Chapter 14
FOURTEEN
Lucas
New Year's Eve.
Six days since Michelle had changed the industry. Six days of watching her blossom into the confident, integrated person she'd always been capable of being. Six days of planning a ceremony that would make our pack bond permanent.
And approximately six hours until I got to bite my omega and claim her forever.
I was not panicking.
Okay, I was definitely panicking.
"You're pacing," Ro observed from his position by the window, where he was filming pre-ceremony B-roll of the snow-covered property. "Stop pacing. You're making me nervous."
"I'm not pacing. I'm... moving with purpose."
"You've circled the living room four times in the last three minutes."
"That's just efficient movement patterns."
Dex snorted from where he was adjusting the streaming setup. "Lucas. You're panicking. It's fine. It's a big day."
"I'm not panicking. I'm excited. There's a difference."
"Your heart rate is elevated," Ro said without looking away from his camera. "I can literally hear it through the bond. You're panicking."
Fine. I was panicking.
Because in six hours, I was going to stand in front of our families and friends and the entire Cozy Crew, streaming live, because of course we were streaming it, and vow to love Michelle Rodriguez for the rest of my life.
And then I was going to bite her. Mark her. Claim her permanently as mine.
No pressure.
"What if I mess up my vows?" I asked, voicing the fear that had been circling my brain since dawn. "What if I say the wrong thing? What if I freeze on camera?"
"Then you'll be authentically yourself," Dex said. "Which is what Michelle loves about you. Lucas, you've streamed to hundreds of thousands of people. You've handled trolls and tech failures and every crisis imaginable. You can handle saying vows."
"But those streams didn't matter. Not like this. This is—" I stopped, struggling for words. "This is the most important moment of my life. I can't mess it up."
"You won't," Ro said with certainty. "Because you love her. That's all that matters. The words don't have to be perfect. They just have to be true."
Through the bond, I felt their confidence in me. Their certainty that I could do this.
But I also felt Michelle's nervousness upstairs, where she was getting ready with Janet and Maya and Callie, who'd driven out specifically for the ceremony.
Michelle was scared too. Which somehow made me feel better.
We were both terrified. But we were doing this anyway.
"How much time do we have?" I asked.
"Five hours until guests arrive. Six hours until ceremony starts.
" Dex consulted his tablet. "Current status, all tech is operational, backup systems ready, streaming setup tested three times.
Kitchen is prepared. Bill's been cooking since dawn.
Decorations are complete. Guest list confirmed.
Everything's ready, Lucas. Now we just need the groom to stop panicking. "
"I'm not—" I stopped, catching Ro's expression. "Okay, fine. I'm panicking. How do I stop panicking?"
"By remembering why you're doing this," Ro said, finally setting down his camera. "Lucas, this isn't about the ceremony being perfect. It's about claiming your omega. Making her permanently yours. Celebrating that with the people who matter. Focus on that, not on performing."
He was right. This wasn't a performance. This was real life.
The most important real life moment I'd ever have.
"Okay," I said, taking a breath. "Okay. I'm going to go review my vows again. Make sure they're—"
"They're perfect," Dex interrupted. "You've rewritten them six times. They're perfect. Stop editing and start believing."
"But what if—"
"Lucas." Both of them said it together, their alpha authority making me pause. "Stop. Spiraling."
Through the bond, I felt their patience mixed with amusement. They weren't worried. They knew this would work out.
I needed to trust that.
"You're right," I admitted. "I'm spiraling. It's just that I love her so much. I want this to be perfect for her."
"It will be perfect because you'll be there," Ro said simply. "That's all she wants, Lucas. You. Not a perfect ceremony. Just you, us, committing to her forever."
My chest tightened with emotion. "When did you get so wise?"
"I've always been wise. You just usually don't listen." He smiled. "Now go do something useful. Help Bill in the kitchen. Check on Michelle. Anything except wearing a hole in the floor with your pacing."
"I'll check on Michelle," I decided. "Make sure she's not spiraling either."
"She's definitely spiraling," Dex said, checking his phone. "Janet just texted. Michelle's on her fourth outfit change and her seventh revision of her own vows. You're both disasters."
I flipped him off and headed upstairs.
I found Michelle in her childhood bedroom, surrounded by dress options, looking absolutely panicked.
