Bonded to the Pack (Born to be Were) (28 page)

“Love
you too, kid,” he said softly, trying not to let the tears that sparkled in his
eyes fall.

Mercy
looked forward and saw the spirit of the former Born Were standing there
watching over them. She raised her hand and a soft breeze began to blow shaking
lose the tiny pink flowers that clung to the branches overhead and sprinkling
them over Mercy, completing the beauty of the moment.

*****

“She’s
beautiful,” Cade said to Alec, who stared at Mercy with his mouth hanging open
as she walked down the aisle towards him.

“Damn
straight,” Rich said, reaching behind Cade to slap Alec on the back, happy his
friend was finally getting the female he had waited so long for.

“Do
you think he knows he’s drooling?” Mason asked Rich playfully.

“Wouldn’t
you if you were lucky enough to find your Bond Mate?” Rich asked.

Mason
looked out on the sea of faces that had gathered to celebrate with Alec and
Mercy, easily finding Juliet dressed in a soft pink blouse with a floral skirt
and nodded.

Alec
couldn’t find the words to describe the vision before him so he didn’t bother
to comment to any of them. Mercy moved gracefully towards him dressed in a soft,
silky gown that hugged her curves gently and fell to the tips of her matching
shoes. Her long sheer veil floated behind her as a soft breeze filled the air
and flower petals began to shower her from the bower overhead. She was poised
and confident, no longer the gangly young child he had adored from the first
moment he met her, or the beautiful teenager he had come home to find a few
years before: now she was a full-grown woman who was ready to take her place at
his side. He couldn’t love her anymore than he already did and he would spend
the rest of his life showing her just how he felt.

Lucan
and Mercy glided to a stop before him and she handed her flowers to Gina, who
stood to her left with Nina and Hailey, who were her bridesmaids. Gina’s hands
shook as she took the flowers and Mercy smiled, unused to seeing her friend so
emotional.

“Who
gives this woman in marriage?” the minister said.

“Her
father,” Lucan said before lifting her veil to placing a kiss on her cheek then
placing her hand in Alec’s outstretched one and taking a seat in the front row
next to Gregory.

The
minister spoke the usual words of a wedding service but before they exchanged
rings. he pulled a small sharp knife from his pocket and took each of their hands
slicing the palms before lifting them high for everyone to see. “In joining your
blood you are both declaring your bond to one another for the rest of your
existence, is that your desire?”

“It
is,” they answered as one.

“Let
every Were know from this day forward that these two are Bond Mates, two souls
that are now one, forever.” He pressed their hands together and Alec laced his
fingers with Mercy’s allowing their blood to mingle together. Their assembled
guests, who included, every member of Alec’s pack, all of the other packs’
Alphas, and the Elders, stood and cheered loudly.

Everything
after that went by so quickly Mercy barely had time to breathe before they were
walking back down the aisle together to the soft sounds of the woodwind instruments
she had hired for the ceremony

*****

Much
later that evening as the merriment continued on in their absence, Alec lifted Mercy
in his arms and carried her over the threshold of the home he had been building
for her over the last few years. Once inside he placed her feet on the hardwood
floor and closed the door behind him, allowing her a few moments to gather her
thoughts and get used to the idea of this now being her home.

“It’s
beautiful,” Mercy said walking into the cozy living room where  a large hearth
stood as the centerpiece of what would be the area for meetings with pack
members and a place she would rock their children at night and read to them on
cold winter nights as they fell asleep in her arms. She walked through the open
layout to the dining room that held a trestle table big enough for a small army
and ran her fingers over the hand-planed wood planning their first dinner party
in her mind. Next, she walked into a large open kitchen that was filled with new
stainless steel appliances that shined in the soft lighting of the overhead
lights.

She
turned and smiled over shoulder at Alec who watched her closely for any sign
she didn’t like something. “There’s another room just through the kitchen,” he
said his voice cracking slightly with emotion. He had envisioned the house, but
every detail had been refined to fit Mercy’s likes and dislikes.

“Wow,”
she said as she stood in a massive room that had walls of ceiling to floor
windows that looked out upon the forest that surrounded them.  The view was so
beautiful she couldn’t turn away and when he wrapped his arms around her from
behind she laid her head back against him and placed her hands over his,
sighing happily. “This is the most beautiful house I have ever seen,” she told
him.

“You
haven’t seen it all yet,” he said, taking her hand and pulling her along behind
him up the massive staircase that led to the many bedrooms and bathrooms for guests
and their future family. “We can look at these tomorrow,” he said eager to be
alone with her in the room he had designed for them. Her took her up another
flight of stairs and wrapped her in his arms as she stared around the room that
they would sleep in together for the rest of their lives.

Mercy
looked to the four massive glass doors that opened to a large porch where a
lush retreat filled with plants and a hot tub waited. She looked through the
open door that revealed a large master bathroom and then to the sitting area
with a flat-screen TV so they could cuddle together at night and watch their
favorite shows. Finally, her gaze fell on the massive bed that was the focal
point of the room and she felt her hands begin to shake nervously.

“Are
you alright?” Alec asked worriedly.

Mercy
nodded, feeling silly for her sudden burst of nerves. For so long she had
imagined being with Alec and now that time had come she was extremely nervous.
No longer was his promise to her brothers valid; Lucan would not burst through
the doors and interrupt them, in fact no one had the right to interfere and
that big bed brought it all home for her.

“I’ll
go lock up and give you a few minutes,” Alec murmured, sensing her unease.

