It was raining outside—one of the only differences from the last wedding I had attended—and a flash of lightning lit up the stained glass windows ominously as I stared down the long red runner to where the pack was standing on the dais.
Before I had sat in the pews, my heart in my throat as I watched the men that I had always thought would be mine get married to someone else.
But now, my heart was in my throat for a completely different reason.
I should have been ecstatic to be walking toward them, but all I felt was a sense of foreboding.
This would set into motion events that we didn’t have any control over, and to make matters worse, I wasn’t even completely sure how these men really felt about me.
All too soon we had made it to the steps leading up to the dais and the priest began to talk. I hardly paid attention until Elio descended the steps and held a hand out to me.
His expression, as always, was completely neutral as I slid my hand into his and let him pull me away from my father.
Then I felt it down the tenuous line connecting us together. A little tug, followed by an overflowing feeling of comfort.
I glanced over at him in shock as we ascended the stairs and found his eyes crinkling in the corners as he offered me a smile—something that was almost as rare as an eclipse.
Once we’d reached the top of the stairs, I found them standing in a circle around the priest, dressed in matching tuxedos.
‘Are you okay with this?’I asked as surreptitiously as I could with one hand as I awkwardly juggled my bouquet into my elbow.
None of them answered, but Ranieri took my hand and gave it a comforting squeeze as the priest began the ceremony.
“It’s lucky, you know,” he mouthed to me.
My brows furrowed and I shot him a questioning look.
His green eyes darted to the windows.“Rain on your wedding day.”
As he spoke, another flash of lightning illuminated the stained glass windows.
I wanted to ask him what lightning on a wedding day signified, but I was too much of a coward.
Soon Dante, who stood on the other side of me, was giving me a little nudge and I realized the priest was asking for my ‘I do’s’.
This was not how I imagined my wedding day. There was no sunny castle, no knights in shining armor, and what hurt the most, no brother to congratulate me at the end.
But even still… I looked around at the alphas surrounding me with their mix of sweet, fruity scents, and I knew it: this was fate.
So, I cleared my throat, opened my mouth, and spoke as loudly as I could manage.
“I do.”
Eleven
The soft din of the string quartet in the corner filled my ears as I wound my way through the crowd and back to my pack.
It had been hours since the wedding, and yet, we still weren’t allowed to leave.
I had hoped that Amante would forgo tradition just this once and let us slip away from prying eyes.
But no. Of course not.
He wanted to trot us out and show us off for as long as possible.
As I approached, I caught Dante’s questioning gaze and shook my head. The alpha’s jaw tensed as he glanced down at our new bride who looked exhausted on her feet.
I wasn’t sure what time they woke her up this morning to do her hair, makeup, and dress her, but judging by the slow, heavy-lidded blinks she was giving Nico as he signed something to her, Cini was one step away from dropping entirely.
