These Broken Wings

last minute changes

Over the next few days leading up to her Luna ceremony, RickyJo used the time to familiarize herself with her new pack and attempt to settle into some routine of normalcy. She was happy to be back at morning training again, though she wasn’t able to spar. Even in wolf form, the warriors of her new pack weren’t comfortable attacking their Luna. And since she was still fairly certain she was pregnant, she decided that it was probably for the best. At least for now.

The morning of her ceremony, Dixon had breakfast sent up to their room. And they snuggled together on the couch while they ate, knowing that they probably wouldn’t see each other again until later that night. He sipped his coffee, tucking her into his side with his bad arm and pressing a kiss into her sleep rumpled hair.

“Nervous?,” he asked. RickyJo shook her head. Then nodded it. Finally she just shrugged and beamed her pretty smile at him.

“I’m mostly just excited to see my family,” she said. RickyJo knew it had only been a week. But it felt like much longer. And she was eager for the comfort of her own pack. People that knew and loved her. “I’m so glad you invited them,” she added, nuzzling her nose into the crook of his neck. RickyJo knew it wasn’t customary for her pack members to be present during her Luna ceremony. And though she knew part of his reasoning was strategic, she was still convinced that she had the most thoughtful and wonderful mate in the world.

“I hope you’re not ceremonied out after today,” Dixon teased, smiling when she pulled her nose out of his neck and gave him a suspicious glance. “....because I had a long talk with your grandfather yesterday.” Dixon felt his mate’s body go tense with anticipation. And he could feel her excitement through their bond. “He’s officially turning your pack over to us next week.”

RickyJo’s face lit up. She didn’t say anything at first, but her mouth dropped open and she stared at her mate in shock. He bit back a smile, enjoying her reaction to what he was sure was the best surprise she’d gotten since he stepped out of his SUV in front of her packhouse.

“I can’t believe it,” she gushed, crawling up onto his lap so she could wrap her arms around him. Her breasts were smashed against Dixon’s broad muscular chest. And when RickyJo pressed her lips to his, she could already feel her body reacting to his touch. She was slowly getting used to having someone else’s urges and feelings bumping around inside her head. Though they could turn their link off if they wanted to, they both enjoyed having their bond open. It was bringing them closer. And the last few nights they were even able to see bits of each other’s dreams. But feeling his desire for her made it even harder for her to control her own urges.

“Take a shower with me?,” she asked. Her mate must have seen the idea in her mind, because he was already off the couch and lifting her into his arms before the words were even out of her mouth. Stripping off their clothes, they moved under the warm spray of water. Now that she was finally comfortable with him, Dixon was able to look at her body as long as he liked. He loved the colorful map of tattoos that covered her. She was like a living work of art. His favorite ones were the little nautical stars on the insides of her hip bones. He could only see those if she was completely naked. Kneeling down, he pulled her close, tracing the little stars with the tip of his tongue. She stroked her hands over his head, feeling the coarse stubble that had grown in since he shaved it last. It only took a few flicks of his tongue before she came undone, rocking her center into his face. He rose to his feet, spinning her in his arms so that her back was against his front. He bent his knees, entering her in one smooth stroke. Her head lolled back against his chest and when she looked up at him, her eyes were glowing green.

Mine.

Shadow pushed forward, eager for his mate. He slammed his hips into her over and over. Not stopping until she came again, this time with a loud growl that reverberated off the shower tiles. Dixon emptied himself inside her, pulling her body tight against his as he found his release. When he finally withdrew, she turned and kissed him deeply, telling him she loved him and couldn’t wait to officially be his. Dixon made quick work of washing his body. Then he got out and toweled off, leaving the shower to RickyJo so she could have a few moments to actually shower and wash her hair and do whatever else she needed to do before his sister turned an army of stylists loose on her. A few minutes later, she emerged from the bathroom swathed in a towel and dressed in her robe. She gave him one more long lingering kiss before she grabbed a garment bag and headed out the bedroom door.

“How did you get here!?!?!,” RickyJo hollered, throwing the door open and flying across the dressing room into her cousin’s arms. She knew her family was coming for the ceremony later. But she didn’t know Jessica was arriving early. Spending the whole day primping would be fun now that she could spend it with her. Jessica laughed like crazy, hugging her back and taking a deep breath.

