And holy shit. It’s even more dramatic than I remember. Massive, ancient branches. Arms outstretched in a big leafy hug. Or maybe it’s about to swallow me whole. Hard to tell. Lanterns hang from the lower branches, glowing bright as bottled starlight, and sunlight slices through the leaves in those perfect little golden beams you only see in movies where someone dies or gets married.
Lucky me, I’m option B.
“This is disgustingly romantic,” Tansy mutters, fluffing my skirt. “If this doesn’t make me believe in love, nothing will.”
I try to laugh, but it comes out strangled, like a dying bird.
The clearing opens up, and boom. There they all are. Ezra, smiling happily. Cassie, holding Rosie on her hip. Rosie tilts her head and whispers, “You look like a princess.”
And then I see them.
Beck looks like someone dared him to wear a suit, and he’s still mad about it. The tie’s crooked, his jaw’s set, and he’s already glaring at me as if I’m late. Which I’m not, thank you very much.
Hayes… God, Hayes looks like he stepped out of a damn catalog, which is rude. I’m supposed to be the good-looking onetoday. He’s smiling that quiet, steady smile that somehow makes meknowI won a prize.
And Ford… oh, Ford. He’s already red-eyed, and I’m still twenty feet away.
Great. Fantastic.
Someone get that man tissues before he floods the grove.
The whole town is here. Whispering. Staring. Pretending they’re not waiting for me to combust. But the second I lock onto the three of them under that big oak tree? Everyone else blurs out. It’s just them.
Always has been.
I don’t even remember walking. One second, Tansy’s fluffing my veil, the next, my hand is in Beck’s because apparently, Idoblack out under pressure. He squeezes hard. He knows I’m five seconds from panicking.
“You’re here,” Hayes murmurs, low enough that only I hear.
“Barely,” I mutter, because my legs are shaking and silk is a scam.
Ford sniffles loud enough to make a couple of church ladies in the front row jump. Then he grins through the tears. “You’re perfect.”
And just like that, I come undone.
The officiant clears his throat. “We are gathered here today under The Old Oak Tree, as has been Honeysuckle Grove tradition for generations, to witness the binding of bonds. Not just vows but promises sealed in scent and soul. What is spoken here today will not just tie together lives. It will ripple through pack and community for years to come.”
My brain, meanwhile:Don’t trip. Don’t puke. Don’t ugly cry.
“Louisa Marsh,” the officiant says, “do you come here freely, ready to bind yourself in bond and vow to those who wait for you?”
I nod, my voice shaking. “Yeah. Definitely. Freely.”
The crowd laughs, but the Alphas growl in warning at the sound, which somehow makes it worse.
The officiant smiles. “Then let us begin. Beck Calloway, you may speak.”
Of course, Beck goes first. He steps forward, looming over me, and I swear the pheromone charge in the air spikes enough that half the unmated Omegas in the audience shift in their seats.
“You are mine,” he says, blunt as ever. “You’re my mate, my Omega, my heart. I’ll kill for you. I’ll kill anyone who looks at you wrong. And if I ever fail you, I’ll end myself before I let you think you were ever unloved. That’s my vow.”
There’s a collective inhale from the crowd, like Beck just threatened everyone at once. Which, yeah, he kinda did. My throat closes, and yep, I’m already crying. Murdery romance? 10/10, no notes.
The officiant wisely doesn’t linger. “Hayes Whitlock, you may speak.”
Hayes clears his throat, straightens his tie, and then smiles that soft, steady smile that makes me want to melt. “Lo, I don’t have an Alpha’s growl or a dramatic death threat. What I have is choice. You were my first choice. The first thing not dictated by the legacy of my last name. Every day, I will choose you.
“When you bulldozed back into my life like a tornado, loud, messy, and impossible, I thought I’d lose my balance. But instead, I found something I didn’t know I needed: a partner. A mate. A fulfilled pack. I promise to be your calm when you’re in chaos, your anchor when you’re spinning, your laughter when you’re crying. And I promise, every morning for the rest of my life, I’ll wake up and choose you again.”
