Page 30 of Wolves’ Midlife Reunion (Shifter Nation: Enchanted Over Forty #3)

“How did this get to be so big?” Dex asked, nervously looking around as more and more of the Heywood pack arrived at the covenstead. “I thought we were just going to have a small ceremony.”

David put his arm around his son’s shoulders and hugged him tightly. “Consider it a blessing! Everyone wanted to be here. It says a lot about you and Sage, and about Tina, too.”

“I know you’re right. It’s just…I don’t know. I’m a little nervous. But it’s not like I have cold feet,” Dex quickly corrected. “I know this is what I want.”

“I know that, too,” his father assured him, “otherwise you wouldn’t be doing it. And it’s all right. Everyone gets a little nervous when they have to stand up in front of dozens of people and declare their feelings.”

“Not helping,” Dex said flatly.

Joyce appeared next to them, grinning. “I think everyone is here! We’re ready to get started. Tina and Sage are waiting for you on the back porch. Everyone else is in the yard.”

“All right.” It was all going by so quickly. Though it was a lot to have almost his entire pack and Tina’s whole coven all in one spot, Dex was glad. Everyone they knew would get to see how much they loved each other.

As he stepped out onto the porch, he found Tina crouching down in front of Sage, giving her dress and hair the final touches. She stood, and he could see the long purple gown that flattered her brown eyes. The cloak attached at the shoulders gave her a regal look.

“Daddy!” Sage said when she saw him. She twirled in a circle, making the pink skirt of her dress puff out. “Do you like my dress? Tina helped me pick it out!”

“Yes, I do. It’s very lovely.” His eyes roved back to Tina, completely entranced by her. How lucky was he to have a woman this beautiful in his life? “You both do.”

“Shall we?” Tina asked.

The music struck up outside, filtering easily into the screen porch. “It sounds like it.”

They stepped outside onto the little walkway.

Dex held out his arm for Tina and his hand for Sage.

The three of them walked around the corner of the house and into the backyard, where all their friends and family were waiting for them.

His nerves turned to pride as he escorted his two favorite people into their future.

Numerous rows of chairs had been assembled to accommodate all their guests.

Candles stood at intervals around the yard, with greenery twined around their tall stands.

It was chilly, but the small bonfire that crackled nearby promised a good chance to warm up after the nuptials.

Friends and family beamed at them as they walked toward Maeve, who waited under an arch of cedar boughs.

The High Priestess waited until the music stopped.

Her eyes were soft and happy as she looked at them, and then past them at the audience.

“Friends and family, today we’ve come together to share in the celebration of our loved ones, to make official something that has been true for a very long time in their hearts.

I thank you for allowing me to be a part of it.

“Today, we bind together not just a couple, but a family. Through you, all of us here are also bound as we share in your love and commitment. Please take each other’s hands.”

Dex turned so that he faced Tina. Sage stood between them, facing Maeve. Dex put out his hand, and Sage put hers on top. Her little fingers wiggled against Dex’s knuckles. Tina’s hand was last, covering them both.

Savannah and Colton stepped forward to hand Maeve a complicated cord.

It’d taken Tina hours to make this witch’s thread, composed of parts of their lives.

It was woven with Tina’s hair and Dex’s wolf fur.

Sage had made a contribution as well, with the pink moonstone necklace Dex had bought for her on that fateful day when they’d wandered into Tina’s shop.

Maeve wound the cord carefully around their hands.

“This is a symbol of all the ties that already bind you. You’ve been brought together here on Earth because your souls already knew each other on another plane.

This cord reminds you that you shall forever be entwined.

” Her fingers deftly tied a knot just under their hands, leaving the two ends and a loop dangling.

“It is my privilege to accompany you on this journey, but only you can tie the knot of your fate.”

Dex’s eyes met Tina’s, and he knew he’d be happy to look into those same eyes every morning for the rest of his life. Her smile told him that she felt the same way.

He looked down at Sage. “Are you ready?”

She nodded eagerly.

Dex and Tina each took one end of the cord, and Sage held the loop.

They all removed their hands and pulled on their section of the cord.

The coils that’d been around their hands twisted and turned, forming a tight knot at the very center.

A glowing pulse of magic radiated from the knot and touched each one of them.

“So shall it be,” Maeve intoned.

“So shall it be!” the guests called back eagerly, followed by applause, shouts, and cheers.

Dex kissed Tina, smiling at the whistles that came from his cousins. “I love you. I love both of you.”

“I love you, too,” she replied, looking content.

“Are we a family now?” Sage asked.

A few of the guests laughed.

“We are.”

The reception began immediately afterward.

Guests carried mugs of hot cider or cocoa.

Chafing dishes held loads of delicious food, including Dex’s white chili.

No one seemed to mind the cold, and the most susceptible among them stayed near the bonfire.

That worked perfectly, since the elders so enjoyed watching the children make s’mores.

It took quite some time, but Dex and Tina managed to work their way through all of the guests, thanking them all for coming and accepting their warm wishes.

“That was exhausting,” Dex said with a smile as they slipped around the corner of the house for a quick moment alone.

“Yes, but a good kind of exhausting,” she agreed.

“I think the best kind of exhausting is going to come later tonight, back at the house.” He pulled her close and nuzzled her neck. “As good as you look in that dress, I think you’ll look even better when I get the chance to take it off of you.”

Her hands roved up his arms, around his shoulders, and along the base of his neck. “That sounds like the perfect chance to warm up after this long day outside.”

“First, we have to get rid of these guests.” He inhaled the sweet scent of her perfume as he traced her hips with his thumbs.

“No, we don’t,” she said with a deep-throated laugh. “It’s not our house. We can just slip away whenever we want to.”

“Dex? Tina?” Joyce’s voice lifted above the din in the yard. “Your Aunt Rita wants to see you again before she leaves.”

Dex braced his head against Tina’s shoulder. “I guess we’ll have to wait a little longer.”

They returned to their guests, getting plenty more hugs from Aunt Rita. Then they found Sage standing by herself near the back fence. Her head was tipped up, and she had her back turned to the house.

“Sage?” Dex asked. “Is everything okay?”

“Look,” she said softly.

A tiny chickadee was hopping along the top of the fence.

It sang to Sage in its little two-note song, one high and one low, seemingly indifferent to the crowd gathered there.

After a moment, it fluttered into the air, zooming not far over Sage’s head before it shot up into the trees and disappeared.

A single feather drifted down from it, landing perfectly in Sage’s outstretched hand.

“It was Mommy,” Sage explained as she turned to her parents. “She wanted to tell me how happy she is.”

Dex saw tears in Tina’s eyes and had to look away before they spread to his. “I think we all are.”

THE END

If you enjoyed Tina and Dex’s story, read on for a preview of Amanda and Lars’s story, Fated Midlife Christmas!