Chapter 38 Lina #2
“Lina,” Knox began, his voice rough with emotion.
“Five years ago, I ran from the best thing that ever happened to me. I’ve spent every day since trying to deserve a second chance.
You gave me that chance, gave me our children, gave me a future I thought I’d lost. With this ring,” he slid the band onto my finger, “I claim you as mine in both worlds. Human and wolf, coffee shop and pack, today and always.”
I was already crying, but managed to get through my own vows without completely losing it.
“Knox,” I said, proud when my voice only shook a little.
“You wrote me letters for five years. Told me all the things you couldn’t say.
Well, here’s what I couldn’t write back: I love you.
I’ve loved you since that first night, through the anger and hurt and raising our cubs alone.
You are mine, Knox Raven. With this ring,” I slipped the band onto his finger, watching his hands shake slightly, “I claim you right back. In both worlds, in all ways, forever.”
The officiant barely got out “you may kiss the bride” before Knox was pulling me against him, kissing me with five years of pent-up longing. The shop erupted in chaos - humans clapping politely while the pack howled their approval, the sound filling my coffee shop with wild joy.
When we finally broke apart, both breathing hard, Knox pressed his forehead to mine.
“My wife,” he murmured, wonder in his voice.
“My husband,” I replied, then couldn’t help adding, “who’s going to help clean up all these flower petals later.”
He laughed, kissing me again while our mixed family of humans and wolves celebrated around us.
The reception transformed my coffee shop into something out of a fairy tale.
Wolves and humans mingled between bookshelves, sharing stories over coffee cocktails and wine.
The baristas I’d trained were managing the coffee bar while pack members attempted to learn latte art with varying degrees of success.
“Is that supposed to be a heart?” I asked Cole, who was proudly showing off his creation.
“It’s a wolf,” he said, though it looked more like an abstract blob.
“Sure it is.”
Mika had taken over teaching duties, guiding young wolves through the basics with patience I didn’t know she possessed. “No, gentle! The milk is not your enemy. Caress the steam wand, don’t attack it.”
Vivi’s cake was the centerpiece - a masterpiece of fondant books and chocolate wolves that had everyone taking pictures. It disappeared quickly once cut, werewolf metabolisms and sugar-loving humans making quick work of four tiers.
“Your family is insane,” Sarah told me during a quiet moment, watching the organized chaos with amusement. “All these large, strange dogs wearing suits and attempting the Electric Slide.”
“My family,” I agreed, warmth spreading through my chest at the words. Knox was dancing with Thea standing on his feet while Rowan spun around them in circles. “Thank you. For everything. For raising me, for accepting this, for not running screaming when you realized what you’d gotten into.”
“You were always meant for something special,” Sarah said simply, squeezing my hand. “Even if I didn’t expect... this.” She gestured at Hunt attempting to teach Cole to two-step while Noah filmed it for future blackmail purposes. “Your parents would be proud. Confused, possibly, but proud.”
“Think they would have liked Knox?”
“Your father would have tried to intimidate him. Your mother would have fed him until he burst. So yes, they would have loved him.” She smiled softly. “They would have loved seeing you this happy.”
As the night wound down, pack members approached one by one. Not just with congratulations but with real acceptance, formal acknowledgment of my new position.
“Luna,” they said with genuine respect, some even bowing slightly.
Each acknowledgment felt like another thread weaving me into the fabric of the pack. I wasn’t just Knox’s mate now but their female alpha, their protector, their heart. The human who’d somehow become essential to their world.
“Dance with me,” Knox commanded, appearing at my elbow as the evening shifted to nighttime.
“We’ve been dancing,” I pointed out.
“Not like this.”
He led me to a quiet corner between the romance and mystery sections, where the fairy lights created intimate shadows. The music was muted here, just us and the books and the distant laughter of our loved ones.
“This is home,” I whispered as we swayed together, his arms around me. “This shop, this pack, this family. This is home.”
“Always has been,” he agreed, spinning me gently before pulling me back against his chest. “Just took us a while to find it. To find each other.”
“Worth the wait?”
He tilted my chin up, kissing me with a thoroughness that made my knees weak. “Worth everything. Every letter, every lonely night, every moment of missing you. All of it led here.”
“To my coffee shop?”
“To you as my wife. In your coffee shop. Surrounded by our pack and your books and our children’s laughter.” He gestured to where the twins had fallen asleep in a pile with other pack cubs, all tucked into the reading nook. “This is everything I never dared dream of.”
I looked around at our united family filling my shop.
Wolves teaching humans pack songs. Humans introducing wolves to wedding traditions.
Mika trying to convince someone to let her braid their fur in wolf form.
Vivi collecting phone numbers with impressive efficiency.
Noah and Hunt arguing about who caught the bouquet fairly.
Sarah and Serena having what looked like a surprisingly civil conversation over coffee.
Two worlds merged in my little coffee shop, held together by love and caffeine and sheer stubborn determination.
“Worth the wait?” Knox asked again, pressing a kiss to his mark on my neck.
“Worth everything,” I confirmed, and meant it.