Every single member of the ranch staff and every single wolf that had arrived this evening wanted to pledge their loyalty to Tristan and our pack.

It took two hours, and we thought we were done but then Gabriel and Emma stepped forward.

Tristan looked Gabriel in the eye and said, “Gabriel, you’re already a part of our family. We owe you so much, you don’t need to kneel to me.”

Gabriel grinned, “It’s already been decided. You said we could join your pack. Is that true?”

“Of course,” he replied.

Emma knelt first.

“I, Emma Jones, pledge my allegiance to you, Tristan Martin, as my Alpha. This pack shall be my family, and where you go shall be my home as long as I shall live.”

Tristan replied, “I, Tristan Martin, pledge to you, Emma Jones, to be a strong and just Alpha. Protecting and leading this pack as my family as long as I shall live. Stand to your feet, Elder Emma Jones of the First Montana Pack.”

Emma stood and hugged Tristan and then me.

Gabriel knelt on both knees before Tristan and looked him in the eyes.

“I, Gabriel Michael Francisco, pledge my allegiance to you, Tristan Martin, as my Alpha. This pack shall be my family, and where you go shall be my home as long as I shall live.”

A wave of power surged from Gabriel’s body and flowed over the entire pack present tonight. Tristan looked down at his hands, and they were somehow larger again. He was larger again.

In a voice full of awe and emotion, he responded, “I, Tristan Martin, pledge to you, Gabriel Michael Francisco, to be a strong and just Alpha. Protecting and leading this pack as my family as long as I shall live. Stand to your feet, Elder Gabriel Francisco of the First Montana Pack.”

They clasped hands, and Tristan pulled Gabriel to his feet, and then they hugged one another unashamedly.

Gabriel turned to me and kissed my forehead gently, then stepped back to smile at the both of us. His smile broke into a grin just before Avery shouted, “And now we run!”

A great cheer roared through the crowd, and all wolves stripped and shifted. Tristan and I shifted, as well, and led everyone into the forest.

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Gabriel and Emma kept up the pace with us using their vampire speed, while some of the wolves stayed behind for a few minutes to encourage the others.

They nudged the children who couldn’t shift yet, and the human ranch hands, who were now pack members, to follow us into the forest and run, too.

The children happily followed behind, laughing, and running with all their might through the trees.

Crypton was the first part-human adult to make up his mind. He made a loud whooping sound and ran into the woods with the rest of the pack. Soon after, the others followed, laughing and running through the forest with all of us at a much slower rate of speed.

Tristan and I circled back around and wove through the children and humans playfully, encouraging them and welcoming them to the run.

The air was crisp with the fresh scent of our pack, weaving itself into the scents of all new members and floating adrift on the cool breeze that wandered through the trees.

I looked up into the trees as we loped around, and my breath caught at the magical sight of hundreds of fireflies dancing above our heads through the trees. Moonbeams cut through the canopy of the trees, and as each wolf darted beneath the beams, their coats shimmered and shined with the glow of it.

We ran and played together in the forest for an hour before the humans began to tire, so we headed back to the bonfire, where we shifted back and dressed.

I could see that everyone was exhausted at this point and running on pure happiness and adrenaline.

Tristan and I mind-linked, and then to the pack he said, “Everyone, get a good night’s rest. You have no responsibilities tomorrow other than resting and exploring your new home. The rest of our pack and your families arrive the next morning. Let’s be well-rested to welcome them home.”

Everyone cheered again, and people started filtering into the house.

Crypton and Allen had brought the SUVs to the big house and started calling out, “If you’ve been assigned a cabin, we’ll take you there now! It’s going to take a few trips, but just wait out here and we’ll be back shortly!”

I went into the house as they were loading up the unmated wolves and a few couples to deliver them to their temporary housing.

Helping the parents corral all of the children took several minutes, and then I led them to the ballroom. We’d already explained the children’s dorm, and Angelica had chosen the twelve couples that would stay with the children there.

I flung open the double doors, and the children ran in and looked around, blinking with their mouths hanging open.

“There are pajamas on the first set of bunks to the left,” I called out, “find ones that fit you, and the bathrooms are out here in the hallway. Choose a toothbrush there and brush your teeth!”

I helped the parents get all of the children’s teeth brushed, their clothes changed, and tucked into bed. I had to brush my teeth seven times to persuade some of the littler orphans to brush.

It was midnight when I finally made my way up to my room in the third-floor apartment. I flung myself onto the bed and was asleep as soon as I pulled the covers up to my neck.

At some point, after I fell asleep, Tristan came in, stripped us both, and then climbed into bed beside me. He pulled me against him, skin against skin, and I fell back to sleep soundly and snuggly against his warmth.