It
would have been so easy to let him go and indulge herself in her fears, but no
longer was she afraid of the unknown. She grabbed his hand and stopped him from
walking away lifting her eyes to his own tortured gaze.  “Don’t go,” she said
taking his hand and laying it on her hip as she moved closer to him, pressing
herself against his shaking body. “I can’t get out of this dress alone,” she
whispered in his ear.

“Then
by all means I will stay,” he answered his fingers moving to the back of the
dress where rows of tiny buttons awaited him. “Did your brother help pick this
gown?” he said with a chuckle.

Mercy
nodded. “But I had them conceal a zipper under those buttons,” she told him,
placing a soft kiss on his chest as she worked the buttons of his shirt free.

“Thank
God,” he said, his fingers finding the hidden zipper easily and sighing at the
soft sound it made as he lowered it down her back.

Epilogue

Mercy
stood on the porch off the bedroom she would now share with her mate, watching
the sun rising in the sky. Her life had changed in so many ways over the last
few years, but always it had been leading to where she was now and she couldn’t
have been any happier than she was in that moment. They had a lot ahead of them,
but she knew with Alec as her mate and their families’ support, there was
nothing they couldn’t overcome.

“Are
you all right?” Alec asked sliding his arms around her as he nuzzled her neck
playfully.

Mercy
turned in his arms and looked up at him with a smile. “I am in the arms of the
man I love and bonded to him for the rest of my existence. Is there anything
better?”

Alec
laughed and lifted her in his arms carrying her back inside and shut the blinds
that sheltered them from the rest of the world, wanting nothing more than to be
alone with her, his heart, his life, his Bond Mate. Because now she truly was, in
every way, bonded to the Pack.

If you enjoyed Mercy and Alec’s
story and want to keep updated on the next book in the Born Were Series or any
of my other books please contact me:

Facebook:
www.facebook.com/Donna
Flynn Author page

Please read on for an excerpt from
my new series.

“Necromancy for Beginners”

Prologue

     
The full moon
overhead was hidden by a passing cloud, making the night dark as pitch, as the
two children crept down the sidewalk of the sleepy little town where they
lived. The female child was excited and eager to reach their destination, but
the male child was sullen and in no real hurry as he stumbled along sleepily
behind her. 

    
“Come on, Hunter, I have a surprise for you,” the female said, tugging his
hand. “We’re almost there.”

    
The boy looked up eagerly, happy to be close to their destination, but when he
saw the large stone pillars connected to the ancient wrought-iron fencing that
marked the beginning of the local cemetery, he dug in his heels, stopping their
progress. “I don’t know what you’re up to, Hope, but it’s the middle of the
night,” he squealed, chewing his lip nervously. “I don’t want to go in there.”

    
Hope sighed, looking at her best friend with sympathy. He had buried his
grandmother that morning in the exact cemetery they stood before. She
understood his hesitance, but she had to get him to follow her inside, or all
of her hard work would be for nothing.

    
“Come on, I promise this is a good surprise,” she said, tugging his hand again.

    
Hunter gazed into her big blue eyes, and he knew he was going to do what she
asked despite his reservations about their being alone, in a cemetery, by
themselves that late at night. “Fine,” he grumbled. “But if we get killed it’s
your fault!”

    
Hope never doubted he would go along with her plan. In fact, she had counted on
his inability to tell her no, to get him inside the cemetery.    “Okay, close
your eyes now,” she told him, giddy with excitement as they reached the massive
gate that was the only entrance in and out of the cemetery. 

    
The intricate curves and twists of metal were a true testament to the people
who had at one time cared enough to make sure their loved ones were safe and
protected even after their lives had ended. So protected, that the gates were
locked tight at eight every night until seven the following morning when the
old, cantankerous caretaker appeared to reopen them. Their being locked didn’t
bother Hope, though; she had help on the inside to open the gates for them.

    
Hunter gulped, staring apprehensively at the fence that kept him and the
residents of the cemetery separated. He certainly did not want to go inside,
but he also did not want to appear weak in front of Hope. She had been his best
friend since they were in diapers. Where one went the other did too, which was
exactly why he was standing in front of a dark, creepy cemetery in the middle
of the night instead of in his warm, soft bed. 

    
“Just do it for me,” she pleaded, seeing his hesitance.

    
Hunter closed his eyes, reminding himself that he trusted her completely.
Unfortunately, that trust didn’t prevent him from imagining a herd of horrible
zombies clawing their way from their graves to attack them.

    
With Hunter’s eyes firmly closed, Hope waved to the soft wispy form of a child
dressed in Victorian clothing that hovered between the nearby tombstones
watching them. Her name was Annabelle. Hope had met her that morning after the
funeral, while she had waited for her parents to give their condolences to
Hunter’s family. Hope tried to explain that her spirit needed to move on to the
next realm, but Annabelle had been adamant that her mother was coming for her. 
She refused to leave, so until Hope could convince her that her mother was not
coming for her she knew the spirit would continue to linger there. Child
spirits were notoriously stubborn. Often they stayed earth-bound out fear of
the unexpected, refusing to pass on to a place they knew nothing about. She
made a mental note to talk to her grandmother about it, but in the meantime,
she needed the spirit’s help.

She
waved again, and the spirit moved toward the gate stopping directly in front of
her, its transparent, elegantly dressed figure floating a few inches above the
grass smiling at her. She pointed to the lock, and the ghost nodded, placing a
transparent hand on the metal, allowing a mist-like finger to work its way into
the keyhole. A soft click signaled the gate unlocking, and the ghost pulled its
finger free with a triumphant smile.