#8 The Archer and her Wolf

Xaiver

“You can’t see her.” Shay argued profusely.

“That was for our wedding, Shay, and that already happened.” I complained loudly.

“Leave her be! It’s only one more hour!” Thea shouted from the bedroom.

“But, it’s been an entire day!” I groaned theatrically. Thea’s head poked out from the door,

“Give me a kiss and off you go.” She ordered. I kissed her hungrily before she shoved me away and slammed the door in my face.

“The Luna ceremony is in an hour. It’ll take you that long to figure out how a tux works.” Shay mocked me before slipping inside Thea’s room and locking me out.

6 months ago, the worst and best month of my life happened. It started with my mate, my reason for existing, going missing, kidnapped by the man who defiled her years ago. Then, it ended by her agreeing to marry me, mate me, mark me, move in with me, etc. etc.

My head was spinning when we got home that day.

First, I had to make it all official. I got down on one knee and asked Thea to marry me with a ruby red ring fit for the, now retired, Crimson Archer. In two months, Thea, Shay, and Yasmine planned a simple wedding on the pack grounds that united Valor Moon and Satin Moon for the rest of time. With our marriage, we were able to officially adopt Natalie and Milly, and Thea could adopt Logan. Just like that we were parents of three children, a family of five.

Then, it was time to plan the Luna ceremony. That one wasn’t quite as simple. The pack elders demanded all of the fanfare. Four months I’ve had to wait for the ceremony and, thus, four months I’ve been forced to wait to mark and mate with my wife.

As is tradition in our pack, the Alpha and Luna cannot complete the mating ritual until after the Luna ceremony. Completely ass backwards if you ask me, but, I digress.

For the first time in two years, my parents returned home to help plan the ceremony. My mother, who is, technically, still the reigning Luna, has to hand over her rank to Thea just as my father handed his over to me all those years ago.

“All ready?” My father, Ned, asked as I entered the backyard of the packhouse.

“I’ve been ready since the day I first met her.” I smiled.

The backyard was decorated in dramatic satin tapestries that were as old as the pack bearing the pack symbol and colors, navy blue, maron, and dark green. Gas lamps were hung everywhere, lighting the night sky without an electric light bulb in sight, just as they did for the first Luna ceremony. The two outdoor fireplaces were roaring proudly, providing soft light and warmth to the guests. An aisle led from the backdoors of the packhouse to the wooden pavilion, lined on either side by white chairs.

The pavilion was covered in flowers. The pack flower, a white moon lily, my favorite flower, an iris, and Thea’s favorite flower, yellow poppies, were completely covering the outside of the pavilion. A single podium stood in the center with the eldest member of the pack standing behind it, looking over his speech. My mother, clad in a floor length velvet red evening gown, stood next to him, ready to hand over her title.

The orchestra, which was seated behind the pavilion, started playing, indicating that it was time to get started. I fixed the buttons on my blue suit jacket and hurried down the aisle to join my mother and the elder. My father stood off to the side of the pavilion, overseeing the ceremony as the former Alpha.

The doors to the packhouse opened, revealing Frankie and Lion in suits that matched mine. They would take the aisle first, clearing it and making sure it was safe enough for their Luna. When they reached the end, they stood on either side of the pavilion’s steps. With them out of the way, my beautiful mate was finally revealed.

She was wearing a formal, satin red ball gown. A dark, wine red, the color of every coming and going Luna’s dress. The design and style was unique to each Luna, but the color was always the same.

Thea’s dress hugged tightly to her chest, stomach, and hips, while fanning out and cascading over her legs. It trailed behind her with a short, but full, train. The top was a sweetheart neckline, revealing a delicious amount of her chest. Intricate lace detailing covered and outlined the bodice. Modest glitter was sewn into the fabric, catching the moonlight and nearly blinding me. It covered her dress from top to bottom.

The golden lace detailing traveled laterally down her dress, making her appear taller than she was. At the hem of her gown were golden ruffles that tickled the ground. Red high heels snuck out from under the dress every few steps Thea took.

Her eyes were bolded with smokey eyeshadow and her lips bright red. Her raven hair was pulled up in intricate braids and knots, leaving her neck and chest bare.

Settled on her chest was the necklace she always wore. Still on it was her red pendant, the transport that took her to the Archer’s Base, and two bronze keys which unlocked her rooms at the Base and the Warrior pack. Added, was a golden key that unlocked any and every room in the packhouse, and a silver heart with five gemstones engraved in it. Each stone was the gem that represented our families birth months, Natalie, Milly, Logan, Thea, and myself.

She made it to me and I reached for her eagerly, snatching her in my arms and helping her up the steps to the pavilion. She smiled at me and my world stopped.

“You’re so beautiful.” I said and she smiled even wider,

“Not so bad yourself, Alpha.” She purred my title and a low growl formed inside my chest.

The elder cleared his throat and Thea blushed brilliantly. I just chuckled at her before motioning for the elder to begin.

