Closure

Talia’s POV

Sulphur River Pack Lands

“We should go back,” Randall said as I clung to him in the neck-deep water. “In the morning we can go into town and register for our marriage licenses.”

“I’m ready. Tania is itching to spend more time with her boy, I can tell. Mom doesn’t mind, she loves having time with them, but she’s been away too long.” I got Bobby’s attention and gestured towards home, he nodded. “We’re heading back in,” I said loud enough for them to hear over the waterfall.

Eduardo looked at his mate, then shook his head. “We’re going hunting, we need some blood. We don’t need the sleep anyway.” Vampires didn’t have to sleep at all, and as hybrids we were finding we could get by with an hour or two a day. It was fine with me.

I wasn’t planning to let Randall sleep much.

“Coming,” Bobby said as he carried Tania to the rock. Lifting her up, she shifted back into her wolf and waited for him to do the same. Randall and I got out, shaking off the water before shifting. We followed the pair back to our clothes, then went back inside.

It was late, and many had gone to sleep already. We showered quickly then got into bed. “You tired?”

“Relieved,” he said. “I don’t like being apart from you when people are in danger. I couldn’t stop worrying until I finally heard from you, then we hear about Dusty and it all starts again.”

“It’s going to be better now,” I said as I tucked into his side. “I love you,” I said.

“I love you, and I’m going to love you right proper tonight,” he said with a smirk. He pulled me close, kissing me passionately before moving down to my breasts. I never thought of them as anything special, I was too athletic to have cleavage. He didn’t care, his big hands took hold of them and I moaned in pleasure as his tongue hit my swollen nipple. He kept his hands busy with them as his mouth moved lower, kissing the ridges of my stomach before settling between my legs.

“Oh Luna that’s good,” I said as he took a long lick, his wide tongue pushing my lips aside. I was waiting for him to reach my clit when he froze. I looked down, my fingers in his hair, and tried to pull him to where I wanted him to go. He stared at my needy pussy with his mouth open in shock before his eyes met mine. “What?”

“You don’t know?”

Oh shit. I should have known, but I wasn’t planning to tell anyone until his father arrived. “I was trying to figure out how to tell you,” I said. “It’s still really early, the Doctor figured it out when I was being checked after the attack.”

“You’re pregnant, love.” I nodded, and he moved up and rolled onto his back, pulling me on top of him. “We’re going to be parents.”

“Yes.” I was happy and scared and worried, and I couldn’t tell for sure what he felt about it. “Are you happy? We never talked about this, I’m still young, we’re not even married, we haven’t started our new job, we haven’t even LIVED together and what will everyone think and…” He pulled me into a kiss, stopping my monologue of reasons why this wasn’t the best news for us. When he let me up for air, he was smiling. “You’re happy?”

“I’m thrilled, Talia. I’m shocked, but this is great news. I can’t wait to tell everyone.”

I relaxed into his arms, relieved he wasn’t mad. We’d never discussed birth control or when we wanted kids, we just mated and enjoyed each other. I thought I was all right because I didn’t go into heat, but who knew what the normal was for a hybrid? “Maybe we should wait to say something, at least until I’m a little farther along?”

He rolled me onto the bed, propping himself up on his elbow. “What’s the matter? Did the doctor say something?”

“No, it’s just very early. I’d feel better if we waited until the end of the first trimester, just to make sure we’re past the dangerous part.” Werewolf pregnancies were rare and early miscarriages were common. No one knew why, but it did keep the population from growing out of control with our longer lifespans.

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I didn’t know how you would react, and with everything else going on I thought I would wait.”

He kissed me again, then moved down and kissed just below my belly button. “Hey little one, it’s Daddy. I can’t wait to see you when you’re ready.”

I started to cry as I watched him; he was going to be a great Dad, and I was so happy.

I had to convince him that making love was not going to harm the baby, and he finally gave me what I needed before we fell asleep.

I woke to a kiss, Randall was sitting on the edge of the bed and was dressed. “Come on, love,” he said. “The other girls want to make an entrance with you to the breakfast table. There’s betting going on over whose ring gets noticed first.”

“Really? You woke me up for that?”

“When it’s worth twenty bucks, yeah. Come on, breakfast will be ready in twenty minutes, then we need to go to the courthouse.” I rolled out of bed, showered and changed quickly and was ready to go. I looked down at my ring, I loved the design I’d picked out and the other girls had made great choices too.

We walked out of his room when Bobby knocked and said they were ready to go. Tania was jumping with excitement as I hugged her, and Erica was raring to go. “Remember, no overt acts or you’re disqualified,” Eduardo said.

We walked down to the dining hall on the main floor of the Pack House. Breakfasts were buffet style and served for two hours to accommodate different schedules. We got in line, and the smells of the food really hit me. The eggs did something to my stomach, I didn’t like it and then my stomach started to flip. I ran out the doors again, pushing open the ladies room door and barely made it to the stall before I threw up.

I flushed the toilet as I sat back, trying to get my stomach to settle again. The door opened and I smelled Patricia coming in. “You all right dear? Morning sickness already?”

“Yes,” I said. I stood up and went to the sink, running some water and cupping my hands to wash my face. She found a paper cup and some mouthwash and handed it to me, I swished out my mouth and grabbed the sink as I spit it back out.

“OH MY LUNA WHAT A RING,” she yelled as she grabbed my hand. “When did he propose?”

“Last night,” I told her. “Come on, let’s go back out before too many questions are asked.”

“He’s going to know something is wrong over the bond, Talia. You need to tell him.”

“I did, also last night,” I said. We walked back out, and a few people were gathered around. People had heard what Mom said, and then there were more squeals of happiness as Tania and Erica’s rings were spotted. All the females were gathered around the three of us, while the men accepted handshakes and congratulations.

