Chapter 35
Alison
The morning of my wedding dawned with golden light filtering through the curtains of my room in Lucas's estate. I stood at the window, watching the bustling activity on the grounds below as workers assembled the white canopy where Lucas and I would exchange our human-world vows later today.
My mother gently knocks on the door, then enters with a garment bag draped carefully over her arm. "It's time, sweetheart."
The past few months had been a whirlwind.
My studio had grown from a small venture into a flourishing business with investors clamoring for a stake.
The merger with Victor's company assets had proceeded smoothly under my direction, with Lucas supporting my every decision while focusing on integrating the two packs.
Victoria remained in jail, awaiting trial for arson and kidnapping, her claims about werewolves dismissed as delusions.
Victor had upheld his end of our agreement, signing the blood oath before disappearing to parts unknown.
And Leo...my beautiful boy had blossomed under Lucas's guidance, embracing his werewolf heritage with joy and pride.
"You look miles away," Mom said, hanging the garment bag on the closet door.
The genuine affection in her eyes still surprised me sometimes.
After twenty-five years of cold neglect from the people I'd thought were my parents, the Blacks' warmth felt like stepping into sunlight after a lifetime in shadow.
"Just thinking about everything that's led us here," I said, squeezing her hand.
Her eyes misted. "I wish we'd found you sooner, darling. All those years..."
"We have now," I reminded her. "And the future."
A soft knock at the door announced the arrival of my bridesmaids—my cousin Emily and two women from the pack who had welcomed me with open arms despite my human status. They bustled in with champagne and makeup kits, their excitement filling the room with laughter.
As they worked to transform me into a bride, my thoughts drifted to the second ceremony that would follow the human wedding.
The pack bonding ritual was ancient and sacred, performed under the moon to seal our union in the werewolf world.
Lucas had explained it with reverence in his voice, his eyes glowing amber at the mention of claiming me fully as his Luna.
"There," my mother said at last, stepping back to survey the final result. "You're perfect."
I turned to the mirror and caught my breath. The woman who stared back at me was regal in ivory silk that flowed like water over my curves. My hair was swept up with tendrils framing my face, and a delicate diamond tiara completed the look.
A commotion downstairs signaled Leo's arrival with my father. My son had insisted on staying with his father last night, taking his role as ring bearer with utmost seriousness.
"I'll go check on them," Emily offered, slipping out of the room.
She returned moments later with Leo in tow, resplendent in his tiny tuxedo, his dark hair slicked back like a miniature version of his father.
"Mom!" he cried, stopping short when he saw me. His eyes widened comically. "Wow. You look like a princess."
I knelt carefully, mindful of my dress. "And you look very handsome, Mr. Ring-Bearer."
He puffed up with importance. "Dad says I have the most important job after him. He's nervous, Mom. He changed his tie three times."
The thought of my powerful, confident Alpha fretting over his appearance made me smile. "Is that so?"
Leo nodded solemnly. "He wants everything to be perfect for you. He told Uncle James that you deserve the moon and stars, and he's going to spend forever giving them to you."
My heart squeezed at the innocence with which he relayed Lucas's words. "Did he now?"
"Uh-huh. And then he made Uncle James promise not to tell you that part because it was 'uncool.'" Leo's air quotes around the word made everyone laugh.
"Well, you can tell your dad that I think he's pretty cool," I said, straightening his bow tie. "And that I can't wait to see him."
Leo grinned, revealing the gap where he'd lost his first tooth the week before. "I knew you'd say that. Dad's the coolest, even when he's being mushy."
The clock chimed noon, and my father appeared at the door, resplendent in his tuxedo. "It's time, Alison."
As the bridesmaids filed out, each hugging me before heading downstairs to take their places, Dad offered me his arm. "I never thought I'd get to do this," he said, his voice thick with emotion. "Walk my daughter down the aisle."
"I never thought I'd have a father who wanted to," I replied, squeezing his arm. "Thank you for finding me."
"Thank you for forgiving us for losing you," he whispered, pressing a kiss to my forehead.
The ceremony was set in the estate's gardens, a symphony of white roses and twinkling lights. As the string quartet began playing, I took a deep breath and stepped onto the petal-strewn path, my father solid beside me, Leo skipping ahead with the rings on a satin pillow.
