Athena's Human Mate

Chapter 37

At the gathering for dinner, everyone crowded around Roman, wanting to hear first hand how he subdued the rogue.  Especially the teenagers and they wanted him to teach them.  It was a bit overwhelming and he forgot about everything else.  After they all ate, the guys assembled the makeshift stage again for the ceremony to make Kyle a member.

Athena had Roman stand next to her as she held the silver blade in her hand and started the procedure.  "Do you, Kyle Michael Williams vow your loyalty to the Starlight Moon Pack and accept Athena Calliope Knight as your Alpha and Roman Alexander Phoenix as your Luna?"

"Yes."

"Will you protect the pack with your life?"

"Yes."

"By exchanging blood, I make you a member of Starlight Moon Pack."  She cut her hand then his, pressing them together to create the bonds to the pack.

Howls sounded in the air as Kyle was added to the link.  "Let's do the pack run now!"  Athena shouted, shifting into Artemis.   Everyone followed her, the children not old enough to change climbed on the backs of their parents.

Since Elizabeth had Avery and Lucas, Amanda had offered to take Lucas so they could all participate.  None of Joe and Lilly's children could shift, Anthony volunteered to take one of the boys, which Ethan eagerly accepted.  Once the children were all settled on a wolf, Athena lowered so Roman could get on her back.

It was strange to sit on a wolf as big as a horse, he's never ridden one of those before either.  He wrapped his legs around her as much as he could and leaned on her neck, grabbing tufts of soft black fur.  He swore she purred when he rubbed his face on her.

With a nod and a bark, she started running towards the lake, careful not to go too fast.  She didn't want to outrun the ones carrying cargo.  Even though Roman was a little heavy, Artemis loved having him on top of her.  The wind rushing through her fur, his hands holding tight and the warmth of his thighs on her stomach gave her more joy than she expected.

The ceremony was different than mine, why?  Roman mind-linked her.

I just say what I'm thinking, the words and vow really don't matter, it's the sharing of blood that creates the pack bond.  All I have to ask is their permission, how I ask is unimportant.  I never practiced it before and when we formed Starlight I made it super simple since I had to repeat the same thing over and over.

Ah, I get it now.

I tried to make your ceremony special.

It was sweetheart, thank you.

She circled the big lake then raced to the back of the property, she hasn't been out here much, the grass was overgrown with weeds but not enough to deter her from winding around then back towards the lake.  Another lap around the lake and she headed back to the front, weaving through the other buildings before stopping at the stage.

"Stay like this for me Artemis."  Roman whispered in her ear.  He slid off her, petting behind her ears and leaving a kiss on her muzzle.  He then walked among the other wolves, stroking their fur and each one saying their wolf name in the link.  It was beyond amazing for him to experience this, this was one in a million situation and he felt humbled by the respect these powerful wolves showed him.  They all bowed their head to him as he rubbed them.

Making his way back to Artemis, he sent out through the link, thank you for the wonderful memory tonight.  We will see you in the morning.