76

Evander

I had watched her for 4 hours as she lay on her belly asleep on our bed. The red angry lines stark against the black and gray ink depicting the graceful tattoo of a willow encompassing her entire back. Its roots snaked over her left hip as they seeped into the water that wrapped around fading as the lines disappeared curving towards her front over her right hip the roots tangled in an intricate Celtic design as it sunk into rock and earth. The knotted willow’s trunk stretched leaning to the right of her back portraying a woman's curved form. Animals nestled within the roots and branches. Rabbits, mice, foxes, minks, a badger, and a porcupine resided among the land-based animals depicted. A deer lapped at the water, and A wolf lay in predatory wait of the deer in the foliage near the earth the roots were tangled in. A dove and owl nestled within the branches, while a hawk soared overhead. Boughs draped over her shoulders soft leaves and blossoms snaking down and around her arms cascading over her ribs. The sun a ball of flame sat low in the branches at the right hugged by dangling boughs that curved and pushed by an invisible wind to hold it there, the full moon rose high on her left shoulder peeking through the clouds. Blake had brought me something to soothe the pain but I was waiting impaticently for her to wake up I hadn’t wanted to disturb her. How had Millie done this in one night? The masterpiece was exquisite and I was sure my wife would agree, but this cocooning sleep had me on edge. Too transcending of the night I nearly lost her. She finally stirred around 10 am groaning as she went to move.

I was beside her in an instant. “Try not to move Love, Blake gave me something that should help, just relax. She sunk back into the mattress as I retrieved the balm and gently soothed it over each line of ink on her back. It felt so intimate in a very different way than sex, as I traced each line of the goddess-given tattoo. It was as breathtaking as she was. She hummed out contentedly every few moments as I gingerly worked the salve along the inkwork. When I finished she forced herself to stand and I winced.

“I have work to do my love, you will be mine tonight,” she purred. A silver sheen mixed with the glow her eyes cast her wolf awakening. She loosened the ties on her arms further letting the dress pool to the floor. Her front was untouched by the ink except for between her ample breasts where the triple goddess symbol rested and at the curve of her right hip where the roots ended tied in a Celtic knot that depicted a crescent moon. I lost words as I followed her to the closet. “You dont want to see it?” I asked. She shrugged, “If it's anything like where I went, I'm sure it is magnificent, however, my vanity is not worth more than making this work Evander, we are this close,” she said, pinching their thumb and forefinger close together. She pulled at the hanging clothes looking for something she could bare to wear. “I know love but this is more than what a typical Luna has to deal with. Love normally hers is a fourth the size of her alpha, yours is bigger than mine. She shrugged, pulling out a scant of a maxi dress. I shoved it back, “You'll freeze,” I was still hoovering behind her. I felt a brush of heat blast on my hand and it almost burned. Her lashes fluttered up looking over my shoulder, the jade glow hugging the silver sheen like a halo. I put my hands up in defeat. She would wear her tattoo loud and proud and I was not silencing it one bit.

I was grumpy, so entirely grumpy, I just wanted her with me, and when my brother came up the back steps I knew I was far from the frame of mind I wanted to be in for this conversation he needed to have. “Evander,” he asked…, I sighed “What do you require little brother?” It was an opening and a slight. I wondered how humble he had actually become. “Brother, I need your help,” He stated, batting that enormous ego of his out of the way. I cocked my head. “I am not Millie’s keeper, she is her own person. When you decide within your soul you accept what the goddess gave you. I will be on your team, any transgressions henceforth are your problem and your choice and a slight on this pack. My wife has offered you more than enough, she knows you more intimately than you want her to, if you haven’t gathered. But she also knows Millie better than even I do. Millie doesn’t deserve this, yet she's giving you a chance. What more do you want?” I said brashly. He rubbed the back of his neck and had the decency to look meekly over at me. “Evander, I want to make this work, but I can’t be in two places at once. I know Millicent won’t visit me for obvious reasons yet. So I want permission to come here more often,” he said. “And I want to join the hunt tonight.”

