I walked toward him.
My friends were on one side, Sloane and the book club girls, openly weeping. The tattoo shop guys were there too, looking uncomfortable in formal wear but present nonetheless. Dom had dropped an entire tray of ink when they’d learned aboutCaelan’s true nature. Marco had sworn in three languages. Vinnie had simply nodded like he’d suspected all along. But they’d come around quickly, especially after Caelan promised to never let anything happen to me.
His groomsmen stood on the other side. Patt, reliable Patt, grinning broadly. Aedan, looking smug. And Benson and Tylo, childhood friends of Caelan’s who’d been traveling when everything happened. I’d only met them a few weeks ago, but they’d slotted into our lives easily, all easy charm and terrible jokes between them.
The guests filled every seat.
I recognized some of them. Malachar and Wen were in the front row, Wen looking radiant in a gown that matched her eyes. Mal caught my eye and nodded, a small gesture of approval that meant more than I expected. Miracles did happen.
Other faces were less familiar. Other kings, I realized, with their human queen mates. Their children ran between the rows, giggling, being shushed by embarrassed parents. There were couples of all kinds, some clearly newly mated, others comfortable in their bonds.
They were all welcoming, and for the first time since I’d stumbled into this world of wolves and magic and impossible things, I didn’t feel out of place among them. Maybe I did belong here. Maybe I’d always been meant to find my way to this moment, this aisle, this man waiting for me with his heart in his eyes.
I reached the altar, and Caelan took my hands. His fingers were trembling. The unshakeable prince, the future king, trembling because of me.
“Hi,” he whispered.
“Hi.”
“You look...” He swallowed hard. “There are no words.”
“You don’t look so bad yourself.”
His lips twitched. Even at our wedding, I couldn’t resist being a smartass. It was a gift, really.
The officiant began the ceremony, a blend of wolf traditions and human ones, because we’d insisted on incorporating both. There was the lighting of ceremonial candles, one gold and one silver, representing the joining of two souls. There was the traditional human exchange of rings, which had made several wolf nobles murmur with curiosity. Apparently the concept of jewelry as a marriage symbol was novel to them. Who knew? And there was the binding of hands with a silk ribbon, an ancient wolf custom that symbolized the intertwining of fates.
We’d spent weeks planning this, weaving together customs from two worlds to create a ceremony uniquely ours. The officiant recited words in both English and the old wolf tongue, and when he asked the assembly to bless our union, the answering howls made the candle flames dance.
Then came the vows, and my heart climbed into my throat.
Caelan went first, his grip on my hands tightening.
“Riley,” he said, his voice steady despite the emotion in his eyes. “When I walked into that bookshop, I was looking for answers about portals. I found an infinitely more important answer instead. I found you.” He squeezed my hands. “You’ve challenged me. Frustrated me. Made me laugh when I’d forgotten how. Made me a better wolf, a better prince, a better man. I vow to spend every day of our lives earning you. Protecting you. Loving you. Until my last breath and beyond.”
My eyes were wet. Damn him. I’d promised myself I wouldn’t cry until at least the reception.
Then it was my turn.
“Caelan,” I began, my voice cracking, “I used to write about love like this. Epic, world-changing, against-all-odds love. I thought I was making it up. I thought it was fiction.” I let out a watery chuckle. “Turns out I just hadn’t met you yet. You’ve given me a family. A home. A future I never dared to imagine. I vow to be your partner. Your equal. Your queen, even though I still have no idea what I’m doing.” Laughter rippled through the crowd. “I vow to love you, annoy you, and make you read smutty books to me for the rest of our lives.”
The laughter grew louder.
Caelan’s eyes were bright with tears. “I accept those terms.”
“Do you, Prince Caelan of Duskmere, take Riley Hawkins-Mirabelle to be your mate and wife?”
“I do.”
“And do you, Riley Hawkins-Mirabelle, take Prince Caelan of Duskmere to be your mate and husband?”
“I do.”
“Then by the power vested in me by the realm and the moon goddess herself, I pronounce you mated and married. You may kiss your bride.”
Caelan didn’t hesitate.
He cupped my face, pulled me in, and kissed me. The crowd erupted into cheers, but I barely heard them. All I knew was his lips on mine, his hands on my skin, his heart beating against my chest.
