“Here you go, babe. One blueberry hard cider. Food will be up shortly.”

Penelope tore her gaze away from her view of the island she now called home and lifted her shades to peer up at Sawyer. She’d wandered out to the lower deck of the island tap room while he ordered drinks and food because for once the sun was shining and she needed to feel it on her skin.

“Mmmm. Thanks.” She took the offered glass and sniffed at the contents. “Wow, I can really smell the blueberries much stronger this time.”

He grinned down at her. “Enhanced senses will do that. Wait until the holiday season and Dave starts cooking up his infamous pumpkin cranberry bread. You’ll think you’ve died and gone to heaven.”

She looked over at him. “You celebrate regular holidays, too?”

“Yeah, babe. We may have a different culture due to our animal nature, but don’t forget we’re still human as well. And we spend most of our time living among mixed company so we blend in every way we can. Besides, who doesn’t like Christmas presents?” He winked at her.

“Duly noted.” She sat back in her lounge chair and resumed her watchful gaze across the water. It had been two weeks since her decision to take time off and she still hadn’t fully adjusted to their life here.

Club Diablo was completely gone. What the explosion didn’t destroy had been hauled off and disposed of shortly after her arrival. In its place they were in the process of building a new bed and breakfast that would welcome tourists 365 days a year.

She wasn’t sure she understood the logic of that considering they wanted to keep their existence secret. Their various streams of income seemed sufficient without adding that risk.

As for the bite and her subsequent reaction…

Well, she was more than a little disappointed that not much had changed. Her senses were definitely evolving, but beyond that she didn’t notice much difference. No pull to the moon, no more itching under her skin to indicate she might shift and no substantial changes to her strength or running speed. She did feel able to run farther and longer than before, but she couldn’t keep up with any of the pack females who had been turned.

Only the pull to Sawyer drew stronger each day. Maybe that was due to the changes in her DNA or maybe, and more likely, it happened because she’d fallen in love.

Or the fact that he loved her back, seemingly unconditionally.

“You seem lost in your thoughts today. What’s going on?” he asked, taking the seat next to hers.

“I can’t stop thinking about why I still haven’t turned. It’s been weeks and Faith confided in me that her change happened really fast.”

Sawyer shook his head. “Faith is different. We all are. Everyone is going to react different to the bite. Besides, her case was extremely different.”

She cocked her head in his direction. “How so?”

His beer halted halfway to his lips. “She didn’t tell you?”

“No, but now you have to.”

He grinned down at her. “You know what they say about curiosity.”

“Whatever, now tell me.”

With a smile on his face, he leaned down and planted a hard kiss on her lips instead. For a moment, her mind blanked and she only thought about soft lips and warm tongues. More specifically, how wickedly talented Sawyer was with his tongue.

When he broke the kiss, she gasped for air. “You don’t play fair. Stop trying to distract me.”

“Nobody ever said anything about fair play, baby. You should be used to that by now.”

Her body tingled as his warm breath caressed her face. He was right. Who needed fair play when she could have this instead? She set her glass down, grabbed his head with both hands and pulled him back down for another mind bending kiss.

This time he wasn’t quite so gentle as he pushed his tongue into her mouth. A rumble formed in her chest that sounded a lot like a growl. Maybe there was more wolf DNA in her than she’d thought because suddenly she felt a little primal. She tightened her fingers in his hair and tugged him tighter to her, which resulted in a deeper growl from him.

Next thing she knew, he’d lifted her onto the table, stepped between her legs and his hands were teasing her bare thighs at the edge of her shorts.

That simple skin on skin contact worked a shiver up her spine as her body electrified from his touch. By the time his fingers touched the edge of her panties, she was already wet and ready for him.

“You make me so damned hungry it’s hard to control myself around you.” The low rumbled growl that followed his words made more heat pool between her legs. He wasn’t the only one having trouble staying calm.

“We should—uhh—shouldn’t we go somewhere more private?”

A naughty grin crossed his face. “It won’t take me long to make you come. I don’t even have to take your clothes off.” He punctuated the last of his words by slipping a finger underneath her panties and inside of her. Heat flashed through her like a summer storm, making her moan under the sudden onslaught of sensation.

“You really don’t play fair,” she gasped, her hands gripping his shoulders as hard as they could.

