CHAPTER TWO Hunter

MY brOTHERS AND I race through the woods. Our wolves are yipping and biting at the other's ankles as trees and branches fly by us. This freedom is a feeling I’ve missed. Will’s sizeable brown wolf presses in on my other side while Jackson’s on my left. We all finally emerge from the dense woods to the beautiful setup for today’s festivities.

My wolf and I are united again. His thoughts and mine flow together. Our bond has healed since our Mate is where she belongs—by our side. We howl once more as we take our human form. It’s as if I can sense her eyes on us. I look up to our window and give her a point and wink.

“Fucking, stop being such a sap Hunter, you’re making us all seem soft.” Jackson chides as he pushes his shoulder into mine. He can’t talk. I know he puts on his Alpha face for everyone else, but the man is head over heels in love with his Mate and has proven that over and over through last year's events.

“Shut up. I have seen you with Charlie.”

“Keep her out of this.” Jackson snaps at me.

I laugh cause he is such a hypocrite.

“Let's go, guys, we were supposed to be back…” Will checks his phone. “Shit, like an hour ago.”

“It’s fine. Emma’s not even dressed.” I say.

One more thing I have loved about Emma is that she moves in her own time zone. The woman has this aurora about her that just seems to exude peace. Even on a stressful day like her wedding, I can feel her, and she’s completely calm and happy.

The last year was painful for both of us. I had to deal with my guilt for allowing her to be in danger in the first place and then help her overcome her anxiety and fear of her pregnancy. That asshole did a number on her. The first time we had an ultrasound, Emma cried the entire time. The memory brings tears to my eyes. She was so strong and yet so sad and broken. I remember her conflict of feelings as we saw our son for the first time—of course, we didn’t know it was a boy yet. And although I know she wanted to put on a smile her hand trembled through the entire experience.

Asher has been a blessing for both of us. He was born on a full moon, and I know he’s a wolf somewhere deep inside. Emma is unconvinced, but I swear I can feel my son’s wolf press at me at times, especially when I’m shifted. That little guy has brought so much joy to our family after what happened with Ax.

“Boys!” My mom’s tone is full-on frantic as she walks out of the kitchen. “Where in the heavens have you been? Hunter White, you do realize you have a wedding to get to in under…” She checks the gold watch on her wrist. “Oh my, in under thirty minutes?”

“Mom, we know.” Jackson kisses her temple. “We will be out and handsome in under twenty. Right, boys?” Jackson turns to Will and I.

“Obviously,” Will says through his chuckle.

I nod as we all push into Jackson’s room. My white button-down is snug as I shrug it over my shoulders. Emma did not require us to wear a tux, something I am grateful for. My wolf and I don’t like all the extra layers of clothes. I start to button down my shirt as Jackson fills the quiet.

“So, is it weird getting married to your mate?” He asks.

This is so unconventional in our culture. Emma and I have been mated for a year now and have a son. We have done this entire courtship backward. I wouldn’t change a second of it. It is how our relationship has gone from the first time I met her until the day I made her mine.

“No, this is perfect,” I say as I finish the last button.

I can hear the guests arriving for our wedding. The pack is treating this like a mating ceremony, and everyone is invited. Emma doesn’t have a large family. Her parents are the only ones who made the trip. Her sister was sad to miss the wedding but was dealing with some drama with her now ex-husband. I haven’t gotten the full details, but I know something is happening with her kids. I try to stay out of it. At one point, Emma was so distressed that I offered to have her sister move here, and we would protect them. For Emma’s sake, I hope they do; I know she worries a lot about her sister.

“It’s time boys. Come on.” My mom knocks and speaks through the door.

I’m ready to give Emma the perfect wedding day and night. I have a big surprise for her, and everyone in the pack has kept the entire plan a secret.

My hand slides gently up and down Emma’s back as guests continue to come up and congratulate us. In a normal pack situation, we would all shift and run together, but tonight, we are honoring my human Mate and staying in our human form. We also worry that her parents may not take kindly to being surrounded by wolves.

