“It is the Goddess’s will,” Enid put in quietly, and everyone chewed on that for a moment, but Joe had a few more bits of news to pass on that he’d been holding in reserve all this time.
“I expect you all to help,” Joe said to his children. “Hank is already interfacing with a cougar Clan near the territory Henri will claim. Tracy, I expect you to help. You, too, Ken.” Joe nodded to his eldest son. “And, Kevin,” Joe turned to fix his gaze on the young man who might be a better Alpha than himself, one day, “you have the makings of a leader. I want you to start using your skills and honing them. I’ll have special projects for you to tackle, if you want to be part of this.”
Kevin’s eyes lit with eagerness. “You bet I do!”
“This is why you’ve been bringing in so many dominant males,” Tracy said, as realization dawned. “Like the new sheriff, Shane. You had this in mind all along.”
“Of course he did,” Enid teased, laughing. “Haven’t you figured out yet that your father is always thinking at least twelve steps ahead of everyone else?”
Joe put his arm around Enid’s shoulders and tugged her close for a moment as they all laughed. The future was looking so very bright, indeed, and he couldn’t be happier than spending this miraculous post-solstice morning with his family and his new love. Life couldn’t get much better than this.
Epilogue
Weeks later, Henri was deep in planning the move of his Pack to the new territory, and the cougars had decided to open more regular relations with Joe and his Pack, with an eye toward forging even closer bonds over time. The empire Joe had envisioned was off to a good start, and he was able to fill in more Pack affiliated territory on the map he kept behind his desk in city hall.
Enid had moved in, and they spent every night, and some parts of the day, in passionate bliss. He felt almost like a teenager all over again, except this time, he was old and wise enough to savor the moments with his lover in a way he hadn’t really been able to before. Enid was settling in well, and she spent a few hours every few days using her talents on Lucinda, helping her heal all the way.
Kevin was taking on more responsibility within the Pack, and he’d even opted to move out to a small cabin farther back on Joe’s property. Kevin had renovated the little place with the help of some of Henri’s younger Packmates, with whom Kevin had become friendly. He was learning carpentry even as he made a little den for himself within his father’s territory.
It was a first step toward full adulthood that made Joe proud. They’d had a long talk about Kevin’s decision to move out, and Joe knew his son hadn’t done it because he’d felt forced out. Rather, Kevin had felt it would be a gift to his newly-mated father to have some time and space alone with Enid. Plus, Kevin was getting a little too old for fooling around in the woods. A nice little bachelor pad was helpful to his love life, as well.
In perfect accord, Joe helped Kevin and his new friends build the place, knowing the addition of a guest cottage on his land could only be a useful thing, even after Kevin moved out and found his own territory, in the due course of time. For now, it kept his youngest close enough to help if necessary, and far enough away to give Joe and Enid the alone time they so desperately wanted.
Joe looked out at the setting sun from the back deck, where he’d been grilling steaks for his and Enid’s dinner. He felt her sidle up beside him, and her arm came around his waist as her head rested against his shoulder.
“In case I haven’t mentioned it today, I love you,” she said in a dreamy voice he’d come to think of as the sound of contentment.
He growled and turned her into his arms. “I seem to recall you moaning something like that earlier this morning before we got out of bed, but I like to hear it this way, too.” He leaned down and kissed her lips, getting lost for a moment in the taste and feel of his mate in his arms. When he let her up for air, she had that sleepy look in her eyes that he loved best. “And, for the record, I love you, too.”
She smiled up at him. “I’ll never get tired of hearing that.”
“Me neither,” Joe agreed, loving the feel of her against him.
“I think we should invite the cats to a big New Year’s Eve party here, in town,” she said, out of the blue, surprising him. Relations with the cats who lived out beyond Henri’s new territory were still very preliminary. “Maybe you could get Hank to get some of his people to come, as well.”
A thought occurred to him. “Wait a minute. I thought you always made fun of my empire building.”
“I never made fun of it. I may have laughed a bit, but it was with good-natured pride and a little bit of awe,” she told him. “Besides, we had a mandate from the Lady about building your Pack, so I’m all in favor of forging those bonds as quickly and as securely as possible. I think a party is always a good way to start. Friendly, happy people are easier to deal with than suspicious cats and dogs gathered around a conference room table.” She blinked up at him innocently. “Don’t you think?”
“Enid…” he began, then realized he was lost for words. He shook his head a bit and tried again. “You’ve already got this all planned, haven’t you?”
“Actually,” she admitted a little bashfully, “I was talking it over with Tracy and some of the elder maternals this afternoon. Tracy agreed the restaurant would be the perfect location. If we use all the rooms, it’s big enough to hold everyone, plus the guests.”
Joe started to laugh. “Goddess help us,” he said softly. “And you thought I was bad with my delusions of grandeur. If you’ve mobilized my daughter and the elder ladies already, there will be no stopping us.”
Enid reached up and pecked him on the chin. “That’s the general idea, lover. We’re a team now. Your goals are my goals, and I’ll do all I can to help you achieve them.”
A sense of wonder came over him again—a near-daily occurrence since the solstice eve when he’d been given this miracle of a second chance at love. He vowed in his heart to never take her for granted.
“It goes the other way, too, you know. Your priorities are now my priorities. Don’t forget that, my love,” he whispered as darkness began to fall.
“My priority at this moment is to get those steaks inside where we can eat them in comfort,” she said, laughing and slipping out of his arms to pick up the platter of cooked meat. “We can talk about our empire building over dinner.”
Joe watched her go into the house then lifted his gaze skyward to speak a prayer of thanks to the Mother of All, and his beloved first mate who served the Lady now in a far off realm. He had been twice blessed to find a mate to share his life, his dreams, and his burdens. Though there would be trials and difficult days, there was also joy, once again, in his life. Thanks be to the Mother of All.
*
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This series is a spinoff of the Tales of the Were, which includes several of Bianca D’Arc’s connected series. The complete list, separated by genre and series, is located after the excerpt.