Mark You in This Life

14: Homecoming

14: Homecoming

Kai's POV

After Sebastian left, Freya, Sergei, and I made our preparations for our trip back to Silver Mountain. I had an anxious, excited feeling in my chest. I hadn't called back and told my parents and Zach that I had found my mate. I wanted it to be a surprise. The last thing I had been expecting when I had made my way to Forest Moon for Darius's Alpha Ceremony was that I'd find my mate. I was over the moon (pun absolutely intended) that I had found her. And while I normally told my parents and Zach everything about my out-of-pack business, this was something that I had wanted to keep to myself for just a little while longer. Even Sergei had been sworn to secrecy.

We had lunch with Freya's family, and then went to our rooms to finish packing and gather Freya's things. Once Sergei and I had loaded up the car with ours and Freya's things, we made our way back into the packhouse, where Freya was saying her goodbyes to her family.

"I'm going to miss you so much!" Mei sobbed, hugging Freya. "I'm happy you found your mate, but it's not going to be the same without you!"

Freya chuckled, running a hand through her best friend's hair. "I won't be that far away," she said, her voice soothing. "Silver Mountain is only a couple of hours away. And the baby will be here soon. I'm definitely not missing that. And you're coming to my Luna Ceremony, right?"

Mei sniffled, giving Freya another hug before letting go, and Darius stepped forward.

"Mouse is right though," he said, "It's not going to be the same having you just down the hall. But at least I don't have to worry about you showing me up in training anymore."

Freya chuckled, playfully elbowing her brother in the gut before giving him a hug. "I can still come back for a training session every so often if you want to get put on your butt for old time's sake." She then wrapped him a hug. "But I'm going to miss you, too. And I'm so proud of the Alpha that I know you're going to be."

Darius looked at me, tears brimming his eyes. "Take good care of her," he said, clasping my hand.

I nodded. "I will, don't worry."

Freya's parents were next. "I'm so proud of the Luna I know you're going to be," Slyvia said, kissing her daughter's cheeks. "I know you'll do great things for Silver Mountain."

James nodded, wrapping Freya in a hug of his own. "Your mother is right," he said, kissing her forehead. "I am immensely proud of the woman that you've become." He then turned to look at me. "I know that you and Alpha Kai will be a great Alpha and Luna pair. I'm happy that both of my children have found mates that bring out the best in them, and they can bring out the best in you, too."

Freya stepped back, and I could see that she was tearing up, as well. Though I knew that she was excited for us to start our new life at Silver Mountain together, she was also leaving the home that she had always known. It couldn't be that easy for her. She had a lifetime of good memories and experiences attached to Forest Moon.

Darius stepped forward again, taking her hands in his. "This is the worst part," he said, scowling a bit. "Even though I know it's for a good reason. I, Alpha Darius Wilder, release you, Freya Wilder, from Forest Moon. Though you are no longer a member of this pack, you are always welcome here whenever you like."

A surge of energy rushed through the room, as Freya was released from the pack mind link. Of course, she'd still be able to link her family, but it definitely wouldn't be the same as being able to reach the whole pack.

Freya sniffled a bit, and I wiped the tears from her eyes, hugging her close to me. I kissed the top of her head, before tilting her chin up so I was looking in her eyes. "You ready to meet your new pack, Luna Freya?" I asked, kissing her lips gently.

Freya nodded. "I'm ready, Alpha Kai," she said, stepping out of my arms and taking my hand. "Let's go home."

Freya's POV

The ride to Silver Mountain was fairly uneventuful. Kai sat in the back seat of the SUV with me, and I just cuddled up next to him. Sergei threw in a couple of comments about how we were forbidden from doing anything in the back seat, and I just rolled my eyes. Though I could tell that he was going to drive me absolutely crazy, I decided that I liked Sergei. He was a goofball, but I could tell that at the end of the day, Kai and protecting the pack were important to him.

At some point, I drifted off into a nap for a little bit. Thankfully, I didn't have any dreams about Neoma, and woke up when I felt Kai gently nudging my shoulder.

"We're here," he whispered in my ear. "You're going to want to see this."

I opened my eyes, yawning groggily, before going to look out the window. I blinked, once, twice, three times. I couldn't quite believe what I was seeing in front of me.

"Oh my Goddess," I said, my mouth agape. "It's huge."

Sergei snorted. "Yeah, I bet that's what you said the first time."

Kai scoffed. "What are you, nine?"

I rolled my eyes, but didn't pay attention to their bickering. I was too taken with what I was seeing in front of me.

I thought that Forest Moon's territory was big. Silver Mountain was huge. The SUV made its way into a vast forest, with various houses and outbuildings scattered throughout. I guessed that this was where the pack members' individual houses and pack village were located. I saw wolves running freely through the woods, and non-shifted pack members going about their daily activities. A large lake sat at the base of a mountain.

And looking at the mountain itself, it was rather impressive. It loomed over the forest, keeping it safe and secure from any intruders who might want to come in through the backway of the territory. At the foot of the mountain, a large, ski-lodge-style house sat, with several wolves outside, playing with each other. Sergei pulled the SUV into a large garage, and we stepped out of the car.

