A Long Walk Home Ch. 20

"Play nice, vampire," he growled inside her head.

She gave him a mock innocent look as her smile broadened slightly. Dayton's earlier grief was receding to be replaced by his playful side as his emotions dialled back down into something resembling normal. If she could keep distracting him by keeping him wondering what she was going to do next, then this visit would be a lot easier for both of them.

A stunning dark haired woman had appeared at Jared's side and Freya turned back to face Millicent Cooper, Jared's mate. She'd only seen the other woman on one occasion in the past as she tended to stay close to the Hanlon Compound with her children when not in the city with Jared.

"This is my mate, Millie," Jared introduced her. "Honey, this is Dayton and I think you've met Freya once before?"

"I have." Millie smiled in Freya's direction. "It's nice to see you again."

She turned stunning cobalt eyes on Dayton and her smile beamed even wider. "I'm so pleased to finally meet you. You are both welcome here anytime. Your mother and sister have been driving us insane the last few hours. Why don't you head over to your old place and say hello?"

She frowned slightly as she looked around at the gathering of nosey wolves who were watching the homecoming of one they'd thought lost for so long. "I'm surprised they weren't here to greet you," she mused.

"I warned them to give Day some time to meet with the Alphas before they descended upon him," Connor admitted. He had stood silently watching his brother's homecoming with a lump in his throat. He was still stunned that Dayton had returned to them and was diving into his Beta duties as a way to cope with it all.

"You gave your mother a Beta command?" Jared laughed loudly. "You are so going to pay for that, Connor Alexander."

Connor flushed red and stared down at his feet. "She wouldn't stop phoning me," he muttered in his defence. His Ma was going to have his hide whether or not he was Jared's number two. It was embarrassing to admit that it didn't matter how big he got or how high in the pack he ranked, his mother would still singe his ears if she felt her little boy had done wrong.

Dayton knocked his knuckles against his brother's shoulder. "Don't worry Con; she'll be so overjoyed to have me home she'll probably let this one slide."

His brother's hopeful expression had them all laughing with the exception of Freya who was relaxed enough but still a little overawed with the easy way the wolves teased each other while completely ignoring the hierarchy of the pack. It was just so different to the vampire hierarchy it was hard to comprehend at times.

"Time to meet the rest of the clan," Dayton smiled down at her, hugging her tightly and pulling her through the assembled wolves towards a two storey wooden cabin at the far end of the compound.

It was clear the building was set quite deep into its surroundings. As the Alexander family were so numerous it only stood to reason they would have required a place of their own with enough rooms to raise six boisterous children. Freya felt her heart flip over as they neared the building, only the sharp intake of breath from Dayton forcing her to relax. She felt excitement as well as trepidation running through their mate bond so she did her best to soothe him.

The door suddenly flew open and a blonde woman with shoulder length curls flew down the three steps and launched herself into Dayton's arms. He'd barely enough time to release Freya before he caught the other woman and braced himself so he didn't fall backwards.

"You are in so much trouble," the woman ground out glaring over her shoulder at Connor who'd brought up the rear. "Ma is spitting nails, Con. You're going to hear about this for the next decade at least!"

She gave him a gloating smile and then started kissing Dayton's face with much enthusiasm. "God, I've missed you so much, Day! I can't believe you haven't come over sooner. Ma can't make up her mind whether to be pissed at you or to cuddle you to death. She's been a complete nightmare! And why didn't you dye your grey bit? Do you want to look old? And how did you find a second mate? Is this going to be a new family tradition? Are all us Alexanders going to have to mate with vampires? Okay, I know Jen's a wolf but first Cedar and now you? I don't know if I want to have a vampire mate!"

"Willow! Slow down, girl," Dayton laughed. His sister had managed to rattle off her litany with barely a breath between all her questions. Her natural exuberance was just as he remembered and he found himself immersing himself in her, luxuriating in all that was familiar.

"Willow, let your brother go before your mother has heart failure," a deep male voice boomed from the doorway.

