CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
- Tallulah -
The vampires stay for two more days. In that time, we jointly decide the DeLucas will make the journey into the Blood Moon pack’s territory before they carry on home. We sat up late into the first night to discuss and plan.
Then, we argued and planned some more.
We went through every possible scenario. In the end, it was decided they’d have a ‘friendly word’ with the Blood Moon Alpha, Belcoot. Our pack, which sounds weird for me to say, needs time to train. We’re not ready for war with Blood Moon, yet.
Towards the early hours of the morning, the boys, their parents, my dad, and I are full of yawns, about to drop from exhaustion. The vampires still look fresh as daisies. My cheeks heat under the embarrassment I feel when they read my mind, announcing to the room my not-so-clean thoughts about the boys.
Shortly after, we all head out to sleep.
When I wake up later and realise no one’s in the bed next to me, I stretch out the kinks from sleeping in an odd position. Although my brain was too boggled to properly notice, I’m sure Theo, Kenji, and Quimby were with me when I passed out. I didn’t even bother to change out of my clothes once we made it back here; I was glad to be able to crash in my own bed.
Getting up, I grab a pair of sweats to change out of my creased clothes.
God knows how those vamps manage to stay so unrumpled. Do they have beds at their property? It’s a guess that they wouldn’t need them to sleep… My cheeks heat when I imagine they’d at least need a bed for other, well, activities. Shaking my head to dispel that train of thoughts, I swiftly dress and head out to find everyone.
I stop short when I reach the main living room. Candlesticks sit on the table and cast a soft glow around the room. My mind tries to work out what special occasion I forgot about, but it comes up blank. I’m sure I’ll find out soon enough.
“There you are. How did you sleep?” Kenji asks from the other doorway.
I turn to get a proper look at him, baffled when I realise he’s not in casual clothes, but dressed in a buttoned shirt and suit trousers.
Comparatively, in my own clothes, I’m ridiculously under dressed. “Good. Should I, um, go change?”
“No, you look beautiful. No need to change. Unless you need to, not that I think you need to, just…” His voice stutters to a stop, awkward for both of us.
“Don’t listen to him. Like he said, you’re beautiful and sexy, just the way you are,” Theo’s voice calls from the kitchen and gets louder as he enters the room. His eyes light up when he takes me in, but I don’t miss the tick in his jaw.
Left out of the loop with something about to go down, I try to ignore the sudden tension in the room. I choose to turn my attention back to inspecting the table. The candlesticks catch my attention.
Once, on a food run with my dad, we stopped at a small town. Dad wanted to take a few minutes to stretch his legs while I was allowed to wander into the old-style trinket shops. I spotted the candlesticks and knew with Luna Rosalina’s birthday fast approaching they’d make the perfect gift. With lots of begging, I convinced Dad to buy them. When I wrapped them up for her birthday, I was so pleased to get her a gift I knew she’d like.
Seeing them on the table tonight, I’m amazed she kept them all this time. Someone even took special care of them and polished them to a high shine.
The door to the left pushes open and a silver trolley rattles into the room, pushed by Blaise, the security guy. Stacked high with plates, the smell of food hits my nose, and my stomach grumbles in appreciation.
Quimby places a hand at the small of my back, and I jump in surprise. I quickly turn my head to look him over and realise, he too, is dressed nicely. Although, he managed to get away with being barefoot instead of wearing dress shoes like Kenji and Theo.
“Hey, Quimby.”
“Hey yourself, gorgeous girl.” His hand on my back guides me around to the table and he pulls a chair out for me to sit.
Mildly fascinated at their movements, the guys and Blaise make quick work of unloading the trolley’s dishes onto the table. With a nod from Theo, Blaise leaves with the empty cart. The guys load the plates with food, none of them waiting for our parents or the DeLucas.
Confused, I ask, “Are our parents and the DeLucas not joining us?”
“Not tonight. They have a lot to still sort out, and they wanted to give us some space,” Kenji answers, but I don’t miss the slight drop in timbre in his voice or the way his hands tremble as he sets a full plate in front of me.
They each take a seat, and we eat the rest of the meal in silence. By the time we finish, I’ve had enough of the weird, awkward tension. “What’s going on, guys?”
They exchange pointed looks, but none of them answer. After a moment, they stand together and stalk around to my side of the table. Theo turns my chair so they can all crouch in front of me, eye to eye. My nerves jump at the creased brows and pursed lips.
