“Mine,” Alaric howled inside me. “Finally, completely ours.”
When she reached me, her father put her hand in mine with a knowing nod, and her bright smile and eyes full of pure love almost brought me to my knees. In that moment, I knew for sure that my life, my soul, everything belonged to her.
The ceremony started, mixing ancient werewolf traditions with modern vows. When it was time for the rings, little Liam came in, proudly carrying a wooden box with silver details. When he reached us, he gave me the box, then quickly sat on the edge of the platform between Caroline and me, messing up Eleanor’s careful planning but making the moment much more perfect.
“Look, Mommy! I did it!” he announced proudly, his violet eyes that were so like my own sparkling with delight.
The guests laughed, and Caroline smiled at him proudly. I opened the box to show our rings, which I’d had made from both my parents’ and grandparents’ wedding bands. My parents’ yellow gold rings with platinum in the middle were combined with my grandparents’ yellow gold bands with diamonds, creating two unique rings made from four. Inside each one, I had written “My heart is yours through every moon.”
After we exchanged rings and said our vows, sealing our marriage with a kiss that made Alaric howl happily, I asked everyone for one more moment. I called Liam to stand in front of us and took out a small box from my pocket that I’d gotten from my family’s safe.
“Liam, come here, buddy,” I said, getting down to his level.
From the box, I took out a silver bracelet with two small plates, which was something my father had given me when I was born. On one plate it said, “May you always walk protected. Daddy loves you.” On the back, where my name used to be, I had added Liam’s name next to it. Next to the plate was a small silver wolf charm, and on the second plate I had written, “My blood runs in your veins, my protection surrounds you always.”
As I put the bracelet around his tiny wrist, I also took out the official pack papers recognizing him as my heir and gave them to Caroline. I lifted Liam into my arms, faced our gathered pack members and allies, and announced proudly,
“I present to you my son and heir, Liam Bennett Thorne!”
Everyone gasped, followed by loud applause and howls of approval. I took Caroline’s hand, and the three of us walked back down the aisle under falling rose petals and the happy howls of our pack members.
The party afterward was amazing. The great hall of the pack house had been turned into an elegant reception venue with tables covered in ivory linens and centerpieces of red and white tulips in crystal vases. Among our many guests were the Alphas and Betas from nearby packs, all who came to witness the official union between myself and my true mate.This was a statement to the werewolf world that Caroline was under my protection, and any threat to her would be met with the full force of the Storm Valley Pack.
From Maplewood, Caroline had invited only her former Alpha Gerald and his family, along with a few close friends. We danced and celebrated with our packmates until the evening stars appeared, and I held my mate in my arms for what felt like hours, not wanting to let her go even for a moment.
We had decided to wait on our honeymoon until I could properly organize pack affairs, but Ryan and Eleanor had helped turn our master bedroom in the pack house into a romantic place for our wedding night.
When the party began winding down around midnight, since Caroline had wanted the event to end at a reasonable hour for Liam’s sake, I watched as the remaining catering staff quietly cleaned up everything while our security team stayed at a respectful distance around the house.
Ryan promised me they would stay quiet and make sure we wouldn’t be bothered. With everything arranged, I pulled my wife into my arms and whispered in her ear,
“It’s time for ‘alone at last,’ my Luna.”
She looked up at me with those beautiful green eyes, now shining with excitement, and replied softly,
“At last, my Alpha.”
I swept her into my arms, holding her against my chest as Alaric rumbled with satisfaction, and carried her toward our bedroom on the second floor, where we would begin our forever together.
Caroline’s POV
Draven picked me up in his arms easily, holding me against his broad chest.
My husband carried me through the main floor of the pack house.
I felt weightless in his embrace as he climbed the grand staircase, my wedding dress flowing over his arm like a waterfall of white tulle.
“My Luna,” he whispered, his violet eyes glowing with possessiveness as he carried me down the hallway toward the master suite.
When we reached the door, Draven paused, adjusting me slightly in his arms. “Would you do the honors, my love?” he asked.
