9781631054747HerstoBearHoffa (14 page)

Chapter Twelve

“Goddess
be
with you.” Bern intoned from the center of the
circle. Jenna stood to his right and Sebastian to his left. Martin, Guiles and
Hans stood behind Bern. Anton, Viktor and Ivan stood behind Sebastian.

The
meeting had begun. “Brotherhood, strength and honor hold the circle,” the
assembled group replied and Jenna felt goose bumps cover her skin.

“It is
my honor and
privilege tonight to not only present
to
the clan my beloved mate, but also to join in a blood bond with my brother
wolf, Sebastian Von Drake.”

Gasps
and murmurs rippled through the crowd and Bern raised his hands to silence
them. “I know this comes as a surprise to some of you, and frankly the offer
came as a surprise to me. A blood bond has not been formed in centuries and we
are honored to be joining with the Von Drake Pack.”

Cheers
went up from the crowd. Bern turned to Sebastian with a nod and the two men
stepped forward and faced one another. They stood with their hands on each
other’s shoulders.

Sebastian
spoke in a voice that rippled with power. “I, Sebastian Von Drake pledge my
loyalty, my fealty, my strength, my honor, my sword, my claws, my wisdom and my
brotherhood to Bern Helms and the Honey Corners Clan from this day until death
takes my soul.”

Jenna
shivered as the power spread throughout the glen. Bern’s voice boomed with more
power than she’d ever heard from him in the past. “I, Bern Helms pledge my
fealty, my strength, my honor, my sword, my claws, my wisdom, and my
brotherhood to Sebastian Von Drake and the Von Drake Pack from this day until
death takes my soul.”

Both
men struck at once, turning their heads and biting into the wrist of the right
hand resting on their shoulder. Though the night was clear, lightning lit the
sky. The men released the bites, blood dripped from the wounds and fell to the
ground, the two men threw back their heads and a roar came from Bern’s throat,
while Bastian howled like the wolf he was.

Echoing
sounds came from the crowd, along with cheers and whoops of joy. Bern and
Bastian licked their wounds to stop the bleeding, and then leaned forward and
embraced in a man hug.
Thumping each other’s backs and then
pulling back to stare into each other’s eyes.

Jenna
could feel the connection between them from her spot five feet away. It was
almost scary.

She
couldn’t wait to talk to Bern about it. With their arms clasped around each
other’s shoulders they turned to face the clan as one.
Each
raising their free outside hand to call for quiet.
The crowd settled and
the two men nodded.

“We two
are now one,” Bern said.
“One heart, one spirit, one clan.”

“One
pack,” Sebastian added.

More
cheering rose from the group.
Again the men signaled for quiet, this time Sebastian
spoke. “I believe we have a joyous event to celebrate this evening, and if Bern
would allow me. I would like to be the first to introduce you all to your
Sippe’s
new mate.” Bern
nodded,
Sebastian stepped away and extended a hand toward
Jenna.

Her
hands were shaking, but she put her trembling hand in his and he placed it in
Bern’s large paw.

“I
present to you, Jenna Marie Raynes,
Sippe
Mate, and…” he looked deep into her eyes, that power and strength he wore so
well filling her soul, “…extraordinary person. May she bring
our
clan the peace and joy that she has
brought our
leader.
”

Bern
enfolded her in his arms and kissed her sweetly. The cheers of the crowd faded
away and all that remained was her big bear, holding her tightly in his
embrace. The kiss was a promise of things to come, not of the passion they had
already shared, though she was sure there would be much more passion to share
in the future, but of a lifetime together.

When he
finally lifted his head, tears shimmered in her eyes and he surreptitiously
wiped them away. “I love you, little one,” he leaned in and whispered.

“I love
you too,” she tearfully responded.

Bern
put his arm behind her back and turned to the clan.
“My Mate!
My Jenna!” he shouted.

The
cheers and shouting that ensued could probably be heard in Nashville. Jenna
wondered if her parents could hear them sitting out on their front porch and
stifled a giggle at the thought. When everyone had finally calmed down, Bern
called an end to the meeting with more of the formality and pomp, and then
everyone descended on the food like a pack of dogs on a three-legged cat.

While
everyone was scattering Sebastian pulled Jenna to the side. “Where is the
lovely Alice this evening?”

“I’m
sorry, Bastian. She stayed at my house to work. She got your flowers and
chocolates,
she said she was going to call you. Didn’t she?”

“Yes,
she called,” he said with a deflated look. “She thanked me, but declined my
invitation to meet for dinner. Why is she so against seeing me again? It can’t
really be just her career.”

“I’m
sorry, Bastian, but that’s not my story to tell. Alice is a wonderful woman,
she has a heart of gold and if she loves you, she would do anything for you.
But she surrounds herself in a suit of armor and very few break through. If you
are one of the lucky ones, you’ll have the best girl in the world. I wish you
luck.” Jenna leaned up and kissed his cheek.

“Are
you pulling for me, or are you against me?” he asked, with a quirked brow.

She
raised a brow right back at him. “That remains to be seen. I am pulling for
Alice. If I see that you are right for her…We’ll just have to wait and see.”
With that she turned to go and find her mate.

She
found him sitting at one of the many picnic tables with his sister Julia and
James and several others she didn’t recognize. Coming up behind him and placing
a hand on his shoulder, he reached up to pull her onto his lap.

“Hello,
love,” he said. “Meet a few more of the crew, these are my sisters, Andrea and
Dagmar and their husbands, Artie and Kevin.”

“Hi, I
didn’t know more of Bern’s family would be here tonight. It’s nice to meet you.
I can’t wait until dinner Wednesday when we can all get together and really
talk,” Jenna said.

