22

BYRON

"Oh my god, Zora!"

I catch Aida's arm before she manages to launch herself across the field toward her daughter, who's on the other side watching the game with the other kids.

Granted, they're all shifted, so Zora is the lone human standing among wolves and hyaena, who are almost as tall as she is, but she is safe.

"She's not in danger. Watch." I point to the two shifted hyaena scrambling over a steel wheel.

One tosses it into the air, lobbing it toward his teammate, who waits just in front of Zora's group for the pass. The receiving hyaena jumps into the air, flying back to catch the wheel in his mouth.

At the same time, the group around Zora closes in, smoothly using their bodies as a shield to keep her safe without her even noticing. She shifts with the group, keeping out of harm's way as she continues to clap and cheer.

"That was Carmelo who caught the wheel. Pretty sure he was showing off." I roll my eyes, and Aida lets me pull her away, but her gaze stays worriedly on her daughter. "She's fine, baby. Come on."

I lead her to a set of chairs set up to the side. She takes the seat, her eyes wide on the gathering.

"So the ones who are hyaena are from Africa?"

"Southern. Most similar to the brown hyaena, or strandwolf, but much bigger."

"And all shifters are either wolves or hyaena?"

"Not all, no. We present differently from continent to continent, ecosystem to ecosystem."

Her gaze is full of wonder as she turns to me. "So there are other kinds? Like what? Sorry." She tempers her excitement. "I don't know if you're allowed to tell me this stuff."

"It's not a secret. I mean, it is," I yield when she gives me a look. "But you're family, Aida. This is as much your home as my clan village will be in the winter."

She makes another face, this one of displeasure. "Yeah, can we talk about these winters in the middle of the wilderness a bit more? Maybe negotiate on that part of our relationship."

I laugh at the horror etched into her face at the thought of hunkering down in our village hideaway. "It's a precautionary measure in cases of threats, and it's more important than ever that we go there since it might be compromised."

"Compromised how?" The fact that she appears concerned for my people—now her people—makes my wolf flare with pride.

"Delon. Wolves keep their clan homes hidden from each other for the most part, but close clans will share locations. If he's in custody, he might let slip something that will lead people to ask questions."

"People like Umansky," she offers with a stern look.

I nod. "People like Umansky."

"Does Delon know about this place?"

"Hell no," I rub a hand up her back to soothe the worry making her scent sour. "The only people who know about this place are the people here, and some of them are brought here undercover, mostly the kids. They think it's cool. Makes them feel like spies."

She smiles and looks out across the game again, her mind obviously going somewhere melancholy.

"Hey." I draw her back to me, bringing her hand to my lips. "Do you want to get married?"

She blinks, her expression tensing in shock, and I laugh.

"We don't have to. If anything ever happens to me, you'll be taken care of, but I'd also very much love to have you as my wife."

Her bottom lip pokes out, and my wolf can't resist. I lean in, capturing the plump flesh between my teeth before stroking through her mouth. When we part, she sighs, pressing her nose to mine as she slides a hand through my beard. "I'd love to be your wife."

"Yeah?"

Her smile sends a ray of light straight to my wolf. He basks in it, lifting his face to its warmth. "Yeah."

***

"When you said let's get married, I didn't think you meant today." Aida pulls the dress up her legs, covering the range of love marks I've left on her. When she gets to her torso, she lifts a breast, examining a particularly dark hickie on its side, before tsking and pulling the fabric to cover them.

I whimper, a wolfish sound of disappointment, and her gaze flicks up to me before narrowing.

"Mm hm. I'm not sure I believe this whole your wolf needed to get his scent on me before the ceremony thing."

"Absolutely true," I counter as I button my pants. It's hard because I'm hard, but we're already late, and Kofi's least favorite part of his leadership duties is officiating weddings.

She snorts as she secures her straps before turning and holding her hands out to her sides. "Look okay?"

The designer modified a dress from her upcoming bridal line. The soft material molds over Aida's breasts, pressing the small mounds up just enough to add allure to the cowl neckline and the straps that drape off her shoulders. A gently bias cut hangs over the swell of her hips—hips that I know for a fact wear imprints from my hands—to stop just below her knees.

"You look gorgeous, baby."

She flushes beneath her brown skin and looks shyly to the floor. "You'd think I'd never done this before as nervous as I feel."

"Nervous to be my wife?" I mock offense, but she smiles. It's hopeful, but her scent hints at sorrow.

"No, I can't wait for that. I guess I'm just as disbelieving that my life has gotten so much better as I was that it went so wrong. Feels like I'm tempting fate."

I approach her and pull her close by the hips, sliding my hands along the silky material. "If you are, then tempt her. She doesn't make mistakes, and nothing that happened before matters to how we choose to be happy, okay?"

She dips her head, her mouth twisting in uncertainty, and I sigh, rolling my eyes as I start to ease her dress up.

"Wha—what are you doing?"

Backing her toward the wall, I hitch the firm column of her thigh up around my hip and reach between us to free my dick from behind the confines of my fly.

