As far as the celebrations the village had hosted before went, Kyle would have to admit this was, by far, his favorite. Joinings weren’t common events, and both packs and septs took the opportunity to celebrate on the occasions they did happen. He suspected they’d put more work into getting the celebration ready for his and Aidan’s Joining than they did for the annual Showing.

The food was spectacular, and he was certainly a fan of the drinks they’d brought out from the storehouse. He hadn’t known they’d been hiding the better alcohol somewhere in the maze of the building. Kyle probably would have imbibed more than he should have, except Aidan had kept near him and made sure he didn’t drink too much. There was no way for Aidan to know that in the past, Kyle had drunk more than was perhaps wise, but somehow his mate kept a close eye on him whenever he lingered too long at the table full of alcohol.

It wasn’t like Kyle was unhappy enough to overindulge; it was the opposite really. He found that between his good mood and the fine drinks, they went down easier than they used to. Aidan had finally broken away from conversing with his pack to fetch Kyle away from the table.

“Hey, you don’t have to manhandle me,” Kyle complained with a little laugh.

“I do if I want to make sure you’re still standing by night’s end,” Aidan told him as he firmly steered Kyle away.

“I can’t help it. It’s hard cider, and I love cider,” Kyle whined as he glanced wistfully back at the table.

“I didn’t know that,” Aidan said once they were what he considered a safe distance away.

Kyle glanced down at his mostly empty cup with a sigh. “Well, I suppose there’s always another day. Maybe you can convince them to let us take a small keg with us or something.”

“There’s not too many opportunities to allow ourselves to have drinks,” Aidan warned him.

“Even more reason to get our drinking in now!” Kyle insisted.

Aidan watched his face carefully. “You’re already drunk.”

“Am not! I’m…just feeling good is all,” Kyle told him with a snicker.

Aidan frowned, but it didn’t last long before melting into a gentle smile. Without a glance around them, he pulled Kyle in to kiss him softly. The alpha’s tongue slid over his bottom lip, grunting in appreciation before pulling away. It didn’t take the intuitive sense of the bond for Kyle to see that Aidan was considering dragging Kyle off to somewhere a little more private. Aidan did quite well at hiding what was going on behind that mask of his, except for when it came to Kyle.

“It does taste good,” Aidan finally said, apparently choosing to go with the safer conversation choice.

Kyle sniffed indignantly. “And you’ve gone and stolen the chance for me to have more of it.”

“Keep what you’ve got in your system for now. Maybe I’ll have some, and we’ll see how the night ends,” Aidan told him with a twinkle in his eye.

“Mm, drunk sex? I think I could be down with that,” Kyle said.

“I think you’d be down for it when you were both sober,” Lily’s wry voice interrupted from beside them.

Kyle glanced over to see his best friend standing there, looking as chipper as ever. She hadn’t been terribly happy to find out he had almost been hurt in a fight, but had forgiven him already from the looks of it. Some of Aidan’s happiness disappeared behind his mask of disinterest, as he grunted and turned away to leave Kyle and Lily alone.

“Still doesn’t like me much, huh?” Lily asked, watching Aidan walk off.

“I don’t think he likes most people,” Kyle told her.

Lily shrugged. “If he likes you and he treats you well, that’s all I care about.”

“Isn’t that sweet of you?” Kyle asked sarcastically.

Lily scowled. “I mean it, you brat. You have no idea how you look right now.”

Kyle looked down at himself with a frown. “Drunk?”

Lily reached out to take his hands and draw him into a hug, “No, you big loser. You look happy, happier than I’ve ever seen you. Even I had a hard time believing your bond with him would turn out well. I’m glad my moment of doubt was for nothing, because you both look incredibly happy with one another.”

Kyle wriggled in the hug, but only a little. “How can you even tell when all he does is frown at you?”

“Because he’s not insulting me, and I might have been spying on you guys when I came walking up. I had to see what he was like when he didn’t think anyone else was watching,” she admitted, not sounding sorry at all.

“I’m sure he’d be thrilled to know you were spying on us. I guess it still is a little strange to think this guy who was the biggest bully I know is the guy I’m going to be spending the rest of my life with. Even weirder to think I’m happy about it, but I guess you and Mags were right all along,” he told her.

As if summoned, Mags appeared behind Lily, sporting a grin. “Now that’s something I should be sure to jot down in my records. The first time Kyle ever admitted anyone but himself was correct about something.”

“A once in a lifetime moment, I promise,” Kyle told her, finally extracting himself from Lily’s hug.

Mags reached out to take hold of both of Kyle’s hands in hers. He expected her to have something cryptic to say, but instead she just gazed at him. There was a sadness in her face that startled him, and he frowned when he realized her eyes were filling with unshed tears.

