Autumn After (Waiting Hearts World)

8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Cedric

It was time to introduce Willow to the pack as my mate, and my nerves were shot. Sweat dripped down my spine, despite the cool weather, and I used my shorts to wipe down my clammy hands more than once. When he met my brother, that was easy—he was my brother, and Sid was the most easygoing guy in the pack. Besides, we were kind of surprised by his visit. And with my sister? Well, she could make anyone happy just by being in the same room with her. But this was different. This was meeting not only my extended family, but other pack members. Not all of them would be welcoming of a human in the pack. Some of them might be disappointed that I didn’t choose a mate from within the pack.

They would need to accept a human as my mate. It was a tall order. Even if they couldn’t argue with fate, there still might be some concerns.

As we’d walked through the orchard earlier, we saw a couple of people in the distance, but it wasn’t me who was watching them from afar—it was them watching us. And I knew what that meant. There was some trepidation about having a human here. And make no mistake, they knew he was human. Any shifter could scent it.

Tonight, we were having a pack run. It was the perfect time to rip off the band-aid. Better to address the situation head-on rather than let rumors run wild. It wasn’t anything too formal or important, just a weekly gathering. And really, that was about it—or at least that was the official agenda. Me bringing Willow? Well, that changed the agenda a whole lot.

I intertwined my fingers with his and gave his hand a squeeze. “Are you ready?”

He nodded.

“You’re going to do great.” I pulled his hand to my lips and kissed him. It took great restraint, but I kept the kiss as just a peck. We didn’t need to start ripping off each other’s clothes in public.

“Please let that be true. I don’t want to disappoint them,” he said, his voice cracking. “I know this sounds... I don’t know, odd, but I feel at home here. And yeah, I have a home, but my desire to go back there kind of disappeared. Like, I feel like this is where I belong. And that means I really want to make a good impression.” He was talking a mile a minute, something I noticed he did when he was nervous.

I pulled him in for a hug. “You’re going to make a great first impression, and second impression, and third impression. Because you, Willow, are my mate—the one fate sent just for me. And you are amazing.”

He nodded into my chest, then straightened himself. “Okay, let’s go before I get too nervous.”

We walked out to the clearing where everyone was waiting to begin. Nothing had officially started yet; people were just chatting here and there. I led him to the front, where we’d need to be once the meeting officially began.

We went through the normal routine—the Alpha calling for attention, the formalities—and then it was my turn.

The Alpha had visited my cabin not long after I explained to Willow what we were. I didn’t know how he knew that Willow was there, but he did. He was more than welcoming and promised to help keep things as smooth as possible. It was because of his support that I had the courage to introduce Willow.

“Hello, pack. I’m glad we are all here on this beautiful fall night. As most of you know through the rumors that have spread through the pack, I’ve found my mate, which was probably a surprise to a lot of you who’ve been starting to wonder if I was going to be single forever.”

There were a few chuckles in the back—my attempt at humor fell a bit flat.

I squeezed Willow’s hand. “This is Willow. Willow comes to us from the city, and as you can tell, he’s human. He is my mate, gifted to me from the goddess herself. He’d be happy to meet with all of you and get to know each other better.”

Could I be any more awkward?

“Hi, everyone. I’m Willow,” he said, stepping forward slightly with a wave. “I was on my way to a food truck festival, and my car broke down. I met Cedric, and, well, here I am.”

Sid called out, “That’s how fate works.”

This time, everyone laughed.

“And as Cedric said, I can’t turn into any cool animals, but I can make a mean dumpling and a very large variety of cookies. That’s what I do for a living… I bake and cook. Out of my truck. Which doesn’t actually run right now, but it doesn’t need to in order for the ovens to work.”

And just like that, the mood in the field shifted. Smiles broke out among some of the younger wolves. The older ones were slightly more reserved. But no one was hostile. Not because he could bake, but because he was just so accepting and open. Where I was nervous, here he was, just going with the flow. Such a difference from only a half an hour earlier.

There were a few more points of order for the meeting, but then we had time to socialize. Some wolves went for a run, but many stayed to talk to Willow for a bit. Sid stood by with his mate, Charlie. Willow gave them both a hug before they took off on their run. They really liked him, and I didn’t blame them. I really liked him too.

“Want to meet my wolf?” I asked once most everyone had cleared out of the open area. We were just outside the cluster of homes which was the center of our pack. This open field served as our gathering spot as well as our main location for the Autumn’s Howl festival, which was why we were surrounded by pumpkins of all shapes and sizes.

“More than anything.”

I was already shirtless. I winked at my mate before slipping my sweatpants down my legs. I hadn’t bothered with underwear. He sucked in a breath, and the scent of his arousal mixed with my own. Unfortunately, we didn’t have time for that right then. I did need to let my wolf out. It was a miracle that I’d gone this long without introducing him to my mate.

I closed my eyes and called my wolf forward, letting the shift overtake me.

The next time I opened my eyes I was looking up at my mate through a more focused lens. Even from several feet away, my wolf could see the individual freckles that peppered my mate’s nose and the hint of a mark on his neck where I’d sucked on his flesh.

“You’re magnificent,” Willow said. He dropped to his knees and opened his arms. It was all the invitation my wolf needed.

I trotted toward him and collapsed into his lap like an anxious puppy looking for belly pets. He didn’t disappoint. He rubbed his hands over my fur while my tail wagged, unashamed and unafraid of who saw. If my family could see me now, I’d never live this down. I didn’t care. This was my mate, and my beast was in his arms.

His fingers threaded through my fur, working his way around my shoulders and down my back. If I was a cat I’d purr, but all I could muster was a low rumble.

Willow buried his face in my neck. “You’re so soft.”

I nuzzled against him. My tongue coming out to taste his skin.

He laughed. “That tickles.”

We sat there for a moment longer while he held me. Or rather, I held him down. I was bigger than him. My snout rested against his cheek, and when he blinked, his eyelashes fluttered against my fur. I could stay here with him forever, covering his body with mine while he massaged my body. His breathing was slow and even, his scent letting me know that he didn’t fear me or my pack at all. He was at home here. Just as I was.

“If you want to go for a run, you can. I’ll wait here.” Reluctantly, I got myself out of his lap. He stayed on the ground watching me. “I’ll be here when you get back. I promise.”

I let out a howl and got a response back from several other wolves out on their run.

“That’s so cool,” Willow said.

I gave him one last lick to his cheek and rubbed myself all over him before I trotted off. I might’ve been walking away, but my mate would smell like me always.

Just as I entered the woods, I turned back for one last look. Willow gave me a wide smile and a wave, letting me know once again that he’d be there waiting for me.

This was going to be the quickest run of my life.