He teased her with long and slow strokes as she tried and failed to catch her breath. Somewhere in the back of her mind was a reminder that they were out in the open where anyone could come across them, but that reminder faded when Sawyer pressed his thumb on top of her clit.

"My need to get inside you at every possible chance is way more important than fair play, my mate."

The heavy desire she spied in his eyes made her stomach quiver. Of course, his words might have been the reason as well. His fondness for dirty talk never failed to make her crazy.

"You're still going to tell me about Faith when we're done, right?"

He shook his head. "I must not be doing something right if you're still thinking about that."

He might have thought she'd forget, but she wouldn't. However, the rioting need inside her had taken priority so the other could wait.

Thankfully he stopped talking and she heard more than saw him ripping at the front of his pants. His lips were buried in her neck, his teeth scraping against the mark he'd left behind when he slid inside her.

Good God, she wanted to explode. And yet, at the same time it wasn't quite enough. So, she wrapped her legs around him and drew him closer, surrendering to the emotions he triggered inside her.

How had she fallen so hard and so fast? The question flitted through her mind, but ultimately the answer didn't matter. Unexpected love had found her and made her his. He claimed they were mates even if she never shifted.

"Fuck," he cried, stiffening above her.

"What's wrong?"

"I should have waited for privacy. But you drive me insane with need."

She smiled against his chest a moment before he began easing away. “Wait. Don't. I love that you need me so bad you can't wait. It's really hot.”

“I promise I'll make this up to you,” he said, obvious agony etched across his face.

“I don't—” She stopped when a faint thud sounded on the wood stairs that led down to where they were. Shit. Someone was coming.

To his credit, Sawyer moved fast. He had them both covered and sitting in chairs in a matter of a few seconds. Unfortunately, her rapid heart beat and the heat flushing her face would be a dead giveaway to exactly what they'd been doing down here.

"There you are." Damien came into view with Faith right behind him.

"Here we are," she muttered under her breath.

Faith giggled. "Damien, I think our timing was bad. We've interrupted them."

Penelope's face burned hotter. So much for subtle.

"It's mating season. It can't be helped."

As if reading her embarrassment, Sawyer growled and squeezed her hand.

"Is there a reason you came looking for us other than to cock block me?" Sawyer asked.

Penelope dropped her head and groaned. Maybe if she thought about it hard enough the ground would open up and swallow her whole. Anything to save her from this conversation.

"Faith has talked me into a mating season bonfire down on the beach and we want to make sure everyone is there, including the two of you."

Faith smiled at them both. “We haven't had much time to celebrate lately and I think we're due.”

Penelope looked up. A party sounded kind of interesting. Maybe. She still wasn't sure about her place here.

Except Sawyer was already shaking his head no. “I don't think Penelope is ready for one of our mating season parties.”

“Why not?” she asked, a little offended that Sawyer didn't want to take her to a gathering that included his entire pack.

He lifted her hand and pressed his soft lips to her fingers. “Hmm. How to say this without freaking you out...”

Her insides froze. Of course, just saying that much freaked her out. What the hell?

“He's worried you'll freak when you find out mating season gatherings are traditionally—uhm…”

“Sex fests,” Sawyer blurted.

Faith gave him a dark look. “I was going to say they are traditionally considered as an opportunity to call on the magic of the moon to increase our chances of mating and fertility.”

“Sex fests,” Sawyer said again.

“Stop saying that. You're going to scare her.” Faith moved to the seat next to hers and sat. “Damien and I want to get pregnant.”

Penelope took a deep breath. That statement made her stomach loosen a fraction.

“And I'm told mating season can be the perfect time for a wolf's fertility. So we thought why not improve our chances by bringing our family and friends together to harness a little extra something from the moon.”

“And this involves everyone having sex at this little gathering?” she asked.

Faith laughed and Damien knocked Sawyer in the head for his part in her thoughts. “No. We aren't performing some sort of weird sex ritual. Not at all. It's a party. We celebrate the season with food and drink. The full moon shines down on us and with a little luck, that energy gets translated into something else down the line.”

"That sounds simple enough.” She turned to Sawyer. “Why did you call it a sex fest? Are you trying to scare me? Or do you not want me going to a party with your pack?” She hated that her insecurity about not belonging had flared to life and in front of witnesses no less.

