Chapter 31

Chapter 31

Where I Belong

Psycho

One Month Later

Trigger and Menace walked into my office. Trigger plunked down an orange envelope on my desk. "It's all there."

I peeked inside to see what was probably close to a hundred grand. I smiled and reached into my desk drawer, producing a box of Cuban cigars. I distributed them out to each of them, then passed them a lighter.

I normally didn't smoke in my office, but this was a special occasion. We'd never profited this much from weapons before.

They each lit the cigar.

"Ahh, that's the good stuff," Trigger said.

Menace smiled around the cigar being held between his teeth. "The fuckers tried to talk me down, but I wasn't budging. I know what these weapons are worth."

Trigger chuckled. "Asshole tried to ask for a ‘cash discount', and I told him he obviously didn't know how money laundering worked. It didn't matter how we were paid, it had to be cleaned through the businesses."

"Yeah, but the cash is nice to have on hand. Like when we bought the Suburban," I commented.

Trigger shrugged. "True. But fuck him and his discount."

We didn't exactly obtain our weapons legally, but it wasn't like the ones we got them from were going to go to the pigs and tell them we'd stolen their already illegal guns. We simply cleaned them up a bit, filed off some serial numbers, and then sold them to reputable buyers. Well, reputable in our world, anyway.

"Is everything good to go for the ceremony tonight?" I asked.

"Yeah, I got with Cutter, he's taking care of most of the food, but he is having some catered, I guess," he said.

"I trust him," I replied.

As we continued to puff our cigars, an email notification came in. I set the cigar down to smolder in the ashtray and pulled it up.

To: [emailprotected]

From: [emailprotected]

Subject: (none)

I've backed off and given you plenty of time to get your ass back to MN. You took my son from me and I don't take that shit lightly. Now, you've forced me to come get both of you. You won't see us coming. We'll just show up on your doorstep and drag your asses back. Violently.

I read the email aloud and Trigger cursed.

"I thought he was done with these threats. It's been quiet. Why now?" Trigger snapped.

"I think he's mental. Goes through phases, like when we were kids. I'm not worried. He shows up here, I can't guarantee he'll walk back out." My jaw ticked as I looked at my cousin.

"Do what you need to do. The world would be better off without him."

"He lays a hand or even an eyeball on my mate, I'll put a bullet in his brain," I growled.

"We won't allow him to do that, boss," Menace assured me.

I only nodded because I trusted him.

Menace stood and crushed out the cigar in the ashtray, "I'm gonna go back to the warehouse. I'll see you tonight."

"All right," I replied.

I watched him leave and looked at my cousin. "I'm not kidding, Jake. I'll kill that fucker. I left Minnesota so I wouldn't, but I'll go full psychotic scorched earth on him. I don't care that he's my uncle."

"I hate him more than you do," he replied with a shrug. "Do what you need to do."

I picked up my cigar and let it smoke between my fingers. "He's seriously delusional if he thinks he can best me or even you. Hell, I think Nera could probably take him. Stupid old man."

Trigger snorted. "Oh, he knows he can't. He'll bring an arsenal and an army."

My face darkened. "Then we'll be ready for him,"

Rumble had been strung with lights, and flowers decorated the space. It looked nice and I know Nera and Charlie had a lot to do with it. I didn't care what the place looked like. All I cared was that I was finally going to be married to my mate.

Officially, this was a mating ceremony. But it was just like a regular wedding. The vows would be a little different though. A werewolf was officiating the ceremony.

I smiled as I saw Nera's mother standing in the corner talking to her brother. They'd arrived in town a couple of days ago and were staying at one of the empty homes on the compound. They hadn't been very happy to learn Nera was mating with a wolf, but they had no choice but to get over it. They seemed to be better now, but it had stressed Nera out, and talking with her therapist seemed to help.

"If everyone is here, let's get started," Barney, the officiant we'd hired, said. He was an old wolf with lots of mating ceremonies under his belt.

Trigger and I stood next to him while we waited for Nera. Her brother scrambled into the restroom area and escorted his sister out. She took my breath away in a simple floor-length cream dress and a tiara tucked into her short white hair.

