I'm on a roll! Three chapters in two days. :)

Word Count: 3523

"Oh. Shit." Celie gasped. But before anyone could say anything else, she grabbed Lorelai's hand and bound up the stairs onto the stage with a big toothy smile on her face. Harper took one look at her and knew something was immediately wrong.

Harper mind linked her, glancing sharply at her, while also keeping a smile on her face as she stood near the podium where Alpha Alexander was starting to give his speech.

Celie replied and heard Harper gasp.

Harper cut a look at Celie.

Celie cut her eyes back at Harper but then snorted a little laugh. No matter how serious the situation was, she was still three sheets to the wind and the situation was so ridiculous that she couldn't help but laugh.

Celie eased a little closer to Lorelai and glanced at her until she caught her eye.

"Hey, sorry I told you about Porter's shagging around," Celie whispered and caught a twitch of Lorelai's lip.

"No problem," Lorelai whispered back.

"Please don't reject him because of me!" Celie begged.

"I'm not," Lorelai said.

"Celie shut up!" Harper whispered and elbowed Celie, causing her to squeak when Harper connected with her injured arm.

"Oh shit!" Harper gasped loud enough that everyone on stage and in the first few rows heard her.

Celie couldn't help but start snickering like crazy, especially since everyone had turned to stare at them including Alpha Alexander who had paused his speech.

"Uh...carry on," Celie said, and waved her hand regally.

Luna Penny and Luna Sophia both turned a look on her and then Porter snickered and had to bite his lip to keep quiet. There was muffled laughter coming from the audience, and Tosha was giggling like mad near the edge of the stage with Finn who had both hands clamped over his mouth.

"Well, now that Celie's antics have interrupted my well thought out and generous speech, we'll go ahead and get on with the bonding rituals." Alpha Alexander chuckled.

"MY antics?" Celie mumbled under her breath, shooting a glance at Harper who avoided her eyes and hid a smirk.

Alpha Alexander quickly motioned for Harper to step up to the podium, he took her hand and asked if she would be loyal and faithful to the pack, she gave her pledge, and he sliced her palm, then his own and held their palms together while he officially welcomed her to the pack. Once the bond was sealed he invited the rest of the pack to welcome Harper and she heard all their welcomes in her head as the mind link snapped into place.

Next Alpha Alexander called Matt forward, he introduced him as Harper's mate, and repeated the pledge and bonding. Matt swayed a little and shook his head when all the pack members voices sounded in his mind and Harper grabbed his arm and pulled him over to the side while he acclimated to having hundreds of voices in his head.

Then it was Celie's turn, she waved happily and gave a big smile to the laughing crowd as she took her place next to the Alpha and said her oath and was accepted and welcomed to the pack.

Then Alpha Alexander surprised everyone and called Eden up onto the stage. Eden and Celie had only declared each other as mates but had not mated or marked each other so everyone except Luna Penny looked surprised as Eden slowly ascended the stairs to the stage.

"I'd like to introduce Eden, mate of Celie, we are honored to be accepting him into the pack as well tonight," Alpha Alexander said with a smile and held out his hand for Eden whose surprised look quickly turned to one of joy as he raised his palm and said his oath as Celie's mate and was welcomed into the pack.

Eden stepped back and quickly put his arm around Celie who smiled up at him proudly and leaned against his chest.

Next Alpha Alexander to called Lorelai to the front, she spoke her oath and Alpha Alexander accepted her but before he could conclude the ceremony, Porter stepped forward first and held out his hand to Lorelai.

"I'm honored to introduce our newest pack warrior and my mate, Lorelai Murdock." Porter said proudly.

The looks on Luna Penny and Alpha Alexander's faces were priceless. Until that moment, the only people who knew Lorelai was Porter's mate had been Celie and Harper.

The entire room gasped then went completely silent before a cheer went through the hall.

Harper mind linked Celie.

Celie linked back.

Then Lorelai took Porter's hand and raised an eyebrow at him with a smirk before turning and nodding to the cheering crowd.

"Oh," Harper whispered, "Thank god."

"I know, right?" Celie whispered, back before she started jumping and cheering.