“Me
either,” replied Andrea.
“What about your family, when will
we get to meet them?”

Jenna
felt her cheek heat. “I’m not sure yet. My parents are supposed to be coming up
for Christmas. We haven’t had a chance to tell them yet, with everything going
on. We were actually going to call them tonight and give them the good news,”
Jenna said with a smile.

“Oh,”
Dagmar said frowning. “Do you think they will be okay with it? Do they have a
problem with shifters?”

Jenna
shook her head adamantly.
“No, not at all.
My parents
are very
open
minded. They were very supportive of me
when I got the job here. The only thing they didn’t like was that it was so far
away from them. They have no problems with shifters.”

“Yeah,
well, it’s one thing to say it and something else to be faced with your daughter
being mated to one,” Dagmar muttered.

Anger
started burning in Jenna’s gut, who did this sow think she was to judge her
parent’s? She’s never even met them for Christ’s sake. “Easy, little one,” Bern
whispered in her ear. “Kevin was human and his parent’s didn’t take their
mating very well. Dagmar is a tad bitter. Don’t take it personally.”

“How
can I not take it personally, she’s attacking my parents and she doesn’t even
know them. And I told you to quit doing that. I don’t like you in my head!”

Bern
laughed and nuzzled her neck.
“Can’t help it, little one.
I’m in
there,
I just feel your emotions, especially
when they are that strong. Please don’t strangle my sister. I know I have five,
but the others would miss her.”

That
diffused Jenna’s anger and she laughed. “Okay, I’ll let her live…for now.”

“And by
the way, you called her a sow,” he teased.

“Oh my
God, I did, you heard that?” Jenna covered her mouth with her hands and then
laughed hysterically. Everyone at the table looked at her like she’d grown two
heads, which just made her laugh harder.

When
she finally got herself under control her head was
laying
on Bern’s shoulder and he was holding her trembling body, to keep her from
falling on the ground. “Sorry.” She hiccupped.

“Wanna
let us in on the joke?” Julia asked. “I could use a good laugh.”

Bern
shook his head.
“Um, no.
Private
joke.”

Thank
God, Sebastian and his entourage chose that moment to walk up. Bern placed
Jenna on her feet and stood.

“Bern,
we had a lovely evening. We’re going to take our leave now.”

“Thank
you so much, Sebastian. We’ll see you out.” Bern nodded to his family and
turned to escort his guests to the front door with a hand on the small of
Jenna’s back.

Sebastian’s
SUV idled outside the ornate front doors, one of his minions obviously having
retrieved the vehicle. His guards surrounded them on the porch and Jenna, Bern
and Sebastian shared a private moment.

Sebastian
first looked at Jenna. “You, my dear, are a lovely lady, and will make a fine
Sippe’s
mate. Thank you for allowing me
to be a part of your ceremony.” He kissed both of her cheeks, and for once Bern
didn’t growl.

He then
turned to
Bern,
the look they exchanged was long and
full of hidden meaning. Jenna could only wonder what they shared through their
connection. “Good night, my brother,” he said as he embraced Bern.

“Good
night, my brother,” Bern returned.

Jenna
would swear both men’s eyes were suspiciously damp when they pulled apart,
though she was certain they would both deny it.

* * * *

Everyone
finally left, and the house was quiet. Jenna and Bern sat in the living room
snuggled on the couch before a low crackling fire, sipping hot chocolate and relaxing
from the stress of the day.

Bern
toyed with a curl of hair on her temple. “Are you ready to call your folks?” he
asked.

Jenna
snuggled closer and released a soft sigh. “Yes, I guess.”

“You’re
not nervous, are you?”

“No,
not really.
Excited, kind of nervous.
I know Mom and Dad are going to
love you. Where’s my purse?” She lifted her head to look around.

Bern
pulled his cell from his hip holster. “My phone is right here, just
use
it. Then I’ll have their number programed in,” he said
with a smile.

“That
works.” Jenna took the phone and dialed.

Her
mother answered on the second ring.
“Rayne residence.
How can I help you?”
The unfamiliar number putting her into
her professional mode.

“Hi,
Mom, it’s Jenna.”

“Jenna!
Where are you calling from? Is everything all right?”

“Calm
down, Mother. Everything is fine. I’m calling from my…um, fiancé’s phone.”

“Fiancé!
Did you say…? Barton! Get your
fanny down here, your daughter just said she has a fiancé!”

Her
father picked up the other extension. “Baby girl, is that you?”

“No,
Daddy, it’s your other daughter. Of course it’s me. How are you?”

“Fit as
a fiddle. What’s this I hear about a fiancé?”

“I’m
engaged! His name is Bern Helms, he’s right
here,
he’d
like to speak to you.”

Jenna
handed Bern the phone.
“Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Raynes.
It’s a pleasure to meet you. I wish we could have met in person, but that will
come soon enough. I love your daughter very
much,
we
are already mated and will marry when arrangements can be made.”

“Mated?”
Barton said. “So I take it you are a shifter?”

“Yes,
sir.
I am a
grizzly shifter.
Alpha of my clan.”

“Good,
then you will never hurt my daughter.”

Bern
held the phone out and looked at it, of all the responses he had run through in
his mind,
that
one hadn’t even entered the picture.

“No,
sir.
I would
never hurt my Jenna. I would die to keep her safe.”

Barton
laughed. “You misunderstand me, son. You think like a shifter. I know you will
keep her physically safe, but I meant you would never hurt her emotionally.
Never cheat on her, mess around, like these stupid young punks now-a-days that
you can’t trust as far as you can throw them.”