Chapter 64: Pack Acceptance
337words
"Probably," he nodded. "But with your scientific knowledge and my guidance, you'll learn control quickly."
I touched the ring on my finger, then looked up at the Heart Tree, still glowing softly above us. "The tree—it helped somehow, didn't it?"
"The old stories say the Heart Tree holds the spirit of the first werewolf," Liam said. "That it recognizes true mates and blesses their union." He smiled. "I always thought it was just a legend."
"After everything we've been through," I said, leaning against him, "I'm inclined to believe in legends."
We walked back to the cabin hand in hand, both forever changed by what had happened in the clearing. As we approached, I saw figures waiting on the porch—Elizabeth, Jackson, Maya, Sophia, and several other pack members.
"They know," Liam said, sensing my question. "The pack feels it when a new wolf joins, especially the Alpha's mate."
Elizabeth came forward first, tears in her eyes as she embraced me. "I felt it," she whispered. "The moment your wolf awakened. Just like when your father and I became mates."
One by one, the pack welcomed me—not as the human botanist they'd reluctantly accepted, but as one of their own, as their Alpha's chosen mate.
Later that night, as Liam and I lay together in the quiet darkness of his cabin—our cabin now—I reflected on the journey that had brought me here. From a curious scientist studying moss to a werewolf preparing to lead a pack alongside her mate. From an orphan with no knowledge of her origins to a woman with a mother, a family, and a heritage that spanned two worlds.
"What are you thinking?" Liam asked, his fingers tracing patterns on my bare shoulder.
"About how much has changed," I replied. "Three months ago, I didn't believe in werewolves. Now I am one."
He chuckled, the sound rumbling pleasantly against my ear where it rested on his chest. "Life has a way of surprising us."