“You smell different,” she said. Not being shy about grabbing at her, Jessica yanked the collar of RickyJo’s robe open so she could get a good look at her new mark. She saw a picture of it, the one that Dominic sent her. But the picture didn’t do it justice. It was really quite beautiful, the way the mark shimmered in an iridescent way. Almost like it was lit from within. And the mark wasn’t the only part of her that was glowing. RickyJo’s cheeks were pink and her eyes were sparkling. Jessica had never seen her look so happy before. And while Jessica could smell her mate on her, which was to be expected, there was something different about her own scent. “You smell spicy,” Jessica added, taking another long breath in through her nose. “...Like cinnamon or something.” When she mentioned the change in scent, RickyJo’s face lit up in a big smile. “Ohmygawd,” Jessica squealed. “Are you pregnant already?”

“I went into heat right after I got here,” RickyJo admitted, “...so I think I might be.” She laughed through the tears that were forming as she tried her best to control her emotions. Jessica was already tearing up as she hugged her again.

“You like him then? Everything ‘s going well?,” Jessica asked, looking hopeful. RickyJo was quick to nod her head.

“He’s perfect,” she gushed.

The two women allowed the eager army of stylists and beauticians to settle them down into a couple plush chairs, continuing their conversation while their feet soaked in warm scented water. Grace arrived shortly after, having been invited by RickyJo to join in on her spa day. Carissa poked her head in a few times, but didn’t stay. She’d been actively avoiding RickyJo since their confrontation on the day of the dress fitting. Which suited RickyJo just fine since the woman seemed to be stressing even the finest most insignificant details of the ceremony. And her constant nitpicking was stressing everyone else out. Including RickyJo, who didn’t care whether or not all the tablecloths were the same shade of off white or not.

RickyJo usually didn’t like primping or having people mess with her hair or nails. But sitting with the other two girls, she found she was having fun. They were gossiping and laughing. And once they were encouraged, the women working on their hair and nails joined in on the fun, eagerly filling their new luna in on all the pack gossip. Jessica’s nails were done and she was carefully moving across the room to refill her champagne glass when there was a sudden knock at the door.

“Is everyone decent?,” Dominic asked. RickyJo laughed, teasing and saying that no one was decent but that he could come in anyway. He pushed the door open, entering the room with a giant bouquet of sunflowers in his hands. “Dixon’s been banned from the entire floor,” Dominic explained. “He asked be to come down and bring you these.” Dominic lowered the flowers into RickyJo’s lap. He looked like he was about to make another joke, when suddenly his back went rigid. His eyes flashed black as his wolf pushed to the surface. RickyJo turned, looking to see what had caught his attention. Jessica’s wine flute slipped from her hands, splashing champagne out onto the dressing room carpet.

MINE!

Jessica’s eyes lit up a brilliant shimmering gold as Ruby, her wolf, surfaced to claim her mate.

Mine.

Dominic moved so quickly across the room that he was merely a black eyed blur. He pulled Jessica into his arms, smashing his lips down on hers. They kissed like crazy, nearly devouring each other. Jessica pulled at the belt on her robe, opening it before she shrugged it off her shoulders and dropped it. The plush fabric pooled on the floor near her feet as she jumped up into his arms, pressing her naked body against his. Dominic crushed her against him, fleeing across the room. The closest place with any privacy was the bathroom. He whisked her inside, slamming the bathroom door shut behind them. And a moment later, everyone in the dressing room could hear them f*****g like wild animals. RickyJo’s mouth fell open. She turned towards Grace. And when their eyes met, they both exploded in laughter.

“Can you link Carissa?,” RickyJo asked. “I think we need to make some last minute changes to the ceremony.” Grace nodded with another laugh. Carissa was going to love this. Not only were they about to mess up her perfectly planned down to the last minute evening, not both of her brothers foud their mates. Which meant her son was even further down on the line of succession than he was when he woke up that morning.

“Is there a problem?,” Carissa asked, poking her head into the room.

“No problem,” RickyJo smirked. “...But we’re going to need to make an adjustment to the ceremony. Instead of just introducing me to the pack, we’ll be introducing our new beta female as well.” Carissa’s eyebrows knitted together as she gave RickyJo a questioning look. “Dominic found his mate,” RickyJo explained.

“Well he can’t introduce her to the pack until she’s been marked and mated,” Carissa huffed. Grace let out a high pitched giggle.

“I don’t think that’ll be an issue,” she said, pointing towards the bathroom door. Carissa glanced in the direction Grace indicated. A loud growl emanated from behind the door, followed by the sound of Jessica’s loud cries of pleasure. Carissa gasped. Then just as quickly as she appeared, she was gone, pulling the door shut behind her. The look on her face sent all the women off into another tirade of laughter. When they finally gained control over themselves, one of the stylists was quick to offer her opinion on the situation.

“This is the best ceremony we’ve ever had and it hasn’t even started yet!”