I still haven't bothered to get her panties, so when I aim my head between her legs, I'm met with the slick, warm heat of her folds. "Fuck, baby. I love that you stay wet for me."

I nuzzle her cleavage, putting my scent on her breasts and collarbone. I take in the scent of our cubs, basking in this evidence of our entwined fates as I drive deep, making her gasp with the force of it and groaning out my pleasure.

"We'll, ah, we'll be late."

I tsk, mouthing up to her ear. " Do you think my wolf cares ?" Each word is carried on the back of a knee-weakening thrust.

Her arms come around my back as we clash against the wall.

My wolf pushes to the front, and when I slap my hand against the wall beside Aida's head, the tips are clawed, the points scraping grooves into the paint.

"One more time, baby." I angle my hips, urging her to the end that I see smoldering in her eyes.

She cries out, bucking wildly against my pelvis. Gripping her hip and no doubt adding to the marks already there, I seat myself to the back of her pussy and let go.

"You realize she's having your cubs, right? She already smells as much like you as she can. We could have had this done an hour ago." Kofi's murmur is dry as we walk into the small room where the ceremony is being held.

"Could have." I shrug it off, my wolf not caring about the censure.

Aida can't tell, but she's leaving my scent trail with every step she takes, and he's pleased.

Zora is present, and so are my sons. Kofi's brothers have also crowded into the room, and I note that despite his dismissal of Zora earlier, Musa's eyes linger on her as she grins excitedly beside the dais where Aida and I will be married.

Zora is holding two bouquets of calla lilies, and as Aida approaches, she hands one over and keeps one for herself.

"Oh, sweetheart, you look beautiful." Aida smooths a hand over Zora's glossy crown of twists, which have been pulled up on top of her head.

Aida's twisted coils hang heavily around her shoulders, and as we stand before Kofi, I can't imagine a more beautiful bride.

I can't keep my eyes off her, not even to spare Kofi a look for his unrousing recital of the words that will legally bind Aida and me together.

I repeat what I need to repeat, feeling the words deeply that she is mine, I am hers, and we will honor and protect each other until we go to the Great Wolf Glory, or whatever hereafter Aida ends up in, where I will absolutely follow.

When Aida finishes her vow, I grab her to me, sealing our union with a kiss. I hear Kofi sigh and brush past me to leave, his duty done.

I'll thank him later. I know he has a lot on his mind.

We only break apart because Aida pushes at my shoulders, forcing me away with a chiding slap to my chest so she can embrace a bouncing Zora.

I hug my sons, wrapping an arm around them and squeezing tight. "Thanks, sons."

"Of course, pops. I'm glad this all worked out, and she wasn't, you know, an assassin."

I chuckle and kiss Preston on the cheek, but when I meet his gaze, there's a sorrow there that makes me wonder if Kofi's suspicions are correct.

Like me and their mother, both of my sons followed our path into work for the Consortium, but they're still young, barely into their twenties, and fate mate shit hits us hard at that age.

Look at me. Their mother had my nose all the way the fuck open, so if Preston was fooled into thinking he'd found his mate, I can't imagine how fucked up he must feel.

"Let's you and me chat, yeah?"

"Yeah, pops."

I hug them both again and turn to my wife, sliding up behind her and pulling her into my front. "You ready to go?"

"Yeah, you know, after we do that thing."

I step back, remembering the crucial reveal we must do before too much time has passed.

I clear my throat and signal everyone to leave, and when it's just me, Aida, and Zora, Aida and I face her together.

"Zo, we have some news—"

"Oh, god, mom. I know you're pregnant," Zora groans, like we're embarrassing her. "You do know these shifters can't hold water, right? Like literally, the only thing they can probably hold water about is being a shifter. Trust me, I've heard some things I wish I could forget." She shakes her head like that will dispel whatever unwanted information is stored in her head. "I didn't want to say anything until you were ready to tell me, but can I just say that I am super stoked to have two little brothers."

"Uh," Aida frowns, clearly caught off guard that her carefully planned speech is no longer needed. "Why do you think they're boys?"

Zora makes a face like Aida is the one not making sense. "Musa told me. He said he can smell it already."

Aida shifts to look at me, her expression dubious. "Is that a real thing?"

I snort. "For Musa, it is, but I'll talk to him about ruining gender reveals for expectant mothers."

She blinks this new wonder away and focuses on Zora again. "So, you're okay with all of this?"

"I'm good. This is great. I think we can agree it will be so much better for the babies if you're vegan, so I can help plan your meals. Also, Aliia said she'd teach me how to sew so I can make some things for the boys. Ooh, will they technically be twins like Dez and Prez?"

Aida waves her hand in a frenzied attempt to stymie the barrage of questions, and Zora clamps her mouth shut but continues to smirk. "Baby, we'll talk about all of this when Byron and I are back. You sure you don't want to come? It's probably good for you to meet his clan—our clan."

"Actually," Zora draws the word out, "the other kids are going camping, and it sounds really fun. Also," her voice rises when it looks like Aida is about to cut her off with a refusal, "perfect practice for living in the middle of the woods during winter. Except in a very high-tech tent and not in below-freezing temperatures." She shrugs, waiting for her mother to approve.

