Epilogue
Kele strode to the top of the Temple stairs where Peder waited. She held her breath. His golden hair shone with sunlight and his smile deepened when their gazes met. This was it. That one moment where fate showed her all the pieces of her life falling in place. Tears welled up in her eyes and spilled gently along her cheeks. Let her pack witness it. They needed to know their alpha female had a heart, after all.
Mating ceremonies were usually private and between the couples, but after so much grief, pack morale was low. Their bond would heal the wounds the tragic deaths had left. So many members of the pack wished to attend they decided to hold it outside on the Temple steps, where she and Peder could be seen by all.
Once she reached the top, she turned to face Peder and offered him her hand, the one with the slave brand.
He wiped her cheeks dry first and grasped her fingers with the hand that held the matching scar. In her heart, this horrid symbol had changed to represent how much they were willing to fight for each other. Nothing this universe tossed their way could tear them apart.
Normally their alphas would speak the ceremony words for the mating couple, so they had to improvise.
“I, Kele of the Payami pack, take you Peder for a mate. Through trials of pain and battle we found each other and triumphed over our enemies. I will stand by you, support you and hold you in my heart for all the days of my life.” Her voice hitched on the last part.
Peder ran his thumb under her eye again to catch a tear. “I, Peder of the Payami, take you Kele for my mate. Through loss and joy we found each other. I will care for you through sickness and strife for all the days of my life.” He turned to the Temple wall, where he cut a piece of thorn vine and returned to her.
Together, they weaved it tight around their wrists, letting the thorns bite into their flesh and the new blooms mask the scent of blood as it trickled along their arms, mingling to become one. They raised their arms.
The pack cheered, a few in feral form howled. Kele was sure the Apisi on the other side of the mountain could hear them.
She and Peder descended to their waiting pack. Accepting well wishes and hugs, they remained side by side until the last of the pack left.
Kele unwound the vine from their wrists. “This stings more than I thought it would.” The blood had dried on her skin. Using finesse, she managed to remove it without restarting the bleeding.
Peder watched her hands intently.
“Did I hurt you?”
His head jerked up at her question. “No, you never hurt me.” He gave her a chaste kiss. “It’s nice.”
She traced a fading bruise on his arm. The wounds of a body healed much faster than those on the soul. Even though she was alpha, she’d continue on as healer too and Peder would always be her priority. She wouldn’t rest until she could erase the dark shadows lurking in his eyes.
He lifted her chin with a finger so their gazes met. “Wife, I think this is when you’re supposed to undress and have your way with me.”
Her cheeks warmed and it had nothing to do with the sunshine.
Peder nuzzled the spot on Kele’s shoulder where his bite had scarred and marked her. Their mixed scents filled his nose. Every time he inhaled it his chest wanted to burst with bliss.
She nipped his chin playfully. “Catch me if you can.” Then she took off, shifting to feral form and running through the underbrush.
The thrill of the hunt rushed through his veins. He’d recently discovered this sensation. Running with the hunters, tracking prey and attacking in a combined force. This was what he’d grown to become.
He changed form and followed her tracks. The wind blew through his fur and the silence of the forest caressed his senses. A few days alone and free… He stumbled to a stop as he almost ran Kele over. “What is it?”
“Can’t you smell it?”
He took a lungful of air. Death. Decay. “Vampire?”
“What did Benic do?” She ran once more with him upon her heels, with an urgency her playful romp lacked, until they reached the edge of the forest.
She crouched low in the foliage.
Setting his hands on her shoulders, he pressed her down. “Stay here. I’ll let you know when it’s safe.”
She wuffed. “I don’t think so. You need someone to watch your back.”
He learned since he joined the Payami that arguing with Kele was futile. Best to save his breath for times when he had to win something very important. She could fight as well as he. They crept out to the plains where the tall grass danced with the wind. The smell grew intense. “There.” He pointed to something big sticking out of the ground. Cold claws of dread gripped his spine as they approached.
It was a slaver’s corpse. The only reason why he knew was because of the message written on a sign below his body. Benic had nailed the vampire to a wooden cross, then propped him up in front of the forest. The sign read, This is what happens to those who poach on my land. Signed Lord Benic.
The corpse opened his eyes.
Peder jumped back and took Kele with him. A snarl of surprise ripped from his throat as he knelt for attack.
It tried to speak, but the cavity was empty of teeth or tongue.
Peder sat hard on his haunches. The slaver was still alive, even in this condition. “Benic was right. He did punish them worse than I could have.” It took more than a few nails, missing body parts and exposure to kill a vampire. A shifter had to cut out a vampire’s heart or behead the bloodsucker so it would die. For extra assurance, it was recommended to burn the corpse. This slaver would suffer for a long time.
Kele rubbed her chest and retreated a few more steps toward the forest, then halted as if shocked. “Look. There’s another one.” Far away almost out of sight another cross rose from the ground.
“He posted them along our woods.” Peder stood and sneezed the smell from his nose.
“Should we ask Benic to take them down?” She reached for Peder’s hand and clung to it.
His stomach rolled at how much they must be suffering, then he remembered the omega female they’d used the night they branded him, and the other Timothy had killed to make them shift. How many countless others had died? “No, this is a good message to any other slavers who think to enter our territory.” He hugged her from behind, needing her strength and her softness at the same time. “Remind me to send Benic a case of our finest wine.”
She didn’t move or speak.
“Kele?”
“I was just wondering if we should kill them and put them out of their misery.” She twisted to meet the vampire’s pleading stare. “Do you remember the omega female who vanished the night they branded us?”
“Of course,” he whispered. His mouth had gone dry.
“I hope Benic took his time.” She glanced at him. “Do you love me less for that?”
Peder scratched at his chin. “Would you love me less if I agreed with you?”
She sighed. “We are well matched.”
“Follow me to the mountains.”
Her ears perked forward. “What’s there?”
“I know of a beautiful waterfall. We can spend the day and night there.”
“Can we visit Susan and Sorin to see their new pups?”
“If Sorin grants us permission to cross on his territory.” He had no doubt his old pack would welcome them for a visit. He and Sorin should be able to tolerate each other for at least a day.
They strolled away from the stench and went deeper into the forest. Soon the scent of green things cleared his nose. He shoved the image of the tortured slavers from his mind. He’d spend the afternoon making Kele forget them as well.
Kele’s shoulder brushed against his. “I love you, Peder.”
He licked the tip of her ear. “I love you more.”