Chapter 32
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
Morax
Ipaced the rooms, anxiety flooding my veins.
Michaela had not been out of my sights for more than handfuls of minutes ever since Belial and the Kings stole her sister away.
She was almost stolen from me that night.
My heart nearly cracked in two when I realized she was being taken, but she escaped.
And the idea of being parted from her for more than a moment sent my mind tumbling into a rage I couldn’t control.
The only reason I wasn’t going completely mad being parted from her now was the mate bond.
I could sense her happiness, her elation, and I wouldn’t ruin that for her.
Michaela was with her sister, preparing for our upcoming wedding.
And she was safe with Seraphina. The crazy one might be a little damaged at the moment, but she was still the only being I trusted to keep my mate safe besides myself.
The fact that the cult princes were hovering outside the room also helped.
“It’s almost time, my domesticated brother!” Phen shouted at me, bursting into the room like a bull in a china shop.
“You know we have exceptional hearing, right? There’s no need for all the shouting,” I grumbled, but it was not nearly enough to tame my wild brother.
He smiled broadly, clapping me on the shoulder. “Yes, but sometimes it’s just fun to be loud. Happiness is loud. Love is loud. Shout to the rooftops, Mor. It’s your fucking wedding day.”
Phen’s joy was infectious, and I let it wash away some of my anxiety. Because he was right, love should be celebrated loudly, and Michaela deserved that. She deserved a day of pure goodness, and I was determined to give that to her.
It was a strange thing. I knew she was mine, body, mind, and soul.
And yet, I needed to tie her to me in this way.
Perhaps it was part of my primal need to claim her.
She was my everything, and tying her heart to mine in this way meant more to me than I realized.
I could only hope it was just as meaningful to her.
Phen reached out to toy with my tie, and I smacked his hand away.
He wore a bowtie in the same bright-blue color as my tie.
I chose it because the color reminded me of my mate’s stunning sky-blue eye.
And my cufflinks I created in a brilliant light brown with flecks of gold to match her other eye.
My mate’s heterochromia was mesmerizing, and staring into her eyes would never not enthrall me.
My wings and claws were out of sight for now, but with my anxious emotions still simmering, my horns remained out.
So were Phen’s, but his were never not out. He cocked his head, staring at mine. “You’re like a damned teenager. Can’t even control your beastly side.”
I shoved my shoulder against his. “Perhaps I’m just trying to be more like my wild brother.”
Phenex laughed, and I joined him in the merriment as we exited my rooms and made our way out to begin the ceremony.
Guards trailed us on our walk. There were hundreds of soldiers between the truxen army and the diaspora brought from Earth by the Obscuritas Princes.
Everyone was on high alert now, ready for an attack at any moment.
Despite my speech, I didn’t think Belial would come here himself, but he would send others to destroy these people, and he had plenty of monsters to aid him. Which reminded me of another.
“Is Halphas still alive, or did you kill him?” I arched a brow at my brother.
Rage clouded his silver eyes for a moment before he regained his composure. “He’s alive. The truxens have him locked down tight. And Nuriela has been down in the dungeon torturing him regularly. That one is insane.”
I sighed. “She is not insane. She’s heartbroken. Lailah was her mate, and it does not seem she has another.”
Phen nodded. “Yes. Although, if even one of mine were killed, I think I’d go insane as well. Having multiple mates doesn’t make it easier if one is lost.”
Squeezing my brother’s shoulder, I paused in the hallway just before heading out to the ceremony. “I know, brother. And I believe you will bring your mates back together. If anyone can pull off something unheard of, it would be you.”
Phen wrapped his arms around me, and we shared a long-overdue embrace. “You stay alive until we get back, alright?”
His words were spoken casually, but I understood the implications. We were going into war without several of our most powerful players. “Don’t lose your head under that mountain, alright?”
We pulled away and clasped forearms with grim smiles. There wasn’t much else to be said. And it was time for me to take a wife.
Standing by the floral archway waiting for Michaela to appear was quickly bringing my anxiousness back to the surface. It was only a few moments, but it felt like a lifetime. Music began to play, soft and slow, and suddenly, time stopped altogether.
She appeared through soft clouds, an angel come to save my blackened soul. My mouth dried up, and my heart nearly stopped at the sight of her.
Michaela wore a form-fitting gown made of lace and silk.
The color was the palest shade of blue, even lighter than her sky-blue eye, and paired exquisitely with her fair skin.
Her long, golden hair was piled high on her head, with soft curls framing her face.
She was gazing at me with a brilliant smile, and it was impossible not to smile back.
The faces of our family and friends faded away, and only Michaela remained, shining like the brightest star, sparkling only for me. The aisle between us was decidedly too long, and I took three long strides, unable to wait to have her in my arms.
“Someone’s in a hurry.”She laughed softly as soon as I pressed her slender frame to my side. “You look fine as hell in a suit and tie, mate.”
I pinched her side, and she yelped. “Watch that filthy mouth, little lumen. Or I’ll be forced to spank my wife on our wedding night.”
My dick twitched as soon as her cheeks flushed at my response. Her eyes dilated, and the beast within growled softly. This ceremony better be quick.
Scribe Lahabiel stood just beyond the floral archway as we approached. She wore silver robes, and her wolf-like eyes twinkled with amusement. “Let’s hurry up and finish this before this horny male mounts his mate in front of all these witnesses.” She chuckled.
The guests laughed, and one particularly loud whistle from Phen soared over the others.
She wasn’t entirely wrong, though. The Scribe began her monologue, reciting the words of the old gods, those who created our kind and gifted us with the afterlife among the stars.
Michaela listened with rapt attention, being new to this world, but I was focused completely on her.
Labahiel wrapped our clasped hands in silk ribbons, and we each repeated the words to bind our minds, bodies, and souls as one. We did not say until death, as I have seen in the mortal ceremonies, for death is not the end.
“I give you my heart and my life. Now and always,” I murmured the words, brushing my thumb against her racing pulse at her wrist. “And if the stars claim my soul before yours, I will wait for you among them. Now and always.”
Tears welled in my wife’s eyes as she repeated the vows. The mate bond hummed with life, shining through us nearly as bright as the stars in the sky. Our vows were accepted, and Lahabiel announced us, bound as one in this life and the next.
I couldn’t wait a moment longer. Snatching Michaela into my arms, I crushed my lips to hers and claimed her once more for the world to see. She was mine. This brave, beautiful creature was bound to me in every way, just as I was to her.