“What did you boys do last night,” Mom said as she bounced with excitement.

“We all got engaged, we’re heading to get our marriage licenses after breakfast,” Randall said as he pulled me into his arms. “We are going to take advantage of everyone being here to pull off a triple wedding.”

That shut her up.

For about ten seconds.

“WELL GO EAT we have SO much to do have you picked out dresses and FLOWERS how will we and EAT ALREADY! We have so much to do!”

“Mom, it’s all right,” I said. “We have lots of time to get everything planned. We have to wait until Dad is here and Dusty’s change is over before we do this, so we have until moonrise tomorrow.”

Her mouth dropped open, and she just looked at the six of us in shock. “Tomorrow night.” We just nodded as we waited for her to come back to us. “You expect me to put together THREE weddings in two days?”

“Yep,” Bobby said. “That’ll keep you from worrying about Dusty.”

“There’s nothing we can do to help Dusty; we know what the change involves,” I said. “Plan the reception dinner and dancing, we’ll take care of the ceremony.”

We finally got our food and sat down with Mom, Kimberly, Vivian and Denise. Splitting out the responsibilities among them, we finished just as my pancakes were done. I looked over at Kimberly. “Is Jarrod still with Dusty?”

“He is,” she said. “He’s in and out of lucidity, the fever is still going and he’s in a lot of pain. He should come out of it tomorrow afternoon.”

I got up and gave her a hug. “He’s strong, it isn’t fun, but he will be all right. So will you when you take the change.”

“I’m scared, Talia,” she whispered. “I don’t know if I can do it.”

“We’ll be with you.” Randall and I went with her to see her mate while Bobby arranged transport. It was a long day; we got our licenses, then drove to Dallas to shop for dresses and get the men their suits. We weren’t going to look the same, and we weren’t stuck on frilly white. Only werewolves and vampires were going to be present at this ceremony, and you couldn’t wear something that couldn’t be pulled off easily when it was time to shift for the hunt. Satisfied with our selections and with express alterations, we were able to head home after dinner.

The next afternoon, Randall carried his oldest brother out to the horse corral. We warned everyone else away for safety including Kimberly, who watched from the upper floor of the Pack House. Only the hybrids and vampires were allowed to be around as Dusty came out of his change.

The fever was gone, and when his eyes opened the pupils were black as night, the whites of his eyes tinged with the red of bloodlust. Fangs descended as he searched for the scent of the fresh blood. We had cut the side of a sheep tied to the fence, and in a flash Dusty was on it. His fangs bit into the animals neck and he pulled deeply at the warm blood. “You made it, Dusty. You’re like me now,” he said. “Just relax and fill yourself with the blood, it will calm you down.”

It took a few minutes for him to drain the animal and for his vampire nature to be satisfied. Jarrod and I ran him through some exercises to get him familiar with his new capabilities. “Why can’t I feel my wolf,” he asked.

I told him our theories about how his being bitten first, and his human body dying, might have affected things. “Your wolf might come back on his own, or you might be like Tania and Kimberly could bite you and get him back. We’ll have to see what happens.”

He nodded, looking around with his new senses. “I’m alive,” he said. “That’s better than I had expected.” He looked over at Jarrod. “I’m starving, do you think I’m safe?”

Jarrod explained the early signs of bloodlust and how to maintain control. “For the next week, a vampire or hybrid is going to be with you at all times to help you adjust and make sure everyone is safe.”

“I understand.” We walked him back towards the house, and Kimberly and his children ran out to meet him.

That night, the back of the Pack House had been transformed with lights and flowers into a magical setting for a triple wedding. “You ready to go,” Jarrod asked me.

I nodded. We had drawn straws, and I was going out first with Jarrod giving me away. I stepped out of the house, walking along the path to the stage where our mates were waiting. I was wearing a sheer silver halter dress that clung to my chest, then molded around my stomach and hips before ending at mid-thigh. The halter left my toned back and shoulders exposed, and a slit in the side would give him a flash of leg as I walked. Erica was next, she had picked a light blue mermaid-style off-the-shoulder dress that hugged her figure. Alpha Clark had come down from La Crosse to give her away. Finally, Tania came out in black dress with crystals sewn into the bodice and along the side. She was looking healthy now, and radiated happiness as Brent walked her down the aisle.

Our men were waiting, dressed in suits with ties that matched our dresses. Elder Mildred Childress was performing the marriage, made legal by a mail-order ordination she’d gotten decades earlier. I hugged Jarrod, then he put my hand in Randall’s as we faced each other.

The ceremony flew by, the vows were repeated, and the rings exchanged. I barely noticed the crowd as we kissed after being pronounced husband and wife.

The party went well into the night, and I was shocked at the number of guests that had shown up. The Texas packs were well represented, but they weren’t alone. The Wisconsin Packs, especially Tomah and La Crosse, had many of their members show up. The new Werewolf Council and the remaining Vampire Council members were all here, combining the wedding with their first joint meeting. It was wild.

I was sitting at our table while Randall went to get me some water when Tania sat down in my lap. “How are you doing,” I asked.

She was crying as she looked out over the party. “I never dreamed I’d be this happy,” she said as I hugged her. “I would have died if you hadn’t found me. Thank you for not giving up on me. You saved my life.”

“You saved me too, sis. I was full of anger and had nothing else to live for. You gave me a reason to go on. Now look at how our lives turned out.”

She wiped her face and leaned into me. “I love you, Talia. The only way life could be better would be if you were pregnant too.”

I looked at her, she looked at me, and then we hugged each other again as we celebrated.

The End