No one made a sound as they continued to listen to their Creator speak. Dillon found it hard not to fall prostrate on the ground in need to thank her that Tanya’s life was spared.
“The Montana pack has been vulnerable, its numbers low,” the Great Luna continued. “My wolves were meant for community and family. They weren’t meant to live isolated lives. Dillon, alpha of the Colorado pack, mate to Tanya and humbled wolf, you will take in the Montana pack. They will be yours just as your current pack mates are now. Family. You cannot defeat your enemies if you’re fighting amongst yourselves. Remember that as you move forward in this next stage of your pack’s story. Trials are to come. You must be ready. New challenges will threaten your loyalty. Remember why I created you. Remember that you are loved, and that love should shine through your thoughts, words, and deeds.”
As the warmth faded, Dillon pushed to his feet and looked around the clearing. No other wolf stood. Instead, each Montana and Colorado pack member bore their neck to him in submission. They were one pack now. And they would learn from their respective pasts and strive for a better future. Emotion filled him as he considered what the Great Luna had in store for them. He prayed he would be the kind of leader that would sacrifice for those who could not fight for themselves and that he would lay down his life to protect his mate and pack. He prayed he would be an example to the child or children he might one day have so that they would know what integrity and goodness looked like.
Dillon looked over at Tanya, the only other wolf standing, and took her hand. “Are you ready for this?”
She smiled up at him. “I was born ready.”
He chuckled. “Of that, I have no doubt.”
Epilogue
“There is nothing more intimate than baring your soul. Not even naked skin compares to revealing your deepest fears and insecurities to another person. It makes you vulnerable in a way that is terrifying. It can create a strong bond or an unequal power dynamic. Choose wisely who you share yourself with, physically or otherwise. Remember that every person you give a piece of yourself to will come with you into future relationships. They will be a memory that your mate will feel. Your mate might think that they must compete with this memory. And once you’ve both made the choice to move forward, then you must fully let go of the past. You must not allow yourself to continually pick at old wounds. They cannot be a source of contention between you and your mate. In order for your relationship to thrive, then you must choose love. Because love is something that we do.” ~Tanya
Dillon rinsed Tanya’s feet as he kneeled on the floor in front of her. They’d completed the bonding ceremony before their pack, but now they needed to do the Blood Rites. He didn’t deserve her, and yet he knew he’d never walk away. Not even if she begged him to. As he looked up at her, their eyes locked, and electricity danced in the air. It had grown between them since the day they met. His blood heated in his veins as he ran his hands up her bare calves to the soft skin behind her knees.
“You’re more lovely than I could have ever imagined.” His voice was a soft rumble in their room. “Not just on the outside, Tanya Jacobs. The light inside of you shines brightly in your love for others, and I will forever be grateful to be counted among those you love.”
“I had good examples.” She never took her eyes from his. “I’m not saying I won’t ever have doubts, but I know you never did anything with malicious intent to hurt me, Dillon. And I would have to be perfect to throw stones at you.” Her lips twitched slightly as she continued to look at him. “Though I come close, I’m not quite there.”
He chuckled and admired her glowing skin as shadows from the candlelight danced on the walls and music played softly in the background. She took his breath away. Dillon was trying like hell to make this special. He wanted Tanya to forever remember this day as one of the best in her life. It certainly was the best day of his own life. He pushed up from the floor and held out his hand to her. “Will you join me?” The question held depth. He was asking her to join him for much more than their Blood Rites. Through their bond, he showed her the life he hoped to give her. Dillon was asking her to join him on that journey.
Tanya placed her hand in his without hesitation and let him pull her to her feet. Her body trembled, and he pulled her into the shelter of his larger frame, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. Dillon guided her over to their bed and took a seat. He turned her and pulled her onto his lap so that she straddled him, her nightgown bunching up above her knees to mid-thigh, revealing more tantalizing flesh.
“I didn’t think I could want this with you.”
The words stung, but he didn’t blame her. He never would.
She ran a finger across his forehead, no doubt smoothing out the wrinkles that had formed there. “But I cannot imagine a future without you. Whatever your past, Dillon, you’re a man of integrity. And I love you.”
Dillon sucked in a deep breath. He didn’t know if he’d ever get used to hearing her tell him that, but he knew he’d never grow tired of it. As he pressed his lips to hers and then guided her face to his neck, he tilted his head back so she had better access to his flesh. The divide that had ripped inside of Dillon at his parents’ death began to stitch itself back together. As his mate’s teeth sank into his neck and she pulled his life force into her, the bond grew stronger between them, and Dillon’s soul reached out to its other half.
She kissed his neck then pulled her hair away from her own skin. Dillon cupped the back of her head and leaned forward. He ran his nose along her soft, supple skin, breathing her in deep. He’d forever know her scent and find comfort in it. Dillon bit into her, and her body tensed before relaxing against his. As he sucked on her flesh, her hands moved quickly across his body. Dillon caught her thoughts and grinned. In a flurry of movements and eager fumbling, they managed to undress each other. His teeth left her neck briefly as he removed her gown, only to return once more. His desire grew stronger as he traced the markings on her shoulders that matched his own. She was his, and he was hers. As they joined their bodies, Dillon’s wolf howled inside of him as their souls completely united. They would never be parted, in this life or the next.
He made mistakes in his life and knew that he’d make more, but Tanya chose to love him, anyway. She chose to grab on to the gift of their bond and trust that he would always honor it.
“You will always come first,” he said through the bond as he kissed her deeply. “Your needs, your wants, your comfort, your safety, above my own. This I vow to you.”
Tanya’s eyes opened and glowed brightly with her wolf, mischief dancing in them. “And I vow to hold you to that.”
“So, this Jeremiah guy is totally making me look like a saint.” Myanin snuggled down on the couch.
Tanya sighed and rolled her eyes as she leaned against Dillon’s shoulder.
“That is what you got from that story?” Jewel raised her eyebrows.
“What?” Myanin’s eyes were wide. “I’ve heard about your killing sprees. Doesn’t it feel good to know you’re not the only bloodthirsty bitch making mistakes?”
“The whole point of that story was to answer one question,” Tanya said. “Alice will not be able to say no to her true mate, not even if she loves a vampire king.”
Myanin looked puzzled. “And that is what you got from that story?”
Tanya laughed. “No, what I got from that story is that our choices don’t simply affect us. The consequences of them, good or bad, are far reaching and long lasting.” Her eyes ran over Dillon’s face as he stared back at her, the bright green orbs glowing slightly with his wolf. “Our story is one of pain, but also triumph. I also hope that it can be a lesson for others to make different mistakes than the ones we made.”
“Can I ask what ever happened to Nell?” Kara asked from where she sat sideways in Nick’s lap. His arms were wrapped around her with one hand resting on her stomach.
Tanya bit the inside of her lips and swallowed hard. She’d known this question would come, but she still hadn’t really been prepared to answer it. The pain went away. Like Lisa’s death, and her moms, Nell’s was a wound that simply wouldn’t heal. “She died in childbirth.” Tanya’s words caught on a shuddered breath. “She met her mate a year after our parents died. And a year after that, she went into labor. She and the baby didn’t make it.”
