Chapter Mila
MILA
The knock on her old guest suite door jolted Mila from her restless sleep. Sunlight shone bright through the large windows, painting golden stripes across her rumpled sheets, and she realized with a start that her wedding day had finally arrived.
Today I become queen.
She’d barely slept, tossing and turning in the empty bed that felt impossibly vast without Cade’s solid warmth beside her.
They’d agreed to spend their final night apart—some ridiculous tradition Lyra had insisted upon—but Mila had underestimated how much her body had grown accustomed to his presence.
Without his steady heartbeat beneath her ear and his protective arms wrapped around her, sleep had remained elusive.
Her mate mark tingled with phantom warmth where his hand usually rested against her shoulder, and she pressed her fingers to the spot with a soft sigh.
“Mila!” Riley’s voice rang out from behind the wooden door, bright with excitement. “Time to get moving! Your coronation awaits!”
Before Mila could respond, the door burst open and Riley swept into the room like a hurricane of energy, her dark hair perfectly styled despite the early hour. Behind her, Lyra bounced through the doorway with characteristic enthusiasm, her green eyes sparkling with mischief and joy.
“Finally,” Lyra declared, her hands on her hips as she surveyed Mila’s rumpled form. “I was starting to think you’d fled back to Cade’s chambers.”
“The thought crossed my mind,” Mila admitted with a laugh, stretching her arms above her head. “Because sleeping alone is apparently impossible now.”
Riley perched on the edge of the bed, her expression softening with genuine affection. “I still can’t believe this is real,” she said, shaking her head in wonder. “My little sister, becoming queen of an alien territory. Four weeks ago, you were filing legal briefs and now...”
“Now she’s about to rule alongside the most devastatingly attractive wolf shifter in the known universe,” Lyra finished with a wicked grin. “Honestly, Mila, the rest of us are going to look pathetic by comparison.”
Heat bloomed across Mila’s cheeks as memories of the past two weeks flooded her mind—intensive training sessions with Lyra and Martin, council meetings where she’d slowly earned the respect of even the most skeptical elders, and passionate nights in Cade’s arms where he’d worshipped her body like she was already his queen.
His queen. The title still felt surreal, but the anticipation thrumming through her veins was entirely real.
“Speaking of devastatingly attractive,” Riley said, her eyes gleaming with sisterly mischief, “I may have walked past Cade’s chambers this morning and caught a glimpse of him in his formal attire. My goodness, Mila. How do you even function around that man?”
“Very carefully,” Mila confessed, earning delighted laughter from both women. “The past two weeks have been... intense.”
That was an understatement. Between her accelerated queen training and Elder Grimm’s awestruck examination of Celeste Aylward’s diary—which had completely vindicated her against Zarik’s accusations—Mila had thrown herself into preparing for this role with fierce determination.
Combat training with Lyra until her muscles screamed.
History lessons with Martin that stretched late into the night.
Protocol sessions that left her head spinning with the intricate customs of shifter nobility.
But through it all, Cade had been her constant anchor. Patient when she stumbled over pack traditions, encouraging when self-doubt occasionally crept in, and fiercely passionate when they finally got into bed each night.
“The way you two look at each other,” Riley continued, her voice taking on a note of genuine emotion, “it’s like something out of a fairy tale. I’m actually jealous, and I never thought I’d say that about my little sister.”
Mila’s heart clenched with affection for Riley, whose presence this past week had been an unexpected gift.
Watching her confident, ambitious sister explore Nova Aurora with wide-eyed wonder had been entertaining enough, but the late-night conversations they’d shared—really talking for the first time in years—had been precious beyond measure.
“The impromptu sleepovers this week reminded me of when we were kids,” Mila said softly, reaching for Riley’s hand. “I’d forgotten how much I missed having my big sister around.”
“Before life got complicated,” Riley agreed, squeezing her fingers. “Before I got so caught up in being the successful one that I forgot to actually take a breath.”
Lyra cleared her throat dramatically. “While this sisterly bonding is absolutely precious, we have a queen to create. The ceremony starts in three hours, and Mila still looks like she wrestled a pack of rogue wolves.”
“Gee, thanks for the boost of confidence,” Mila laughed, running her hands through her tangled hair.