And then I saw Lucas.
He stood tall and powerful at the altar, his black tuxedo accentuating his broad shoulders and narrow waist. As if I were the only person in the world, his amber eyes locked with mine, and everything else faded away—the guests, the music, the elaborate decorations.
Just him and me, finding each other across an impossible distance.
I barely registered the walk down the aisle, the giving of my hand, the minister's words. All I could focus on was Lucas, the way his fingers trembled slightly as he slid the platinum band onto my finger, the way his voice deepened to a growl when he said "I do."
"I now pronounce you husband and wife," the minister said at last. "You may kiss the bride."
Lucas pulled me to him with exquisite tenderness, his lips claiming mine in a kiss that promised everything—protection, passion, partnership. The guests erupted in applause, but I heard it only dimly, lost in the sensation of finally, truly belonging.
"Mine," he whispered against my lips, too low for human ears to catch. "Forever."
"Yours," I agreed, smiling against his mouth. "Always."
The reception passed in a blur of champagne toasts and dancing. Leo stole the show, insisting on dancing with me before Lucas could, prompting laughter when he dramatically linked our hands together, proclaiming, "Now you have to dance with Dad too!"
As the sun began to set, the human guests gradually departed, leaving only pack members and my parents, who had been honored with the knowledge of Lucas's true nature as a condition of our marriage.
"Ready for part two?" Lucas murmured in my ear as we swayed together on the dance floor.
I nodded, a delicious shiver running down my spine. The pack bonding ceremony wasn't just symbolic—it was primal, a claiming that would link us physically and spiritually.
We slipped away to change, me into a simpler white dress that would allow for movement in the forest, Lucas into loose linen pants that would accommodate his transformation.
The pack gathered in a clearing in the heart of the Moonshadow territory, forming a circle around a central fire. Leo stood proudly beside James, his eyes glowing with excitement at being included in this sacred ritual.
Lucas took my hand, leading me to the center of the circle. The Alpha's Beta, James, stepped forward, his voice ringing out in the night air.
"Tonight, we witness the bonding of our Alpha to his true mate. The moon has blessed this union, bringing together two souls across time and space to create a bond that cannot be broken."
Lucas faced me, taking both my hands in his. "I, Lucas James Hawkins, Alpha of the Moonshadow Pack, claim you, Alison Marie Black, as my mate, my Luna, my heart. I offer you my protection, my loyalty, my body, and my soul until death and beyond."
The formal words rolled off his tongue with a reverence that made my heart race. This was more than a wedding—this was an ancient pledge, binding us in ways human marriage could never achieve.
"I, Alison Marie Black," I responded, the words we'd practiced flowing naturally, "accept your claim and claim you in return as my mate, my Alpha, my heart. I offer you my strength, my loyalty, my body, and my soul until death and beyond."
Lucas's eyes glowed amber in the firelight as he drew me closer. "With this mark, I seal our bond," he murmured, bending to the curve where my neck met my shoulder.
His teeth grazed my skin, sharp and hot, before sinking in with exquisite precision.
Pain flared briefly, followed by a wave of pleasure so intense my knees buckled.
Lucas's arms tightened around me, holding me upright as something elemental passed between us—a connection that transcended the physical, binding us together in ways I couldn't have imagined.
When he withdrew, licking the wound closed with a tenderness that made me shiver, I felt different. Complete. As if a part of me that had been missing my entire life had finally slotted into place.
"The bond is sealed," James announced, and the pack erupted in howls of celebration.
Lucas pressed his forehead to mine, his breath ragged. "I love you," he whispered.
"I love you too," I replied, surprised to find tears streaming down my face. "I never knew it could feel like this."
His smile was radiant. "This is just the beginning, my Luna."
Later that night, after the celebrations had wound down and Leo had been tucked into bed with dreams of running with the pack filling his head, Lucas and I retreated to his alpha cabin.
Rose petals covered the bed, candles flickered throughout the room, and champagne chilled in an ice bucket. But it was the man beside me who took my breath away—my husband, my mate, my Alpha.
"You've made me the happiest wolf alive," Lucas said, slowly unzipping my dress. "I never thought I'd find you. And when I did, I nearly lost you through my own stupidity."
I turned in his arms, helping him out of his shirt. "We found our way back to each other. That's all that matters now."