Dire Wolf Mates - Chapter 113: Chapter 113

“Honey, I am home!” Gwendolyn shouted as she entered the cabin she shared with her mate and her husband.
They really had been bad, running off to Atlantic City to get married over the weekend, but that was what they both wanted. It eased something inside her that had held onto her vow for all those years, even though her new Wolf side understood being mated was just as important as being married.
She spent the last couple of hours changing her name at the DMV, and the nearest Social Security office, and all she really wanted was to go for a run with her mate, then dinner, and some celebratory love making under the stars. Not necessarily in that order.
“Weylin?” she tried again, but he wasn’t answering.
Gnawing her lip, she walked to the kitchen table, smiling when she saw a single red rose and folded letter written in his handwriting. The sexy scrawl made her heart flutter, and she sighed like a lovesick teenager when she opened it.
Dear Gwendolyn,
I have a surprise for you. It’s good, I promise. Meet me at the Pack house.
Love always,
Weylin
Gwendolyn crushed the letter to her chest, smiling widely as she grabbed the rose too, dropped her keys and bag, and raced across the lot to the Pack house. Everyone was there, and she frowned, wondering if she missed a Pack meeting.
Something about how she came to be a Dire Wolf Shifter meant her bonds were more solid to Weylin than to anyone else. Still, she scented him among the others, and knew he was inside. But she wasn’t prepared for the sight that met her eyes when she walked inside.
Weylin, sans shirt, was on his knees, head bowed. The entire Pack stood shoulder to shoulder in a circle around him. Only Thor was with him. The bald giant seemed different, as if he wasn’t seeing anything through his impossibly black eyes. At least, nothing she could see.
“What’s going on?” she asked, and Weylin’s head snapped up, his emerald eyes boring into hers.
“Gwen,” he breathed, and smiled.
“Weylin?” she said again, uncertainty cracking her voice.
Her inner beast wanted to tuck tail and run. There was magic there, ancient and powerful. Something strange was happening, strange and important, she realized, taking in the somber atmosphere.
Thor began chanting in a language she did not recognize. The enormous man moved quietly, taking what looked like sticks and a jar of something murky out of a box.
“Come,” Lucy whispered, and the woman looked incredible considering her tummy dropped, and her pup was going to be born any day now.
“He’s speaking in an old, forgotten tongue. Those markings are the ancient glyphs of the original Dire Wolf Pack, the first ones,” she whispered, explaining what was happening even as Sheila placed her hand on one shoulder, Lucy’s on the other.
Eyes wide, Gwendolyn looked at everyone there in the circle. It was not just Dire Wolves, but their mates, too. Some faces were streaked with happy tears, others stoic as they watched Weylin prepare for whatever ritual this was.
“This is a sacred ritual from ancient times. That ink is special, magicked by friends of the Dire Wolves. It’s the only ink strong enough to mark their skin,” she continued in a whisper-like voice.
“Has Weylin talked to you about our origins?” Sheila asked, and Gwen shook her head.
“The Dire Wolves MC has a long history, a long brotherhood. We are all connected to our past, Gwen. To our present. And to our future. Thor can see it. The map of our lives through his bone deep connection to the ancients and our devotion to one another. We are descendants of the original wanderers, and before we came to Blue Valley to settle down, we were nomads.”
“He didn’t tell me,” she said.
“It’s different now. In settling down, the Dire Wolves have found their mates. They found us. We are their homes, and they are ours,” Lucy said, bringing tears to Gwendolyn’s eyes.
“But what is this? What is wrong with Thor’s eyes? What is he doing to Weylin?” she whispered in awe as Thor’s chanting grew louder.
Just then, the big bald man placed his hands on Weylin’s shoulders, and Gwendolyn tensed. Only Sheila’s and Lucy’s hands steadied her. He slowly turned her mate until he faced her. Still down on his knees, back to Thor, Weylin’s emerald eyes flicked to hers, and he gave her a thin-lipped smile.
Thor slapped his hands, commanding everyone’s attention as he lifted something that looked like a pen and stuck it in the jar filled with a swirling, glittering substance. Weylin’s gaze remained locked on Gwen’s, not even flinching when Thor cut into his skin with the pen-stick.