"Well, now we have even more reason to celebrate!" Alpha Alexander beamed. "Welcome Future Luna Lorelai!"

Luna Penny's smile was radiant as she rushed forward and enveloped Lorelai in a hug.

"I can't tell you how happy I am that you're my son's mate!" Luna Penny told her. "I always worried he wouldn't get a mate who could keep him in line, but you'll have no trouble kicking his ass."

Lorelai burst out laughing and just shook her head.

**

Celie eased up to Porter as he stood getting congratulated by one of the food tables.

"Port, I need to talk to you, it's really kinda important," Celie said, chewing her lip nervously.

"What's wrong Cel, is everything alright, is your shoulder hurting?" Porter asked, worried.

"No, uh, I just wanted to warn you about something I said to Lorelai earlier," Celie said, looking down at the floor. "I..sorta...might have told her you, uh, have a bit of a sordid past."

"You told her what?" Porter's face drained of all color.

"I told her not to let you talk her into shagging you because you were a slut," Celie blurted, her face red. "But I didn't know she was going to be your mate! I was just trying to warn her about you because I figured you were going to hit on her first thing and I didn't want her to fall for it and I told her you said you were going to stop slutting around and look for your mate, and I told her how great and sweet you were and how much I loved you and what a wonderful person you are."

"How could you tell her that?" Porter demanded. "Do you tell everyone that?"

"No, but if I hadn't someone else would have," Celie argued. "It's not like it's a big fucking secret or something, everyone knows, and it's a common warning that all new girls get when they meet you."

"What?!" Porter almost shouted.

"Hey, girls talk," Celie said matter-of-factly. "We warn each other of the womanizers, the assholes, and the guys with tiny dicks, it's a thing all girls do."

"Did you tell her I have a tiny dick?!" Porter demanded.

"Why the hell would I tell her that? I have no idea whether or not you have a tiny dick, nor do I want to know! Yuk!" Celie fake gagged.

"You just said girls say guys have tiny dicks," Porter argued.

"When we know they do we say so, but I don't know that so why would I mention it?" Celie squinted at him, with a 'duh' look.

"Oh my goddess, Cel!" Porter panicked. "She's going to reject me now! What am I going to do? I don't want my mate to reject me!"

"I'm not going to reject you," Lorelai said from behind them, making both Celie and Porter jump and scream. "At least as long as you don't have a tiny dick, I mean."

"Way to scream like a girl, Port," Harper laughed from where she, Matt, and Eden were eavesdropping from nearby.

Porter just shot a glare at them before turning back to Lorelai with a pleading look on his face.

"I'm so sorry, Lorelai, I'm so sorry!" Porter said. "I never got involved with anyone, I let everyone know that the only person I'd ever be serious with was my mate! I told everyone I know my whole life the only person I ever wanted was my mate. It was just physical, it was never serious, I didn't think about how it would make you feel, I'm so sorry. I wish I would have waited for you; I wish I never did any of it."

"It's not a big deal," Lorelai said blandly.

"It's not?" Celie poked her head around Porter's arm to ask.

"It's not like I'm a virgin either," Lorelai shrugged.

"Oh, thank god," Porter let out a huge sigh. "That may sound weird, but if you'd waited for me this whole time I'd feel like an even bigger asshole than I feel like now, and that would have sucked."

"I bet," Lorelai smirked.

"Cel, do you think you could back up and let us have a private conversation?" Porter asked exasperated.

"No," Celie said flatly. "I'm going to listen to everything you two say until I get bored, then I'll go away. Then I'll get bored doing whatever I left to do and come back and listen some more."

Eden burst out laughing and shook his head at Porter.

"You should have known better than to ask her," Eden said.

"That was kinda dumb," Harper snickered. "But at least you have confirmation now that she's going to be up in your business for the foreseeable future."

"He knew that already," Celie huffed. "If I hadn't been listening he would have hunted me down to tell me every word of the conversation as soon as he had a chance. He's just trying look impressive to his mate now."

"True," Harper grinned at Porter. "Don't try to deny it, you two are like peas in a pod, you practically share a brain."