Dayton reluctantly released his little sister as he turned his gaze to meet his father's. The happy smile gracing the older man's face was more than he could have hoped for. His greedy gaze took note of the wisps of new silver threading through his blond hair, the small lines of strain that had started to show on his father's still youthful face.

There were those small signs of aging but apart from that Iain Alexander was still the strong, dominant male that Dayton remembered from his youth. His father had always been firm but fair with his children. He'd instilled in them all a deep sense of pack and loyalty and he had always been quick to laugh with his offspring.

His eyes flitted to the tall blonde woman framed in the doorway at his father's side and he swallowed hard feeling so overcome with emotion as he met his mother's gaze.

Pale blue eyes shone with tears as Charlotte Alexander stared at her second son, quickly cataloguing the changes which had occurred in her boy since the last time she'd seen him.

He looked older, a bit leaner than she'd like but the awful lost expression was gone from his deep blue eyes. He looked uncertain, afraid to approach and that caused the tears she'd been holding in to overflow.

"Dayton Alexander, I swear you'll be the death of me one of these days," she bit out gruffly. "I can't believe you doubted for one moment that we wouldn't welcome you home. I thought I'd taught you better than that!" Her words were haranguing but her voice trembled with emotion.

Dayton swallowed hard again, the lump in his throat wedging tighter as he hurried forward to wrap his arms around her, hanging on so tightly he was afraid he might accidentally hurt her. He felt his mother tremble against him and shame washed through his body.

"You taught me just right, Ma," he whispered fighting hard not to cry at the pain he'd subjected her to. "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you."

Charlotte stroked her hands through Dayton's hair, drinking in his scent, holding her son close as if her life depended on it. She'd given up all hope of ever having her boy back. She'd been forced to content herself with knowing that at least he lived where others had died when losing their mates.

Now her baby was back and it didn't matter a damn that he was a grown man and a Beta. He would always be her boy no matter what. "I know, son," she whispered against his neck. "We all know that. Losing Faith was just unbearable for you. We understood that. We may have missed you while you were gone, Day, but you needed that space. I'm so goddamned proud of you for surviving, for holding on long enough that you could come back to us."

Iain rested his hand on his son's shoulder, his free hand running soothingly down his mate's back. "We both are, Dayton," he said quietly. "If it had taken you another fifty years to come home we'd still be just as proud that you had the strength to come through something as terrible as losing Faith."

Dayton stood in his parents' embrace, feeling the last of his regret die away under their unconditional love and support. He had lost fifty three years of his life with his family but he knew he had the future to look forward to and all because of the exquisite vampire who had brought him back to life.

"I want you to meet Freya," he said quietly, turning his head to look over his shoulder. His mate was standing with her serene mask in place, watching his homecoming silently. He had no idea what she was thinking or feeling because their mate bond was so still and calm, echoing her expression.

His mother slipped out of his embrace and walked down the steps to come to stand before Freya. "I'm Charlotte," she said quietly, her voice shaking slightly. "I really want to throw my arms around you, daughter, and welcome you into our family but I suspect you would find that a little overwhelming. Instead I will just say that we are honoured to have you join us. And I will never be able to repay you for saving my son's life and bringing such joy to him once more."

Freya was almost eye level with Dayton's mother she was so tall. The wolf had such a regal bearing to her, her face so beautiful framed by wispy blonde hair like most of the Alexander family. She had been concerned when they had welcomed Dayton home. The emotion in their voices when they spoke of Faith made it plain they had loved her very much. She had suddenly felt apprehensive that they would look at her and find her lacking somehow.

But Charlotte's eyes were so warm, her face still streaked with happy tears at having her son back. Her words held such emotion, sincerity ringing in every one of them.

She had called her daughter. It had been so long since Freya had had a mother, thousand of years since someone had claimed her as their child. She was stunned to find herself yearning for that once again now that it was being offered by the woman before her.

"Tactile contact is a new experience for me," she conceded quietly, "but one I am slowly becoming accustomed to. I would be honoured to accept an embrace from my mate's mother."

"You are so going to regret that," Willow laughed loudly a second before Charlotte threw her arms enthusiastically around Freya.

