Filed to story: The Alpha’s Pen Pal Book
“I love you too, Cadet.”
I link my fingers with hers, and she adjusts Savvy on her hip, the three of us making our way into and through the garden. The warmth of the sun shining down on us mirrors the warmth in my soul as I hold hands with my mate, and she holds our daughter, as we walk towards where our alpha—my best friend—will perform our ceremony.
Everyone waits for us—everyone important to us, anyway, as is the tradition for most werewolf mating ceremonies. Wesley and Haven will perform our ceremony, and Sebastian, Nolan, Blake and Dawson, Maya, Levi, Aunt Gigi, Wesley’s family, and of course, my dad, make up the rest of those in attendance. We’d extended an invitation to Dominic, but he’s still on his mission for the king and is unable to attend.
There are no decorations—the garden itself is decoration enough—and there will be no gigantic party or reception after. It’s how both of us pictured and described it when we asked each other if we wanted a mating ceremony.
Everyone smiles at us as we approach, my dad’s eyes shining with pride and with tears. Taryn squeezes my hand when she catches me looking at him, sending a jolt of love and peace through me, pure and strong.
Wesley waits for us under the peach tree, Haven at his side, the sleeves of his shirt under his gray vest rolled up, and her wild red curls tumbling down her back and over her scarred shoulder. As we reach them, we face each other, clasping our left hands together, Savvy still hugged to Taryn’s chest with her right arm, and we smile at each other as tears fill both of our eyes.
Wes turns to our gathered guests to start the ceremony. “I am honored to stand before you today to perform Reid and Taryn’s ceremony, a symbolic, outward declaration of the commitment they made when they gave each other their marks.”
Taryn squeezes my hand again, and Haven moves between us and Wesley, holding the cord of colored ribbons we chose for our ceremony: blue for devotion, black for strength, and pink for romance and happiness. She begins wrapping it around our wrists and hands, tying and binding us together as Wesley continues his speech.
“As their outward declaration to their friends and family, Taryn and Reid will have their hands bound, symbolizing how their love ties them together, now and forever. They are two werewolves who are the halves of a whole. Two souls, coming together to form one single being; two hearts, beating in a single rhythm.”
A lump forms in my throat and I swallow against it, sniffling and flexing my fingers at my side so I don’t scratch at my nose or swipe at the tear threatening to fall from my eye. I know as soon as I wipe it away, as soon as I acknowledge it, the tears will flow from me like water from a broken dam, and I’m not ready for that. Not yet.
And it doesn’t help that from Taryn’s end of the bond, there is a flood of swirling emotions flowing towards me, as strong and uncontainable as mine. But neither of us hold back or shut the other out. We made a promise to each other—no lies and no hiding.
“Handfasting is an old tradition,” Wesley continues. “With each wrap of the ribbon, you deepen your commitment to each other, vowing to respect and support one another.”
Haven smiles at us as she finishes the knot, placing her hand over ours and sending a pulse of her starlight aura over us and through us, the breeze picking up around her and playing in the cords tying Taryn and me together. It’s the same breeze that surrounded us the night the five of us took over the pack, and my wolf and I both puff up our chests at the approval we feel from the powerful essence floating within the wind.
“Just as your hands are bound, so too are your lives. May you be forever one, sharing in all things, in love and loyalty for all time to come. May your union be filled with patience and dedication, forgiveness and respect, love and understanding,” Haven says, still sending her light through us. “Congratulations,” she whispers, loud enough for only us to hear.
Wesley pulls her away, wrapping his arms around her, and I step forward, closer to my mate and my daughter, smashing our joined hands between our bodies as I plant a deep kiss on Taryn’s lips. Everyone cheers and claps around us, the sounds echoing all over the garden.
I hug my girls close to my chest, a cheesy, tear-filled grin stretching across my face. I kiss Taryn again and then lean down and kiss Savvy’s forehead, her hands squeezing my cheeks as she gurgles and coos at me.
Everyone surrounds us, patting us on the back or hugging us, telling us congratulations and how happy they are for us. Aunt Gigi kisses me on the cheek, and my dad approaches us last, waiting for everyone to disperse and meander away towards the table of cookies and other snacks and food.
“I’m so happy for you,” he says, wrapping all of us in a hug.
I squeeze him and shut my eyes against the new swell of tears forming. He pats me on the back, then smiles at Taryn.
“Here,” he says, holding his arms out. “I’ll take her for a little bit so you two can have a moment alone.” He winks at me and waggles his brows, and I roll my eyes as Taryn laughs and hands him Savvy.
Taryn turns towards me as soon as he’s holding Savvy, but he places his hand on her forearm, stopping her for a moment. “You know,” he says, his gaze turning soft and his laughter fading. “You told me you couldn’t heal broken hearts. But you were wrong.” His eyes flick to me and back to her. “You were very wrong.”
Taryn blinks and swallows, and I squeeze her hand, the one still tied to mine with our handfasting cord. Dad gives her one last smile and then walks away with Savvy, bouncing her just as I did earlier, her laughs skipping around the space like tinkling bells, bringing joy to everyone around her.
I wrap Taryn in my arm, holding her to my chest to hide her tear-filled eyes, and I press my nose into her hair, hiding my flooding eyes from the world too. We maneuver around the corner, behind a hedge, and I sit us on a bench, pulling her into my lap as I unwind the ribbons around our hands and set them to the side. She adjusts her skirts and moves so she’s straddling me, her arms around my neck and her breasts pressed against my chest as she grinds herself along my hardened dick through my suit pants.
“Fuck, Taryn,” I groan. “I don’t think I can wait until we get home,” I say, my hands sliding up her legs, lifting her skirts until they’re around her waist. “I want you. I want to make another pup with you.”
“Right now?”
“Right now.”
She bites her lip and tilts her head to the side. “Are you sure?”
“I’m so sure. I’ve never been more sure about anything.”
“But they won’t even be a year apart.”
“They’ll be close then. Like best friends. It will be fun.”
“And chaos,” she says, chuckling.
“And fun,” I repeat. “So, what do you say? Can we have a quickie and make another one right now?”
“Well…” She smiles, her eyes sparkling in that way I love so much. “We can have a quickie. But we can’t make another pup right now.”
My shoulders slump forward, and I sigh, my eyes closing and my wolf whining in disappointment. “But—“
Her finger covers my lips, her eyes twinkling more, glittering with every star in the galaxy, love and happiness pouring from her in equal measure. “We can’t make another pup right now because I’m already pregnant again.”
I blink at her, and then my jaw drops open. “Wait, what? Are you serious?”
She nods and her hand moves to her belly, covering it and smiling at me. “I took a test this morning on a whim, and it was positive.”
I tilt my head back and cover my mouth with my hands, my eyes filling with water yet again, love, pride, and every positive emotion in existence swirling around in my soul.
I grab her by the back of the neck and smash my lips against hers, tasting both her tears and mine as I kiss her, kiss her with everything I have in me.
We move together, joining our bodies as one, keeping our voices down, even though everyone knows what we’re up to over here. But I don’t care. My heart is whole, and my life is complete and full of more love and happiness than I’d ever thought possible.
And it’s all because I fell in love with my blind date.
THE ENDVomule 3
New Book: Veiled Desires of the Alpha King Novel
Dayson was the alpha of the largest pack in North America. Powerful figures from other packs sought to offer gorgeous girls as potential mates for Dayson. He steadfastly rejected these advances, he was not a pawn to be manipulated. But eventually there came a mysterious girl he could hardly say No. Who was she?