Wild Invitation

PsyMed specialist to unravel the roots of his daughter’s fear. Deep within, Marlee was scared of her happiness. Walker understood. He still woke without warning some nights, certain his new life was a dream, that he slept in a sterile cot rather than beside Lara’s warmth, his family safe from harm.
    “That’s not going to happen,” he said firmly as Lara raised her free arm from around Toby long enough to wipe away the remnants of Marlee’s tears and smooth back her hair. “We’re part of SnowDancer now, and our pack stands with us.” No one would ever hurt any child in SnowDancer and get away with it.
    “Yeah,” Toby said, leaning into Lara’s embrace once more, “plus Uncle Walker and Uncle Judd and Sienna and Hawke are way too scary for the Council.”
    Walker’s eyes narrowed when a true Marlee smile peeked out, the storm passing far quicker than he’d expected.
Whatare you doing, Toby?
He knew even a slight empath like Toby could draw away some negative emotion.
    I just helped her a little. Took the really bad fear away so she could think.
    How are you?
Experiencing the darkness he’d taken from another was the price an empath paid for his gift.
    Fine. I’m conscious of the possible impact of Marlee’s fear, so the panic can’t grab me like it did her.
    Making a note to share the details of the telepathic conversation with Lara later, Walker watched his mate pick up the milk Toby had brought. “Marlee? Why don’t you have this, sweetheart.”
    Releasing Lara’s hand at last, their daughter scrambled off his lap. “I’m too big,” she said, a flush of red on her cheekbones.
    But she accepted Lara’s cuddle and kiss despite her embarrassment, then leaned her back against Lara’s legs while she drank the milk. “I acted like a baby,” she said after downing half the glass.
    Toby poked her in the side. “You
are
the baby of the family, Marlee-Barley.”
    “Am not.” A glare directed at her cousin, she finished the milk and put the glass back on the bedside table. “And you’re babier than Sienna.”
    “Babier isn’t even a word.” Toby grabbed her body in his arms when she whirled toward him, both of them laughing as Toby pretended to defend himself from Marlee’s “claws.”
    Lara smiled and leaned her back against Walker. Wrapping his arms around her, he propped his chin on the springy silk of her curls and watched the children, his lips kicking up at their innocent joy. Then Lara laughed as Marlee let out a perfect imitation of a wolfish growl, sending Toby into a fit of uncontrollable laughter that made his nephew easy prey, and his smile turned into a grin.
    My family. My mate.
    A fox-bright gaze met his as Lara twisted around to look at him, almost as if she’d heard his thoughts. “It’s nice, isn’t it?” A smiling kiss pressed to his jaw. “Our own little pack.”
    “Yes.”

Epilogue
    LARA COULDN’T BELIEVE it was already the night of their mating ceremony. Held in the arms of her mate as they swayed to the music from the live jazz band, she looked around the Pack Circle, the dance area in the center surrounded by wooden picnic tables. Those tables held an array of delicacies that had the children and adults both in raptures—her mother, Lara thought with a smile, had no doubt been planning the menu since the day Lara mated Walker.
    Giant painted butterflies decorated several trees; Marlee’s contribution to the plan. The wooden creatures had been cut out and glued together by Toby and his friends before being painted by Marlee, Sienna, Evie, Brenna, and a number of the younger members of the pack, including a rambunctious but wildly talented Ben.
    “Look at what my baby did,” Ava had said with delight earlier that day, pointing to a butterfly painted with a joyful enthusiasm that made the creature seem alive. “The Stone artistic talent clearly runs true.”
    Now, that butterfly and the others shimmered in the fairy lights that lit up the early evening darkness, the sound of their packmates voices and the children’s laughter intertwining with the music to create a harmony unique to this moment.
    “Happy?” Walker’s breath brushed her temple, the masculine heat of him making her wolf rub up against her skin, as it had against his hand when she’d shifted for their early morning run.
    “So happy.”
    The pack’s pleasure in their match had been clear since theday word got out about Walker’s courtship, but Lara hadn’t realized the full