He started with the pack’s history, like we haven’t all heard it a thousand times before. He droned on and on while I just looked at my mate, taking her clothes off in my mind. Like she knew what I was doing, her face continued to burn red. When he motioned for my mother to join us, I began to focus on the ceremony again.

A tiara as old as the pack itself was resting on her head which matched the crown sitting crooked on top of mine. The Luna tiara was delicate and silver, shaped like a half moon with the clearest, tiniest diamonds dangling from the peaks of the tiara. In the center of those three peaks were opal moon stones, reflecting the light of the moon and turning the stone into a rainbow.

The crown matched in look if not style. The crown was larger, thicker, and made more of a noise. It was a full circle with six peaks instead of three, diamond and moon stones decorating them as well.

The elder removed the tiara from her head and spoke clearly to the crowd,

“The tiara and the crown represented the Luna and her Alpha. The Luna made far less noise than the Alpha, she didn’t need to. She commanded the room with a single look, earned the love and trust of her people with a single smile, and directed warriors with a single word. An Alpha, well he needed so much more. He needed words and strength and fanfare to earn anything. A Luna was delicate and precious while an Alpha was bold and commanding.” He walked towards Thea, the tiara held up in the air,

“Thea Valor, do you swear to honor this tiara and your duty to the pack?”

“I swear.” Thea replied.

“Do you swear to care for the pack as a mother would care for her child?”

“I swear.”

“Do you swear to honor and aid your Alpha, your husband, and your mate for as long as you both shall live?”

She looked at me when she said,

“I swear.”

“Do you swear to raise the future Alpha to the best of your ability, to prepare him to take over this pack and for his future?”

“I swear.”

“Valor Moon, do you accept Thea Valor as your Luna?” the elder turned towards the crowd. They all stood, placed their hands on their hearts, and knelt on one knee.

“Then, with the power granted to me by the Moon Goddess and Valor Moon, I approve Alpha Xaiver’s choice and appoint Thea Valor as the new Luna of Valor Moon.”

Thea bowed her head as the elder placed the tiara on her head.

“Rise, Valor Moon, and greet your new Luna. Luna Thea Valor!”

“Long live Luna Thea!” The crowd cheered, pumping their fist in the air.

“Long live Luna Thea.” I whispered into her ear, kissing her sweetly, “I love you so much, my Luna.”

“I love you, my Alpha.” She kissed me longingly in reply.

“Now, now, break it up, you two. That’s disgusting.” Tigris jumped up on the pavilion and removed Thea from my arms. I snarled at him but he just laughed.

“Get a grip.” Theo clapped me on the back while Nora glared at both her mates.

“You two stop it, now.” Nora sighed.

“All of you, stop it. Come on and leave the new Luna alone.” Hunter Greyback chuckled at his children. They shoved each other as they ran back down the steps.

“Yes, leave the new Luna to me.” I purred in her ear, picking Thea up again, just like she hated me doing, and carrying her inside the pack.

“What are you doing? We have the party!” She laughed as I ran inside the house.

“The party can wait. I’ve been waiting six damn months for this.” I growled and Thea threw her back, laughing.

I paused at the door to our bedroom, our joint bedroom that we’ve been sharing for the last six months now, and looked down at my mate.

“That is, if this is okay with you?” I asked her seriously.

Her face turned to desire and lust, a sneaky smile on her lips.

“Oh, it’s most definitely okay with me. Won’t you have me, Alpha?” She fluttered her eyelashes at me seductively and every single ounce of my self control snapped.

I let out a throaty growl and kicked the bedroom door open and locked it behind me. I placed her feet down on the ground and started wrestling with her dress.

“Fucking hell! What are all of these buttons!” I growled in frustration. Thea continued to laugh at me.

“You have claws don’t you?” She said, giving me all the permission I needed to shred the dress to pieces.

Once she was standing in only her underwear, I crashed her to me and covered her mouth with mine. I moved passionately against her and she returned with a vigor all new to me. Her hands raked through my hair before stripping me of my jacket. She ripped the buttons of my shirt and yanked it off of me. Her hands found my belt and she wrestled it open, shoving my pants down. I stepped out of them and pushed her towards the bed, landing on top of her.

I buried my face in her neck and kissed her like I never have before. I trailed my kisses all the way down her body, covering every single inch of her soft skin. With my hands and my mouth, I replaced her nightmares with dreams. She moaned and wiggled and shivered underneath me, her hands exploring me as I explored her.

“Xaiver, please.” She was begging me and who was I to deny her.

I thumbed at her painties, taking them off painstakingly slow. Thea threw her head back and moaned dangerously. Cain flashed in my mind at her throaty groan and I gave into him for a moment. He looked up at Thea through his coal black eyes.

“Cain. Kiss me.” She demanded and Cain was her puppy.

He ravaged her mouth with his, forcing his tongue inside and touching her with his hands. Cain reached behind her back and unclasped her bra, setting her breasts free. He buried his face in between them, sucking and kissing her to entice more moans and gasps of pleasure.

“I want you. Xaiver, Cain.” She was withering under me and I couldn’t stand it any longer.