I reached out and turned the doorknob, pushing the door open.
Draven stepped through with me still in his arms, then gently kicked the door closed behind us.
The sight before me took my breath away. The master bedroom had been completely changed. One entire wall was made of glass, with elegant French doors opening onto a private balcony that overlooked the moonlit forest of our territory. Throughout the room, iron lanterns of different heights held flickering candles, casting a warm, intimate glow.
In the center of the room stood a huge four-poster bed, draped with a pearl-colored canopy. The soft cream fabric hung from the ceiling in graceful swags, tied back on three sides like elegant curtains, leaving one side open in invitation. Tiny fairy lights were woven through the fabric, creating stars above the bed that was covered in soft linens and fluffy pillows.
“Eleanor,” I whispered, recognizing my best friend’s touch in the decoration.
Draven set me down gently, his hands staying at my waist. “Ryan helped too, though he’ll never admit it.”
In the corner stood a round table decorated with a beautiful arrangement of red and white tulips. Next to it, a tray held an ice bucket with champagne, two crystal glasses, and a plate of chocolate-covered strawberries. What made my heart squeeze was the slice of chocolate cake placed prominently on the tray because Draven remembered my sweet tooth.
“It’s perfect,” I breathed, turning to face my husband. “Absolutely perfect.”
Soft romantic music began playing from speakers as Draven pulled me close, one hand at my waist while the other cupped my face. He breathed in deeply, his eyes closing briefly.
“Forever mine, Caroline,” he murmured, pressing his forehead against mine. “You have no idea how many nights I’ve dreamed of finding my mate, of having what my parents had. And now here you are, more perfect than I ever imagined.”
He scattered gentle kisses across my face.I wrapped my arms around his neck, drawing him even closer as we began swaying slowly to the music.
“I still can’t believe how our paths crossed and recrossed,” I whispered against his jaw. “That night at the masquerade ball changed everything for me.”
Draven’s eyes darkened with desire as his hands tightened at my waist.”You enchanted me that night. I’ve never forgotten it, though I didn’t realize it was you until recently.”
“I have a box with everything from that night,” I admitted. “The dress, the shoes, even the mask. And that special perfume I wore.”
“The perfume,” Draven said thoughtfully.”I noticed when you wore it again that first day at the office. Something about it seemed familiar.”
“That’s because I don’t wear it every day,” I explained. “It was a special blend I found for the masquerade.I only wore it once more after starting at Thorne Enterprises, hoping it might spark something.”
“When I held you that day when you stopped Ella from barging into my office, I caught a hint of something familiar,” Draven confessed, his lips brushing my ear. ” But Alaric couldn’t recognize you as our mate from the ball.”
“And when I heard your voice on the phone that first time,” I admitted, “something in me recognized it, but couldn’t place where from. It was like my memories were just out of reach.”
“It was all there, right under our noses,” Draven said, shaking his head slightly. “The woman who drove me wild at that ball was the same one who turned my world upside down three years later in my office.” His eyes searched mine. “Why did you run away that night, Caroline? At the ball? Why didn’t you wait for me?”
“I thought you had left and just used the phone call as an excuse,”I confessed, looking down.”I convinced myself you just wanted a one-night thing before disappearing. So when I went back to where Eleanor and Nate were waiting, we decided to leave.”
Draven sighed, lifting my chin up to meet his eyes again. “When I asked you to dance, I didn’t even think we would end up together that night. I saw you arrive and was immediately drawn to you. I watched you for what felt like hours before finding the courage to come over. It was my father who noticed and told me that our biggest regrets are the things we don’t try.”His violet eyes softened with the memory. “Everything happened so naturally, so perfectly. Before I knew it, I was completely under your spell, had lost all control, and had the most incredible night of my life. I only thought to ask your name afterward, and then came that call.”
“Who called you?” I asked, curious about what had separated us for three years.
“Howard,” he replied, his face darkening for a moment. “It was about pack finances, which was a bad call. I stepped outside to get better reception, but when I came back, you were gone. I searched everywhere but couldn’t find you.”
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