Mated To The Cold Hearted Alpha
Chapter 81

Leander

Hycinth held perfectly still in my arms as Mimi and Gemma rinsed our bodies of the residual oil. I wasn’t sure how to interpret her silence. What did she think about seeing my complete extended family? My mother?

It was hard as f**k to see my mother. I hadn’t expected it and I never dreamed I would see my extended family of wolves. Why hadn’t my father told me about that part of the ceremony? Had he experienced it as well or was this the first time it had ever happened? When these three days were over, he and I would sit down and talk. I suspected he would handle my mother’s presence and message the same way I did grief beyond comprehension, but a gift of unmeasurable worth, an incredible blessing, and certainly not a moment I expected to have while I still breathed.

It was closure for me. I was finally able to say the words my mother needed to hear -how f*****g sorry I was for that day. I knew she wouldn’t blame me. But I needed to say them.

And to see our mother Wolf again… My throat constricted all over again. My Wolf whimpered. He missed our mother as much as I did.

And nothing could have prepared me for that moment when she turned and rested her intense gaze on Hycinth. I hadn’t known if she would accept my mate or not. But she did, she even welcomed Hycinth with her touch. Hycinth had looked petrified to see her. I could only imagine how strange it must have been for her.

I was just thankful our non-temporal guests were all my ancestors and not Hycinth’s. I suspected it was because we were on my land. Even in the afterlife, territory mattered, I thought wryly.

Now was not really the best time to get into it, so if Hycinth didn’t feel like talking about it, I wasn’t going to bring it up either. I nuzzled into her neck, and Hycinth melted into me, relaxing against my chest.

Once we were thoroughly rinsed, Mimi said, “Come. You need to eat.”

We climbed out of the small pool. Mimi provided a silk wrap to Hycinth. “Here, child, wrap this around your body just beneath your arms.” Hycinth did as instructed. Gemma handed me a similar piece of fabric. I wrapped it around my h**s, tucking it in, to keep it in place.

When we reached the beds, Hycinth stepped toward hers, but I grabbed her wrist, halting her progress. She looked back at me in confusion.

“I want you next to me,” I explained, my voice low and deep.

A flash of arousal glittered in Hycinth’s eyes. She let me pull her to me and lift her onto my bed before I seated myself as well. Turning slightly, we faced each other, knees touching.

“How do you feel?” I asked Hycinth while Gemma and Mimi prepared the food.

She bit her l*p. “Restless…..I want…” her words trailed off, and a beautiful pink crept up her cheeks.

Wrapping my hand around the nape of her neck, I pulled her head to me and gently pressed my lips against hers. Holding them there, I murmured, “I know what you want, sweetheart. I’m going to give it to you.”

She let out a little growl of anticipation and squirmed as I pulled back. It wouldn’t be much longer before her Wolf decided it was time to go to the den, maybe an hour or two. My c**k stirred, but I forced my arousal away. I definitely didn’t want to have a hard-on during the next step.

Mimi returned with two porcelainware plates with generous servings of venison, fry bread, and fresh fruit. Everything was cut up into small bites, no utensils were provided.

I wanted to feed Hycinth by hand, and once we reached the cabin, I would. My d**k twitched at the thought of her little pink tongue flickering out to take the food from my fingers. But for now, I resisted the idea, again, to keep my wayward c**k under control.

I was pleased to see Hycinth eat more than I expected but her edginess showed through more and more, eyes flickering back and forth to her Wolf’s.

We washed our meal down with mild spicebush tea made from passionflower fruit and ‘black drink,’ a yaupon holly tea restricted to purification rituals. Hycinth eagerly accepted the spicebush tea, but declined more than a sip or two of the black drink, wrinkling her nose at the taste.

Once we finished, we each reclined on our own beds again for the last step in the ritual, a process I’d done before but wasn’t particularly fond of— genital waxing or Brazilian wax, as it was better known.

Gemma and Mimi moved a portable partition in between our beds, making it no longer possible for me to see Hycinth. Once the privacy screen was in place, Gwen and Willow returned to her side, and Aidan and Ryan joined Gemma on my side.

“Um…how many wolves does it take to wax me?” Hycinth asked suspiciously.

“They will assist as needed in the process,” Mimi answered vaguely.

“Assist with what?” Hycinth demanded, even more suspiciously.

Mimi hesitated a beat.

“Mostly, they will help you hold your position.”

Still not detoured, Hycinth didn’t miss a beat. “You mean they’re going to hold me down?” Without waiting for a response, she continued, “Leander, just how painful is this process that I’m going to need wolves to keep me in place?”

I was quick to reassure her, “Honey, with as much ink as you have on your body, I’m certain you’ll be able to just breeze through this.”

“Hmm…” she grunted, not sounding very convinced.

“If you will just lift your knee,” Mimi said. I couldn’t see what was happening but assumed Hycinth bent her leg at her knee. “Yes. And now let it fall away from your body. Perfect. Hold right there.”

“I look like a naughty flamingo, “Hycinth muttered under her breath.

Laughter bubbled up my throat at her description but just as quickly died out when Ryan lifted my leg and positioned me the same way. I gritted my teeth, knowing what was to come.