“We…” Kenji tries and stops. Now, with him so close, I see the fine sheen of sweat on his brow, and my stomach twists.
“With all that’s gone on over the past couple of days,” Theo butts in with a no-nonsense tone, “you finally know the truth of our mating bond and how much you mean to us. We want you to be our mate.”
I frown, confused by what he means. “Why would you ask that? I’m already your mate, aren’t I?”
Quimby growls at his brothers, and it startles me. “What these two dickheads are trying to say is we want to make it official. We want you to formally acknowledge our mating bond. Will you?”
~
Time passes in a whirlwind after their proposal. The DeLucas went on their way to deliver the warning to the Blood Moon pack. A few of our pack began to train under the guise of increasing pack morale and dependability. A few people were chosen by Theo to start to fix up Dad’s house. And the preparations began for our bond ceremony.
As soon as I said yes, it seemed as if my feet barely touched the floor. From talks of dresses with Rosalina, to discussions of food with the guys, even my dad put in his two pennies worth. Thankfully, I haven’t had to make too many decisions because the guys wanted to make sure I understood how much they wanted me. They snuck me out at every opportunity, and Rosalina agreed we needed the time to cement our bonds.
In all honestly, I’m grateful for them. I’ve only been to a couple of parties after the mating bonds, so I never witnessed the whole slew of preparations needed for the ceremony. If I had known the amount of work that went into it, I’d have run in the opposite direction.
One of the more amusing decisions I was in on was the choice of flowers. We had to be careful of the types we picked because of all the sensitive noses. Rosalina explained that Henrique wouldn’t be impressed with being interrupted constantly by sneezes every few seconds.
Now, with the ceremony only a day away, the whole house smells of flowers. Rosalina accepted the last delivery this morning. I tried to help unload the back of the truck, but she shooed me away.
While I may have made some of the decisions, even for me, the final ceremony decorations will be a surprise.
~
In a quiet moment after my hair and makeup are complete and I don the dress, I walk over to the full-length mirror and allow my eyes to finally take it all in. The white lace dress is not one I would’ve been brave enough to pick out on my own. But Rosalina has such an eye for detail; I can’t help but fall in love with it. When I turn slightly to the side, the lace hem brushes against my knees. It’s sophisticated, yet not over the top. A simple write ribbon, which sits under my breasts, shows off my figure. A sweetheart neckline at the top and delicate capped sleeves finish the look.
My eyes fill with tears, and I blink multiple times to stop them from falling. It won’t do for the guys to see me all puffy eyed on our day. Besides, I really don’t want to ruin Rosalina’s hard work on my makeup. Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine I’d stand here, with a beautiful dress on, ready for my mating ceremony. That I’d be lucky enough to be blessed with one mate, never mind three.
The board with all the pictures draws my attention. Snapshots of the guys and me together as children, when we were inseparable, mix with a few photos of us together these past weeks. My four-year-old self loved those boys then, and I love them even more now.
A light tap sounds on the door, and I give the photos one last glance before I turn away. I nervously grasp my fingers. “Come in.”
My dad cautiously pokes his head around the door. Seeing me fully dressed, he slips in and shuts the door. We both stand and gawk at each other. I’ve never seen my dad in anything other than jeans and a holey t-shirt. I fully expected him to wear his new dark-blue jeans and a clean t-shirt, which hasn’t got his dinner and whatever else, spilt down it.
The suit he wears comes as a huge shock.
A sniffle causes my head to shoot up, and I catch a single tear fall. I rush over to Dad, who braces himself so I don’t knock him on his ass, and my arms wrap around his neck to hold on desperately. This is a new chapter in my life that I am excited for, but up until recently, it’s only been Dad and me. A sniffle in my hair has me fighting tears. He releases the death grip on my waist and pulls back. His hands come up to cup my cheeks, and his love shines through his bright eyes.
He clears his throat. “The very first time I held you, I knew I’d have my hands full. You’re my baby girl, and even though you have those boys, I want you to know I’m here. I’ll always be here.” He places a kiss on my forehead and smiles at me. “I love you, Tallulah. There’s not another man out there who could be prouder of the lady you’ve grown into.”
I swallow past the lump in my throat. “I love you, too, Dad.”