Cain and I split control, one eye was stone black and the other was an excited blue. I knew because I saw myself in the reflection of Thea’s eyes, her wild, sexy, beautiful hazel eyes.

“Shall I have you, my mate?” Cain growled and Thea bit her bottom lip. I tugged it from her teeth before she could bruise it and kissed her sweetly.

“I’m all yours.” She said in a haze.

I stood up and removed my boxers before covering her body with mine once more. I buried my face in her neck and pushed against her. She winced once, whimpering and I stilled. After a moment, when she adjusted, she started moving her hips against mine and I groaned at the feeling. I picked up the pace and felt Cain take over for just a minute, his canines extending and sinking into the spot where before I was only allowed to leave hickies.

Thea cried out in pleasure, her body shuttered under mine as she dug her fingernails into my back. She buried her face into my neck, struggling to catch her breath. She reached across the table to pick up something we had prepared months ago.

A stamp, a magical stamp that would allow me to wear Thea’s mark as she now wears mine. She pressed the burning hot stamp into my neck and I allowed my own wave of ecstasy to consome me. I came undone and collapsed on top of Thea.

“I love you.” Thea whispered, running her fingers through my hair as I rested my head on her chest.

“Not nearly as much as I love you.” I said and she laughed, her body shaking with it.

“We should join the party.” She mumbled. I rolled my head to the side and nuzzled her breasts,

“Oh, I have other ideas.” I winked at her and threw the covers over us, sliding down her body and settling between her legs.

“Xaiver!” She gasped, fisting the blankets and closing her eyes.

Epilogue

Thea

Five Years Later

“For Goddess sake, Logan! Slow down!” I yelled after Logan as he ran through the yard.

“Let him be, little red, he’s safe here.” Sal chuckled.

“You say that, but you’ve never seen him and Natalie set fire to a pool raft while it was still in the pool.” I mumbled and Sal’s face paled.

“Maybe more guards then.” He said, hurring off.

“Alpha’s children are quite the handful, trust me, I know.” Female Alpha Blossom laughed, coming up beside me.

“All three of them make training Archers look like a cake walk.” I mumbled as Natalie and Milly chased after Logan.

Logan is 8 now, Natalie 10, and Milly is 5 years old. Complete and utter handfuls, they were. And don’t get me started on their behavior when they joined up with their cousins, Madeline, Rose, and Jonah, the children of Tigris, Theo, and Nora. The six of them were a disaster waiting to happen.

And, here they all were, along with the children of several legacy pack Alphas and Lunas, running amuck on the grounds of the Warrior Pack of Maine. Nearly six years after we had all gathered here as judges, choosing Queenie Gene as the pack’s next Alpha. It took this long for Sal to feel confident enough in her abilities to retire and hand over the pack.

In all honesty, we all knew it was really just because he didn’t want to retire.

So, that’s why we all gathered in this ridiculously cold pack in the northern part of Maine in the middle of November. To see off Alpha Sal, the man who mentored all of us. The man who created Alphas and Lunas who quite literally save the world over and over again. And, to see the start of something new.

“I heard the Queen and King themselves are going to be here.” Alpha Briggs said, joining his sister beside me.

“Well of course. Don’t you remember where we first met the Alpha King Zeke?” I asked them. Briggs and Blossom shared a look before realization dawned on them.

“He was one of the tributes. How did we miss that?” Briggs said.

“Busy times.” I laughed.

“Only because you were being all dramatic. Rogues are attacking my pack, they have my son!” Kade came up behind me, mocking me with a voice I presumed was supposed to be mine. I glared at him,

“You wanna start with me, Hayes?” I closed my fists and shook it in his face, “This retired Archer can still kick your ass from here to the realm.”

“Idiot.” Simon shook his head, shoving Kade out of the way before he could say anything else stupid.

“I heard you were working on turning Valor Moon into a war machine.” Lexi and Levi joined the group.

“She sure is.” Xaiver chuckled, wrapping his arm around my waist.

“I’ve been working closely with Queenie, actually, turning Valor Moon into her sister pack. There were once the packs of the four corners who rose up to save the realm. Now, there will be a Warrior pack in each of the four corners, safeguarding the realm.” I smiled proudly at the ideas Queenie, Sal, Xaiver, and I have brought to life over the last few years.

“That’s amazing, absolutely amazing. Count us in, whatever help you need.” Sage was looking at me with astonishment in her eyes.

“All of us, count all of us in.” Lexi said and the others nodded in agreement.

“Our parents saved the species and how we can keep it from being in danger ever again.” Kade grinned.

“Just imagine what our children will do one day.” I said, wrapping my arm around Xaiver and resting my head on his shoulder.

I turned to look towards my children as did the rest of the group. All of our children, Greybacks, Greystones, Oxfords, Hayes, Valors, Lanadrys, and new bloodlines who have yet to make their stamp on the world, were running through the grounds without a care in the world.

It was our job to make sure that carefree attitude lasted as long as it possibly could, because, one day, they would be us and they would be in charge and their innocence would be gone. I only hoped that the world they inherit is even more beautiful than the one we live in now.