Today is finally the day I've been dreaming of since my first shift years ago, and I feel like I'm about to burst with excitement.

Tonight, in less than thirty minutes, I will officially get to present Viola to pack and name her my Beta Female. Making her my equal, and giving her a permanent place in my world.

I don't think I have ever been happier.

The ceremony is a large event, with almost everyone in the pack there to watch, and also high ranking members from our ally packs. I also invited Viola's family to the event, after we had a few deep discussions of course...Vi fully explained to them why she left Paris, and after she finally managed to get her mother off of the war path, she told her about me...and it was like a complete 180. Her mother was ecstatic, and after asking me what seemed like five hundred questions she happily accepted the invitation to the ceremony, which made my mate very happy.

In speaking of my lovely mate, she's getting ready in our bathroom as I wait patiently, despite my desire to see her all dressed up. I know how much effort she puts into looking her best, even though as far as I'm concerned she looks stunning in my t-shirt with wild bed head. But, this is important to her...so I've got no problem with waiting.

"I'm almost done Mon Chou!" She calls out from the bathroom, and I chuckle as I adjust the sleeves of my dark blue dress shirt, rolling them up to my elbows.

"No need to rush Darlin', we've got plenty of time." I reply, adjusting the Beta pendant on my neck. I look forward to placing a matching one on Viola tonight.

"I know, but I refuse to be late for my own celebration. Besides, I really am almost done." She answers, and as I smooth my hair back once more I hear the sound of her heels tapping against the floor.

"Well, what do you think?" She asks as she stops behind me, and as I turn around I temporarily forget how to speak.

Her beautiful hair is done into elegant curls, the bangs pinned back to reveal her face. A silvery smokey eye complements her gorgeous eyes framed by thick lashes, her full lips painted with a berry pink matte lipstick that makes me want to kiss them even more than I already do...but the most distracting thing of all is the dress she's wearing. A stunning sleeveless, high neck halter top dress that hugs her body in a way that shows off all of her curves before ending at a ruffled hem at her knees. The color matches perfectly with my shirt, the dark blue beautiful against her skin...

Dear Goddess she's perfect...

"Earth to Tyron? Did you hear me love?" She says with amusement, and I shake myself back into focus.

"You-you look absolutely breathtaking..." I answer at last, and I'm rewarded by a blush painting her cheeks, making me and my wolf purr in satisfaction.

"It's not too much is it? I can always change-" She asks, but I interrupt her worry by going to her and pressing a finger against her lips.

"Don't you dare, you look absolutely flawless." I murmur, moving my finger to press my lips against hers softly. I hesitate before going for a second though, not sure if I should.

"What's with the hesitation Mon Chou?" She whispers, and I clear my throat.

"I don't want to ruin your hard work darlin." I answer, and she chuckles.

"Don't worry about that, this is smudge proof, so feel free to kiss me as many times as you like." She purrs, and I grin mischievously.

"Smudge proof huh? I'll take that as a challenge." I chuckle, kissing her a couple more times, and she giggles against my mouth.

"Mom was right, the best mates are the ones who ruin your lipstick instead of your mascara." She murmurs, and I growl lowly as she gently pulls on my bottom lip with her fangs.

"I would greatly enjoy ruining your lipstick anytime you wish Darlin." I murmur in between kisses, and she chuckles again before pulling away and putting a finger over my mouth.

"As much as I would like that, we have a prior engagement...so not now."

"Bummer." I reply with a bit of a pout, and she shakes her head with an amused smile.

"Maybe after the ceremony, if you are a good boy..." She purrs as she traces my jaw, and I don't have to look to know my eyes have turned black, especially with the way me and Victor are rumbling.

"I'm looking forward to it baby..." I rumble as I lean down to kiss the mark I left on her shoulder, which is perfectly visible from the the cut of her dress. She shivers at the sparks I create, her soft gasp music to my ears.

"So lets go Darlin, we don't want you to be late to your own party." I chuckle, grabbing her hand as we walk the charm bracelet on her wrist jingling as our fingers intertwine. I notice the familiar ring on her finger that she wore on our first date, the gold band and blue sapphire stone a perfect match to everything she's wearing...from the gold spiral earrings to the heels.

I need to step up my game.