“Thor is what we call touched by the Fates. His talents run deep, just like his Pack bonds.”
“I don’t know what that means, but he scares me a little,” she murmured, eyes wide as the bald Dire Wolf’s chanting changed pitch.
“See, he’s using a set of ancient bamboo tattoo pens to mark your mate with your story, Gwen. This is all for you,” Sheila told her.
Tears ran down Gwen’s face, and she sniffed loudly. Her heart was beating a million miles a minute. Oh, this was big. She knew it was. Felt it down to her bones. Even her new furry half was in awe of what was happening.
Peace, happiness, and love pulsed through her, and she gasped, raising her watery eyes to the smiling ones of those men and women surrounding her and her mate. Gwen was still so new at this. She wasn’t sure if what she was feeling was coming from her, or Weylin, or everyone gathered inside that special space.
“I don’t want him to hurt,” she began, gasping as she watched.
“It’s tradition. You see, our tattoos tell the story of our Pack and our MC. But our backs we save until we find our fated mates. Those tattoos tell the story of us. Right now, Thor is inscribing the story of you and Weylin on your mate’s back. It’s an honor. A tribute. A way for him to show his love.”
“I love you,” she whispered.
Gwen touched her hand to her lips as she watched Weylin, straight and sturdy as an oak, despite the pain she knew he felt with every prick and slice of the bamboo needles as he got tattooed by Thor. Her heart felt so full in that moment, and Gwen finally knew what it meant to be loved.
Oh, she’d promised herself she was going to save her body and her heart for the man she was going to marry, and she did, well, in a roundabout kind of way. But she had no idea in doing so it meant she was going to step into a world of magic and mystery.
Secrets were not her favorite things, but she understood why Weylin had to keep this one. The truth about Shifters, the supernatural world, Dire Wolves, Pack, magic, and bonds were her secrets to keep now, too. And Gwen realized how precious a gift that truly was. Living with this kind of knowledge would be hard sometimes, but she felt strong here, with her Pack, with her mate.
She would keep their secret, because it was hers now, too. Gwen was loyal right down to her innermost secret heart. The one she’d gifted to Weylin. Just like he’d promised to keep her safe and protected, she vowed to do the same for him. Not just for him, but for all of them.
Gwen’s heart squeezed as she finally understood the depths of what he’d done for her in choosing her as his mate. Weylin had taken a poor woman whose last living relative was a shell of himself inside a care facility to a woman who was mated, married, and had friends. She had Pack now. And Pack was family.
“It is done,” Thor announced, slumping down on his haunches as he tried to catch his breath.
“I got you, brother,” Derrick, her Alpha now, blurred across the room, catching the big, bald Wolf before he keeled over on the spot.
“Is he okay?” Tracey asked, and Phoenix answered with a nod.
“It takes a lot out of him,” Weylin grunted, falling forward, and catching himself on his hands.
Gwen raced to him. She wasn’t sure where to touch him, didn’t know if he was still hurting, but her mate caught her gaze and, thank heavens, she didn’t have to wait another second to be in his arms.
“Love you,” he growled into her neck, kissing her there, cupping her face, then slamming his lips to hers.
“That’s nice ink, bro,” Brock announced, standing with his arm around his mate who was smiling and nodding her agreement.
One by one, the Dire Wolves and their mates walked around Weylin and Gwen, commenting on his new ink.
“Well?” he asked. “Don’t you want to see it?”
“I do. But I’m a little scared,” Gwen whispered.
“Don’t be, baby. Thor is good at what he does, and this is our story. Come on, tell me what he saw for us,” he whispered, kissing her palms.
Still trembling with emotion, Gwen crawled around to see Weylin’s back and sobs wracked her body at the vivid scene Thor had etched into her mate’s skin. Weylin froze, asking her if it was okay, and she nodded, unable to form words for a full on minute.
“Baby?” he asked, sounding panicked.
“Oh, Weylin. It’s incredible. There’s a silhouette of a woman, me,” she murmured, her voice wobbly. “I am standing beneath an almost full moon, with colors purple, green, and gold swirling around, but the image is like a progression. A woman on two legs, turning, shifting, falling to the floor and then there’s my Wolf, and I am running to meet you. You’re so bold and beautiful, good mate.”
