Chapter 86

Dominic

I woke up next to my wife, and thought I might still be dreaming.

Mine.

We had both returned to our human form as we slept after the exhaustive episode of our love-making. It must have been hours since we left the reception, and I was in no hurry to return.

Mira was draped on top of me, her hair tickling my neck and her breath warm on my chest. Her lips were slightly parted in a lupine smile, but her eyelids were still. Whatever dream she had was pleasant and calm, so different from her nightmares of previous sleeps.

I had made so many vows to her already, but made another at that moment. I would do all in my power to help her sleep easy, rest in comfort and safety, and release the fear that haunted her past.

I stroked the back of her head, marveling that I still wanted her closer to me. Even skin to skin was not enough, I wanted to fuse her soul to mine so we would never be apart.

She stirred, her eyelids fluttering as they opened and looked around. Her smile grew as she remembered where she was, and my heart beat faster knowing I was the cause of that happiness.

“How do you feel?” I asked her as she stretched and cuddled closer to me.

“Amazing,” she said with a sigh. “A little sore, but in a good way? I can’t believe I was ever afraid of…that.”

She smirked, still shy about sex. I had no choice but to kiss the tip of her nose, something I’m not sure I had ever done to anyone before.

“I hope I wasn’t too rough,” I said, feeling self-conscious myself. “Sometimes my wolf can get…well I suppose you know.”

She shrugged coyly. “I liked it.”

Arousal flooded through me again, and she noticed and responded by pulling herself fully on top of me.

“Again?”

She didn’t wait for my answer as she lowered herself onto me, our bodies finding a rhythm that made both of us cry out into the night. Mira was divine, a goddess, a high priestess, and I had come to worship at her altar.

Eventually, we dressed and made our way slowly back to the Pack. The real motivation being our growling stomachs, not satisfied by the light fair in the bower.

The party was still raucous and would probably go all night. This night was for the community, a celebration of a new age of leadership, and the wolves were howling and carousing and like it was their last day on earth.

“Mira!”

A nurse from the hospital, Cinda, trotted over to greet us as we came back to the group. They hugged, and I was proud to see my Mate had others who loved her as much as I did.

“You’re glowing, girl,” she said, winking at me. I thought Mira might be embarrassed, but her hooded eyes communicated exactly why she was in such a good mood. “Can I steal your bride away for a bit? The girls want to gawk over your dress.”

“I’ll find us some food,” I told Mira, kissing the top of her head.

“Hey!” Her voice made me turn around as I started to walk away. “I love you.”

“I love you.”

In a previous life, I would never have spoken so openly about my intimate feelings. But with Mira, my Mate and My Luna, I didn’t care. The whole world could be watching and I would still dote on her until the day I died.

Lucas and Wyatt found me by the banquet table as I piled a plate full of meat and cheese and slices of bread. Their faces and pheromones told me that something was off, and neither one of them wanted to tell me about it.

“Just tell me,” I said, turning to face them. “Nothing could sour my good mood right now.”

As it turned out, I was wrong.

“There is someone here to see you,” Wyatt said, clearing having drawn the short straw. “A member of the Pack, just returned.”

I frowned. “I don’t see how this is an emergency,” I said, looking back to the food. “If they need medical attention, tell the staff, otherwise I can meet with them tomorrow.”

The Betas shared a look, and Lucas finally scoffed and took the reins.

“It’s Celeste.”

The clatter of the plate hitting the floor surprised me, and then I realized I was the one to drop it. A man in a black best appeared to clean it up.

“Where is she?”

My strides were long as I made my way inside and to another small room, couches and chairs creating a comfortable lounge area for our guests. She was sitting in the middle of a couch, and a few other higher members of the Pack were there with her. My father was in a chair across from her, holding her hands in the space between them.

My entrance changed the air in the room. She stood quickly when she saw me, but wasn’t sure if she should approach me.

Celeste.

My childhood friend and first love. The woman I had called my Mate, had planned to spend my life with. A rush of mixed emotions cascaded over me, and I put my hand on the back of a chair to settle me.

“Dominic,” she said. Her voice cracked my heart open, and I held out my arms. She took up my offer, slowly walking into my embrace.

“I can’t believe you’re alive,” I said over her head.

“I was always trying to get back to you,” she said, her voice muffled in my chest. “They took me, threatened to kill you all if I didn’t go with them. I just wanted to come back to you.”

I held her, like a sister, a child, a lover, a friend. It didn’t matter the circumstances, in that moment I was just so relieved to see this person again. For a brief second I forgot the others in the room and the fact that it was my wedding night.

I pulled her off me and held her at arms length. “You may stay with us as long as you like,” I told her. “You will always have a place in this Pack.”

“Thank you,” she said, her blue eyes misty. “I was so afraid you’d forgotten all about me.”

“I could never.”

She placed a hand on my cheek, and I felt that a hole in my chest was finally healing.

“What’s going on?”

Like a record scratch, the room returned and all heads turned to the doorway. It was Mira, looking confused.

“Mira,” I said, putting distance between myself and my former Mate. “There’s someone you should meet. We lost she was lost, disappeared, maybe dead, but she came back to us.”

“Oh.” Mira said, trying to comprehend. “That’s…great. Welcome home.”

Mira held out a hand in introduction.

“I’m Mira.”

Celeste stepped forward, like a cat slinking towards a mouse. She was taller than Mira, paler but with darker hair. The contrast between them was striking. Taking Mira’s hand, she spoke loud enough for the room to hear.

“Celeste,” she said with confidence. “I'm Dominic’s Mate.”