Slowly, the rest of the details register. The girls have done her makeup, enhancing the pale pink glow of her cheeks and deep red, bow-shaped mouth. Her golden hair curls in littlebraids across the crown of her head, neatly tucked around the headband of the veil, held in place by tiny white flowers.
Her white gown hugs her luscious, generous curves, framing her big, soft breasts with a deep, heart-shaped neckline. Folds of cream-colored fabric fall in waves from her hips all the way to the floor.
When I finally look back up at her face, there is a hard edge to her beautiful brown eyes. I look back at the floor, gulping with just a touch of embarrassment.
She probably doesn’t appreciate me ogling her like that. I’ve got to get myself under control.
As Leah calls us to face her, we take each other’s hands. Sara’s skin is ice cold. It hurts me to know that she’s this scared, but it makes me even more determined to make it up to her.
I hoped that my bride would be beautiful, and that we had enough in common to make our union amicable. I never even imagined I’d be gifted with a woman this stunning and intelligent. Someone I could actually fall in love with, if she would just give me a chance.
Leah speaks the ritual words, and I’m so busy looking at Sara, I barely hear her. I know I can hope until the end of the world, but I have to accept that Sara might never love the man who married her for duty, and even accepted a cash payment as compensation.
Why did I take the fucking money? It’s not like I need it, and Jackson’s gesture was weird as fuck.
After the ceremony, Jackson leads us outside, where a table of food has been laid out. We are greeted by the rest of the pack, and I’m struck again by how poor everyone looks.
Threadbare clothes, old shoes, simple food. How long have these people been isolated—and why are their resources so low?
I also notice how Jackson, his mate, and the goons that follow him seem to have decent apparel in comparison. It makes me even more determined to find out how Talon ran the pack, and if he was such a good guy, how he let this happen.
The food is decent, even if there isn’t much of it, and the people are mostly of good humor, so the afternoon is pleasant—or it would be, if Melanie and Jackson hadn’t immediately sat down on either side of me to talk both my ears off.
“Let us know if you need anything, anything at all,” Jackson says, smoothly. “I can get it for you.”
“For sure!” Melanie agrees in her shrill voice. “We do it tough out here, but my man, he’s a provider!”
“How exactly does your supply chain work?” I ask. “The town seems very poor, and yet you’re offering luxuries to me?”
“Oh, I didn’t mean modern amenities,” Jackson says, his face somber. “I was referring to the simple wares we have in town. I’m sure now that you’re here to lead us, you can connect us to the new packs and improve the standard of living for us all.”
“Of course,” I mutter, looking closely at Jackson.
His clothes look store-bought—everyone else is in homespun. He’s also clean-shaven, and it’s too neat to be from a knife or straight razor.
“Don’t worry about it today!” Jackson says, putting another plate of food in front of me and filling my cup with moonshine. “Enjoy your wedding. We’ve got plenty of time to go over the finer details.”
And we definitely will be.
I catch Rex’s eye across the table, and he nods, showing me he’s following my thoughts.
We came here to improve the conditions of this pack, and it looks worse than I feared. Still, we can’t rock the boat. Jackson has too many people looking up to him, and they are obviously still hurting because of Talon’s death—and we killed him!
Clover pack seems to react well to the women, and Gen is at her diplomatic best, promising joint programs between packs and market fairs for them to attend. Everything seems to be going well until she mentions inviting people from Clover into Eccles, and the mood of the party shifts immediately.
No one is outright rude, but it’s as if a switch has been flipped, and suddenly, no one wants to talk to our people anymore. I notice Leah glaring at me, her pale gray eyes cutting into me like diamonds.
Is this because they’re so used to being isolated, and they’re scared to leave their boundary? Or they don’t trust us?
Deciding that it’s probably both, I try to turn the mood, and Scarlett promises to bring her sewing circle to town, with fabric and thread to donate. The energy shifts again as people discuss how good it will be to have new clothes. Alisha and Grace follow her lead, promising plants and gardening supplies.
As the day draws to a close, we manage to end on an amicable note. I’m satisfied that we’ve made some progress as I take Sara’s hand and head back towards Talon’s house.
My house. I’ve got to get used to that.
Sara’s skin is icy cold again, and the anxiety spreads to me.
I have to convince her that I don’t want anything from her, and she’s safe with me. I wanted to spend time with her today, but I couldn’t avoid my duties. We have the rest of our lives to get to know each other. I just pray she gives me a chance.
