Chapter 11

Declan hadn’t spent much time with his alpha. When he was younger, the male was larger than life, someone who had earned the title Alpha by proving himself to be the best warrior in the pack. Then he’d left when he was eighteen and headed to Northernmost, not realizing he would spend nearly a decade up at the North Pole.

But he had zero regrets when it came to being in the cold north. If he’d come home at any time and abandoned his post or followed his parents’ path of an arranged mating, he wouldn’t have Winterlyn in his life.

And that was a hell he didn’t want to contemplate.

Alpha Phoenix was in his fifties and had led the pack for nearly three decades. His whole life, Declan had only had one alpha, and Phoenix was a good male through and through. Fair and generous to the pack but deadly to their enemies.

“Alpha Phoenix, this is my mate, Winterlyn Brooks, soon to be Winterlyn Knight.”

Phoenix smiled and extended his hand. “It’s nice to meet you. Have a seat.”

They all sat, including Declan’s parents and several high ranked males. The alpha introduced the males, who all greeted Winterlyn warmly.

“First, I wanted to personally welcome you to town, Winterlyn, and congratulate you on your mating. I wanted to make a suggestion to you both, which is why I’ve invited the high ranked males here as well.”

Winterlyn looked at Declan with wide eyes.

“Sure, what’s the suggestion?” Declan asked.

“Since you’re already mated, I’d like to suggest you have your mating ceremony tonight in front of the pack. We can welcome Winterlyn here, have a good old-fashioned shift and hunt, and then you won’t have to make a trip down on the January full moon when we’d normally do the ceremony.”

“Do you know,” Winterlyn said, her voice wavering a little, “that I can’t shift?”

“I do,” Phoenix said, “and it doesn’t matter to me or anyone else. We have some mates in the pack who are human. Their mates either shift and stay with them, or the non-shifting mates hang out together here until everyone is back. You could do either, whatever you’d like.”

“What do you think?” Declan asked her.

She smiled. He could see the relief in her eyes. “I think that would be amazing. I’d be a pack member then? After the ceremony?”

“One hundred percent,” Alpha Phoenix said. “Technically you’re already a member since you’re mated to Declan, but this makes it official and gives the pack a chance to congratulate you and celebrate.”

“We do like any excuse to party,” Mark, one of the elders, said with a smile.

“Then I think it’s a wonderful idea,” Winterlyn said.

“I hoped you would,” Alpha Phoenix said. He rose to his feet. “I’m going to leave you in the capable hands of the high ranked males who will go over the pack laws for you, and then you can come back here around eight for the ceremony.”

He nodded at them and left, calling for Declan’s parents to follow so they could help get things ready.

“Now how much do you know about wolf hierarchy?” Mark asked.

By the time she and Declan had run home to change and had a quickie in the shower, eight o’clock had rolled around far too fast. She’d gotten a crash course in pack hierarchy and laws, most of which were similar to what she’d grown up with in the skulk.

“So do we have to come back here every full moon so you can shift?” she asked.

“Nope, I mostly shift up in Northernmost. My wolf likes the weather. I do try to come home once a month for dinner and to spend time with my folks.” He held her hand as she navigated the icy sidewalk leading up to the alpha’s home. “What do you think of everything?”

“Your family’s great. I love that you and your cousins are close.” She didn’t have any cousins, her parents were both only children. She envied Declan and his close relationship with Sebastian and Chase.

“They’re your family now too.”

“I know, I love that.”

He stopped her as they reached the porch. “Hey, sweetheart. I love you so much. I just want you to know how much it means to me that you want to be part of the pack.”

She gave him a kiss and then a second one. Because he was irresistible. “I love you too. And it means the world to me that your pack and family have welcomed me so easily.”

The front door opened and his parents were in the doorway. “We’re ready for you both on the back deck,” Barron said.

“You look lovely. It’s the perfect outfit for traipsing through the woods,” Denise said.

“Thanks, I wasn’t sure what to wear, so I just went with the warmest stuff I had.”

Winterlyn had chosen dark jeans with her favorite slouchy, warm boots and a thick sweater she’d layered over one of Declan’s thermal shirts.

“You look great. I’ll take pictures of the ceremony and text them to you.”

“That’s so sweet!”

The backyard was packed. The alpha and several of the high ranked males stood on one side of the large deck that had been swept free of snow that had fallen that afternoon. Beyond the pack were the thick woods where they’d hunt after the mating ceremony.

There was a virtual sea of people. Declan had told her the pack was considered small at a little less than one hundred people.

Denise moved off the deck and lifted her phone while Barron joined the high ranked males.

Alpha Phoenix lifted his hand and the pack quieted.

His voice resonated with authority. “Pack, we’re here tonight to witness a sacred union. Declan has come today with his mate, Winterlyn, to bind their lives together as mates before the pack.”

She and Declan stepped forward, hands joined.

“Declan and Winterlyn, you stand before the pack to join as mates. Do you vow to protect and cherish one another for the remainder of your days?”

Declan’s voice was strong and clear. “I vow to protect Winterlyn with my life and cherish her with all my heart, forever.”

Winterlyn hadn’t expected to get emotional because they were already mated, but her eyes were stinging with tears. She spoke the short vows Declan had shared before the ceremony. “I vow to stand by Declan through whatever comes and to cherish him with all my heart, forever.”

Alpha Phoenix smiled. “As your alpha, I declare your bond as mates sealed. May your love be as strong as the mountains and as deep as the woods where we hunt.” To the pack, he said loudly, “Let’s lift our voices in celebration of the mating between Declan and Winterlyn and welcome her into our pack.”

The pack erupted into howls, and Winterlyn felt so connected to everyone. Declan pulled her close and kissed her as tears fell down her cheeks.

“I’m so happy,” she whispered against his lips.

“Me too, sweetheart.”

Alpha Phoenix clapped his hands. “Let’s hunt!”

The howls turned to cheers and the group split up, with many people coming to congratulate them and introduce themselves to her.

She and Declan made their way into the woods, finding a spot away from everyone.

He took off his coat and hung it over a low branch.

“Are you sure you want me with you? I could just hang out at the house and wait for you.”

“Hell yes, I want you with me,” he said. “This is our first hunt together. I want to show you my shift and hang out with you. We can walk the territory.”

“I’d love that.”

He stripped, which she loved, and then he shifted.

She was mesmerized by the process, watching his sexy human body morph to a beautiful, large wolf. He was all pretty grays and browns, with dark amber eyes. She dropped to her knees and ran her hands over his fur, scratching behind his ears until his back leg thumped and his tongue lolled out of his mouth.

With a laugh, she said, “You’re adorable. I love you in your shift. It’s so cool.”

She gave him a kiss on his nose, and he licked her cheek. She rose to her feet and followed his lead, heading toward the edge of the large, wooded territory. Wolves ran past them, yipping in greeting, and in the distance, she heard the howl of wolves on the hunt.

Tonight was even more magical than being at the North Pole on Christmas. After a simple ceremony that had meant so much to her, she and Declan were now officially mated in the eyes of the pack and she was a member.

Her.

Winterlyn, soon-to-be Knight, non-shifting arctic fox and future toy maker, was part of the Howling River Pack.

She couldn’t freaking believe it.

If she hadn’t taken a chance on going to the Well to try to fix her fox, she would never have met Declan, and that was a life she couldn’t imagine now.

She might not have access to her fox, but she had the best male in the universe by her side. They’d faced danger, saved each other, and come out on the other side closer than before.

It had only been a week, but it was the best week of her life.

Thank you so much for reading Cherished By Her Guardian !