"You look dashing Mon Chou, don't undersell yourself." She murmurs as she takes in my dark blue dress shirt, black dress pants and shoes. Her eyes lingering on my pendant and the unbuttoned part of my shirt. I honestly don't wear stuff like this much, I'm more comfortable in shorts and t-shirts...but this is a special occasion, so I'll tuck in my fancy shirt if she thinks it makes me look handsome.

"You always look handsome, love...but there is something about a sharp dressed man that drives us women wild." She purrs as we walk downstairs, and I can't help but feel a little satisfaction at her words.

"Oh really?" I say teasingly.

"Shirtless ones too..." She chuckles, and I wiggle my eyebrows.

"Is that a request Darlin?"

She stops in front of the door and turns to face me, her eyes appraising me thoroughly.

"As much as I would love that view, I have no interest in seeing other women ogle you. So please keep your shirt on." She answers, and I smirk at her territorial answer. It seems it isn't just a shifter thing.

"Yes Ma'am." I reply, and she chuckles.

"Come on love, the ceremony starts in less than ten minutes."

At that, we head out the door, both of us feeling giddy.

My heart is virtually pounding in my chest, standing up on this platform in front of almost the entire pack, all of them watching me intently as Alpha Seth and Luna Katrina stand before me. The light of the full moon casts a beautiful glow on the area, the night sky clear enough to see the stars...

But I'm more focused on the Alpha pair in front of me, and my handsome mate that's standing by my side, squeezing my hand in silent reassurance.

"Viola Moreau, do you swear to uphold the values of Red Fang? To serve and protect this pack as the Beta Female with the best of your ability?" Luna Katrina asks in a powerful voice, and I instinctively straighten up and meet her eyes, a surge of confidence and power flooding through my veins.

"I swear upon the Goddess I will." I answer without hesitation, and she smiles proudly at me before turning to Alpha Seth who hands Tyron a small box. He lets go of my hand to grab it, and as he turns to face me I become entranced by the sight of his eyes glowing his wolfs vibrant green color.

"As Alpha of Red Fang, I officially declare you this packs Beta Female." Seth states, and I watch as Tyron places a necklace that matches his own around my neck, and as soon as it does the connection to the packs mindlink simultaneously strengthens and explodes with voices welcoming me to the pack, joining the cheers and howls from the crowd.

"Welcome to the pack, love." Tyron murmurs, and I blush as he tilts up my chin to kiss me in front of everyone, some of them whistling and laughing at the sight. This man...I love him.

...........

Afterwards the party went into full swing, everyone splitting up to get their food, dance to the music, or to have group conversations.

The amount of food here is ridiculous, but considering the amount of werewolves here I'm sure it will take the entire feast to sate them. At least that's what Ty said after he fetched us some plates and drinks, and after trying a whole lot of new foods I ended up tracking down the wolves that made it for the recipes, quite a few of them being Tyron's favorites.

As we ate, we had a lot of people come up and talk to us, including my ecstatic parents...well, at least my mother who nearly suffocated me in a hug that my dad thankfully ended. After happily interrogating my Beloved again, we caught up on what we've been doing, to which I told her about me officially deciding to teach art at the public high school next year, as well as teaching math at the tutoring program for the pack kids. We finally escaped from them when Phoenix and Theo showed up to congratulate me, and they got caught up in catching up.

After that, I met Tyron's family once more, this time including his other sister Tiana and her Alpha mate from the most recent pack Red Fang has made an alliance with, a pack in Florida called Howling Tides. It was a great pleasure meeting them both, and Alpha Michael seemed like a very respectable and powerful man...an alliance with his pack sounds like a smart move. We also briefly ran into the Alpha Alex, the leader of the pack Luna Katrina used to be a part of...though he seemed a bit preoccupied with his newly found mate.

In speaking of mates, we all had quite the surprise when Tyron's youngest sister Melody found her mate in one of Alpha Alex's accompanying young warriors. And as happy as we both were for her, I could tell Tyron was a bit saddened by it...and I realized that it would mean both of his sisters are going to be living in different packs now, which means he won't be seeing them as often...but I reminded him that they aren't that far away, a short plane ride at the most. He seemed to cheer up at that.

After we finally slipped away from all the conversation, Tyron pulled me out onto the makeshift dance floor, and I sigh as our bodies sway slowly in rhythm to the song 'You Make It Easy.' by Jason Aldean. My arms wrapped around his neck while his rest on my hip and back, my head tucked under his chin.