“Trust me, once we’re done with you, Cade won’t know what hit him,” Lyra promised with a predatory grin.
Riley bounced to her feet with renewed energy. “Alright, let’s do this. Shower first, then we tackle that gorgeous wedding dress.”
As Mila headed toward the bathroom, her nerves finally began to settle into something more manageable.
The past two weeks had proven that she belonged here—not just as Cade’s mate, but as a leader in her own right.
The council had started seeking her input on pack matters.
The territory’s human integration program was already taking shape under her guidance.
Even the most traditional shifters had begun treating her with genuine respect rather than polite tolerance.
I’m ready for this, she realized as hot water cascaded over her shoulders. I’m ready to be his queen.
When she emerged from the bathroom twenty minutes later, wrapped in a plush robe, the guest suite had been transformed.
The wedding dress hung from the armoire like captured starlight—flowing silk the color of fresh snow, with intricate beadwork that caught the morning light.
Beside it lay the silver necklace Cade had given her as an engagement gift, an heirloom that had belonged to his mother.
The necklace never failed to make her breath catch.
When he’d fastened it around her throat two weeks ago, his fingers trembling slightly with emotion, she’d nearly cried at the trust implicit in the gesture.
Queen Sira’s jewelry, passed down to the woman who would stand beside her son and help him rule.
“It’s perfect,” she whispered, touching the pendant reverently.
“Just like you,” Lyra said firmly, already moving toward the dress. “Now come on, future sister. Let’s make you look like the queen you already are.”
As Riley and Lyra helped her into the dress, carefully arranging the flowing silk and adjusting the delicate beadwork, Mila’s mind wandered to what lay ahead.
After today, her real duties would begin in earnest. The human integration program would require her full attention, not to mention the delicate balance of Ice Moon pack politics and her role as High Sovereign Queen over all three packs.
It would be demanding, possibly overwhelming at times. But with Cade beside her as an equal partner, she felt capable of anything.
“There,” Lyra announced, stepping back to admire their handiwork. “Absolutely radiant.”
Mila turned toward the full-length mirror and gasped.
The woman staring back at her bore little resemblance to the invisible paralegal who’d fled her father’s law firm four weeks ago.
This woman stood tall and confident, silver necklace gleaming against her throat, wedding dress flowing around her like liquid starlight.
Her blue eyes sparkled with determination and joy, and her skin seemed to glow with inner light.
I look like a queen, she thought with wonder. I look like myself.
“Cade’s going to lose his mind,” Riley said with satisfaction, adjusting a final fold of silk. “In the best possible way.”
The thought of seeing Cade waiting for her at the altar sent delicious anticipation spiraling through Mila’s core.
Her Alpha wolf king, commanding and protective and utterly devoted to her.
In just under an hour, they would be bound not just by their mate bond, but by sacred vows witnessed by their people.
“I can’t wait to see his face,” Mila admitted, her cheeks warming at the memory of how his green eyes darkened when desire overtook his careful control.
“Neither can we,” Lyra said with a wicked laugh. “The man’s been pacing his chambers since dawn. Martin had to physically restrain him from coming to find you an hour ago.”
The image of her powerful, disciplined mate reduced to nervous pacing made Mila’s heart flutter with affection. My wolf king.
“Are you nervous?” Riley asked, studying Mila’s expression in the mirror.
Mila considered the question carefully. “Good nervous,” she said finally. “The kind that means something incredible is about to happen.”
And it was true. The anxious energy humming through her wasn’t fear—it was pure anticipation.
Today marked the beginning of everything she’d dreamed of without even knowing she was dreaming it.
A partnership built on love and respect.
A chance to make a real difference in the world.
A future with the man who saw her not as ordinary, but as extraordinary.
The future Queen of the Ice Moon pack and High Sovereign Queen of the Ice Mountains territory was ready to claim her destiny.
Another knock echoed through the guest suite, and her heart fluttered with anticipation. The moment had finally arrived.
“Come in,” she called, smoothing her hands over the flowing silk of her wedding dress one final time.
The door opened to reveal her father, looking distinguished in his formal dark suit, and beside him, Gerri Wilder practically vibrated with excitement. The matchmaker wore a stunning emerald green pantsuit, and her white bob was styled to perfection.