Page 37 of Tempting the Tiger

CHAPTER SEVEN

A few weeks later…

“Is all this really necessary? You’ve already mated her.” Tarek growled as he pulled at the black tie encircling his neck. It was tight and restricting and neither the man nor the wolf inside liked the feeling. Even though that was exactly what his two fellow shifters had gotten themselves into. A life that was restricting. Why? Because they both had mates. First Bachar, his alpha, whose mate was ready to give birth, and now Keair.

“Stop your bellyaching, Tarek. It is not every day that we have a wedding in the pride.” That came from Bachar. He was not the groom today. That honor belonged to Keair, the second-in-command.

“Yes, do stop complaining. If you don’t I’ll tell Sally.” Keair threatened his friend with the alpha’s mate. The woman had managed to wrap almost every member of the pride around her little finger. And it was no surprise. The woman had a heart of gold—and was nine months pregnant.

In fact, Keair thought, as the music started and the woman walked through the ballroom doors, she looked as if she could pop any moment.

Bachar must have thought the same thing because he muttered, “This better not take long. Sally needs her rest.”

“Of course, Alpha.” Keair, even though he agreed with the other man’s assessment, let his amusement coat his words. Sally never allowed Bachar to order her around. All thoughts of anything else fled Keair’s mind as he saw Grace, his mate, step through the door.

Grace felt like a goddess walking down the aisle toward Keair. She wore the dress he had chosen for her. It was white gossamer, the finest of silk that clung to her curves almost as lovingly as his hands did when they were alone. It had a high empire waist with a corset bodice that she knew looked good on her—chubby figure and all. Keair, bless his black, playboy heart, had also insisted on picking out matching lingerie—silk panties and thigh-high hose. No need for a bra with the corset bodice which kept her breasts very well secured. She had never worn such expensive clothing. It bothered her for just an instant that he had so accurately guessed her sizes.

But only for a moment.

She grinned at the man standing on the other end of the aisle. Her heart was happy and full and she couldn’t wait until they were alone together. They were already mated and she truly hadn’t expected a wedding. But, Sally, who had not had one, had insisted.

As she’d reminded Grace, any excuse for a party for the pride.

Grace had learned much in the last weeks she and Keair had officially been together. Much about shifters in general and much, much more about what being a mate truly meant. It was simply heaven she thought dreamily.

She now had a family, a man who would die for her and… well, she had a little surprise for Keair later.

Keair held out his hand as she neared and she took it, his warm palm closing around hers. She didn’t wear a veil but did carry a bouquet of white roses. She handed those to Sally who stood by her side. Tarek and Bachar stood up for Keair.

“Well, damn,” Bachar said as she moved forward. The man was still intimidating but not so much now. He had welcomed her into the pride and treated her like a little sister. Her eyes flew to his and she knew that he knew her secret. Apparently, all the things Sally had said about alphas were true.

Keair had apparently not heard his alpha’s muttered words and she begged the other man with her eyes not to say anything. He grinned and winked at her.

It took no time at all for the ceremony and soon everyone was gathered in the main dining room of the Lion’s Pride. Keair had insisted that the wedding take place there as his suite was on site and he wanted to waste no time getting his bride to his bed.

The other rituals of the wedding were quickly taken care of—the bouquet tossing, the reception and cake cutting. There was no garter throwing. Keair wanted no other man in possession of such an intimate piece of his mate’s clothing. He did not understand that human tradition as all.

He did, however, appreciate carrying the bride away. Or was that over the threshold? It really didn’t matter. Keair was making his own traditions.

“It is time for us to go,” he announced abruptly roughly an hour after the ceremony. They were in the middle of eating the wedding cake, but Keair and his cat had been on edge since the moment Grace had walked down the aisle. He did not know what it was, but her scent was driving him crazy tonight. He needed to take her, to mark her again.

“Come,” he ordered Grace, barely giving her time to swallow the bite of cake in her mouth before picking her up and tossing her over his shoulder.

“Keair,” she grouched, “what is wrong with you?”

“I.” He stopped, he really didn’t know what was wrong him, just that he needed to get her alone. Now.

“Congratulations,” Bachar laughed as Keair walked away with his new bride.

“Uh, Keair, I think you better put me down.”

“Hush,” he said, giving her a loud smack on her ass. While Grace loved the fact that he was acting all cave-many, the position of being over his shoulder was about to make her very, very sick.

“Listen, if you don’t want me puking all over this elevator, you better put me down,” she said.

“What? Why didn’t you say something?” He immediately flipped her around until he carried her in his arms, facing him.

“I think I just did.” She smiled up at him. She wrapped her arms around his neck. “Now make it up to me. Kiss me.”