"Finally, I have you all to myself..." He sighs, and I chuckle as I nuzzle a little more into his warmth.

"You can't seem to get enough of me, can you?" I murmur, and he laughs softly as he deeply inhales my scent.

"Never Darlin." He answers, and I squeal in surprise as he abruptly dips me, capturing my lips in a kiss before pulling me back up. I playfully slap his chest when he finally pulls away, a smug smirk on his face.

"Vous êtes méchant..." I pout, and he grins even wider.

"Tu sais que tu aimes ça..." He murmurs back, and my face reddens.

Did he...just speak French?

"Oui, Mon Chéri." He chuckles, and I stare at him in shock.

"Je t'avais dit que j'apprendrais." He continues, and I smile.

"Je suis impressionné....vous êtes plein de surprises." I reply while tracing over his bottom lip with my thumb, but just as I lean in to kiss him our moment is interrupted by the sound of someone making a sound of disgust.

"That's disgusting...who the hell would willingly stay mated to a vampire?" A male voice calls out quite loudly, and everyone around us quiets down. I slowly turn my head to see a young man glaring at me, his expression twisted up as if he smelled something vile. I can feel Tyron's muscles stiffen, and hear the beginning of angry growls rumbling in his chest.

"Excuse me?" Ty says through clenched teeth, and I look up to see his eyes slowly turning black, his canines already descended.

"You heard me. How can you even kiss that leech?" The boy says, and I tighten my hold on my Beloved as people begin whispering to each other. With the way he's shaking, he's on the verge of shifting...I need to settle this now, before it gets bloody.

"How dare you-!" He starts, but I stop him.

"It's alright love, I can handle him." I murmur, placing a hand in front of my growling beloved, his furious expression dropping at my words. I smile and walk towards the rude mongrel, a smirk on his face...but not for long...

"I'm terrified, what are you going to do? Smile me to death?" He says sarcastically, and I do just that- flash him my sweetest smile...before slamming my fist into his nose with a satisfying crunch. He cries out as he falls to the floor, holding his now bloody nose.

"You see, there's one thing my mother taught me growing up: No matter how much of a lady you are, never let anyone disrespect you." I say as I look down at him, my smile long gone as the room goes silent.

"You bitch!" He growls.

"Perhaps, every woman has an inner bitch...I just save mine for special occasions. For instance, when ignorant wolves forget that despite my delicate appearance I am a vampire...which means I could break every bone in your body in a matter of seconds without breaking a sweat." I state calmly, and he glares up at me.

"You wish..." He spits, and I smirk.

"Oh I do, I could've smashed through your skull like a grape...but I restrained myself, because this dress is brand new...and worth more than you, so I'm not going to risk ruining it by getting your blood all over it."

He growls and stands up, and I tilt my head while giving him a sweet smile.

"Me being a proper lady doesn't mean I can't kick your ass, it just means I can wear heels and look damn good while I do it." I finish, and he growls.

"Disgusting Leech."

"Filthy Mongrel." I retort, and turn my back to him as I return to Tyron's side, my beloved giving me a look of admiration.

"Dear goddess, I love you...that was sexy as hell." Tyron murmurs, much more calm now.

"Glad you liked it Mon Chou." I chuckle.

"Oh I think you and I will be great friends." Katrina says with a beaming grin, and as I turn to face her I see the boy begin to come towards me, only to stop as an older man I recognize as one of the allied Alphas grabs him by the back of his shirt, looking less than pleased.

"That's enough from you kid, you should know better than this." He looks up to meet my gaze, obviously apologetic,"I deeply apologize for my little brothers' behavior Beta Viola, he loses his manners after drinking too much I'm afraid." He continues, bowing his head.

"I understand, maybe it's time for him to go home and sober up. Before he gets into any more trouble..." I reply.

"That's exactly what I was thinking, if you'll excuse us." He answers as he begins dragging off the stumbling boy, and as they disappear into the crowd I turn back to my Beloved...the song in the background switching to 'Small Town Boy' by Dustin Lynch.

"Now, where were we love?" I ask as I curl my arms back around his neck, and he grins before returning to our slow dancing.

This is exactly where I'm meant to be, no question about it.