Ryker and I had been lying in bed just relaxing when the sounds of tiny footsteps could be heard, thundering up the stairs. Tristian was finally home. Both of us broke out in grins, thinking of completing the bond with him. This was it, he would be ours after his.

“Mummy! Daddy!”

Tris giggled as he threw open the door and jumped into the bed with us. A loud ‘OOMF’ left Ryker’s lips as Tris landed on him. I couldn’t help but widen my grin at the sight of them. I could watch them for hours and never get bored, they were just so adorable.

“Tristian, we want to talk to you about something.”

I said as I pulled him off Ryker and tucked him comfortably between my legs. He snuggled up, his back to my chest, his little hands holding on to my arms that were wrapped around him.

“Are you going to mark me now?”

He asked excitedly. His little doe eyes wide. I looked to Ryker –who looked just as shocked as I was- and shook my head. We could never get anything past him, so really we shouldn’t be too surprised that he knew.

“How did you know about that, sweetie?”

I did my best to keep a straight face. Though with the next sentence that came out of his mouth, my face dropped –along with my jaw- as I took in his words.

“The Moon Goddess told me.”

Ryker was just as stunned. His eyes the size of baseballs, it would have been a funny sight had it not been for the subject.

“You talk to the Goddess?”

Ryker finally snapped out of it, his question full of wonder and awe.

“Yea…she’s really lovely. She plays with me sometimes in my dreams. She said that soon you and mummy would mark me and I would be yours.”

He was now practically bouncing up and down on my lap. I couldn’t help but chuckle. He told Cordy about this once, at the time I didn’t understand, but now I did.

“Is that what you want, honey? I’m not sure if it’ll hurt or not?”

“Oh, it won’t! She said it wouldn’t.”

He gave me a prize winning, toothy grin. I could feel my wolf prancing in my mind, she was just as excited as he was for this. We already thought of him as ours, but this would make him blood.

I know you’re excited about this, but is it wrong? He had wonderful parents –from what I hear- I don’t want to take that away from him.

I asked my wolf, I couldn’t forget about Eric and Haley. I had talk to others about them, tried to gather all I could, so when the day came I would be able to tell Tris about the wonderful people that he came from, the wonderful people that gave me my little bundle of joy. I couldn’t let their memory die and I won’t let Tristian think badly about them.

We won’t, we can still tell him about them. He deserves that much, but this is meant to be.

I knew she was right. He would never be fully mine, but I would be thankful and cherish the time I have with him. He wouldn’t be mine, but he would be my blood. That was all I could ask for.

“Dallas?”

Ryker’s tone laced with concern, I shook my head and gave him a small smile. I hadn’t realized I spaced out, again. I had seemed to be doing that a lot lately. It was something I needed to work on, the last time I had let my mind wonder, I was shot with a damned dart.

“Sorry, just talking to my wolf…never thought I’d get to say that.”

I laughed, I widened my eyes while poking Tris little tummy. It was still a little weird to have her, but I wouldn’t wish her to leave for anything.

You love me, its ok you can admit it.

I rolled my eyes at her, though she had lost a fair bit of her snarkiness with me, she still annoyed the shit out of me sometimes.

Yea, yea. Just cause I wouldn’t get rid of you, doesn’t mean I love you. I tolerate you. Let us not get that confused.

I mentally smirked. She knew I was lying but thankfully didn’t call me out.

Well you little shit…I love you. Now go mark our pup!

I laughed, that was so unexpected but very welcomed. I quickly sent her an ‘I love you too’ and turned my full attention back to Ryker and Tristian. Warmth and love spread throughout me and I knew it was the bond of my wolf and I growing.

“Ok, well let’s do this!”

I couldn’t hold in my excitement, nearly screaming out my demand. I just wanted to hurry and get to the good part. The part where I could pull him into my arms and know he was truly a piece of me and Ryker.

We all went to our knees, Ryker on his right, me on his left. Our marks would be similar to that of a mate, but instead of on his neck, ours would rest on his inner wrist. Two permanent white inked marks that would forever tell everyone who he belonged to, who loved him, and would kill anyone who tried to hurt him in any way.

Keeping eyes locked on him, we bent down and brought his wrist to our mouths. Just as our canines elongated and pierced his skin, the small –inaudible- pop it made sent a tremor down my spine. I prayed the Goddess was right, that this wouldn’t hurt my baby.

His tiny gasp nearly had me pulling back but the feeling that came the moment his blood hit my tongue was beyond anything I had ever felt. That same cooling feeling I got when putting a wolf back into their human body after I had taken the human out was present, but this time it was accompanied with little slivers of white and gold rays.

