Blood Oath

Emma’s POV
I lay in bed snuggled into Peter, deep in his embrace. Even I can smell sex in the air, I smiled to myself recalling the events of last night, after I had got upstairs.

Peter had come home to find me in the cupboard armed with a kitchen knife, which he told me while it was cute it was also dangerous, so I had told him I was never going to go down without a fight; then he had disarmed me with a kiss. Our make-out session began in that cupboard, had moved to the couch, then he had carried me up to our bedroom, where the air had been filled with moans, growls and cries for much of the night.

I think about moving, as my bladder starts to inform me that a bathroom trip is quite necessary, but I am not sure my legs are working yet. Dear goddess, what has that man done to me, I think, I am completely fucked, in every sense of the word.

There is no point in leaving it any longer, so I ease myself out from under his arm, and over to the edge of the bed, then I hobble to the bathroom. Looking at myself in the mirror you would think I was sixteen not nearly forty-six. I am covered in hickies, my hair is a fright, and I am very sore. I clean myself up, and head back towards the bed.

‘Hello gorgeous,’ he greets me.

Shit, now I wish I wasn’t naked, and that I could walk like a normal person. His eyes roam over my body, dark and needy. I can feel myself getting turned on just by his gaze, my nipples going hard, and my core getting wetter by the second.

‘Come back to bed,’ he growls, and my legs have covered the floor quickly and I threw myself back into his arms for our next round of lovemaking.
…
I must have dozed off again, as Peter wakes me with a cup of coffee and a pile of hot buttered toast.

‘C’mon kitten, time to get up,’ he informs me. ‘You officially join the pack in fifty minutes.’

‘WHAT!?!’ I sit up suddenly, nearly knocking the coffee and toast flying. ‘What do you mean officially join the pack? What about last night? Oh my god, will other people be there? Is it safe? Do I have to?’

‘Slowdown my love,’ he pulls me in for a cuddle, stroking my hair, calming me. ‘Firstly, I will never knowingly put you in danger, secondly you don’t haaa-ve to, but if you don’t I will have to leave the pack never to return, which will make rescuing the children harder… but if you really don’t want to I won’t make you.’

I pull back from him, and mouth ‘Bastard’ then go in search of my clothes.

He continues, ‘Yes other people will be there, once you join the pack you will be able to mind-link everyone not just me… as for last night, I told them anyone who doesn’t want you as Luna can leave the pack, I will accept their resignations later.’

I am standing in my underwear, looking for something halfway respectable to wear, but his last statement hits me. I can see his face is clouded, so I go to him and give him a hug.

‘Don’t worry my lovely wolfman,’ I say. ‘We will sort this out, I don’t know how, but we will make this work.’

The moment lengthens, then he slaps my bum, ‘Hurry up woman, you don’t want to be late for your own ceremony, do you?’ he asks.

Finally, I find a pair of red jeans, pair it with a black satin tunic top, and finish the ensemble with my boots.

‘Peter,’ I ask between mouthfuls of toast. ‘Two questions, one, where do I get my clothes washed, and two, where do I get some more? I am rapidly running out of clean stuff to wear, and I don’t have anything that formal.’

‘Sarah can help with the laundry, and how about you and Felicia arrange a shopping trip to capital’

‘Uh… okay,’ I reply. Sarah seems nice, but Fel has been a bit cold since I got here. I am not sure she has forgiven me for running out on her brother.

Dressed, fed and watered, Peter grabs my hand, and leads me out of the apartment.
…
The main hall is even bigger than the dining room we ate dinner in last night, and the wood panelling reminds me of the stately homes I used to visit when I was a child. Actually, the whole of the downstairs could be straight out of a period drama, with the wooden floors and dark colours.

The room is crowded when we arrive, with even more people than were at dinner last night. My heart is hammering in my chest, although, reassuringly, the nearby links don’t feel that sickly colour.

There is a proper stage at one end, and Peter gets me to wait in the wings. I watch him stride into the middle of the stage, he stands for a moment, then I feel him do that Alpha thing, and the room quiets.

‘Thank you all for joining me here today as we welcome a new member to our pack.’ He starts.

‘Emma…’ he beckons me to join him, which I do reluctantly. ‘…joining us marks a new beginning, and a new hope for the pack. Emma is the first human to join our pack in centuries, but what makes her especially special is that she is my fated mate, and not only is she my fated mate, we are the first fated couple in this pack in over 170-years.’

Shit, I think, as he lets that settle in for a moment.

‘Emma joining us I am sure marks the start of a new and better era for the Whitewater pack, so without further ado the blood pact.’

He turns to me, smiling, with a silver dagger in his hand. I am not looking forward to this, I don’t heal like a bloody werewolf, since I came round after the attack my healing has been normal speed, although it seems that it was faster for a while when I was unconscious.

'Emma, repeat after me… I, Emma Ecles of Langley in the Human Realm, pledge myself to the Whitewater pack and vow to defend the pack from all threats external or internal until the Goddess takes me home.’

As I repeat the words he makes a single cut on our left palms and we join hands, our blood mingling.

As I say the last word it is like a dam has broken in my head, and every thread in my head has a voice. The quantity crashes over me, like a wave of silent noise, mostly welcoming. The room erupts in a cheer, and Peter grabs me as my legs give out.

‘Are you okay kitten?’ he whispers to me.

My eyes are wide and panicky, ‘Too much, too many, my head hurts.’

*Deep breath, my love,* and he guides me through turning down the noise of the pack.

Once I am back in control, he leads me down from the stage to mingle with the pack.
…
After about thirty minutes Peter suddenly pulls me to one side.

‘What is it,’ I ask him anxiously.

‘I have a surprise for you… upstairs,’ he responds with a dark glint in his eyes.

‘You are a bad man, Peter Bilavoda,’ I respond huskily, turned on by the look he is giving me.

He growls softly, ‘Yeah, well that too, but this is not to do with sex, you insatiable vixen.’

I blush, and he grabs my hand leading me through the crowd and back through the house to our little home.

He pushes the door open, then stops me in the middle of the lounge.

‘Close your eyes, and no peeking,’ he tells me. I close my eyes feeling nervously excited.

Then he spins me round and starts leading me across the room. Because I am dizzy I am not sure which side of the room we are going to, we pass through one of the doors and stop.

‘Open your eyes, kitten.’

I register that we are in the playroom, which is no longer empty… There is a massive great cat tree by the window… cat food and water in one corner and a litter tray in another. Three open cat baskets are near the open cupboard… when out swaggers DeNiro, followed closely by Romeo and Spot.

‘My babies,’ I coo, crouching down to pet them, then I stand and turn to Peter.

‘Thank you, this is amazing, I didn’t think I would see them again. You have no idea how much this means to me.’ By the time I have finished talking I am sobbing, I love that I have my cats, but I am missing my daughters too.

Peter pulls me close, kissing my tears. ‘Hush my love, I want you to be happy here.’

Pain shoots through me, I feel like I have been shot, but I know the pain is not mine. My eyes widen.

‘What is it Emma? What’s happening? Speak to me sweetheart,’ Peter begs.

‘Some-one is in pain,’ I gasp. ‘Can’t you feel it?’

He shakes his head, ‘Nothing is coming through the pack-link.’

I focus on the skein of threads in my mind. I can see one is pulsing blood red. I narrow my focus, trying to fathom who it is… then I realise…

That thread joins me to one of my children.