“Nothing! Sheesh, can’t a girl share the juicy details of her bonding night with her best friend?”

Lex put his hands over his ears. “Never mind! Don’t elaborate. Let’s get this thing started before an incident happens.”

Nina kissed Tracy’s cheek softly. “I got your back, sister.”

Tracy smiled. “Thanks, Nina. That means so much to me. I love you.”

“Everything okay?” Cade called out as they approached the porch.

“Fine, fine. Just girl talk.” She sent a look up to Nick, who exhaled and held out his hand.

“Before you go inside, Tracy, can you stand a bit more girl talk?” Sarah asked.

Nina touched her back and moved away, murmuring to Cade and Lex, and everyone walked inside.

Tracy leaned against the porch railing and Nick moved beside her, banding his arm about her waist.

“Tracy, I understand from Nick that you overheard some of the things I said to him on the phone this morning.”

“When you talked smack about me? Told my mate you loved him? That conversation?”

Nick tensed up and Tracy told herself that if he didn’t back her up, she’d walk off the property right then, mate or no.

Sarah sighed. “Yes, that one. I realize that it caused a fight between you two and led you to consider not joining Pacific to serve as Second with Nick. And I’m terribly sorry. What was said was said in a moment of high emotion. God, I’m so embarrassed. It was petty and small and I hope that we can get past it because Nick means a lot to me and

you mean everything to him and you’re family now. You’d also be one of my wolves. And it would break Ben’s heart to know that my jealousy had broken the Pack this way.”

“Nick, I need you to go inside and wait for me please.”

“Tracy, I…”

She looked at him with one raised brow.

“All right. Tracy, I love you. I want you here with me, in my Pack, at my side.” Nick kissed her and

pulled back, tucking a wayward curl behind her ear.

“I love you too. I’ll be in in a moment.”

He looked back over his shoulder at her and left them alone on the porch.

Tracy turned around to Sarah. “Now that we’re alone I just have a few things to say. First, I could not possibly care less if you like me or my eyebrow ring or how skinny I am. Certainly I would have preferred a warm welcome without fake smiles and pretending to like me in front of others. But whatever. The raw fact is that you had no business slagging me off to my mate. The wolf in me finds that very hard to get past. Nick is not yours.Benis yours. Nick may be your anchor but he is my mate. Don’t think to ever try and get around me to him again or there will be trouble.

“I will join Pacific. For Nick. As to whether I forgive you or not, only time will tell if what you did and said is an aberration. Now that I have an anchor, I understand your reaction a lot better. But actions are the proof, I don’t put much stock in words. I’m going to pledge my fealty tonight but I want to tell you, alone out here, that you haven’t earned it. I’m doing this for one reason only, because Nick asked me to and I love him. But make no mistake, Sarah, I will tear your f**king head off if you ever try it again.

Alpha or not.”

Sarah’s face was red and her eyes narrowed. Tracy knew that part of Sarah’s apology had been a front for Nick’s benefit, but how much of it would only be clear over time. “Okay.”

Tracy lowered her chin slightly, just enough to show deference and she was sure Nick relaxed from the place he’d been spying on them.

When they walked inside, she saw her parents and grandmother there with Nick’s parents. She rushed over to her mother and let herself be comforted by her presence.

“Oh, sweet girl! A million congratulations on you both. Let me meet this boy.”

Tracy held her hand out and Nick took it. “Mom and Dad, Grandma, this is Nick Lawrence. Nick, this is my mother Beth and my father, Henri Warden. And my grandmother Lia.”

Nick bowed to her parents and took her mother’s hand, kissing it and then her grandmother’s. He shook her father’s hand solemnly. “Mr. and Ms. Warden, Mrs. Warden, it’s my honor to have you here in Pacific House and doubly so to have Tracy as my mate.”

Her father looked Nick over carefully and slowly nodded. “Welcome to the family, son.”

Cade came forward and shook Nick’s hand and then Ben came up and there was a lot of sniffing and other status marker behavior that made Tracy look to Nina and roll her eyes.

“Oh, and Mom and Dad and Grandma,” she reached out and grabbed Gabe’s hand, the connection shocked her but she tried to hide it, “this is Gabe Murphy, my anchor.”

Her grandmother looked closely at the two of them but smiled and shook his hand.

“Shall we perform the joining ceremony?” Ben called out and the room quieted.

Nick looked to Tracy, holding his breath until Tracy nodded.

Walking to the center of the room, Ben and Sarah stood facing Tracy and Nick. As her anchor, Gabe stood to the other side as well.

“Do you swear fealty to Pacific Pack and her wolves? Do you pledge your life to her well-being and your obedience to her Alphas?”

“I do.”

“Then stand and be recognized Tracy Lawrence, Second and new Packmate.”

There was applause and Tracy became a member of Pacific Pack.

A feast was awaiting them in the large dining room and soon Tracy began to relax and get to know her new family. The wolves from Pacific, for the most part anyway, seemed to be happy to have her there.