Chapter 26 - The Marking

Everyone was still sitting in Alannah’s office in stunned silence, trying to process everything Kaleigh had said. They all had lots of questions but did not want to ask because she had said that all would be revealed when it was time. That did not make it any easier to not ask questions. Dominick tried to control Ash from taking over, grabbing their mate and hiding where no one could find them.

*“Dominick, we cannot allow this witch to get anywhere near our mate, and I am concerned about Kaleigh’s plan. We know that she is not afraid to sacrifice herself for others. I think we should mark our mates so that we can be completely connected to them.”* Dominick was thinking about what Ash said, and he agreed.

It would be better to go ahead and mark their mates so they could be completely connected. It would also allow him to feel what Kaleigh feels even more than he already does. Dominick just hoped that she and Skylar would agree. They could always have their actual ceremony later, but he thought marking each other was more important.

“Kaleigh, Ash, and I think it would be better to go ahead and mark each other. We can have the ceremony later, but we can be fully connected by marking each other. What do you think?” Dominick was nervous that she may disagree and want to wait for the ceremony.

“Skylar and I agree, Dominick. We think it would be best if we could be connected to you and the whole pack. Especially with the fight that is coming our way. Alpha and Luna, do you agree that this is acceptable? We will need your blessing to do it without the ceremony.” Kaleigh was glad that Dominick wanted to go ahead with marking each other. It would be a relief to be able to mindlink him and Ash and the rest of the pack.

“I agree with Dominick. I don’t think you can wait. Alannah, Felicia, and I can be witnesses if you want to mark each other now. We can have the ceremony after everything else is over.” Alpha Dillon had no issue with his son and Kaleigh marking each other, but he was concerned about these witches coming to his pack. He would do whatever was necessary to protect his family and pack from the evil witches, but something in his gut was telling him that not everyone would make it out alive.

“Thank you, dad. Kaleigh, are you ready? We can do our part now and let our wolves do theirs once we are alone.” Kaleigh stood up from where she had still been sitting with Felicia and smiled.

“Yes, I am okay with that.” Kaleigh walked over to Dominick and took his hands in hers. Her heart was racing. After they were marked, they would belong to each other for the rest of their lives. Dominick smiled at her and kissed her forehead.

“I will go first.” Kaleigh tilted her head back and bared her neck for him.

Dominick leaned down and, with his fangs protruding, bit down into the sweet spot between her collarbone and neck. Kaleigh gasped as she felt a sharp pain, but it was instantly replaced with a spark of electricity that spread through her whole body. She could feel his fangs deep inside of her, and warmth filled her heart as she knew he was all hers from this point on. As he slowly pulled his fangs out, she was still feeling a little lightheaded from the sensations that he had just caused.

“Are you okay, Kaleigh?” Dominick asked with a chuckle. Her eyes looked a little glazed over, and she had s look of satisfaction on her face.

“Yes, I am perfect. Now it’s my turn.” Dominick leaned forward just slightly so Kaleigh could have better access.

Without a moment’s hesitation, Kaleigh brought out her fangs and bit down into Dominick. She could feel his body tense up and then relax as they became one. While she had her fangs in him, Skylar was doing backflips in her mind, happy that she would now be able to mark Ash. Kaleigh slowly pulled her fangs out and looked at her mark on Dominick’s neck. He was all hers now, and no one could take him away. The three witnesses clapped and cheered with joy once the marking was done.

*“I love you, Kaleigh.”* Kaleigh gasped when she heard Dominick’s deep voice in her head, but then she smiled brightly.

*“I love you too, Dominick. Now let’s get out of here so our wolves can mark each other and we can complete the mating process. No more witnesses needed.” * Kaleigh winked at Dominick. She really liked being able to mindlink him.

“Mom, dad, munchkin, thank you for being witnesses, but now we will leave so our wolves can mark each other. We will talk in the morning about what we need to do to prepare.” Dominick was not wasting time; he wanted to be alone with his marked mate.

“Okay, son. We will see you both in the morning. Kaleigh, we will wait for your instructions on what to do and how to prepare.”
Alpha Dillon was glad that his son had such a strong mate. She reminded him a lot of his Alannah.

“Thank you, Alpha. Thank you all for being here and for believing in me. I will be ready to begin talking with each person about their roles and responsibilities tomorrow. I will still place the protection spell on the pack in the morning. Even though we have some answers, I would still like a layer of protection if the Dark Sphere witches get to us sooner than I think.” Kaleigh was just as ready to leave as Dominick, but she knew that tomorrow would be the beginning of some difficult times. She would make sure everyone was prepared.

“Thank you, Kaleigh, for doing the spell on the pack. It will give us all a little peace of mind. We will return to the dining hall, and we will also let everyone know what is coming. Dillon and I will make sure they understand that they are to follow your instructions, so they will be prepared for you.” Kaleigh nodded her appreciation as Dominick started pulling her towards the door. He was done waiting. They waved at his family as they left.

“Sorry, but Ash was ready to come out and pull you away. He is ready to mark Skylar. He said it has been too long already.” Kaleigh laughed as Skylar started panting in her head.

“Skylar is ready too.” They walked hand in hand to their bedroom. Kaleigh had never felt happier in her life. For tonight she would forget about what was to come and just enjoy her mate.

As soon as they stepped into their room, Ash was standing in front of her with his tongue hanging out. Kaleigh laughed as she let Skylar take over. They were on each other immediately. Ash was trying to bite down on Skylar’s neck, but she kept dodging him, making him chase her around the room. She got the upper hand when she flipped over him as he tried to tackle her. She landed on his back and quickly bit down on his neck to mark him before he could shake her off.

When Ash felt Skylar’s fangs in his neck, he went weak. The little vixen had gotten one over on him and marked him first. He was not angry; he was just glad to be one with her now. As she pulled her fangs out and got off his back, she walked past him rubbing herself against him. Ash got excited when he could smell her arousal. She stopped in front of him and bared her neck for him to mark her. Ash didn’t waste any time and bit down into her beautiful neck.

All four of them would be able to mindlink each other now. Ash thought this was the best way to protect their mates. They would be able to feel what Kaleigh and Skylar felt, no matter how far away they were from each other. After pulling his fangs out, he licked Skylar’s face before shifting back to Dominick.

“Kaleigh, I thought you put a spell on us to protect our clothes when we shift?” Dominick stood in front of Skylar, waiting for her to shift to Kaleigh. Suddenly, a naked Kaleigh was standing in front of him, and he forgot what he had asked.

“I did, but I didn’t think we would need clothes after our wolves marked each other. Our clothes are lying over on the couch.” She nodded her head toward the couch on the other side of the room, and sure enough, their clothes were lying there as if they had taken them off themselves. Dominick shook his head and grinned at his lovely mate.

“I guess you really didn’t want to waste any time. Now that we are all marked and mated, I hope you are ready for a long night because once or twice is not going to be enough.”

Dominick reached over and pulled Kaleigh to him, giving her a long, intense kiss. He was devouring her mouth with his lips and tongue. When he moved down to kiss and nip at the spot where he marked her, Kaleigh almost came from the extreme sensations that washed over her. Dominick picked her up and carried her to their bed.

Just as Dominick said, they made love all night long. Sometimes Ash and Skylar were there below the surface, and others, it was just the two of them. When they finally fell asleep as the sun was starting to rise, they both had satisfied smiles on their faces. Today would be challenging as they begin their preparations to fight evil. Wrapped in each other’s arms, they could pretend they were in a bubble where no evil could touch them.