The vampire stiffened at the swiftness of the hug and then slowly relaxed allowing the wolf to have her way. She gave her a tentative squeeze back remembering she'd accidentally broken Connor's hand not so long ago. Instead of feeling uncomfortable, it felt quite soothing to be embraced by Charlotte.

Freya caught Dayton's eyes over his mother's shoulder and she was rocked by the utter joy she witnessed on his face. Becoming part of his family meant so much to him. He already looked so much happier, so much more carefree now that he was with his family. She hummed with pleasure that this small thing she did was enough to make him happy. After all he had given her, it wasn't so hard for her to bend and accept his family into her life.

She tightened her hold on Charlotte to reinforce her acceptance of the woman and then slowly released her gazing warily at the others. Where they all going to want to hug her too now?

Iain laughed his arm still loosely around Dayton's shoulder. "Don't worry, we'll ease you in slowly, Freya," he smiled. "Welcome to the family. We're lucky to have you. Oh, and I'm Iain by the way."

"But you can just call them Ma and Da like we do," Willow added.

"Willow!" Dayton growled softly worried about just how much his mate could take in the one go. The Alexanders were pretty full on with their openness. It wasn't a bad thing, but it was probably too much for Freya.

"What?" she growled back. "I'm just trying to help Freya feel like part of the family. You're all going on about Faith without a thought to how that might make Freya feel. I only wanted her to know she's just as special to us as Faith was, even if we haven't really had a chance to get to know her yet."

Dayton softened his tone walking down and gathering his sister close. "You're intentions are good but don't get carried away," he sighed. "Freya needs time to learn how to cope with all of us and she knows just how much I love her. She is not threatened by memories of Faith, not mine or our family's."

He was so confident when he spoke that Freya felt the last of her worries about joining this family melt away. Dayton loved her and admitted it freely for everyone to hear. Yes, his family had memories of his first mate which they cherished but they were welcoming her to make new memories with them. And Willow had defended her even though she didn't even know her. That was quite staggering. She had never felt so accepted before by total strangers.

"I don't want to cause any family discord," she finally said causing Charlotte to laugh.

"This isn't family discord, darling," Connor drawled. "This is typical Alexander family life."

"Sorry I'm late!" another hulking blond wolf called drawing Freya's attention as he hurried up to them. It was easy to see he was an Alexander. He had the same gorgeous good looks, though his face had a slightly more serious edge to it, as if he was a deep thinker despite the obvious happiness glowing in his cerulean blue eyes.

In his right hand he had a carefully wrapped box and with the other he grabbed Dayton around the neck and planted a kiss on his head. "Good to have you home, big bro," he said solemnly. He smiled at Freya. "I'm Brody."

Dayton shrugged off his hand and gave him a mock glare rubbing at his hair as he did so. "I can't believe you kissed me! That is just so wrong, Brody. I thought you would have grown out of that bad habit after all these years."

It was a long standing joke between them. His brother had always kissed the top of his head since he was a little, knowing it irritated Dayton so much. Brody just grinned unabashed.

"Just don't knock knuckles with the vampire, Brody. She broke my hand when I did it." Connor called out and Freya felt herself start to flush scarlet, waiting for some form of condemnation to come from the family surrounding her.

Charlotte clipped the back of Connor's head gently but hard enough to make him grumble "Ouch!"

"Good for Freya," she laughed. "About time someone put him in his place. You and I have a conversation coming up in the near future, my boy. Ordering your mother around!"

They all laughed at the irritated glare on Connor's face, Brody smiling reassuringly at Freya. "I'm the nice brother, just so you know," he grinned. His expression turned serious as his gaze swept over Dayton for a long moment and then turned back to her.

"I was late because I was making a present for you," he said quietly. "It's for both of you, kind of like a mating present but I want to give it to you, Freya. When we learned Dayton was coming back to us we all got together and tried to think of something to gift to you, for bringing him home. We came up with this and I didn't have a lot of time but I worked day and night on it so it would be ready for when you came to visit. I hope you like it." He held out the gift wrapped box to her.