When my eyes locked with her purple-blue ones, it gave me such contentment and peace. I knew she was the one, of course she was, or else I wouldn't have marked her.

She stared at me the whole way down from the side of the bar, and when she reached me, Alec shook my hand and handed her off to me.

Barney started the ceremony, but I hardly listened. I just wanted to take Nera home and get her into my bed.

"Sheppard and Nera, you two are fated to be together. The goddess has chosen you as mates. Do you vow to be each other's mate until one of you passes onto the true and final death?"

"We do," we said together.

"Do you vow to honor and protect the bond with the pack?"

"We do."

Since we decided to combine the mating ceremony with the legal wedding, Barney continued.

"By the power bestowed upon me by the Great Goddess, and also state of Louisiana"—he smiled, putting up one finger—"I now pronounced you husband, wife, and mates for life."

I slid the two carat diamond onto her finger, and she slid the titanium ring on mine. I put my finger under my wife's chin and tilted her head up, giving her a firm kiss, which she returned.

My entire pack cheered, and with our hands linked, we held them up.

Nera's mom rushed up to us and hugged her daughter, then looked at me. "Oh, Shep. I'm so happy to have a son-in-law. You be good to her, okay?"

I smiled. "I will, Sandy. You don't have to worry."

Trigger shook my hand and congratulated me, and I looked over to see the rest of my pack—Menace, Strife, Wizard, Cutter, and Chaos waiting to do the same. Charlie, Metal, and the other prospects smiled at us as well. This was truly a day I would never forget for as long as I lived. I put my arm around my wife and stroked my mating mark on her shoulder with my thumb, as if to make sure it was still there, and felt her slightly shudder under my touch. This ceremony was nothing but a formality for us. For our pack to witness, for our families to be here.

My mom had come down for it, and I watched as she slowly approached me. "Sheppard, sweetheart, I'm so happy you found your mate." She looked at Nera and grabbed her hand, "Honey, you be good to my Shep, okay?"

She laughed. "Of course I will. I love him. He's mine."

"Good. Now you guys don't waste any time giving me some grandkids. You'll need to have at least four pups."

Nera gasped. "Four? Oh, no, Ms. Madden—"

"Call me Angela, sweetie. And yes, four. I only got to have the one child, so I'll need lots of grands."

I laughed and hugged my mother. "I love you, Ma. Thanks for coming."

She looked around, then up into my eyes with brown ones identical to mine. "I had to lie to Jimmy about where I was going." She shook her head, her salt-and-pepper hair styled nicely. "He's been on one since you left. Saying you need to come back. I told him to leave you be, that you were happy here, having your own pack and your MC. He seems jealous. He's always been a stubborn asshole."

My mother didn't know the half of the abuse we'd suffered at his hand, and I didn't want her to know Uncle Jimmy had been threatening us, but I did say, "He's expressed concern about me being here and wants Jake and me to come home, but I hope he can take no for answer."

She shook her head. "He usually doesn't."

"Ma, ignore him, okay? Better yet, why don't you let me move you down here? The weather will be better for your lungs and it doesn't get cold or snow, and it's a couple hours' drive to some nice beaches. I'll set you up in your own house. What do you say?"

She furrowed her brow. "I don't know, Shep. Let me think about it, okay?"

"Okay, Ma."

The DJ started to play some music, and I was dragged to the dance floor by Nera to dance to our first song.

As I held her, I looked down at her. "Thank you for marrying me and becoming my mate."

"You didn't give me a choice," she teased.

I shook my head. "You always have a choice. I hope you never leave me, but if I become too much of a psychotic asshole, you're free to leave."

She leaned up on tiptoe and kissed me softly on the lips. "Sorry, Psycho, you're stuck with me."

A smile I couldn't help spread, and after we finished the dance, the caterers served everyone food. A large cake was set out for us to cut later. It really was the perfect day.

After we were done eating our steak and chicken, I got up to use the restroom, and as soon as I was inside, my phone buzzed in my pocket.

Viper: Face has a lead on Deon.

I sighed, glad to hear it but fuck, today of all days…

Guessed that honeymoon was going to have to wait.

To be continued…