"I'll give you an official territory tour later," Kai said, "But what do you think?"

I inhaled. "It's really impressive," I said. "And I thought Forest Moon's territory was expansive." I went to get my luggage out of the car. "Silver Mountain is...a lot. But in a good way."

We grabbed our luggage from the car, and made our way into the packhouse, and once again, I was awestruck. The main foyer was welcome and inviting. There was a fireplace off to the side, with some very comfy-looking armchairs in front that were presently empty. I could see through the hallway to what looked like a rather large dining hall. I looked to the side to see a winding staircase that presumably led up to the living quarters. To the left of the staircase, there was another hallway that led down to the common areas. To the right, there was an elevator.

"This packhouse is gigantic," I said, stating the first thing that popped to mind.

Kai laughed. "Yeah, we've expanded it to have enough space for everyone. The first floor is the kitchen, dining hall, and common areas. Everyone comes and goes as they please. The second floor is for any unmated warriors or house staff that want to live in the packhouse, though they can stay in one of the cabins if they want their own space, instead. The third floor is offices. The fourth floor is the Gamma floor, where Zach lives. The fifth floor is the Beta floor, where Sergei lives. And the sixth and final floor, is the Alpha floor, where you and I will be residing."

I opened my mouth to say something, but as I did, I noticed a small group of people rushing out to the foyer, as Sergei also came in from the garage.

"Yay, Kai is back!" A young girl with Kai's russet brown skin tone said, practically bouncing up and down. She had long black hair that she'd pulled back into a ponytail, a round face with wide brown eyes, and she was a little on the shorter and curvy side. I couldn't help but be reminded of Mei a little bit.

Kai chuckled, giving the girl a hug as she practically barreled into him. "I missed you too, Momi," he said, ruffling her hair. "Did you behave yourself?"

Momi rolled her eyes. "I always behave myself," she said, pouting a little bit.

Kai gave her another hair ruffle. "I know you better than that."

A tall man with olive skin, a muscular build, curly black hair, and hazel eyes stepped forward next. "Everything ran smoothly while you were away, Alpha," he said.

Kai gave him a grin. "Zach. I know the pack was in good hands while Sergei and I were in Forest Moon. You can cut it with the Serious Gamma act."

Zach scowled. "It's not an act," he said, rolling his eyes. "Someone has to take our job seriously around here." At that, he shot a very pointed look at Sergei, who simply winked at him.

"And who might this beautiful young woman be?" I turned my head to see a tall woman with Kai and Momi's same skintone walking toward me. Like Momi, she had a broad grin on her face. Next to her was a tall, muscular man with long graying brown hair and olive skin.

Kai pulled me close to him. "I'm glad someone finally asked," he said. "This is my mate, Freya Wilder."

Every exploded into various reactions at once, and Momi rushed me into a hug. Had I not made a mental note to brace myself, she probably would have toppled me over.

"I'VE ALWAYS WANTED A SISTER!!!!" She shrieked, and I winced a little bit. She seemed like a nice kid, but she was definitely very excitable.

The tall woman shot Momi a look, and she let go of me, stepping back and grinning sheepishly. "Momi," she said, "She just got in the door. Let her breathe." She stepped forward, extending a hand to me. "So my son finally found his mate. I couldn't be happier. He's been searching for his Luna for quite sometime now. I'm Iolana. Griffin, Kai's mother. It's so wonderful to meet you, Freya. I can't wait to get to know you."

I took her hand, shaking it, as she then pulled me into a hug. While I was caught a little off-guard at first, I quickly relaxed. There was definitely something calming about Iolana. I could just tell that we were going to get along fantastically.

Kai's father pulled me into a hug of his own. "It's an honor to finally meet you in person, Freya," he said, smiling at me. "I'm Ezekiel Griffin, Kai's father and the former Alpha of Silver Mountain. Alpha James has spoken very highly of his daughter over the years. It makes me happy to find out that you're joining our family."

I couldn't help but feel at ease at Kai's family's reactions to me. Though Kai had assured me that they would like me, I couldn't help but feel a little nervous at first. Meeting my mate's family was something that I had been looking forward to, but also couldn't help but feel a little anxious about it. Knowing that they all liked and accepted me definitely made leaving my home to start my new life at Silver Mountain all the better.

Once I'd been released from Ezekiel's hug, Zach turned to me, giving a bow. "It's my honor to serve you, Luna," he said. "Welcome to Silver Mountain."

Sergei laughed, rolling his eyes. "Dude. You're making me look bad."

Zach gave him a grin. Okay. That was good to know that he didn't take himself super seriously all of the time. "Let me guess, you tackled her into a hug, once again forgetting that personal space is a thing that everyone except you values?"

Sergei grumbled, crossing his arms. "No."

I chuckled. I could tell that the three of them had a great dynamic, and I couldn't wait to see it in action.

Kai grabbed my hand. "Now, if you excuse us, we've had a long drive, and I'd like to take my Luna up to our room so we can unpack and unwind a bit."