Freya stared at the box in complete shock, her heart starting to thump hard in her chest and a lump suddenly lodging deep in her throat. They were giving her a gift? She couldn't remember the last time anyone had gone out of their way to buy something for her, let alone to make something with their own hands.

She didn't know what to do, what to say. She was suddenly terrified that she was going to disgrace herself and shame Dayton somehow by not acting appropriately for the situation.

"Take it, honey," Dayton smiled gently, his hand touching her back with soothing little strokes. He didn't know what was in the box but he knew it was a sculpture of some kind because that was where Brody's talents lay. He had a lump in his throat and he could feel his vampire struggling to contain her own emotions.

Tentatively Freya reached for the box, slowly unwrapping the dark blue shiny paper. She lifted the lid and peered inside, a startled gasp escaping her involuntarily. Her hand almost trembled as she reached in and pulled out the pure silver figurine.

It wasn't large, it could fit in the palm of her hand, but it was the most exquisite thing she had ever seen. The attention to detail was meticulous, the ethereal woman seated on a small platform, a large wolf curled around her with its head resting in her lap. It immediately made her think of her run with Dayton, sitting on the rock as he protected her in wolf form.

"It's beautiful," she finally breathed, emotion making her voice husky as she fought to contain it. Her gaze rose to Brody to see him beaming with pleasure and then she became aware of the utter silence around her as she turned to look at the rest of the Alexander family who were smiling their welcome too.

"Thank you."

Dayton's arms wrapped around her giving her strength as she struggled with everything. He was as touched as she was, working on his own feelings even as his protective instincts kicked in. "Da, give us a moment. This is all still so new to her."

His father nodded and began hustling the family into the house. Willow was chattering away, teasing Connor about the roasting he was going to get from their mother while Iain was beaming down at his mate, joy exuding from them both. Brody was the last to enter after laying a hand on Dayton's shoulder and giving it a squeeze.

"I know it's overwhelming, honey. I'm so proud of you," Dayton whispered in Freya's ear as he held back slightly and dropped a kiss on the side of her neck. She moaned softly and leaned into his touch, luxuriating in the one pair of arms she didn't object to having around her.

She swallowed hard, found her composure and shot him a mock irritated glare. "If I have to call your parents Ma and Da I swear I will beat you senseless," she laughed softly.

He knew she wasn't serious by the way she melted against him and the way she cradled the figurine so carefully between their bodies.

"Only if you want to, my love," he breathed capturing her lips and kissing her soundly, not caring who may be watching and there were a fair few wolves still hanging around to ogle the miracle of a wolf finding a second mate.

Freya surrendered herself to his kiss. Dayton's love made her feel free, his kisses set her on fire, and his family were probably going to drive her insane. But she wouldn't change anything for the world. She had finally found where she belonged and it was with an outrageously sexy wolf and his exuberant, loving family.

One year later...

Dayton woke up reaching out for his mate and finding the bed empty. It was the dead of night, total darkness surrounding him but his wolf vision enabled him to easily discern the room and the basinet beside the bed. He knew it was empty and his heart automatically turned over with fear as he rose quickly and grabbed his black silk robe.

He knew it was silly to be frightened but he'd never dreamt someone could become so precious to him in so short a space of time. He silently padded from the room on bare feet, seeking out his woman and his child. Freya would never allow any harm to come to their daughter. His fear was unnecessary but it wouldn't leave him until he found them and satisfied himself they were safe.

He could hear the quiet murmur of Freya's voice from outside and he frowned slightly as he headed to the open door. She'd taken the baby outside? They were at their retreat not in the heart of the pack. So what if there were probably about six Praetorians less than a mile away and discreet camera surveillance blanketing the area. It didn't mean they could be complacent, take unnecessary risks.

He would be having words with his vampire about this. He would make it abundantly clear that their daughter was not to be placed in jeopardy in any way. He could feel a low growl starting to reverberate in his chest and he pushed it down as he tried to contain his anxiety.

The harsh words on his lips melted away as he stopped in the doorway and stared at his mate. She was sitting on the porch in her deep green robe, their child balanced safely along her outstretched arms which rested on her bent knees. Her hands supported the baby's head gently, her voice soft as it whispered over the babe.