Dire Wolf Mates - Chapter 93: Chapter 93

Serious Moonlight
was busy despite it being a Wednesday. He bypassed the roadhouse and parked his bike just outside the Pack House.
His Pack mates already knew they were coming, after a few days on the road, sightseeing, he wanted Tracey to meet everyone and have some downtime before he took her to visit South America, like she wanted. Gods, he loved that woman. Like nothing else in this world. She was everything to him.
He held open the door for her, greeted by a chorus of shouts as his Pack came forward one at a time. She squeaked when Derrick grabbed her for a hug, followed by a very pregnant Lucy.
“I am so happy to meet you,” the Alpha fem said, lip trembling. She was so emotional these days.
“Thank you. I’m happy to meet you, too.”
And so on, she went down the line, taking the claps to her shoulders, and quick hugs like a champ. Dire Wolves were touchy feely things, after all.
Tracey’s hand gripped his, and he smiled down at his beautiful mate’s pretty little head while she watched curiously as one of their biggest members lifted the sacred chest with his magicked ink and bamboo quills from their special spot on the shelf.
“Thor is favored by the gods. The old graybeard in our first MC called him that,” Weylin explained.
“What does it mean?” she whispered.
“Well,” Lucy interrupted, rubbing her protruding belly. “It means he’s gonna close his eyes and get a vision of your future with this ol’ puppy doggy right here, then he’s gonna ink it on his back.”
“Really?” Thor muttered from across the room. But the big man wasn’t annoyed. Not really.
“A tattoo?” Tracey gasped.
“Yep. Don’t worry. He does fine work,” Sheila, the only female Dire Wolf in the Pack, inserted.
“’Sup, Phoenix?” Leo, her Lion mate, asked.
“Good to see you, bro. Tracey, that’s Leo, he’s Sheila’s mate and a cop.”
“You’re a Dire Wolf, too?” she asked.
“What? No way. I am a far superior species of Shifter,” he told her with a wink. “I am a Lion. Ooof!”
Sheila elbowed him right in the gut, rolling her eyes at the man.
“Superior, my ass,” she muttered.
“I was just kidding,” he wheezed, and Tracey snorted a laugh.
“OMG! She snorts. How fucking cute are you?” Lucy gushed, hugging her again.
“Okay, um, there, there,” Tracey replied, uncertainty in her voice.
“I got this,” Derrick said, and lifted his mate up, snuggling her on the couch to Phoenix’s, and his mate’s, relief.
Phoenix looked around at the lot of them, his Pack. There were four mated pairs with him and Tracey now. The rest were still searching. And with any luck, they would find their Fate soon enough.
Phoenix felt the ties that bound them warm and tighten. Yes, he was going to take Tracey on a road trip, but they would be back. After all, this was their Pack.
“This is home,” Tracey whispered, looking up at him with stars in her creamy jade depths.
She understood his heart’s desires even before he voiced them, and though he understood it was fast, too fast for normals but not for his mate who was something other—he loved her so much it hurt. A good kind of hurt. The kind that told him he was alive and one lucky sonofabitch.
“Kneel.”
Thor’s voice had that deep, monosyllabic tone that told everyone there he was in the middle of his vision. Phoenix’s pulse raced. This was a defining moment in his history. An event he’d envisioned for a very long time.
Dire Wolves’ lifespans were longer than normal Shifters, and as such, his mate’s would increase and match his, drawing on their bond to give her longevity.
“Tonight, I gift you with your claiming tattoo. Wear it proudly, my Dire Wolf brother,” Thor growled, eyes glowing in the dimly lit room.
Silence fell across the crowd. Phoenix heard nothing except the sound of Tracey’s heartbeat and the soft flow of her tears as he turned away from Thor. His mate watched as the male etched their future into Phoenix’s back.
Sheila, Ariella, and Lucy bracketed her on either side, the three had become quick friends, and he hoped Tracey would form a bond with them, as well. She was good like that. Open and kind, she deserved to have real friends, sisters of the heart.
How could they resist her? He certainly hadn’t been able to. His mate was so brave, watching each slice Thor made across his skin.
“There’s so much blood,” she whispered.
“He isn’t hurting him, sweetie,” Sheila whispered.
“He’s a tough old dog,” Lucy seconded.
Phoenix found her with his eyes, and her tears stilled. So much courage and pride shone on her face. She straightened her back, offering him bravery in the face of one of their most sacred rituals.