“I am? You think I’m a good mate,” he whispered.
“Heck yes, I do. You are,” she replied earnestly. “Anyway, your Wolf is welcoming me and, in the distance, there are cubs. Three cubs circling the trees in the back. A floating figure is watching from above with angel wings. And way, way off are more Wolves, and Lions, and a bird. Oh Weylin, it is beautiful!”
He turned around and caught her to his chest, the two of them overcome with feeling. She heard the rest of the Pack shuffling out of the room, joy and happiness pulsing through their Pack bonds, floating in the air. Weylin kissed her then, and everything else just faded away.
He was it for her. She knew it as surely as she knew the sun rose and set each day. Weylin was meant to be hers, and she was meant for him. The world might not be what she thought. There was so much out there Gwen didn’t know. But this right here, this was all she needed to know. This was everything.
“I love you, mate,” she whispered, nuzzling him with her lips.
“I love you too, my sassy little Wolf,” he growled playfully, nipping her lip between his teeth.
“Hey guys, sorry to interrupt. Um, did you see Derrick?” Lucy asked.
Weylin and Gwen whipped their heads to the side to see Lucy clutching her stomach with one hand, and the sofa with the other. She was sweating and her voice was strained as she held on to the furniture for dear life.
“Lucy? You okay?” Weylin asked and stood, offering his hand to Gwen.
“Oh, I’m fine. But I think it’s time, and I would really, really LIKE MY FURRY-ASSED MATE!” she roared the last as the couple raced to her side.
“Ohmygawd! She’s in labor,” Gwen shouted, holding Lucy’s hand while she helped her onto the sofa.
“I’ll get Derrick!” Weylin offered, running from the room.
“Tell him to haul ass and find a preacher! I better be married before I give birth, or he is in the doghouse for good!” she grunted.
“Easy, Lucy, just breathe,” Gwen said, lips curled up in a grin.
Sheila came running in with a bowl of hot water. Ariella was hooking up speakers and starting Lucy’s birthing playlist, which featured a lot of 80s rap, oddly enough. And Tracey was on the phone with the local church, trying to order a preacher.
“Lucy? Kitten! Are you alright? It’s too soon,” Derrick growled, scrambling into the room and kneeling at his mate’s side.
“Derrick, I’m scared,” she wailed as another contraction hit.
“You got this, kitten. I know you do,” he told her.
The entire Pack gathered around, moving from kitchen to living room to help with the birth in shifts. Even Thor, who should have been unconscious, came downstairs brandishing an online certificate that stated he had the right to marry the Alpha couple.
“Are you sure?” Derrick asked Lucy one more time.
“Hell yeah, Derrick, hurry up,” she grunted.
“Get on with it,” the Alpha snapped at Thor, who started the ceremony immediately.
Fifteen minutes later, Derrick and his new bride, Lucy Rand, welcomed the first of their cubs into the world. There were three in total, all girls.
“Oh man, three girls? He is going to lose his mind,” Sheila snarked, laughing gleefully.
“Lucky man, I say,” Phoenix chimed in.
“What about you? Do you think he’s lucky?” Gwen asked Weylin.
The lot of them were gathered on the porch, drinking cold beer and soda, looking up at the full moon. They were celebrating the arrival of their Alpha’s cubs, and just enjoying living in the moment.
Weylin’s smile spread wide across his handsome face, striking Gwen in the heart like lightning. Oh, but the man was special. Handsome as sin, and tender as a rose petal.
“Any male who finds his fated mate is lucky, baby. But three female cubs at once,” he paused, and she narrowed her eyes at him. “Hell, Gwen, it’s better than hitting the lottery, especially with all these sassy aunties to help raise them up right!”
Gwen joined him in his laughter, and soon everyone else did as well. Weylin took her in his arms and spun her around under the stars, and Gwen giggled and hugged him tight.
Life was scary sometimes. But Gwen finally understood the bad was necessary. It helped you recognize the good. Weylin was a good one. And he was hers.
“Mine,” he growled, dropping a hot kiss on her lips.
“Yours. Mate.”
The end.