"I can't decide what to wear," she said immediately upon seeing me. "Is the white dress too traditional? Is the blue dress not formal enough? Should I go with the cream dress that… Lucas, why are you laughing?"
"Because you're spiraling exactly like me. And it's adorable."
"This isn't funny. This is important. I need to look—" She stopped, seeming to really see me. "You're panicking too."
"Completely panicking."
"About what?"
"Same as you. What if I mess up? What if I say the wrong thing? What if the ceremony isn't perfect?"
She stared at me for a moment, then laughed, slightly hysterical but genuine. "We're both disasters."
"Absolutely disasters."
"Our pack is getting mated in six hours and we're both having full breakdowns."
"It's very on brand for us."
She collapsed onto the bed, and I joined her, both of us staring at the ceiling.
"I'm terrified," she admitted quietly.
"Me too."
"Not of you. Not of us. Just of—"
"The permanence? The vulnerability? The fact that we're declaring our love in front of everyone we care about and the entire internet?"
"All of that." She turned her head to look at me. "Lucas, what if I'm not a good omega? What if I can't balance pack and work? What if I—"
I kissed her, cutting off the spiral.
"Michelle," I said when we broke apart. "You're already a good omega.
You've been a good omega since before I even knew you were an omega.
Doubly so since the attic. Since you let yourself be vulnerable.
Since you stopped running and started trusting.
" I cupped her face. "And you're already balancing pack and work.
You've been doing it for six days. It's working. "
"Six days isn't forever. It’s not even a full week!"
"No, but it's a start. And we'll figure out the rest as we go. Together. That's what pack means."
Through the bond, I felt her fear settling. Not disappearing, she was still terrified, but it was becoming manageable.
"The white dress," I said. "Wear the white dress. You look beautiful in white."
"You're not supposed to see the dress before the ceremony."
"I'm not seeing the full effect. I'm just confirming the color choice." I smiled. "Trust me. White dress. You'll be stunning."
"You're biased."
"Completely biased. Also completely correct." I stood, pulling her up with me. "Now get dressed. Let Janet and Maya fuss over you. Let Callie tell you embarrassing stories to distract you. And Michelle?"
"Yeah?"
"I love you. So much. We all do. That's not going to change based on what dress you wear or what words you say or whether the ceremony is perfect. I love you. That's the only thing that matters."
Her eyes filled with tears. "I love you too. Each of you. Even though you're seeing my dress early and breaking tradition."
"We're making our own traditions. Starting today."
I kissed her again, soft and sweet and full of promise, and left her to finish getting ready.
Downstairs, Ro and Dex were both smiling.
"You calmed her down," Ro observed.
"We calmed each other down. Turns out we were both spiraling the same way."
"Of course you were," Dex said, shaking his head with a grin tugging at his lips.
Through the bond, I felt Michelle's love and fear and determination all tangled together.
We were doing this.
In six hours, she'd be permanently mine.
I'd be permanently hers.
And our pack would be complete.
The guests started arriving at five.
Janet had transformed the farmhouse into something magical. White lights everywhere, candles on every surface, winter flowers arranged artfully throughout. The living room had been rearranged to create a ceremony space, chairs for guests facing the fireplace, where we'd say our vows.
The Christmas tree still stood in the corner, because Michelle had insisted. "It's where this started," she'd said. "At Pike Place Market, by the mistletoe. The tree stays."
So the tree stayed, twinkling with lights, a reminder of where we'd begun.
Bill had outdone himself with the food, a full buffet waiting in the dining room for after the ceremony. The kitchen smelled like celebration.
And Dex had set up the streaming equipment with his usual precision. Three camera angles, professional lighting, clear audio. The Cozy Crew would be watching live, because they'd been part of this journey from the beginning.
Currently, the pre-stream chat was going absolutely feral.
CozyFan22: I CAN'T BELIEVE THIS IS HAPPENING
HolidayVibes: NEW YEAR'S EVE MATING CEREMONY
StreamSniper: been watching since pike place market this is EVERYTHING
RegularViewer: the cozy crew is HERE FOR THIS
More guests arrived, Michelle's extended family, some of my friends from Seattle, a few industry colleagues who'd supported us publicly.
Bill's entire side of the family. Janet's book club. The house filled with warmth and celebration. Our families were too far away to get here on such short notice so we’d decided to do a secondary celebration with them later, though I knew some of them would be watching the stream as well.