Tiffany led me to the kitchen, and I gazed around eagerly as I asked, "Can you possibly show me how this stove works? The ability to bake was the thing I missed the most when I became a rogue." That had been the best perk of being an Omega: if you were cooking anything, people would leave you alone, and I had discovered that I loved baking.

She helped me locate ingredients as I measured and mixed everything together. Before too long, we sat on tall stools against the far wall while the cheesecakes were baking. I turned to the doorway with a grin as Will entered. He promptly came over for a hug and buried his face in my neck. He lifted his head as he looked at me with curious eyes.

He said, "Why do you smell like the forest again?"

John sounded startled. "Second question, why does Tiffany have leaves in her hair?"

I glanced over to see John and Samantha looking shocked as the normally-impeccably-groomed Tiffany ran a hand through her hair to dislodge a couple of leaves and a piece of fern. Tiffany looked at me in disbelief as she exclaimed, "You didn't tell me I had stuff in my hair!"

I suspected that what she really wanted to ask, was how and when I had managed to tuck those leaves in her hair. I shrugged with an innocent grin, replying, "After our run in the forest, I am amazed that you only have a few leaves in your hair."

Will relaxed as he noticed his sister's lack of scent and put it down to us running around in the forest. I was amazed at how easily he accepted the explanation since it made no sense to me. Their patrols and sentries didn't come home smelling like the forest. To completely cover one's scent was a deliberate action.

The oven dinged, and Tiffany quickly checked the cakes and pulled out the ones that were done. The rest needed another ten minutes. John looked on in shock before finally asking, "Since when do you cook?"

"I don't,” Tiffany said, with a shrug. “Jade did most of it. I am just here to work the oven and other similar tasks."

John greedily eyed up the cheesecakes that Tiffany was covering up so they could properly cool. "What kind of cake is that?"

Tiffany looked at me. I tilted my head in consideration before replying, "I think it is a chocolate, peanut butter, and caramel cheesecake, but I don't recall the exact name after all this time."

Intrigued, Will said, "Okay, I will definitely have to try a piece at supper. How many did you make?"

I glanced at Tiffany as she did a quick mental count. "We have five ovens going,” she said, “so I think we filled twenty pans. Hopefully, there is enough for those who want to have a small slice."

There would be other desserts during the evening meal, so it wasn’t as if I was cooking for everyone.

~

Will's eyes were wide as he tasted his first bite of cheesecake. Others were having a similar reaction. I asked, "Did I measure something wrong?" I hadn't used a recipe, so it was possible that I had forgotten something after all of these years.

John took a deep breath. "This is fantastic! I think we need you to cook more often. The cooks rarely make cheesecake, so this is a rare treat." I grinned in relief before I continued eating.

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After supper, we headed out to the backyard where several people were already getting prepared for my acceptance ceremony. The Beta was on a small raised platform as he put a razor-sharp knife on a nearby table. I noticed that Will's eyes were locked onto the weapon.

Nudging his arm, I said, "Please promise me that you won't turn my acceptance ceremony into a bloodbath. I have done this before, and truth be told, I have gotten worse scratches from rose bushes. Most Alphas barely break the skin, and I am sure Roland won't do anything that would hurt you."

Will sighed as he looked away from the small blade. "I know. I have seen it done dozens of times before, but the mate bond is convinced that any injury is a serious matter."

An idea occurred to me and I grinned. "Well, look at it this way. You let your close friend give me this tiny scratch, then you will be able to hear me through the pack link. Is that sufficient motivation?"

Will turned to grin at me. "That just might get me through this."

We waited as a few more people showed up. Usually, only those close to the one being accepted attended the ceremony. John and Sam had followed us out here, Will's family showed up, Bruce and his group put in an appearance, as well as Mark and Cassie. Will was in the middle of those waiting. I hoped that their supportive presence would help him remain calm.

Roland and Emily showed up last. Emily stood with the others, while the Alpha walked up the two stairs that took him onto the platform. He took his place and motioned me to come up. I went up and waited in front of him.

He addressed me, "Do you swear that you mean no harm to this pack, and that you will support it as long the pack follows what is right and true?"

I looked him in the eye. "I, Jade, previously rogue of the forest, swear to this."

He held up his hand and lightly cut his palm. I held out my hand toward him, and he lightly cut it as well. It was so shallow that the blood barely beaded to the surface. He clasped my hand in his in a handshake, and as the blood mixed, I felt the pack link merge with my mind. Roland's voice echoed both in the mindlink and my ears as he spoke aloud, "Welcome to the Nightwind pack, Jade."

I responded in the mindlink and aloud, "Thank you."

He nodded at me, and we left the platform. It was over. Simple and short, bound by blood into a new pack. I started walking towards Will. I had felt his struggle for control earlier when he watched Roland bring the knife down on my hand. I spoke to him alone via the mindlink, "I am fine. It barely even bled enough for the ceremony. It will disappear in a few hours."

His eyes widened as he heard my voice in his mind for the first time. He ran over to grab me up in a hug and spin around. I felt his relief and wonder clearly in my senses.

I was introduced to Will's parents and brother before we all went to hang out in one of the living rooms. Will and I entered the room last. Tiffany smirked evilly as she informed us, "There is only one chair left. I guess you two will have to share."

The rest watched in amusement as Will flushed slightly red. I knew he didn’t want to push me too fast, but there was an easy solution for this situation. I idly commented to Will, "You are overthinking things, Will. There is a much easier way to get back at your sister."

He glanced at me in confusion, and I grinned at him before shifting. Those present were aware I was a runt, but other than a few startled or curious looks, they didn’t seem to care. They were mostly curious, and I suspected that none of them had seen a runt before.

It simply never occurred to them that I could sit on Will's lap in wolf form, mostly because they themselves would have been unable to do it. That was an odd thing about people; just because something was impossible for most, they never took the possibility into consideration.

I trotted over to the chair to jump onto the foot stool and sat on it while grinning at Will. Tiffany's eyes were as wide as saucers in shock; she had definitely not expected that. Will grinned in relief as he walked over to sit in the big rocking chair. I jumped onto his lap and lay down while Will immediately started stroking my fur.

Tiffany shook her head, objecting, "That is absolutely not fair."

I grinned at her as I mindlinked those in the room, "Perfectly fair and completely logical."

Will had completely relaxed, which had been what I was aiming for. We all talked and bantered well into the night.

Will didn't even let me attempt to sleep on my side of the bed. I had been leaning against a pillow like I had last night, but the second he got into bed, he pulled my wolf form against his chest. We both swiftly fell asleep.