Page 58 of Ash and Burn

Arvid felt her face light up at the sight of the woman who had started this entire impossible journey. "Gerri! I was hoping you'd make it in time. I wanted to thank you—for everything. That night at the restaurant changed my entire life."

"Oh, honey," Gerri waved a dismissive hand, but her smile was warm with genuine affection. "I just opened a door. You're the one who had the courage to walk through it."

"You knew, didn't you?" Lyssi accused, crossing her arms and fixing the matchmaker with a pointed stare. "You knew she was Calix's fated mate before you ever brought her here."

Gerri's expression turned mysteriously innocent. "I knew Ashvorn needed help with their medical crisis. And I knew Arvid was exactly the right person to provide that help. Everything else?" She shrugged with theatrical nonchalance. "Fate has a funny way of bringing the right people together at precisely the right moment."

She absolutely knew, Arvid realized, watching the way Gerri's eyes twinkled with barely suppressed glee. She orchestrated this entire thing.

Strangely, the thought didn't bother her. Even if Gerri had manipulated events to bring her and Calix together, what they'd built was real. The love, the partnership, the way they challenged and supported each other—none of that could be manufactured by even the most skilled matchmaker.

"Well, I don't care if you manipulated the entire universe to get me here," Arvid said honestly. "It worked out better than I ever could have imagined. I found my mate, helped save a kingdom, and discovered a home I didn't even know I was looking for."

"That's the spirit!" Gerri clapped her hands together with obvious delight. "Though I have to say, you've exceeded even my expectations. Most of my clients are thrilled just to find their fated mates. You went and became royalty in the process."

The door opened again, more gently this time, and Ryx appeared in the doorway. The massive warrior looked slightly uncomfortable in formal ceremonial dress, but his expression was warm with genuine happiness as he took in the assembled group.

"Ladies," he said with a respectful nod. "I hate to interrupt, but we need to get moving. Calix is..." He paused, searching for diplomatic phrasing. "Let's just say he's looking a bit overwhelmed, and I think it would be wise not to keep him waiting much longer."

Through the bond, Arvid felt the truth of Ryx's words—Calix's emotions were a swirling storm of love, anticipation, and barely controlled possessive need. His dragon was definitely close to the surface now, probably pacing like a caged beast while he waited for his mate to appear.

"We'd better not keep my king waiting any longer," she said.

She moved toward Ryx, the wedding dress moving with her like liquid silk, and she caught sight of herself in the mirror one final time.

I look like a queen. But more importantly, I feel like one.

Ryx offered his arm with ceremonial formality, but his smile was genuine. "Ready to officially claim your crown, Your Majesty?"

Arvid took his arm, feeling the solid strength of the man who had become not just Calix's right hand, but her friend and protector as well. Around them, Maggie, Lyssi, and Gerri formed an impromptu processional guard, their faces bright with excitement and affection.

"I've been ready since the day I threw a knife at a silver dragon and protected the Undying Flame," she said with quiet confidence.

As they moved toward the door and the gardens beyond—where Calix waited with all of Ashvorn to witness their union—Arvid felt the last of her old fears dissolve completely. She wasn't walking toward captivity or the loss of her independence. She was walking toward partnership, toward a future built on mutual respect and shared strength.

This is what it means to choose love without losing yourself.

The thought carried her forward on steady feet, ready to claim her dragon, her crown, and the life she'd never dared to dream she deserved.

The gardens of Ashspire had been transformed into something breathtaking—rows upon rows of pristine white chairs arranged in perfect symmetry across the manicured grounds, each one occupied by a dragon shifter dressed in their ceremonial finest. The afternoon light of Nova Aurora's twin suns cast everything in golden warmth, making the volcanic stone pathways gleam like molten copper and turning the carefully cultivated ember grass into waves of amber that rippled in the gentle breeze.

This is real. This is actually happening.

Arvid paused at the garden's entrance, her silk wedding dress catching the light as she took in the magnitude of what awaited her. Hundreds of faces turned toward her—nobles from the Rimward District, healers from the Hearthring, common folk from every corner of Ashvorn. The absence of her own parents felt like a distant ache, but looking at this sea of people who had chosen to witness her ascension to the throne, she realized she wasn't losing family today. She was gaining it.

These people don't see me as an outsider anymore. They see me as their queen.

Through the bond, Calix's emotions crashed over her in waves—possessive pride, barely leashed desire, and underneath it all, a bone-deep satisfaction that made her heart race.

"Ready for this, Your Majesty?" Ryx murmured beside her, his formal tone belied by the warmth in his deep blue eyes.

She straightened her shoulders, feeling the weight of destiny settle around her like armor. "I was born ready."

The processional music began—a haunting melody played on traditional Ashvorn instruments that seemed to make the very air vibrate with ancient power. As they began their slow walk down the aisle, the assembled crowd rose as one, but Arvid's attention narrowed to a single point of focus.

Calix stood beneath an archway woven from ember grass and pyrestone, looking like every fantasy of a dragon king made flesh. His formal royal attire was midnight black silk that emphasized the breadth of his shoulders and the lean power of his frame. The Crown of Ashvorn rested on his dark hair—an intricate piece of worked pyrestone and precious metals that caught the light like captured flame. But it was his eyes that undid her completely. Those green depths burned with such intensity that she felt scorched from across the garden.

My mate. My king. My everything.