“No, babe. Not at all. I'm all for taking you to this party. You belong with us now. You are one of us no matter what.”

Faith and Damien nodded their heads.

“However, you should know what you're getting into. The party itself is what they say it is. But, babe. It is mating season. The drive to mate is in every single one of us right now. You add alcohol and a little moon magic to that and it's going to lead to—”

“A sex fest.”

They all laughed. “Now you're getting it. We're not exactly shy people.”

“It's just a party?”

Faith nodded. “Yes. We've had a lot of bad happen lately, but we've also had a lot of good. We think it's time to celebrate that.”

The knots in Penelope's stomach unfurled and she smiled back at her new friend. “Then I think we'd love to be there.”

* * *

Two nights later, the pack gathered around a huge bonfire on the beach and with Damien and Faith leading them, they called down on the energy of the moon to bless their pack with strength, love and fertility.

While she was completely on board with the strength and love part, the fertility talk made her a little nervous. They were already magical beings who could shift from wolf to human at will, what if this little moon gathering actually did bless them with fertility?

Was she ready for something like that? She still had her birth control pills with her that she took every morning, but nothing was supposed to work one hundred percent of the time and if anyone could defy conventional medicine it would be her wolf man.

She spied him across the fire speaking to his best friend Creed and his very pregnant mate, Dani. The cliché about being radiant during this time certainly applied to her and the way Creed possessively held an arm around her waist and the frequent touches she gave him back, made it obvious to anyone they were madly in love.

And speaking of love...

She returned her gaze to Sawyer and found him staring at her over the dancing flames. He said something to both Creed and Dani without taking his eyes off her that made them both look her way, then he broke away from them and headed around the fire.

She loved to watch him move. He did so with purpose, making each muscle flex and bend to his will. In the light of the full moon she could make out the deep scars on the side of his face and neck that always made her want to touch him.

Not because she felt sorry for him, but because they made him look dangerous and apparently she liked that. It only took him a minute to make his way to her side, but that was more than enough time for her body to heat and her panties to grow damp. Yep, he was magic personified all right.

If the hungry look he approached her with was any indication, she had a feeling the sex fest part of the night was about to happen for her.

“You okay?” he asked as he got close enough to pull her into his arms.

“Couldn't be better,” she replied, happiness seeping from her bones.

“Hmm,” he growled. “I beg to differ.”

Her body flared hotter with need. If every mating season made her this horny (and lucky) then she was going to wait for each one with bated breath.

“Are you prepared to prove that, Mr. Black?”

He leaned them forward, bending her backward until her neck was bared to him the way he liked it. “Miss Bishop, you have no idea. The only question is do I take you here or do I wait until I can get you back to my bed?”

She tried to calculate in her head how far away they were from his cabin and how long it would take them to get back there when she whimpered at the sensation of his teeth scraping against her skin.

Screw the bed.

* * *

Several months later, Penelope stared down at the tiny little baby girl in her arms with a mixture of wonder and awe. After more hours than she cared to count, and a whole lot of screaming that she was certain she'd hear in her sleep for a while, Dani had delivered this perfect little package. And already the entire pack had fallen in love.

“Makes you think about having one of your own doesn't it?”

She looked from daughter to mother and back again. “Maybe.” Of course it did, but she wasn't going to admit that to the ladies sitting around Dani's living room at the moment. Not only could nothing be kept a secret in this group, but she knew the minute Sawyer heard she wanted a child, there'd be no peace for her—ever.

She stifled a giggle. Not that she got a lot of peace anyway. Thank goodness for that. Apparently, having gone most of her adult life not that into sex had led her to a massive one hundred and eighty degree turn once she and Sawyer had mated. Now, her appetite rivaled his and they were together literally every chance they got.

Which, unfortunately hadn't been enough in her opinion. Sawyer had been crazy busy with the pack rebuild. Not only had he implemented a multitude of new security measures around the island (because the local hunters might be quiet for now, but they all knew they had to be prepared for more), but he'd also been helping with the actual build on the bed and breakfast due to open next week.

Not that their lack of "time together" was all his fault.