“Right, let’s get you out there, I don’t think they’ll allow you to hide away in here for much longer. They’ll likely come and bash the door down.” He takes the small bunch of flowers off the bed and passes them over. “By the end of today, you’ll be Tallulah Argent, mate of Theo, Kenji, and Quimby Argent, and the future Luna.”
I take my father’s hand as we make our way through the Alpha’s quarters. When we walk down the glass hallway, the Argent pack’s ceremony circle becomes visible. Lots of empty chairs for the adults ring the circle with heavy logs in the inner circle for all the children to sit on. All the empty seats confuse me.
If they’re ready for us to come now, why isn’t everyone already here?
I find myself frowning when Dad turns towards a door which leads to the opposite side of the pack house. With no windows on this side, I’m unable to get a proper look at what’s on the other side.
My stomach tightens with unease, and my steps slow until I tug Dad to a standstill. “What’s going on, Dad?”
He must see the concern on my face because his smile slips a notch, but doesn’t disappear. “It’s okay, Tallulah, the guys have planned a little special surprise for you before the pack ceremony, that’s all. No need to worry, honey.”
As I absorb his words, I take a couple of breaths to calm my nerves. I trust the guys and my dad. Holding that tight, my death grip loosens on his hand, and I smile. Whatever waits on the other side of the door, I can face it because the guys will be there for me.
Dad places his hand on the door and raises an eyebrow in question. I glance down one last time to make sure my dress is still on right, and I didn’t somehow put my shoes on the wrong feet. Everything still looks right. In answer to Dad’s unasked question, I nod, and I miss the door opening.
A slight breeze blows against my arms, and I focus on the scene revealed on the other side of the door. An archway waits at the end of the aisle with the whole Argent pack seated on the chairs that line the aisle. All their eyes fix solely on me. My face immediately heats under their watchful gazes.
To distract myself, I take in the flowers set up along the aisle, petals scattered along the floor to show me the path to walk. Ahead, three figures stand underneath the beautiful wood and flower arch. Theo, Quimby, and Kenji are dressed in immaculate navy suits with crisp white shirts. My mouth waters at the sight of them. All three greedily run their eyes over me without a care for who witnesses it.
Together, they stalk down the aisle towards me with the finesse of wolves after their prey. But it doesn’t make me want to run away. Instead it heats my blood with excitement for what’s to come. It also makes me impatient for the show to be over and to finally have all three of them locked behind closed doors.
“Keep watching us like that, Tally, and we’ll never get through what we’ve planned for you,” Kenji whispers in my ear and places a kiss to my cheek.
“You’re absolutely beautiful.” Quimby kisses my other cheek.
Impatient with the heated stares and unusual gathering, I fidget. “What’s going on guys? What is this?”
Theo’s expression turns unsure for the first time ever, and he fusses with the wolf cufflinks on his shirt. He takes a deep breath. “We want to embrace your human side. We want you to be our wife by marriage. Then after, we’ll do the pack binding, so you’ll also be our mate.”
My eyes fill with tears at his words. Headless of my dress, I launch myself at them. Kenji and Quimby instantly wrap themselves around me, and the atmosphere changes around us. Everyone holds their breath while they wait for me to speak. I squeeze them tightly for a few more seconds in a bid to stop myself from crying. The last thing I need is to walk down the aisle resembling a panda.
Slowly, I pull back and notice the worried looks on everyone’s faces. Guilt goes through me; the guys’ faces are sick with worry. Plastering a smile of reassurance on my face, like Dad did earlier, for the first time ever I feel happy to do something so human.
“Yes!” I practically shout my joy.
The tension in the air immediately dissipates. All three of my men place kisses on my cheek, and then they stalk back to the end of the aisle. Dad and I stay at the entrance.
Huge smiles break out over the faces in the crowd, and they burst into applause.
~
The wedding ceremony passes in a blur. I hardly remember the vows we repeated the moment after saying them. After the ceremony, we have a few moments of calm as everyone moves over to the binding circle. The guys and I pause before we walk over, and my eyes catch another glimpse of the glittery ring they put on my finger.
True contentment flows through me as I watch their parents and my dad usher everyone else to their proper places. The children screech as they happily race each other to take their seats on the logs. Excitement buzzes through the air for what comes next.
Theo wraps his arms around me and pulls me securely against him. I feel oddly shy when his excitement presses firmly against me in front of the crowd of people. His arms snake around my waist, and his hands come to rest below my breasts. When his thumbs gently stroke the underside of my curves, it distracts me.
