Chapter 15

Noel

Garrick’s territory was just as gorgeous as I had imagined it would be. For some reason, when I thought of my own home territory, I pictured dark and dreary, though I’m sure our woods had just as much color to them as this one did. Still, when we pulled into the drive that wound through the woods, all marked as private land to deter humans from trespassing, the woods were colorful and bright, despite the cold and the snow that blanketed everything.

There were pine trees lush with green needles, and even the trees that had dropped their leaves were sparkling with ice stuck to the branches, making it look like a Christmas wonderland. The sun reflected through the ice prisms, casting an array of colors shimmering over the landscape. It was cold out here, but I didn’t mind.

When we came upon the clearing where the cluster of pack houses stood, I sucked in a breath.

At the center was a large, white two-story house with a wraparound porch. A lit-up Christmas tree was visible through the window. The porch was beautifully decorated with red buffalo-plaid bows on the pillars and a lush wreath hanging on the door.

“The high-school-age kids make the wreaths and sell them as a fundraiser,” Garrick said. “All the doors have them. They use the money for field trips so they can go to some of the human museums or other human-type things.

“Over there is the community kitchen and pavilion, where we have a lot of our outdoor events,” he continued, pointing to a large brick building with a counter window and a covering that had several picnic tables. “Most of our pack gatherings start there. This time of year we have these lights that project falling snowflakes on the side of the building. In the summer we hang a large white sheet and we have movie nights under the stars. The kids get a kick out of it.”

It sounded magical to me.

Next to the building was a tall spruce tree that towered over the building. On it were colorful lights and red and green bulbs of varying sizes. On the very top was a large golden star.

“Years ago, when we built the pavilion, we kept the tree so it could be the pack holiday tree. I think it was one of the pup’s ideas, but I can’t remember which one.”

“And you all just kept it cause a pup suggested it?”

Garrick grinned. “We did. It was a good idea, don’t you think?”

“Perfect.”

“Around the back,” Garrick said, “there’s the trail that leads off to where we do most of our pack runs. Obviously, you can go anywhere in the woods, but we all tend to follow the same path. It leads to the river that divides the territory in half. It’s really good fishing—not necessarily this time of year, but in the summer.”

“That sounds like fun,” I said. Pack runs with my old pack were always an opportunity for the alphas to fight one another and determine who was stronger and better.

“It is.” Garrick smiled. “Most of the houses are occupied right now. We’ve got about five hundred people that live on the territory.”

“That’s a lot,” I said.

“It is. We have another hundred or so that actually live in town. They come out for celebrations and stuff, but they don’t live in the woods with us.”

“That’s allowed? Living off the territory?”

“Absolutely. Anybody can be part of the pack. They don’t have to live here to do it. They contribute financially, just like all the other members of the pack, and we keep up on them to make sure that all is well. The members in town come out to the pack events a lot and they visit their family here. There are members that live even farther away.”

“That’s crazy,” I said.

Garrick chuckled. “The small cabin two doors down from the big house—that’s where Troy lives.”

“Your best friend?”

“And my Beta.”

I itched to make a good impression on him. If Garrick’s best friend didn’t like me… I didn’t know what I would do. “Is he mated?”

Garrick shook his head. “The omega that the council has picked out for me—or that I assume they have picked out for me—is Troy’s mate. They just haven’t claimed each other yet.”

I frowned. “They wouldn’t make you take your best friend’s mate, would they?”

“Troy hasn’t declared his intentions. Hopefully, this whole thing spurred him into action. I told him to make his move a thousand times, but tradition is that Betas aren’t mated before their Alpha. It’s stupid, but it is what it is.” He gripped the steering wheel tighter, his knuckles going white.

I put a hand on his knee.

We pulled up to the main house, parking at the spot between two other trucks nearly identical to the one Garrick drove. The door opened, and a woman dressed in a pair of jeans and a white blouse, with a long braid with streaks of gray, stepped outside. She smiled and waved when she saw us.

“We should have given them some sort of heads-up,” I said. “They’re gonna think you’re crazy.”

“That I brought my mate home? They’d think I was crazy if I had left you. Come on,” Garrick said. He jumped out of the truck while I moved across the seat to the passenger side. He walked around and opened my door for me. I was counting to ten, trying to stop myself from hyperventilating. He gripped my hand. “You’re gonna do great. They are going to love you.”

“Who’s going to love who?” came a kind, calm voice. The woman’s smile was radiant. “Who’s this, Garrick?”

Garrick put his arm around my shoulder and grabbed my other hand with his so our hands were clasped in front of us. It might’ve looked like casual affection to some, but it wrapped me in a tight embrace. It felt like it was the only thing keeping me from flying apart.

“Mama, this is Noel. He’s my mate.”

Her eyes widened, and a hand clamped over her mouth. “You found your mate?”

“I did,” Garrick said. He gripped my hand tighter, standing by my side as we waited to see what her reaction would be.

Tears pricked at the corner of her eyes. Then she wrapped her arms around me and held me tight. She rocked me gently, swaying back and forth.

“Welcome home, son,” she said. “We’ve been waiting for you.”

Never in my life had I felt such a hug, filled with such acceptance. Was this what it felt like to be hugged by a mother? If it was, I wanted to feel that way every day.