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Even my friends were there, all standing in the back with their pleasant smiles, happy that I made my own way.
“The birth of offspring between an alpha and his Luna is a sacred sign of prosperity and good fortune that can be seen for many years, which is why I am pleased to ask each and every one of you to join me in offering baby Forest to the Goddess,” Nati began, watching over the crowd with a delighted grin. She looked to Jane with an encouraging nod. “If you’ll please bring him closer,” she said.
Understanding what was needed of her, Jane adjusted the baby in her grasp and walked with me toward Nati and the tree. He was peacefully asleep and wrapped in a blanket one of the pack members had made for him.
Nati, holding a jar of that familiar dark substance from before, dipped her thumb inside and gently pressed it against my forehead. “From a fated mate pairing sprouted the life of a beautiful, healthy baby boy, and on this day, we stand before the Goddess to not only thank her for this blessing but to offer him as one of her gracious acolytes.”
Next, she anointed Jane with the same mark and continued. “We ask you to watch over young Forest from his first breath to his last and to show him the guidance he will one day seek. Shower him in your protection and love. We seek your blessing of this baby, as well as the growing family as a whole.”
At last, Nati gave Forest a mark of his own, and she nodded her head at me.
Knowing what that meant, I carefully took the baby from Jane and lifted him toward the tree, holding him up as if to let the Goddess see him for herself.
Nati closed her eyes and murmured an incantation in a language I didn’t understand. Before long, her entire face lit up, and she grinned.
“The Goddess accepts this child as one of her own, and she smiles upon him fondly,” she declared, to which everyone in the pack cooed, offering their congratulations. You have done well for these people, Levi and Jane. She acknowledges this and thanks you for serving her in light and love and for continuing her customs and traditions.”
As I held Forest there, my heart swelled with pride. Tears pricked my eyes as the pack cheered for him, and I did not doubt in my mind that I was on the right path. That every choice I made had been for a greater purpose, and it all led me there. Surrounded by love and gratitude.
“As a pack, every one of us must work together as a village to protect this baby among all others with our lives and to create the ideal environment for them to flourish in,” Nati continued proudly. “Forest is the beginning of a new generation that we welcome warmly. May he and all the others be smiled upon just the same.”
Before he could fuss too much, I lowered my son back into my arms and admired him. He was hardly a week old, yet he seemed to change everyone’s life so quickly.
I had every faith that the pack would treat him as their own and give Forest the safety and security he needed. As Nati said, he was the first to be welcomed, and I hoped all the others would feel that same love for themselves.
Turning so the others could see, I looked down at Jane and caught the tears as they gathered in her own eyes. She smiled warmly, visibly overwhelmed by the power that came from the support we had.
Taking their turns, the members came up to see him, offering their kind words and wishing us all the best as we began our journey as new parents. Knowing I was responsible for such a small, delicate life was still a foreign thought, but I let myself soak in the peace of it.
“It’s hard to believe you’re a father now,” Sebastian said as he approached along with the other guys. He looked between us both, meeting Jane’s joyful smile. “Congratulations. Both of you.”
“Thank you for being here,” Jane said, looking like she fit in perfectly with my friends. “It means a lot to have everyone around us.”
“We wouldn’t miss it for the world,” Jacob added, grinning as he looked at Forest.
“The little guy’s pretty cute,” Ethan murmured thoughtfully. “I wouldn’t mind one of my own one day.”
“I guess you have us all thinking about our futures now,” Sebastian said thoughtfully, looking proud of my accomplishments. “We can’t let you show us up in every aspect, now can we?”
“Of course not.”
“And let Levi have all the fun? Never,” Beau chided.
“You guys better get on it then,” I said half-heartedly, glad to have them and their banter, even if they could be a nuisance at times. You have mates to find first.”
Ezra sighed. “Don’t remind us.”
With a tender air around us, we laughed, soaking in the peace and joy of it all.
We had all come so far, and as I stood beside Jane, I felt lighter than ever before. That old resentment and need for revenge had bogged me down in the past, but with everything behind me, I was allowed to celebrate and appreciate what I had completely.
Even if I had been rough around the edges and didn’t treat Jane as kindly as I should’ve initially, I was grateful to have someone as kind, just, and powerful as her next to me. Not only in that moment but for the rest of our lifetime together.
I had everything I needed, and it was more than I could’ve asked for.
***
Ever since Forest was born, most of our time and attention went into giving him the best possible start in life. Which meant that both of us had to push our other interests and commitments aside. Jane had less time to work on the library she had been dreaming up, but that didn’t mean it had been abandoned completely.
