Chapter 180 How Do I Get That?
The air in the clearing didn't just vibrate; it hummed with an ancestral electricity. As Fennigan spoke the final words of the blessing—his voice a resonant anchor that seemed to pull the very moonlight down toward the couple—the sacred silence fractured into a burst of wild, triumphant energy.
One by one, the able-bodied members of the pack began the Shift. It was a symphony of cracking bone and rustling fur, a rhythmic thrum that pulsed through the earth. For the Blackwood and Whisper Wind wolves, this wasn't just a celebration; it was a reclamation of their spirit.
Those who remained—the "guardians of the hearth"—sprang into a different kind of action. Martha, Daisy, and Elana led the charge of the elders, while Vannie orchestrated a team of omegas with the precision of a general. A massive bonfire was roared to life in the center of the clearing, its orange tongues licking the velvet sky and casting a protective, amber glow over the long tables.
Leela sank into a sturdy wooden chair, a deep, soul-level sigh escaping her. She leaned back, watching the firelight dance in Ginny’s eyes as the human woman laughed with the elders. This was the heartbeat of the pack. Not the tactical maps or the blood-stained cells, but this—the simple, defiant peace of a family that had looked into the abyss and decided to dance instead.
Caspian and Briar were absolutely mesmerized. They sat like tiny, blue-clad statues, their mouths hanging open in wide, toothy grins of pure wonder. To them, the sight of their father and the warriors transforming into silver and charcoal shadows was the ultimate magic. They pointed chubby fingers and babbled in their secret twin-language until the pack vanished into the treeline like a silver tide.
But as the last howl faded into the distance and the adrenaline of the ceremony began to ebb, the long day claimed its youngest victims. Caspian turned first, his heavy head thumping against Leela’s shoulder as he rubbed his eyes with a clumsy, frustrated fist.
"Momma," he mumbled, the word trailing off into a yawn that nearly took his whole face.
Briar wasn't far behind. She scrambled into the sliver of lap Leela had left, seeking the familiar, lavender-and-wolf scent of her mother. The "big doggies" were gone, and the excitement of the blue flowers was a distant memory. Now, they just wanted the soft, unshakable safety of the Luna.
Deep in the heart of the forest, the Silver Run was in full swing. The wolves moved as a single, fluid shadow beneath the canopy. But as the first hints of grey began to bleed into the horizon, Fennigan and Toby peeled away from the main group, shifting back into their human forms near a crystal-clear spring to catch their breath.
The silence of the dawn forest was heavy and sweet. Toby sat on a moss-covered log, his chest heaving, his eyes still bright with the glow of the bond. He looked at Fennigan, who stood tall and untroubled by the miles they had just covered.
"Alpha," Toby started, his voice cracking with a sudden, raw earnestness. "I saw the way you looked at the Luna tonight. And the way she looks at you... even when things are falling apart in the Capital, it’s like the two of you are standing in a circle that nothing can break."
He looked down at his hands, his knuckles still white. "How do I get that? How do I build the kind of relationship you and Leela have? I don't want to just be her mate by law. I want to be her... everything. The way you are for her." he shrugged. "How do I do that? How do I make sure she never forgets how much I love her?"
Fennigan turned, the flickering light of the dying night catching the scars on his shoulders. He didn't answer immediately. He looked up at the fading moon, a small, private smile softening the hard lines of his face.
"It’s not a destination you reach, Toby," Fennigan said, his voice a low rumble. "It’s a choice you make every single morning before you even open your eyes. You saw us tonight, in the glow of the roses. But you didn't see the nights Leela stayed awake to wash the literal blood off my back so the twins wouldn't see it. You didn't see the times I had to hold her while she shook with the weight of being a Luna to a pack in mourning."
He stepped closer, placing a heavy, grounding hand on Toby’s shoulder. "If you want what we have, you have to be willing to be her shield when she’s tired of being strong, and her mirror when she forgets how beautiful she is. You don't just 'have' a relationship like ours. You forge it in the fire. You listen to the things she doesn't say. You protect her peace as fiercely as you protect her life." He stared off into the early morning light. "You no longer feel like you are breathing for yourself. You want to make sure that when she looks at you she smiles and wants to say he's mine. Don't cause tears, ever. And if you do find out immediately what you did. "he smiled at the boy. "and then you grovel and beg for forgiveness." He clapped the boy on the back and said, "better head back before that new mate of yours comes looking for you."
Fennigan squeezed Toby’s shoulder, a silent passing of the torch. "You’ve got the heart for it, kid. Just remember: being the mate? The mate protects the soul. Do that, and the rest will follow in time."
Toby nodded, a new kind of resolve settling into his gaze. As the sun finally crested the ridge, turning the dew-heavy leaves into shimmering emeralds, the two men shifted and began the run back toward the smell of Vannie's coffee and the warmth of the women who held their worlds together.