“Woah, why are you so sad?” he asked, bewildered.

She shook her head. “I’m not, not completely. It saddens me that you won’t be staying here with us. I will miss you. But I am happy to see you have found joy and love in your life once more. It is a bittersweet feeling, but like all things, it will pass, and only the joy for your sake will remain.”

Kyle squeezed her fingers, smiling a little. “I guess you get to say you were right all along, about everything.”

She chuckled. “I told you. You only had to find the current that was meant for you to follow.”

He would have never guessed that current’s name was Aidan, but there it was. If he really looked back on his life before the short time since Aidan had returned to it, he really had been drowning. He didn’t know how long he could have gone on, fighting everything that came his way, but he bet it wouldn’t have gone on for very long. He’d been so angry with everything, so bitter, and it had been driving him to more surly behavior. Not to mention, his drinking had been getting heavier than he would have liked.

“It’s not like this suddenly made me a better, happier person,” he told her.

Mags laughed. “I would never expect you to be a ray of sunshine. That’s for people like dear Lily here, who will always brighten the dim corners of the forest. But you, you are meant to go on to other things. You were meant to be with a warrior, not as a combatant, but a fighter in your own right. I can see it already. You two are shining bright around one another. You bring warmth to his life where he had none, and he reminds you of the warmth within yourself that you had forgotten. It is a good match; Gaia’s wisdom is eternal.”

Kyle shook his head. “Sometimes I wonder if you guys just give her too much credit. Maybe she took a roll of the dice and we just had to go with it.”

“And so you went with it, and now look what you have,” Mags reminded him.

“Something better than I ever dreamed of having,” he admitted.

She drew him into a light hug, and he realized just how thin she felt against him. It hurt in that moment, to realize how old she was truly getting. He would have to leave soon, and he would be leaving Mags behind without anyone dedicated to look after her. She had been his teacher, but he had been the one to look after her when no one else could. Now that he was leaving, there was no one else left to look after her.

“I’m so sorry,” he whispered suddenly.

“Don’t be. I always suspected you would leave this place. I gave you the knowledge I felt you would need. I’ve even been informed that a stray shaman from a destroyed sept requires a teacher, and they’re sending him my way. I shall be very busy,” she told him.

He brightened at that. “Hey, you’ll have a real apprentice!”

She patted his cheek fondly. “None will replace you my dear boy. Take care of each other while you’re out there, in the wilds. I’ll always keep an eye on you. Gaia go with you.”

Kyle watched her melt back into the crowd and sighed sadly. “Bye, Mags.”

“You’re not leaving for a couple of days. Why’s she going?” Lily asked, confused.

“Because she said everything she needed to say, and anything else would have just been unnecessary,” he told her sadly.

Lily turned to him. “Well, I’m going to be there. The day you guys ship out on that boat, I’m going to be right at the end of the dock, yelling my head off. I can’t believe you’re leaving, and in a war pack, no less.”

It wasn’t something he would have imagined himself doing, that was for sure. The battle during the night of his run with Aidan and his pack had been the first battle he’d ever experienced. He might have been trained to fight like every werewolf was, but that wasn’t quite the same as being a part of a pack that would see battle constantly. He knew he would end up as the medic of the pack, which didn’t bother him; he just hoped he would be able to keep up.

“It’s a lot to take in. I can’t say I’m really all that sad about leaving this place, except for maybe you and Mags,” he said, turning to look out on the celebration.

“Who are you kidding? You’re going to miss us like crazy,” Lily told him, throwing an arm over his shoulder.

Kyle grinned, “Alright, maybe just a little, but everyone else? Fuck ‘em.”

“Everyone’s been really happy about it though,” Lily said.

“They’re happy they got to be part of a celebration of a Joining, and that they get to be a part of one of Gaia’s divine acts. They’re not actually happy for me; they barely tolerated me before, and they’re probably just wondering why Gaia chose me for Aidan. They wanted to be the ones who were chosen for him,” Kyle told her, mood darkening slightly.

Lily nodded. “Probably. I’ve heard a few jealous comments thrown around, but who cares? Gaia didn’t choose them for a reason. Anyone else around here tries to talk to him and he brushes them off or barely participates in the conversation. He sees you, and everything sharp and hard about him just…melts away. She chose you for a reason, and it’s because of that.”

Kyle glanced at her with a smirk. “Your romantic side is showing.”

She shrugged. “And you get all starry eyed when he comes around, so I don’t wanna hear it.”

“I’ve always appreciated that you can just…call me out like that,” he told her, putting an arm around her in return.

Lily’s smile went a little sad. “I just realized that you’re leaving, but it didn’t hit me until now.”

