Female Lycan

Chapter Nineteen

Five Months Later

After I killed Draco, his rogue pack no longer had a leader. They didn't know what to do. Most of them weren't really loyal to Draco, to begin with. The ones who were loyal fled the surrounding territories and the others seek harbor in other packs. I was always told the lone wolf goes crazy and won't last on its own. I used to believe that was a bunch of crap until I found where I belong. I forgot what it was like to have a pack, to have people who love and care about you. After centuries of being on my own, I never thought I would be safe or in a pack.

I think that is why I took pity on the rogues who were following Draco. They were lost and looking for a family, a pack. They've been alone for so long, they forgot what it felt like to be loved. Xander thought I was crazy but here we are, five months after the war living in peace and harmony. The pack and the rogues came to an agreement that the rogues would train and work in the pack for a year before they could become, members, to prove their loyalty to a pack they didn't even belong to.

The rogues who wanted to be a part of the pack eagerly agreed. Some have left, giving up on the agreement but there are still many hopeful wolves. Everyone wants to be a part of something. Whether it's a club, a friend group, a family, an organization, or even a pack, no one wants to be alone and everyone wants to belong. We can't allow our own insecurities, grudges, differences, views, or beliefs keep us from allowing people to belong. No two people are the same. Even twins have differences. We're like thumbprints or snowflakes, completely different and intriguing in our own ways.

***

"Annie!" the shrill voice of my best friend sounds through the packhouse. I smile and turn to find her.

"Hey Kenzie," I laugh as we walk towards each other, "what's up?"

"He's here," she says in a hushed voice as she looks around the packhouse. I raise an eyebrow in confusion. There are a bunch of people here right now. We have all the rogues over for a sort of meet and greet with the pack. They have met the pack but not officially. Xander and I decided it was time for introductions and maybe working on integrating them into normal pack life.

"My mate," she whispers and pulls me down a hallway. "oh my goddess, oh my goddess, oh my goddess," she chants as the paces in front of me.

"Calm down," I chuckle, "you're going to burn a hole in the floor." She doesn't seem to like my teasing as her head snaps to mine and she snarls at me. The Luna in me kicks in and I give her a challenging look. Her eyes fill with regret and she mutters, "Sorry."

I grab her shoulders and turn her to face me. "It's going to be okay, you've waited years to meet your mate. You should be excited!"

"I am. I'm just nervous. What if he is ugly? Or old? Or like what if he doesn't like me? oh my, what if he thinks I'm ugly?" she begins to pace again and I can't help but laugh.

"You're a nut, come on. You're like the most beautiful ugly person ever," I joke, winking at her as I pull her back into the living room. "Go mingle, go find your man," I say firmly as I push her out into the people and playfully smack her bum. She scoffs and glares at me before blending into the people.

A pair of strong arms wrap around my waist and I'm embraced in warmth. "Hey love," his husky voice whispers in my ear and I smile. I turn in his arms to face him.

"Hello, mate of mine," I purr and his eyes darken slightly.

We have been teasing each other for months and I can tell he's quickly losing control. After rejecting him, we've had to reignite the mate bond. It's basically like human dating and flirting, except I have to tell him I accept him as my mate. It just takes a while for the bond to regain its strength after being severed. Usually, some random act reignites it. We've tried everything to bring it back, so now we're just waiting. He can't mark me until it comes back or my body will reject the mark. He won't mate with me until he marks me.

"Come on, I want to show you something," he whispers and takes my hand, pulling me out of the packhouse. "What is it?" I ask curiously as I follow him out.

"It's a secret, just come on," he laughs as I pout. We're almost out of the house when McKenzie mind links me that she's found him.

Before I can even open my mouth to say anything Xander sighs and says, "go ahead, she needs you."

"No, I," I start but he stops me. He pulls me to him and kisses my forehead before pushing me back that way, "go."

I do as he says and walk back to the living room. Before I round the corner, I look back at him. He smiles at the ground and then sighs before pulling a small black, velvet box out of his pocket. I don't have a chance to comprehend what I saw before Mason grabs me and pulls me towards his sister.

"Mine," the tall boy growls as McKenzie tries to get out of the corner she's trapped in. She looks at me then Mason, causing the boy to growl again.

"Johnathan," I growl. The boy's head snaps to me and he bows his head, taking a step away from Kenzie. She takes the opportunity to run to me.

"Sorry Luna," he grumbles as he watches McKenzie. I turn to her and wait for her to tell me what is going on.

"I found my mate," she says with childish innocence.

"I see that. So why did you call me in here?" I ask confused.

"Because he put me in a corner growling all 'mine' and crap. I don't belong to anyone and I needed back up," she says sassily.

I glare at her and start to walk away.

"Annie!"

"Deal with your own mate issues Kenzie. Running from them doesn't do you any good, take it from me," I shout as I walk back to where I left Xander. When I get to the doorway, he's no longer there. I sigh and then sniff the air, trying to catch his scent.

It's really aggravating that our bond isn't back yet, it makes it difficult to connect with him. I catch his scent and follow it out of the house. I follow it to the garden in the back and down the cobblestone pathway through the garden. In the distance, I see a silhouette of a man standing on the gazebo that looks over the lake. I walk towards the gazebo and the closer I get, I can tell that it's Xander. He seems aggravated. No, nervous maybe.

I scrunch my eyebrows up in confusion and step onto the gazebo. He senses my presence and turns to face me. "What's wrong?" I ask as I step towards him. He quickly shoves something in his pocket then brushes his fingers through his hair. "Nothing," he shrugs.

I roll my eyes and take his hand in mine. I pull him towards me and put one hand on his cheek. "You can't lie to me Xander, I can tell when you're lying," I say softly. "I know you're nervous about something and I know it's something you want to say or ask me. You're not very good at controlling your emotions," I smile up at him.

"I love you, Anastasia," he says quietly, so quiet I almost missed it. I lean up and softly kiss his lips before pulling away and whispering, "I love you too." I can feel the relief wash over him and he smiles. He takes both my hands and pulls me to the center of the gazebo.

"I know our bond is weak and I know we've done everything we can possibly think of to fix it. Annie, I love you with everything I have. I know you're going to be a loyal mate, a strong Luna, and an amazing mother. I can't wait to be the one who stands by your side through all of that. I can't wait to be your husband, I can't wait to lead this pack with you, and I can't wait to raise our pups with you. So with that being said," Xander starts to kneel down and I can feel the tears welling up in my eyes, "Anastasia Kingston, will make me the luckiest Alpha and marry me?"

*****************

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We have one more chapter left! But don't fret, I already have something else in the works.

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