside her. It was a happy day. The happiest of her life and she wouldn’t spoil it by dredging up that ugliness.
She sensed Mason approaching long before Ida glanced over Lucy’s shoulder at him. She also sensed his amusement over something.
“The pups are inside shouting kitten names at each other so loudly that no one can hear Sinatra anymore. Don’t suppose you had anything to do with that, my love?”
Lucy grinned up at him and wrapped an arm around his waist. “I plead the fifth. But I can go settle them down—”
“No,” he said, pulling her tight into his side. “You spend enough time with them already.”
“I just can’t wait to have one of our own,” she sighed wistfully.
Ida’s gaze bounced between them for a moment, and then she grasped their free hands and smiled. “Don’t fret. The pups will come much sooner than you expect. For now, enjoy the time you have together.”
Lucy dropped her head back to gaze up at the man she loved, the man she knew deep in her gut she could never live without. The father of her future children, the alpha of the pack, the keeper of her heart.
“I think I can manage that.”