These Broken Wings

congratulations

Dominic pulled his collar to the side, displaying his new mark for his brother’s viewing pleasure. Dixon just laughed and shook his head. Dominic had been waiting as long as he had to find his mate. Dixon could understand being overjoyed to find her. But he felt his brother might have at least taken the poor girl up to his room instead of claiming her in the downstairs bathroom.

Ji-min hurried out of the packhouse, taking his place on Dominic’s other side just as the Blood Moon vehicles pulled up in front of them. His wife Sarah took his arm, smiling up at him. They were both already dressed for the ceremony that was due to begin within the next hour. Sarah was wearing one of the long fitted modest style dresses that she preferred. Since RickyJo and Jessica were part of the ceremony, they were still sequestered inside the packhouse. But Grace was outside with her parents. Her long dark hair was swept back from her face and tumbled down her back in soft waves. And unlike her mother, her dress had an open back and was cut low enough to show a hint of cleavage. Seeing her looking so pretty had Dixon eager to see his own mate.

Alpha King’s bodyguards climbed out, followed closely by the old Alpha himself. He turned and helped his Luna out behind him. She looked every bit the perfect luna queen. And her face lit up into a brilliant smile when she laid her eyes on Dixon and Dominic. Augustus’s beta climbed out of the next vehicle. He had Jessica’s daughter with him. But after he helped her and her enormous floofy dress from the car, he turned. Wyatt brushed a piece of his shaggy hair out of his eyes. He titled his head, sniffing at the air. But it was Grace’s wolf Hanja that was the first to recognize her mate.

Naekkeo!

Grace’s eyes lit up as her wolf pushed forward. And then she was rushing across the driveway and into Wyatt’s open arms. Her father gasped and her mother immediately began to tear up, blinking the water from her eyes to try and keep from ruining her carefully applied makeup. Wyatt crushed her against his chest, leaning his head down to kiss her.

With everyone’s attention focused on Grace and her mate, no one noticed at first when one of Augustus King’s warriors stepped out of line. He sniffed at the air in the same manner Wyatt just did, glancing at the household staff as he tried to figure out which one of them he was smelling. The petite red haired omega that worked in the kitchen took a step forward, her eyes already glowing. And her mate rushed across the pavement, sweeping the girl up into his arms and holding her against his chest.

“Attention everyone!,” Dominic hollered, cupping his hands around his mouth to increase the volume of his caterwauling. “In case you haven’t been informed IT IS NATIONAL FIND YOUR MATE DAY TODAY!!! I highly recommend using the downstairs bathroom for all your mating needs!”

Since all semblance of a formal greeting had already gone the way of the dragons, Dixon gave in and let his body shake with laughter while Wyatt and Grace sucked each other's faces off near the vehicle the man just exited. Dixon was secretly thrilled at the match and silently thanked the moon goddess for cutting him a break. Because in all their negotiations, there was one thing he and Augustus weren’t able to agree on when it came to joining their packs. And that was Wyatt. Augustus and his Gamma were both well past ready for retirement. But Wyatt wasn’t. Dixon was prepared to offer the young wolf a lead warrior role. But that was quite the downgrade from the pack Beta position. Now that Wyatt was mated to Grace, Dixon could name him as the pack’s future Gamma. Since Wyatt would be the Gamma of a larger pack than he was currently a Beta of, it would be more of a lateral move for him rather than a downgrade in position.

“Grace!,” Ji-min said, calling his daughter’s name a few more times before he finally managed to get her attention away from her mate. He pointed her towards the house, speaking Korean for what Dixon could only guess meant take your makeout session the hell up to your room because your mother and I don’t want to see that s**t. Because Grace detached herself from the young man long enough to grab Wyatt’s hand and drag him quickly away into the packhouse. The Blood Moon warrior followed their example, hurrying away with his tiny mate cradled carefully in his arms as he looked for somewhere more private to consummate their union.

“Welcome to Silver Mountain,” Dixon said, finally crossing the space between himself and older alpha, extending his hand to the man. Augustus gripped his hand, shaking it and clapping him on the back. His eyes traveled down the mangled side of Dixon’s face to his collar where the edge of his fresh mark was peeking out. Just from the tiny sliver that was visible, he could see that his other granddaughter was right. They were blessed mates.

“I see everything is going well,” Augustus observed with a smile. He’d been praying to the moon goddess for years. For his granddaughter to find her mate. And he couldn’t have picked a better mate for her than the well seasoned warrior in front of him. For a man with a reputation for being ruthless, Dixon Blane had been nothing but kind and patient with his mate. He’d shown an extraordinary level of restraint. More than Augustus thought even he would have been able to show if he was faced with the same situation.

“Poppa!,” Cassie whined, tugging on the man’s jacket. “Where’s momma? Where’s my Aunt Ricky?” Augustus smiled down at the girl before lifting her up into his arms. She rode over in the car with Wyatt. And in all the mate finding chaos, she’d been momentarily lost in the shuffle. Dominic stepped forward, realizing who the little girl was once she referred to the Blood Moon Alpha as her poppa.

“They’re inside getting ready for the party,” Dominic explained. “Would you like to come inside with me and I’ll get you a snack?” He held his arms out, encouraging Jessica’s daughter to come to him. The little girl hesitated at first, keeping her arms wrapped tightly around her great grandfather. But Dominic’s friendly smile finally won her over and she released her death grip on the family man, allowing Dominic to lift her into his arms. He carried the little girl into the packhouse. And before long they were chattering away to each other. When Dixon noticed the confused look on the other Alpha’s face, he realized the man had no idea that his other granddaughter had found her mate.

“I think congratulations are in order,” Dixon said. “While you were on your way here, your other granddaughter found her mate. She’s our new Beta female.” It took a moment for the information to sink in. But when it did, the old man’s face lit up into a grin.

“My Jess and your brother?,” he asked. Dixon nodded in confirmation. “He doesn’t mind that she has a child already?,” Augustus confirmed.

“Well since he’s got her in the kitchen letting her tear into all the party appetizers, I think he’s alright with having a stepdaughter,” Dixon said. With all the women his brother had f****d his way through in the last twenty years, he’d be lucky if he didn’t have a few kids of his own out there. And even if, by blind luck, he’d managed not to get any of his conquests pregnant, Dominic was not in a position to pass judgment on anyone else’s s*x life. Not that he would anyway. That wasn’t his style. Dominic would have accepted his mate no matter who she was or what her past indiscretions were. And her daughter did not diminish Jessica’s alpha lineage. Her mother was the daughter of a pack warrior. And her father was one of the finest Alpha heir apartments that Dixon ever met. The King line was a long and distinguished lineage of alpha wolves. Many of whom had been mated to other alphas. The Blood Moon pack wasn’t the largest or the richest around. Not any more. But it was one of the oldest established packs in the entire country, with a rich history. Dixon was proud that he was about to become part of it.