Rays that could be seen traveling down –both Ryker and I’s- arms, to the tips of our fingers. Love, happiness, and wholeness filled me as Tristian mentally asked for one of each of our fingers to be brought up to his own lips.

To see his fangs spring out was both shocking and wonderful at the same time. He shouldn’t have them but instinct told me it was something happened during this process and not to worry about it.

I felt a tiny prick but there was no pain from it, if anything it felt like one of his soft and warm feather kisses, on my finger. This really was amazing the taste of his sweet, almost berry like blood flowed down my throat. Spreading throughout my body, the tiny black thread that appeared in my head giving off a glow. Like the moon would against the black night skies.

I knew it was Tristian’s thread, unlike the others who possessed black threads, his was lightened by the glow. It was a small glimpse of what color his wolf would be. I had come to realized –while shedding the other wolves- there would be a solid color of their thread with the undertone of black if they were evil. Tristian’s was the complete opposite. His was glowing with the midnight undertone.

It was beautiful.

Just as quickly as it started, it was over. The process was done but the feelings that came during it still stayed. I could feel my wolf purring with a range of emotions but the most predominate was love.

Running my tongue over the bite mark, I pulled back to see the small, white raised indents swirl and take the shape of letters, letters that spelled out my name. On his other wrist Ryker’s brand was just as beautiful as mine. I could feel a tingle on my left wrist and looked down to see Tristian’s name printed on my skin.

I looked up to Ryker who was admiring his own, only his was on his right. Our marks were complete and would stay forever, we were finally whole. I grinned as I looked at my family. At my mate and my pup and felt everything negative melt away as I thought about our lives together.

After Ryker and I had marked Tristian, Jax had all but come and stolen our pup. Reminding me I needed to re-mark my mate and that things would be….too ‘adult’ for Tris to be home during. I was thankful after, things were so much more intense this time around, and the fact that Ryker was…well, sexy as hell, didn’t help.

We had spent the better part of three hours making love over every surface of our room, bathroom, and once in the kitchen. Who knew the cold steel of our fridge was such a great place to be pinned to?

The marks we had given each other before stayed the same, yet, it was what Ryker gained that really shocked the hell out of us. He was able to see what I saw when I looked at each Weres thread, finding those from all over, hearing their thoughts with me. He basically got a more powerful extension into my own mind but the best thing- to him anyway- was the fact that his wolf grew as well. Instead of the nearly 8 foot wolf he normally had, his wolf shot up to an intimidating 10 footer. His senses and strength always heightened with the mark.

Even John’s wolf changed after I completed the bond with him. The process wasn’t very different from a normal marking –without the sex of course! Since he wasn’t my mate- but a simple bite to my wrist and his mark appeared on the small protruding wrist bone of my outer wrist, looking like a regular tattoo.

The small wolf head with a red moon in the back ground looked beautiful against my skin. Jax said John’s mark was never meant to be like that of my mates or Tris’s since we didn’t share a physical or motherly bond. He was my protector and his mark was not meant to draw attention, therefore looking like a normal blacked inked piece of art.

And now here I am, with Jax in Ryker’s office talking. I had missed my friend and just wanted to catch up on his life since I’ve been away. He seemed a bit put off or preoccupied. Like he had something else to do and was trying to finish our talk up sooner rather than later.

“Ok, what the hell is with you?! Do I suddenly bore you?”

I snapped, annoyed the only person I allowed close to me before I found Ryker, now seemed distant.

“Sorry, Red. I just want to check on Tris. You know, make sure he’s ok and all.”

I looked him over, ever since he’s met him, he’s had this closeness to him that –up until now- I had failed to see clearly. I had just assumed that he wanted to watch out for him for me. But now….I had a feeling it was something much different, much stronger.

He followed him everywhere. He officially kicked Shane off of his guard duty, which at the time was great since his mate –and my guardian- needed to be trained up properly and since he was one of the packs most skilled fighters to be, it would be good for him to train John.

Tristian seemed to be drawn to him as well, he would always ask for him when he went off to feed or at night when he knew Jax was just down the hall in the spare room we set up for him. Their relationship was rather cute, I loved seeing my friend and son getting on so well. I loved that Jax became something like an uncle to him….or that was how I saw it.

Now, I’m not so sure.

“What are you hiding from me, Jaxson Dean Grey?”

I narrowed my eyes at him. Something was going on and I wanted to know what.