Aida's frowning, obviously not sold, and when Zora glances at me, her eyes silently asking for an assist, I realize two things—one, I'm fucked on the girl-dad front. I'm never telling this kid no. Two, I'm about to solidify myself as the softy parent.

I squeeze Aida's hand. When she meets my gaze, I give a little nod, to which she sighs and rolls her eyes back to Zora, her finger coming up in warning.

"You stay with the group. These may be our people, but you are not a shifter, little girl. Be safe, listen to people who know more about surviving in the wilderness than you, and don't eat any weird plants."

"Promise. Thank you, mom!" Zora launches herself at Aida before running out of the door where Carmelo awaits the verdict.

"She said yes!" Her voice carries from outside, and Aida groans.

"I'm not ready for this."

I chuckle and take her hand. "To leave?"

"No, for my baby to not be a baby. To like people and be comfortable being away from me. Granted, she didn't even want to talk to me for over a year, but at least she stayed close."

"She'll be close, and it's good that she's so comfortable here. That means she trusts us, and that makes it easier to keep her safe."

***

"What do you do again?"

I chuckle and set my travel bag by the door as Aida stares around my condo.

"You won't believe it."

"Like you didn't believe I'd married Delon?" She side-eyes me, and I'm glad we're at a place where Delon has become a joke.

"More that I know I don't give the impression of a perfumist."

She spins around, her head hinging back. "Really?"

"Yeah." I snort a chuckle and cross the open floor to the kitchen. Opening the freezer, I take out some storage containers. "You okay with stew?"

"Sure." Aida comes to sit on the barstool across from the island. "You eat a lot of stew."

"I do. Gonna eat a lot of you later." I hit her with a smile, and she laughs, filling my home with the beautiful sound. "I love that, making you laugh."

"Yeah?"

My head bobs. "I do."

She hums. "So, have you made anything I've heard of? Seems like you do pretty well as a perfumist. Is that really what you do?"

I laugh again at her disbelief. "It is. I've had some steady hits. Mesh was big in the early two thousands." When she blinks and sputters dramatically, I smirk.

"Mesh was one of my favorites! I mean, I couldn't afford it back in college, but I wanted to. I wear Myriad now on special occasions."

"You do? I didn't smell it. The Morai works beautifully with your natural scent."

She makes a face. "I haven't worn that in months."

I shrug. "It lingers. Transfer in your closet, probably."

She hums again. Her chin rests on the heel of her hand as she watches me dump the contents of one of the containers into a pot on the stove.

I meet her gaze. "I love you, Aida."

She glances down, her lips tilting. "I love you, too."

"Eyes, mate. Look at me when you say it. That's important."

She looks up, her gaze mischievous. "I love you, too—Noel McCanty."

My eyes narrow. "Really?"

Her shoulder hitches. "It's not like I've seen your birth certificate. Byron could be made up."

"Hm, okay." Turning off the stove with a flick of my wrist, I stalk around the island and snatch up my cackling mate with a growl. "I guess I'll have to make you scream my name until you get it right."

"Here, try this." Shaking out the narrow piece of cardboard, I hold it out for Aida to sniff.

Her eyes close in rapture. "That smells amazing. I've never smelled anything like it."

"I'm glad you like it. It's for you."

Aida's sitting on a stool in my in-house lab. Moving around the table, I apply a single drop of the mixture onto her bare shoulder and smooth it in.

She's been watching me work wrapped in nothing but a sheet after I dragged her to our bed after that Noel McCanty mess.

Took a minute, but she got my name right.

Inhaling, I take in the mixture of sweet orange, bergamot, and a hint of lilac. "Perfect. It smells best when you have my scent on you, but it'll work mass market, too."

Her brows hitch. "So that's it? You come in here, tinker around a bit, and create a best-selling perfume?"

"Wolf nose." I tap the mentioned feature and push between her thighs. "How do you feel about moving? I don't mind keeping this as a second place if you want to stay close to Zora's friends."

She wraps her arms around my waist, looking up. "That would be great, but you don't have to make any major decisions like that now."

"Why not? We're doing this, so whatever decisions need to be made, let's make them."

"Uh, okay," she still seems unsure. "If you don't mind, I'd love to keep Zora in her school. Do the shifter kids go to regular school?"

I shake my head, frowning. "Hell no. Teenage hormones are too chaotic, and although we don't usually have problems with them, most shifter families homeschool or clan school until college."

"Makes sense." She's pensive for a moment. "So what do you think our reception will be like tomorrow?"

This stay at my condo is just a pitstop on the way to introduce Aida to Godwin and Valeena, my clan chiefs. It's still early fall, so our winter village is empty, but I wanted Aida and our clan leaders to meet her first.

"I've already talked to Chief. It will be fine. They're going to love you."

"And what about the rest of your clan? You said they aren't too keen on humans. Rightfully so. I don't want to lie to them about how we met, and I can't imagine that won't be a problem."

Lifting her, I set her on the table and push the sheet up, revealing her center still slick with my cum. "And who worries about problems?"