“Sweet Girl, how many more people do we need to talk to?” I whisper into her ear.

“Hunter, stop. Everyone came to our wedding, it’s only polite that we say hi to everyone.”

My head tilts to the side, and my eyes widen. “Em. Our pack has over five hundred members, and you want to say hi to everyone. We’re going to be here all night.”

She laughs, “It’s not like we have anywhere else to go.”

The hand, not touching her back, slides over my head and pinches the back of my neck while I look up to the sky. The weather couldn’t have been more perfect today; only a few large clouds dot the sky.

“You know damn well we have something to do tonight.” The only enjoyable part of a wedding is up next, and the surprise I have for Emma will make it ten times better.

“Hunter White, are you saying you’re only looking forward to consummating our marriage?”

“Yes, precisely. We should wrap this up. Dance, eat cake, and go…” I think about that, “You know what? I’ll have my mom pack us some cake. We can eat it off each other later.”

Her eyes pull up to mine, the glow of the lights making the green a little more gray. “You promise to eat cake off me?”

I am one hundred percent fucked. “Hell yeah.” I laugh, grabbing her hand and heading towards our parents.

“How are the love birds?” My mom asks while bouncing Asher on her hip. He reaches for me, and I quickly scoop him up.

Emma answers while I play with Ash. “We are great. Hunter, however, is impatiently ready to move things along.”

“Is he now? Well, maybe we need to prolong our festivities…” My mom jokes.

I let out a soft growl. Asher’s eyes widen at the sound, and he turns towards my mom and attempts to growl as well. The entire group laughs at his attempt, and he looks back at me, searching for approval, “Perfect, son.” I say while kissing his forehead.

Then he drops his head down on my shoulder and snuggles closer to me.

“Well, let's add growling to his word list,” Emma says as she sweeps her hand over his bare feet.

I nod in approval and then face my mom. “Can you pack us a cake to go? We are leaving.”

Emma’s voice is filled with laughter, “Hunter, we can’t skip out on our wedding.”

“Like fu—“ I clear my throat, forgetting Asher is in my arms, “We sure can, Mate.” The possessive growl of my wolf laces the last word. Tonight, we are going to get her pregnant again. I need to get her out of this wedding and onto the next part of our night.

“Okay, fine. Just let me go say bye to the girls. I’ll be right back.”

I hum as I watch her walk towards the gathering of women on the other side of the patio. I enjoy the slope of her ass as it sways in her white dress. The lights that sweep from the exterior wall towards the aisle are beautiful and send a warm golden glow over her making her more angelic.

We held the reception on the patio and inside the dining room. We were worried a storm would roll in—which is kind of standard around here—so just in case it rained, we had the food set up in the house.

“Ash, you gonna be good for granny?” I ask my son quietly, but he doesn’t answer.

My mom asks, “So, is it all ready and set up?”

My heart flutters with excitement, “Yes, it's perfect. That’s what took us so long on our run. We were getting all the final touches done.”

She hums. “Good, our girl deserves the best after everything. We love her so much.”

I squeeze my mom's elbow, bring her under the arm that isn’t holding Asher, and hug her tightly. “Mom, you are the best. Thank you.” I kiss the top of her head. “Now, it’s time for you take my son, and me to take my mate home.”

I hand over a very sleepy Asher. The boy is normally bouncy and happy, but I guess all the things going on today wore him out. Which is good because I need all the time I can get with Emma alone.

She has no idea that every pack in the Greater Community has donated money and time to help build her a dream home over the last year. The mansion sits up behind the Lodge near the waterfalls where we often used to camp as kids. The spot is perfect, tucked into the forest with the mountain and river backdrop behind it. My wolf was pleased that the only way to get to our Mate was to go past the Lodge, which now has a state-of-the-art security system and a team that ensures the safety of the puppies and pack members living there.