“As much as I want this feeling to last forever, and for the celebrations to begin, right now I want you naked more.” Need fills Theo’s husky voice.
The heat of his words sends a rush of desire through my body, and I blurt out the first thing that comes to mind to distract myself. “Henrique will need blood for the mating ceremony, won’t he?”
Kenji laughs. “Way to change the subject, Tally. Yes, Dad will need some blood, but not much, a few drops at most.”
I roll my eyes, glad he didn’t give me too much stick, even if my cheeks feel fiery hot. “Thanks, Kenji.” I hope he knows it’s my way of thanks for more reasons than the obvious.
“They’re ready for you,” Rosalina calls out.
She stands with her back to the crowded circle, a soft smile on her beautiful face and her hair pinned up in a way that a few curls escape to frame her face. She put similar flowers in both our hair. Crafty as she is, I find the smell of them has a calming effect. Heavens knows how much worse I would’ve been earlier if she hadn’t been so sneaky.
Theo takes both my hands while Kenji and Quimby hook their arms around my waist. Slowly, Theo moves backwards and pulls the three of us together through the opening of the circle. My hands grip his. Overwhelmed from being scrutinized by the pack, I’m still impressed by his wolfy powers of walking backwards with grace.
Once we get to the centre of the circle, a hush falls over us. Not one single person makes a noise; even the birds have gone deathly silent. Alpha Henrique steps out of the crowd and stops in front of the four of us. In his hands, he holds a small copper bowl, decorated with an intricate wolf and vine detail around the outside, a piece of cloth gathered underneath it, and a wolf’s tooth dagger strapped to his belt.
“Do you, future Alpha and Betas, want Tallulah Mardak as your mate and future Luna?” His voice echoes out and causes me to start.
All three of them smile hugely at me and respond in unison. “We do.”
“And do you, Tallulah Mardak, want to take these three as your mates? To become the future Luna to the Argent pack?”
“I do,” I whisper, my eyes fixed on my future in front of me.
Henrique says a few more words, but the heated looks and scent of arousal that comes from the guys distract me once again. The sound of a button snap pulls my eyes away from them in time to witness Henrique take the dagger from its sheath.
My palms grow sweaty as I watch Theo, Kenji, and Quimby hold their thumbs out. Henrique places the bowl underneath each in turn and quickly and efficiently slices across their thumbs. The bowl catches the spilt blood. As soon as he moves from one to the next, the wound on their thumb heals. The end result is a small, pink mark.
He stops in front of me and offers up a gentle smile. It doesn’t stop my stomach from doing a nervous flip-flop. I’m such a wimp for being afraid of what comes next. I look to the guys one more time, needing to make absolutely sure that this is what they truly want. Once we’re bound together, there’s no way to unbind us.
They each offer a unique grin full of their love and hope. It reassures me enough to slowly raise my hand and stick my thumb out. With my eyes glued to theirs, I ignore the stinging sensation that runs across the pad. A soft material gently presses against my thumb, and I break eye contact with the guys. Henrique uses the cloth to stanch the light blood flow. I don’t heal as quick as the guys do, and I appreciate the small gesture, especially so I don’t accidently ruin my dress with blood.
Satisfied the wound is properly tended, Henrique places his own thumb into the bowl of blood while he begins to chant in a language I’ve never heard before. The more words he chants, the louder he gets, and others in the crowd join in.
Off balance, I grab Quimby’s hand since he stands nearest to me. He gives me a gentle squeeze to let me know it’s fine. More and more people join in, and their feet begin to stamp in time with the rhythm of the unknown words. The whole pack chants the words while the four of us stand in the middle and let the sound wash over us.
As quick as they started, the words stop abruptly.
Henrique takes his now blood covered thumb and drags it down Theo’s forehead, the same with Kenji and Quimby. As he slowly draws the same line down my own face, a weird electric sensation pulses through my body. It starts at the soles of my feet, slowly moves up my legs, and around my waist. It causes a small gasp to escape when it moves up my torso and across my breasts, but it quickly travels to the top of my head. It’s nothing like the tingles I feel with the guys, and although it’s a weird sensation, it doesn’t hurt in any way.
Henrique smiles and whispers, “Welcome to the family, sweetheart.”