“It doesn’t have to be forever. He came back, didn’t he? I can always come back,” he said, wishing he knew how to make these conversations stop turning sad.

“It’s not the same thing as living here, or you being here. It’s just a visit. I won’t get to drop by your house whenever I want, or come find you out picking herbs in a field. You’re going to be out, being a part of some big pack while I’m still here,” she said, shoulders slumping.

“Someone is going to see you for who you really are Lily, and for what you can offer. All you have to do is show them your winning personality, after you hit them with that nasty left hook of yours,” he told her, nudging her playfully with his shoulder.

The sad look on her face lessened as the corner of her lips twitched. “That’s one way to win me an alpha: knock them on their ass.”

Kyle snorted. “If I can win one by insulting him at a public event, in front of the whole village, I don’t know why something similar couldn’t work for you.”

Lily looked into the crowd, squinting. “Looks like the elders are getting ready to do their speech.”

“You mean Elder Sky is getting ready to stand in front of everyone and talk forever about how honored he is to witness the grand miracle of Gaia,” Kyle corrected with a groan.

“Something like that, and I’m thinking Aidan is noticing and is about to head over here. I should probably let him have his time with you before you’re paraded out in front of everyone like some prize mule,” she said with a light laugh.

He turned to give her a dirty look and froze when she bent to kiss him on the cheek. She was putting on a brave face, but it didn’t change the watery sheen in her eyes, or the wobbly smile she gave. Before he could say anything else, she turned and followed in Mags’ direction, disappearing into the crowd. Kyle was still staring after her by the time Aidan came up behind him, wrapping his large arms around Kyle’s chest to pull him into a hug.

“You okay?” Aidan asked in his ear.

Kyle shook his head. “I guess I’m only just now realizing what I had here, now that I’m going to be leaving it soon.”

“Would it make any difference if I apologize for pulling you away from your home?” Aidan asked softly.

Kyle turned, never moving enough that he pulled from Aidan’s arms. “No, it wouldn’t. Mags said she always knew I would one day leave, and I’m gonna have to guess she really did know. I probably was going to leave this place one day, with or without you, but I’m guessing it was always going to be with you. It’s good to be reminded of what it is I’m leaving behind, but it doesn’t mean I have to let it stop me from leaving.”

“I wonder if you’ll say the same when you’re out there with us,” Aidan said with a slight frown.

Kyle reached up so he could hold onto Aidan’s face gently. “I’ll probably bitch and moan when I’m cold and soaked to the bone. It doesn’t mean I’m going to regret my choice to go with you, not for a moment. Even if it breaks my heart to leave Mags and Lily behind, I know I’m leaving in the direction that I need to be moving. That direction is with you, wherever you go. That’s where I’m going to always be, okay?”

Aidan kissed him softly, murmuring against his lips. “I love you, you know that?”

He did, but the words made him light and giddy all the same. “Do you know I’m pretty sure I love you too?”

Aidan eyed him. “Only pretty sure?”

Kyle pulled him down for another kiss. “Alright, I’m completely sure.”

The tenseness in Aidan’s shoulders came back when the both of them heard Elder Sky clear his throat to begin his speech. It was only a matter of time before Lily’s prediction came true and their moment would be interrupted by being pulled up before the entire village. If there was one thing they could definitely agree on beyond wanting to be with one another, it was their shared dislike of being put on display for crowds of people.

“I suppose we should get this over with sooner rather than later,” Aidan grumbled.

Kyle smiled with half his mouth. “Just think, we only have to get through this one little speech. Then we can go back to drinking and pretending we like most of the people here. Then we get to go back to my house, and you get me all to yourself. It’ll just be you and me, for the next couple of days before we head out into the future.”

Aidan kissed him again. “You have a way with words when you want to.”

Kyle grinned. “I take it that means you’ll play ball?”

“With a promise like that, how couldn’t I?’ Aidan asked, turning so he could lead Kyle beside him up to where Elder Sky was standing.

Enduring that speech would probably be the least of their challenges in the upcoming future. Kyle wasn’t totally sure exactly what kind of life he was leaping into. Aidan’s pack lived a life that was so different from the one he knew. It made him nervous, thinking he might put himself or others in danger from his own failings, or that he would be responsible for caring for twelve other werewolves. There was plenty of uncertainty and anxiety awaiting him in the weeks to come.

Yet as he stood next to Aidan, presented before everyone in the village, he felt all those dark thoughts melt away. This man, who he had once hoped to never see again, was the one person he would do all of that for and then some. So long as he had Aidan beside him, he would endure anything that came his way. Maybe it was Gaia’s hand, or maybe it was just who they were, but he knew they were meant for one another, meant to endure everything that came their way.

So long as he had Aidan, he would always have a home with him.