Twenty Six year old Blake Hunter is the Alpha of the largest pack in the region. Finding his mate is the last thing on his mind.
But, in the midst of dealing with uninvited relations, aspiring future Lunas and increasing rogue attacks on his easter...
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They were mated the following morning, three weeks after her wolf’s return. On the shortest day of the year the moon lingered long after the sun rose, hovering low in the clear blue sky and signalling to all that the Luna had blessed the latest of her children's unions.
Hannah remembered little of the ceremony. Performed under the shelter of the ancient oaks, the partially frozen lake creating a beautiful backdrop, only Blake's family observed the intimate proceedings. Sarah, Sky and Asher had returned to celebrate the Solstice accompanied by his father, and his brother Ethan. Tristan was the only member of the family absent, though he had promised to travel to see them as soon as he was able.
There was a priest, who performed the ancient ritual almost entirely in a language she didn't understand, and a brief moment of pain as Blake lifted her wrist to his lips, marking her as his own. The memory of him repeating the ritual bite on himself was hazy, as was the priest tying their wrists together with a delicate cloth, giving their blood a chance to mingle and form the bond that would create a private link between them.
Because, throughout it all, his eyes burned into hers with an unquenchable fire that sent shivers through her entire body, holding her gaze and refusing to let go. Completely lost in their swirling depths, how she remained standing was a mystery. Even more so when he leaned in, brushing his lips against her ear to whisper vows of his own:
“I will honour you and protect you until our days are done,” he promised. “If all the light in the world suddenly fell from the sky, I would look to you and still be content in the darkness, because you are my light. You chase the shadows away and give me a reason to breathe. I am yours, always.”
Good Goddess! Who could resist a vow like that?
Certainly not her wolf, and by the time they greeted their pack as a mated pair, she was struggling with a strong urge to flee from the celebrations and complete their bond then and there.
Instead, duty called, and they had a ball and a solstice dinner to sit through. So, it was with many side-long glances and a patience she never knew she possessed that she took up her official mantle as Luna and graciously accepted the welcome they had prepared for her.
Given free reign to plan the entire Solstice celebrations, Ophelia had outdone herself. The main hall had been transformed, sparkling under a canopy of tiny lights. Hundreds of delicate strings hung from the beams accented by spirals of tiny, silvery snowflakes. They fell so low the tallest guests could reach out and touch them. Huge displays of white flowers and winter greenery graced every table, and a dancefloor took pride of place in the centre of the room.
The banquet tables groaned with a hundred different dishes – meats, fish, delicate pastries – all prepared under Ophelia's watchful eye, and waiting to be served by the gathering Omegas.
Her fingers entwined around Blake's, Hannah wandered over to admire one of the floral displays, her free hand reaching out to stroke the petals of one of the white roses. “They're perfect,” she smiled.
“You're perfect,” Blake murmured, not even glancing at the flowers, but tracing the way the light played across her face.
A small frown appeared, and she looked at him with earnest eyes. “Don't say that.”
“Say what?”
“That I'm perfect. Nobodies perfect, especially not me.”
“Oh?” His smile deepened and he leaned in closer. “I disagree.”
“I - I have many flaws,” she argued, flustered by his proximity. “I'm impulsive...”
“Hmm,” Blake agreed, tilting his head to caress her neck with his lips.
“I - I can be reckless, and - and opinionated...”
“Uh huh,” he murmured agreeably, his warm breath soft against her neck as he continued to pepper her skin with feather light kisses.
She swallowed thickly, desperately trying to retain her train of thought. “And I - I argue far too much...”
“You do,” he confirmed, and she could feel another smile forming as his kisses lowered to cover the nape of her neck.
“I'm not perfect,” she tried one last time, as he began the journey back up the other side. “Don't... Don't put me on a pedestal I cannot -- oh my -- live up to.” The rest of her argument was lost as his lips reached hers, and for a long moment all thought was unimportant amidst the sensations his kiss evoked.
“Perfect,” he murmured again as he pulled away, a twinkle of mirth in his eyes.
“You're incorrigible,” she whispered, acutely aware of the flush that rose from her cheeks as the guests around them feigned blindness. Well, most of them.
“Ahem,” Alex cleared his throat, a broad grin on his face. “Do you mind? There are children present.”
Blake barely looked away from Hannah as he countered: “Talking about yourself in the third person again, Alex?”
“Alex,” Ophelia interjected firmly. “Why don't you and Marcus take Olivia and go check on the desserts in the kitchen?”