The bamboo quills cut deep, deeper than any other tattoo needle would have during a typical inking. It had to be that way to really scar the skin, otherwise his supernatural abilities would heal him far too quickly. Combined with the magicked ink, the tattoo would last as long as he and their love did.
Eternity.
His Dire Wolf howled inside of him. The ceremony was rigorous and long. Hours later, Thor dropped the last quill onto the floor, next to the other dozen he’d used, and slumped over on his side. Derrick kneeled down, offering Phoenix a hand while Leo and Brock lifted the Enforcer and brought him to his room to recover.
“Congrats, bro,” the Pack Alpha said.
“Thank you, Alpha. What is it?” Phoenix’s eyes flashed to Tracey’s, unable to wait.
His mate had stayed the entire time, waiting patiently while his claiming tattoo was etched onto his skin. He had others, of course, but they were small compared to the massive piece Thor had just given him, guided by the gods themselves.
Phoenix was aware of Tracey walking behind him. Derrick had already moved away, giving them space. The Alpha helped Lucy sit down on the couch. Phoenix had a moment of concern for Thor, but he knew he was in good hands. The Wolf was always exhausted after channeling the gods during one of these rituals. He sucked in a breath, waiting for Tracey’s reaction as he felt her slide to her knees.
“Oh, Phoenix,” she whispered, and the tremble in her voice rocked him to his soul.
“What? What is it, love?”
“It’s beautiful.”
The others moved to see the image too, but he didn’t care what they thought. Only Tracey’s feelings mattered.
As it should be, his Wolf pushed the thought at him, and he accepted it.
The beast was right. Her emotions were the only ones that meant anything to him.
“Tell me.”
“It’s your Wolf, baying at the full moon and a woman⁠—”
“Not a woman, you,” he corrected.
“Yes,” she said, and he heard the smile in her voice. “Me. I’m standing beside you, a baby in my arms. We’re shrouded in gold lights. There are spirals that look like roads on a map, a cross, a needle, the moon, the sun, and waves. It’s like a roadmap of our life together. Ruins in the background, a skyscraper on the left, a field of daisies in the distance—but I’ve never seen these things or places before.”
Phoenix turned and pulled her to him. His heart was so full, it damn near burst. Gods, he loved her so much. She was so beautiful, heart, mind, body, and soul.
“We’ll go together, mate. We will see the world beside one another. We will make a family. We will be each other’s home.”
“And when you’re done, y’all will come back here where you belong. You’re Pack now, Tracey Donner,” Lucy butted in, and Phoenix felt his mate’s happiness surging through him as if it was his own.
“Enough, mate. Let’s leave these two alone,” Derrick growled and picked his woman up and out of the room.
“Maybe she doesn’t want to be alone with him,” Lucy answered her husband.
“Yeah, I do. Every night from now until the day I die,” Tracey whispered as she tilted her head for a kiss.
“Forever,” Phoenix growled, claiming her lips with all the love he had for her in his soul.
He’d left the Pack House less than a week ago, and he was back now with his mate in tow, even if only for a little while. But they would be back. Roaming was fun for a little while, but this was where they would grow their roots.
“Forever sounds good, but what is time anyway, when you have your mate?” Tracey asked, grinning. She’d learned fast that they could communicate through their matebond. That little gift was not true telepathy, but they could send feelings and emotions, sometimes messages too, all without opening their mouths.
“Some might experience forever in a night.”
“Is that so? Wanna test that theory?” he asked, kissing her sweet mouth.
“Hell yeah,” she asserted. “I felt that way with you that first hot night we met. Like I’d known you forever, Phoenix Tala.”
“Me too, mate. Me too.”
“I love you.”
Phoenix exhaled, his entire body trembling with joy, need, and gratitude. He was one lucky Dire Wolf.
To have found his kick ass fated mate and to have earned her love was the greatest accomplishment of his life. He would cherish her.
Always.
“I love you too, Tracey Donner.”
Then he lifted her up, carrying her to his old bedroom, and he showed her.
Again and again.
Bodies surging together, entwined in that ancient communion of flesh and souls, Phoenix and Tracey loved each other till the sun came up. They climbed higher with each coming together, exploding into the pure ecstatic bliss only true fated couples ever experienced. He was whole for the first time in his life. And she, well, she was everything to him.
After breakfast, they got on his bike and headed for the border. He’d promised to show her the world, and he was going to start right now. He was in no rush, after all, they had the rest of their lives.
“You ready, love?”
“I’m ready, mate.”
Love really was an adventure, and theirs was just beginning.
The end.