She'd finally resigned from the FBI and taken a job with the Sheriff's office. The pack leaders had all agreed with her and Sawyer, that having her in a key position with local law enforcement was the best way for her to help protect the pack.

Her new family.

Her heart warmed at the thought. Getting shot had turned out to be the best thing that ever happened to her.

As for her old life. Her father had cut her out of his life completely when she quit her job and to her surprise, it had been a relief. She'd spent too many years trying to make him love her without understanding that wasn't how love was supposed to work. It took finding real love here on Devils Point for her to realize everything that had been missing from her life. A real family.

From that point and Sawyer’s reassurances, it had been easy to walk away.

She stroked the baby's soft cheek and sighed. Now they had one more reason to be excited. “You have the best timing, little one. I hope you're ready,” she cooed.

A sudden multitude of women clearing their throats and/or giggling caught her attention and made her look up from the infant.

Sawyer stood in the doorway, naked hunger practically radiating from him. Hell, his emotions were palpable in the room.

Faith struggled to her feet, her swollen pregnant belly slowing her down. She had gotten pregnant that night on the beach and would soon add another little person to the population of the island. If any one else got preggers, they might have to call it a trend.

“Here, let me take her. I think you're leaving.”

Before she could utter her thanks to her friend, Sawyer was on her. As soon as the baby cleared her arms, he hauled her out of the chair and threw her over his shoulder. All the women in the room started cheering and Penelope had to cover her face with her hands.

They were never going to let her live this one down. Although, it secretly thrilled her when Sawyer got like this. She craved pretty words and declarations of love as much as the next person, but actions always spoke louder than words and his spoke volumes.

He desired her and it couldn't wait. Something she would never tire of.

Once outside, he turned and walked towards the forest that ran behind Creed and Dani's home.

“Where are we going?”

"Cabin's too far," he said, the sound a half growl-half snarl.

Her stomach tumbled.

He said nothing more until he stopped, which was probably just far enough away not to be heard.

He lifted her off his shoulder and pulled her down onto the ground on top of him. “I'm sorry, babe. But I about lost my shit in there when I walked in and saw you touching the baby. You looked so fucking sweet. It did something to me.”

“Made you crazy?” she asked, a smile across her face.

“You always make me crazy. But seeing you like that. Wow. I didn't expect that strong of a reaction.”

His hands were already under her shirt and unfastening her bra.

“Do you want a baby, Sawyer?”

He pinched her nipples and her head fell forward as pleasure rushed through her.

“I want to do everything in my power to make you happy. I'll give you anything you want.”

She braced her hands on the side of his face and tried to think through the delicious sensations his hands were still eliciting from her skin. "You already gave me the greatest gift I could have received. Two of them in fact."

His hands stilled and he looked into her eyes.

“Don't look so surprised,” she said. “Thanks to you I have love.”

He grinned and pressed a hard kiss to her lips. “That is true. You bewitched me from the beginning and made me fall in love with you. And I don't mind saying it again, but there is no taking that back. I'll be in love with you forever.”

Her heart melted. She wasn't sure she could possibly love him more, but every day he found a way to make it happen. Every. Single. Day.

She fell forward and kissed him. She believed her big, bad alpha who'd once been filled with nothing but fury meant every word he said. He really would do anything for her.

“Let's do it then. I want to feel your child growing inside me. And I want to see your face as you hold our baby for the first time.” There were tears streaming down her face now that he caught with his fingers and his tongue as they fell. “I love you so much, Sawyer.”

“You are my heart, Penelope, my mate.”

She fell on him again and rolled them to the side so she could reach down and cup him. His resulting moan was so full of fire, she nearly combusted.

“Wait.” He rolled them so he could pin her shoulders and stop her from touching him. “You said there were two things I gave you. What was the other?”

Her heart nearly burst with joy when the growl formed deep in her throat came out on a long, low howl that no distance would hide from their packmates.

“You gave me her,” she said, words getting a little difficult as the wolf inside her fought to come out. From the first shift that had come on suddenly after weeks of waiting, to now, her wolf had become the greatest life experience next to Sawyer's love she could have possibly experienced. “The wolf inside me has altered me in a way that I can't explain. Now, I owe you for so much more than just saving my life. That night on the beach, under the full moon of mating season, you gave me magic.”

* * *

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