"So now I know, I'm going to be mated to Porter, and by extension, Celie," Lorelai said.

"Probably," Celie said. "But don't worry, Eden will also be mated to Porter by extension, they already have a bromance going on anyway."

"Porter, do you have feelings for Eden?" Lorelai asked.

"Oh, god," Porter groaned, pressing his palms to his forehead.

They all cracked up at Porter's pained expression.

"I told you guys I was going to love her!" Celie said, looking at Lorelai proudly. "I knew it from the beginning!"

"Am I missing the fun?" Ara asked, walking up with Sagan and several of the other siren warriors.

"You've been so busy hanging out with Luna Diana, I thought you forgot all about us," Celie said, turning to Ara with a smile.

"I am very fond of her," Ara said. "But the truth is, I find myself laughing more in your company than hers."

"I'm always good for a laugh," Celie grinned. "Let's walk! Now that it's gotten dark outside the weather is amazing, I could use some air, it's getting stuffy in here and I want to check and see what they've got on the grill."

Celie hooked her arm through Eden's, and they all walked out to the enormous manicured lawn behind the pack house. They joked and laughed and enjoyed each other's company. They all gathered together at the edge of one of the patios with Tosha and Finn and spoke to all the pack members who stopped by to introduce themselves or say hello.

Lorelai was having a surprisingly good time, she would never have imagined this night would turn out the way it had, but she was happy it was going so well. She could honestly say she absolutely adored Celie and could tell that nearly everyone else did too. The happy bubbly girl was shockingly upbeat but would come out with some brutal insults or observations when Lorelai was least expecting it. She also enjoyed watching Eden and Celie interact, they were so smitten with each other it actually melted her heart to see how sweet they were together.

There was one thing Lorelai noticed that had been bothering her all night, there was a tall medium built guy with blonde hair who seemed to hover on the edge of their little group, stealing glances at Celie and glaring at Eden and she wasn't sure who he was or why he was doing it.

"Harper, may I speak to you for a sec?" Lorelai asked, stepping slightly away from the others.

"Of course!" Harper smiled and immediately joined Lorelai.

"Who is that man, and why is he following and watching Celie?" Lorelai asked, pointing to Adam.

"That's Adam," Harper sighed, she glanced back toward the others and moved Lorelai a few more feet away to make sure she wouldn't be heard by anyone. "Adam is the mate who rejected Celie."

"What?" Lorelai gaped at Harper for a few seconds before her eyes went back to Adam. "If he rejected her what is he doing here? And why is he following and watching her like that?"

"Long story short, according to Adam, he didn't want to reject Celie. He did it because his best friend and alpha rejected me, and he thought he had to follow his lead. He intended to revoke the rejection as soon as he could convince Reese and their other friends that Celie was cool enough to be his mate. But Celie and I had already left the pack and headed to FL, so he never got the chance." Harper explained to a wide eyed Lorelai. "We changed our names and started a new life here, but they kept looking for us, they finally found us a few weeks ago and showed up at our house. Adam tried to get Cel to give him another shot, but she refused, then she met Eden and they fell in love basically at first sight."

"When you say Reese, do you mean Alpha Reese that I met earlier?" Lorelai asked, putting the names together.

"Yep," Harper confirmed. "That's the one, my old mate who abused and then rejected me. Lots of fun with those two and my brother around our house the last few weeks, let me tell you."

"I can't imagine," Lorelai said. "I don't think I'd be able to tolerate their presence."

"I've barely been holding it together," Harper pressed her lips together in a thin line. "I'll be honest with you, I hate Reese with a bloody passion, if he dropped dead of a heart attack right now, I'd laugh. But his parents were amazing to me, and I love them, so I've tried to keep my...animosity...under control for them."

"Why have you not challenged him, do you believe he would beat you?" Lorelai asked.

"I can hold my own, but I'm not cocky enough to think I can beat an alpha male," Harper said. "The problem is if I started something with Reese, Matt would get involved. Don't think for a second Matt wouldn't squash Reese like a bug, but Matt isn't a wolf, so that could cause big problems, and that little dickhead just isn't worth the time or the trouble."