“Relax. I just worry about the lad. In case you haven’t noticed I’m rather fond of the pup. He’s so much more amusing and fun than you, and also doesn’t have his tongue down the Alpha’s throat every time I see him!”

He chuckled at the end, I knew what he was doing. He was trying to distract me.

Let it go. He’ll tell us in time. Let’s just be thankful we have someone we can trust watching after our pup. I know he would die for Tristian if need be and that is all I need to know for now.

She was right, my friend only wanted to keep Tris safe and happy. Who was I complain to about it. So letting go of my suspicions, I feigned hurt –covering my heart with my hand and sniffling away fake tears- I whined.

“You don’t love me anymore! I’m boring to you now!”

His deep chuckle was nice to hear as he walked over to me. Wrapping his arms around my shoulders and pulling me to his chilly chest.

“Oh, Red, don’t fret. I still love you…even if you are boring.”

He jumped out of my way when my hand wiggled free to try and slap him.

“Now, I have a midget to check on before I crawl into my coffin and become dead to the world.”

I rolled my eyes at him. Of course he was kidding. Vampires are not the undead, blood draining, avoiding sunlight creature most think they are. In fact, besides the blood drinking and the fact that he runs colder than most humans –oh and the speed and strength- you would never be able to tell he was a vamp. They blend in quite well and only need a pint of blood every so often to survive.

“My son is not a midget! He’s four, they come that small!”

I busted out laughing at Ryker’s comment. He had appeared in the doorway seconds before and just stood back watching me.

“Well, he’s still a midget to me. Now if you’ll excuse me, I promised my midget a story.”

“I’m going to tell him you called him that, we’ll see what that ‘midget’ will do to you when he hears.”

Ryker threaten playfully. The look on Jax’s face was priceless, his eyes bugged out and breathing hitched before he smirked and looked at me.

“You wouldn’t dare...or I would tell Red what you call her.”

With that he ran around Ryker and bolted down the hall. Leaving a stunned and seemingly scared Ryker to face me. Lifting a brow at him, I crossed my arms over my chest and stared him down.

“I didn’t mean to call you it, it slipped once and I just so happen to be around the guys.”

I froze, worried it was something bad. He must have seen my fear and hurt because the next thing I knew, I was in his arms pressed tightly to his chest as his hand ran over my hair.

“It wasn’t bad baby, but I still shouldn’t have said it. I wasn’t thinking and only half there, part of me was so wrapped up in what we had done that morning that it just kind of slipped and when the guys asked what I was talking about, Ken kind of figured it out and you know him, he said the first thing that came to his mind. I stopped the conversation right there, I promise.”

I looked up at him, waiting for him to go on. I knew it had to do with sex, I just hoped it wouldn’t be something horrid that would embarrass me whenever I saw the guys.

“I called you my tiger-wolf. I’m so sorry baby, I know I should have been more mindful of my thoughts and surroundings.”

He sighed, defeated, and looked everywhere but in my eyes. I tried to keep a straight face but couldn’t help the grin that took over my lips and cheeks. He basically told them I was a tiger in bed…which is not a bad thing, and it was a slip up. I knew he would never parade our sex life about like that.

He was the Alpha and my mate and would kill anyone who even thought of me in that way. So for him and his wolf to let something like that slip…I knew he must have felt awful. Though, that didn’t mean I wasn’t going to punish him for it.

“It’s ok, love. But you do realize what this means don’t you?”

I smirked as he looked at me curiously.

“It means you have to run me a nice hot bath and give me a full body massage before bed…no funny business during either of those either.”

I kept my tone stern and pointed. I knew I would never last with his hands on me, but that was ok, he just had to believe I could. Without hesitation, he grinned and started to pull me towards our room.

Following my mate, I couldn’t help but think of Jax’s words from our earlier conversation.

 ‘Today you enjoy your ‘ever after’, because who knows what tomorrow will bring.’

Looking at my amazing mate as he sat me down on the bed and ran to start the water, I thought how lucky I was to get someone like him. How lucky I was to have someone who loved me so unconditionally and whole-heartedly, the way he does.

I also thought about Tristian. How his little smile and big bright eyes changed me. Between Ryker and him, I would never need anything more, but I was grateful for being blessed with such an amazing pack and wonderful friends I have come to have. And for all that, I would enjoy today with them.

Today was meant for me and those I loved.

Tomorrow would just have to wait.

 *The End of Book 1*

*You are the best thing- Ray LaMontagne ~~>*

Blood Wolf has over 1M read!! Thank you to everyone who read, voted, commented, n followed! I promise Book 2 (Golden Wolf) will be up within a few weeks. Thank you all again!

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