He had used her full first name none of us did because that was only for him and it reminded her of him. “As far as visiting as long as it's pre-arranged and Millie agrees I don’t care. But how can I trust you not to lose control when shifting for the hunt, Dominic? When was the last time you even let the wolf out? I am not going to be able to step in tonight if you cross that line.” I reminded him. “It’s been too long I know,” Dominic said, staring off at the mountains on my back porch. “But you were right I can’t keep doing this to myself, it's causing me to hurt her. I never wanted to hurt Millie, I was punishing myself for the things I had done, I didn’t want her in a world that would look down on her as a Luna and as the mate of a traitor. Every time I think of her when I am away I find myself chasing what we were like with someone else but nothing compares. I need to give that side of me some peace so I can control myself better when I am away. Now that I know what it does to her I will fight the impulses harder, but I need to release that side of me. It's calmer here, itching under my skin to stretch my legs in that form. More subdued than it is cooped up in the city.” he offered. “That subduing is the work of my wife, she's more Alpha than both of us together.” I reminded him. “As much as that may be true brother, I have done a lot of thinking over the last week, and as much as I want to just be a better man I am not. It is not going to be an easy task to just break the cycle I have created for myself. But I can’t give her up either because she is MINE and I intend to go to the ends of the earth to get her back. If that means I have to settle with the beast in me then that’s what I will do.” he said with sincerity.

It was a foreign concept that he could be sincere about anything but deep down in my Alpha bones I knew it was true. “You know, it's very ironic you are coming to this epiphany the day I'm bring my Luna into the pack,” I said sarcastically. “You’ve had six years to figure this out and you pick today?” I added. He sighed. “Honestly I had already come to the conclusion I was going to try to win her back when I left early to make the engagement celebration, but that wife of yours, the cunning bitch that she is,” he started to say. I growled, stepping into his space he held up his hands in defeat. “Okay I get it we can't even use technically correct nouns here,” he scoffed. “What I was trying to imply is that your Luna is a very cunning individual who found a way to give me perspective as brutal as it was. ‘While earning my keep’,” he said with air quotes rolling his eyes. “I’ve had a lot of mundane time to think.” I nodded before I let out a smirk. “She's quite cunning for sure,” and I came up with a new idea, one I knew Aurora would approve of. “In fact, I have realized how pathetic I’ve become. I refuse to be that naive child who walked the path of my own and many others' destruction. I may not be a good man but I am not a stupid one either.” he paused, clarifying. “At least I now refuse to be the stupid child I once was.”

“Maybe Dom you are not as bad a man as you think you are, I’m not perfect in my own right I shouldn’t have let this go on for so long but I wanted you both to have a choice and a chance.” I let him know. “Perhaps,” he said simply. “Drowning in your own guilt isn’t going to help you anymore brother, I wish you had made it to the wedding ceremony Blake could have given you a lesson or two in how to come clean of your guilt with humility,” I mentioned. “I don’t want anyone's forgiveness brother besides my mate’s, I don’t deserve even that, the things I’ve done in pride’s name,” he admitted shaking his head. Just getting to talk to her reminded me, even more, how stupid I have been, reminded me of all the time I wasted when I could have been with her all along. She’s different now though, she has a backbone made of steel now.” He said with an admiring smirk. This amused me because a few weeks ago Millie had been in a downward spiral, but I wasn’t going to be ruining this moment with that information, That would be something for Millie to share one day if they ever did come back together.

He handed me the folder he had tucked under his arm. I took it flipping it open. Aurora’s documents were in order with marriage certificates and accounts, safety deposit boxes in more than one country, and a laundry list of estates renamed as hers. Luna Aurora Robertson. “A piece offering, " he said as leaning against a support beam of the overhang to the porch's roof. “Thank you brother I know this means a lot to Aurora and Blake,” I said closing it. “That Aunt of hers is a trip,” he chuckled. “I stopped by her shop just to snoop, she tried to sell me a stick of sage and some rank soap to ‘cleanse my spirit’,” he laughed and I shook my head. “Who knows the things I've seen in the last few weeks, maybe you should have listened to her.” We both laughed then.

When we settled back down he asked, “Seriously though brother,” he rolled his eyes, “excuse me, My Alpha,” he said touching his chest and giving his head a bow for drama. “What do you say?” I appraised him. “If you can sincerely submit to your rightful Luna, my mate tonight in front of the entire pack, then I will give you the hunt with conditions. Elijah and Evan will be on your tail the entire night.” I presented my penance to him. He groaned, “I suppose I need to make it right with my new sister-in-law seeing that she is so close to my mate,” he said, rolling his eyes. “It’s advisable,” I let him know. “How bout in private?” he asked, searching for a bone. I shook my head no. He rolled his eyes again. “Millie will appreciate the gesture, trust me, those two are thick as thieves, she even mock threatened me that she would steal her away.” I let him know. His eyes twinkled. “Really?” I nodded. It was nice having a bit of the old Mlilie back. It was even nicer to see my brother finally being reasonable about all this. All it took was a 5 foot 4 woman with the power to do probably anything at this point.