“She said that if one thing had gone differently for either of us, we might never have met,” Solan said.
“That’s so true,” Cinder said.“Fate is funny like that.If her coven had recognized she was a dual power, they definitely would have kept her there because it would be a boon for any group to have such a powerful female in their midst.I, for one, am very thankful she’s here, because it means our borders will be even more protected once I have this kiddo and she and I are pooling our magics together.”
Solan wished she’d had an easier time of things with her coven, that her mother hadn’t abandoned her and left her in the hands of uncaring people who treated her badly.And he very much wished he’d never lost his family.But if that hadn’t happened, if those terrible losses for both of them hadn’t changed the course of their lives, they wouldn’t be in Thorn Hollow about to join together as mates with her becoming a member.
Their roads, no matter how mangled and broken, had led them to each other.
He glanced upward through the canopy of trees to the darkening sky and thought of his parents, who he was certain were watching the proceedings from the afterlife, arms around each other, smiles on their faces.
He felt at peace, and it was the sort of peace that came on the heels of finding the one right person for him in all the world: Kaeli.
They reached the clearing where the pack was gathered, a reverent quiet settling over everyone as they took their places next to the unlit bonfire.
Kaeli had been working so hard to unlock the spells she’d learned but had never been able to use until they met, and while it was tedious and she was often exhausted at the end of the day, she never gave up, and he adored that about her.
His chest hummed with nerves and pride and something ancient, tying him and Kaeli forever in the eyes of the pack and the wolf ancestors who watched from the great beyond.He’d dreamed of finding a home since he’d lost his, and Kaeli had brought that to him.
A ripple of magic pushed through the woods, and he knew Kaeli and the females were on the way.His wolf sat at attention, a growling purr in his chest as he waited to catch a glimpse of his beautiful female.
Jade and Mira were on either side of Kaeli, their arms linked.Kaeli wore a crown of flowers and ribbon, looking ethereal and powerful at the same time.She wore black pants and a corset that revealed enough cleavage to make him want to go caveman on her and run home with her over his shoulder.He growled in approval, and she smiled at him.
Sweet female.
So fucking his.
Mira and Jade left her side and joined their mates, and Kaeli stood a few feet away from him and the alphas.
Her skin was shimmering faintly, her magic humming and reaching out to him with heat and the scent of honey and sage.
“Tonight,” Adam said, his voice carrying over the clearing, “under the moon and the stars, and the watchful gazes of our ancestors in the great beyond, we join Solan and Kaeli as mates and bring Kaeli into the pack as a member.”
“This is a rare joining,” Cinder said.“Wolf and dual witch.Two paths meant to meet here and now, joined together like a rope that will never break.”
“Kaeli, please light the fire your mate has laid for you,” Adam said.
Lifting her hands, Kaeli’s eyes turned molten red and amber mixed together.She spoke four words, and her hands pulsed with a golden light.An orb of flame appeared between her hands, and she lowered them, sending the flames to the fire.It ignited with a spiraling, golden flame edged with deep red, the wood crackling as the fire spread among the logs.
Solan moved in front of the fire and joined hands with Kaeli.
Adam and Cinder stood with the fire at their backs, and both laid hands on his and Kaeli’s arms.“From fire and earth, from pack and coven, we begin,” Adam said.“Solan Keane, do you choose Kaeli Shaw as your mate?Do you vow to protect her with claw and fang to your last breath?Do you vow to treasure her magic and strength, and to stand beside her, in battle, in joy, and in every moment in between?”
“I so vow,” Solan said, his voice rough with his wolf.
“Kaeli Shaw,” Cinder said, “Do you take Solan Keane as your mate?Do you vow to honor the wolf who has claimed you and to honor the sacred bond of truemates?Do you vow to protect your family and the pack with your magics, and to stand with him in battle, in joy, and in every moment in between?”
“I so vow,” Kaeli said, her eyes shining with tears.
Cinder and Adam spoke together, “As alphas of the Thorn Hollow Pack, we bless this joining.”Adam continued, “With the pack as witness, I, Adam Beaumont, Alpha of the Thorn Hollow Pack, welcome Kaeli Shaw into the pack as a cherished and honored member, under the protection and authority of the alphas.Pack!Lift your voices to the stars as a testament to what has been done today that can never be undone.”
There was a heartbeat of silence; even the woods seemed to go reverently quiet.And then the pack exploded in a joyous howling chorus.
Cinder squeezed their hands with a smile.“You are bound together as mates and pack members from this day forward.Kaeli Shaw and Solan Keane: welcome home.”
Adam and Cinder let go of their hands and moved away, leaving Solan and Kaeli in the firelight as the pack’s howls echoed through the territory.
Solan slid one bracelet off his wrist and onto hers.“I vow myself to you forever, Kaeli.”He slid the other one onto her other wrist.“And I give you my whole heart from this moment on.”
She sniffled as tears spilled over her cheeks.“I give you my whole heart, too, Solan.Forever.Thank you for bringing me home.”