I’ve spent the better half of the last six months finishing the inside. From flooring to kitchen cabinets, I built it all. My mom and Maryann helped decorate it, and today, before the wedding, Jackson, Will, and I finished setting up everything, so it’s perfect tonight for the big reveal when I take Emma home.

I search the crowd for my girl so I can get her out of here once my eyes catch on her white form. I watch her for a bit, taking in her beauty. The dress she picked hugs all of her curves, and the way the buttons on her back accentuate her full ass. I am going to love tearing it open. I know she was worried her baby belly wouldn't be gone, but I won’t lie. I love the belly she has now, knowing it brought me the most precious gift. My eyes glide up to her smile, and her curly hair is swept away from her face and pinched up behind her head in some flowery clip. There are tiny tufts of baby breath weaved into her hair.

Her eyes catch mine, and I tilt my head towards the front of the house, trying to hint that I am ready to go, which has been evident for about thirty minutes.

She nods to me, and I move into the dining room, “Here’s your boxed wedding cake.” Keelie hands me the box. “I never thought I’d see the day the White boys would settle down. Those girls sure do balance out all of your wild sides.”

My laugh is full as I feel Emma’s small hand drag around my waist to slip into my waiting palm.

“I’m not sure we tamed the wild side, Keelie.” Emma looks up at me, “They are still plenty wolf.”

I hum. “Yes, all wolf. Let's go home, Mate.”

“Have a good night, you two,” Keelie calls out as I drag Emma towards the front door.

Once she is settled in the front seat of my truck, I open my door and pop in. “Emma, I have a surprise for you.”

“I know, that's why you're dragging me away early. Is it a long honeymoon?”

No. Shit, should I have planned a honeymoon. “Um…” I don’t know how to respond because now I’m wondering if that’s normal for men to do.

“Hunter, it's fine. We can’t take a honeymoon; we have Asher.” Her hand rests on the top of my thigh. “Now tell me what this surprise is.” Her tone is excited, and I can't help but claim her mouth in a passionate kiss.

I pull away, shaking my head, “I’m going to show you.” I back out of the parking lot and head towards the dirt road that leads from the back of the Lodge.

“Hunter, we aren’t doing anything in the woods. Backwoods stuff is not for me.”

I chuckle, “No, Sweet Girl, no backwoods stuff. It’s something else.”

“Okay.” Her voice a bit more timid.

Two minutes later, we pull into our driveway. The chandelier on the front porch accentuates the three-story-tall roof that protects the entryway. The house lights around the building make the light gray exterior paneling look homey.

The house has a large open front porch. We built a side porch off the kitchen for dining inside and out. Finally, we built a full-length back porch that sits no more than a hundred yards from the river. The waterfalls can be seen from our bedroom window off the east side of the house, and then we have over ten bedrooms to fill. I plan on starting on that project tonight.

Shifting to face Emma, “Welcome home, Mate.”

Emma’s eyes whip to me. “What? Are you joking? This looks like a modern mansion! What in the world are we going to do with a house this large?”

She rattles off question after question, and I slowly smile at her. I have some ideas about what we can do in a house this big. I give her a hint by holding the cake box and tipping it side-to-side.

“Hunter White, we are not joking about sex right now. Explain how this is our house?”

“First off, we are always talking about sex. Secondly, Emma White, I think you forgot how impactful you were over the last year and everything you’ve done for our kind. This was a symbol from every community of their gratitude for you…” I take her hand, “That I have for you,” I say, kissing her knuckles. “You, my perfect, beautiful, strong Mate, are a wonder and a blessing to every shifter in this region. Your openness to our kind and love of our pack is a blessing. This home was built on a foundation of appreciation and love, and everyone in town helped make this your home. Our home.”

Tears are filling her eyes as she takes in my words. “Now you stay there.” I slid out of my truck and round the front, opening her door. “I’m about to carry my wife over the threshold of our home, and then I am going to ravage you, Mate.”