"Yes, I see your point," Lorelai nodded. "I don't know if I could let it go if it were me, but I'm very different than most wolves."

"You're beta born, right?" Harper asked. "Could you beat an alpha? Just curious, I am beta born also, and while I have a very strong wolf I don't think I could unless it was life or death."

"I have beaten alphas before, my wolf is not a beta," Lorelai said with a shrug. "But it doesn't matter because that is what you make every contest if you want to win."

"Make what?" Harper asked, confused.

"Life or death," Lorelai answered. "If you make every contest life or death, you will always win, because there is no other alternative than life."

Harper looked at her appraisingly and then smiled and turned them to head back toward their group.

"You're going to be good for Porter." Harper said as they approached the others.

"Whatever," another voice butted into their conversation, just as a Jocelyn forcefully ran into Lorelai.

Before anyone could even blink Lorelai had Jocelyn by the throat. She'd moved so fast no one had even seen her, it was as if one instant she was standing still and the next she was holding Jocelyn up on her toes.

"I accept your challenge," Lorelai said in a deadly voice, and dropped Jocelyn to the ground.

"What are you talking about?" Jocelyn coughed.

"Alpha Alexander," Lorelai called out across the now eerily silent courtyard. "What are your rules for challenges?"

Alpha Alexander stared furiously at Jocelyn who was just picking herself off the ground.

"The one who has been challenged chooses the time, place, and method of fighting," Alpha Alexander said.

"I choose now," Lorelai said, stepping out of her shoes. "My opponent may take any form she wishes, human or wolf."

"I didn't challenge you!" Jocelyn's eyes were wide, the reality of the situation just sinking in.

"Did you not forcefully and purposefully run into me while speaking disparagingly to me?" Lorelai said. "That is a challenge to any wolf, I have accepted your challenge, now we will fight."

"No! I didn't mean to challenge you," Jocelyn argued.

"You did mean to, you just expected me to submit. I don't submit." Lorelai said. "Prepare yourself for the challenge, I will allow you to decide which form to fight in."

"I'll fight in her place," Thomas, Jocelyn's brother stepped forward, glaring at Lorelai and Harper could have sworn she saw a hint of a smile flicker across Lorelai's face.

"I don't fucking think so!" Porter growled, his eyes flashing black. But Lorelai put her hand on his arm and stopped him with a glare.

"I will fight you," Lorelai said, staring hard into Thomas's eyes, when some of his tension eased she added, "first."

There was absolute silence for a few seconds then Celie started giggling.

"She's soo going to kick his ass," Celie whisper yelled in the loudest voice ever. "This is gonna be awesome!"

"I may end up ruining your dress, Celie," Lorelai smirked, never taking her eyes off Thomas.

"Go ahead, Chica," Celie giggled again. "I'll buy you another one!"

"Is the challenge understood?" Lorelai asked. "I have been challenged by this female; her brother has also offered a challenge. I will face them both. I accept both challenges, I wish to fight now."

"The challenge is understood," Alpha Alexander said, stepping over to them. "Thomas will fight Lorelai now."

Everyone stepped back, forming a wide circle around the two of them, Porter paced at the edge, his wolf clearly furious.

Thomas unbuttoned and took off his shirt, making a show of it, but Lorelai simply stood still watching him with unblinking eyes.

Thomas took a fighting stance and raised his arms, moving around as if to loosen himself up, then he lunged forward swinging his fist at Lorelai without hesitation.

Before anyone even realized what happened, Lorelai whirled and dipped to the side, as Thomas' punch sailed over her shoulder, she elbowed him in the ribs with her right arm, when he bent, she elbowed him in the face with her left, then grabbed his arm and broke it over her shoulder, whirled again and broke his leg with one stomp and dropped him in a screaming heap on the ground. One final blow to his temple stopped his screams and knocked him unconscious.

"You lose," Lorelai said, then turned to a horrified Jocelyn. "You're next."

"No!" Jocelyn screamed and sobbed, tears streaming down her face. "No, I don't want to fight you! I don't want to fight!"

"You should not challenge someone if you're not willing to face the consequences of that challenge." Lorelai said. "I have accepted your challenge, you will fight."