Epilogue One #2
While it could be a sweet moment, it was fitting for me to walk down the aisle myself, because no one was giving me to this pack.
No, I made this pack all by myself–and it was a pretty good one.
Saoirse
The music changed and everyone stood. Fiona walked down the aisle looking as beautiful as the first day I saw her, at that club in Ireland. She was positively radiant and giddy as she grinned at her dads and then the brunch society.
Her eyes focused on Carlos and Hale, opposite the arch from me. It had been something to see her relationship with Hale develop from, This is a guy who was fun to fuck, but not a keeper, to, This is the alpha I want to have kids with.
Hale hadn’t disappointed me, even if he did do things like teach Dusty’s nephews to make fireworks.
Carlos, too, had started as someone she found for a weekend of fun–and now here we were. I was glad she’d chosen him. From the beginning, I knew he was a good person. I just hadn’t been sure if he was who she’d choose in the end.
Fiona looked at me. I got love through the bond and I sent it back. My wonderful, smart, funny omega who helped show me there was so much more to life than being an assassin. As she stood in front of the arch, I stepped forward, Dusty, and Ispín behind me.
Getting Ispín here had been a logistical nightmare. You couldn’t just bring dogs to foreign countries. Fortunately, I’d figured it out.
Dusty stepped out in front. “I’d like to welcome everyone to this beautiful castle. Thank you so much for joining us today to celebrate Pack Lovely.”
Grandpa came up and joined us. I’d asked him to marry Fiona and me–and he’d agreed. Timmy took Fiona’s bouquet. Something was going on with Timmy, but I didn’t have the time to investigate. He was a big boy and if he needed help, he’d ask.
“When my granddaughter told me she’d gotten herself a redheaded omega, I was so happy for her. Both of them are accomplished beyond anything you could imagine, and I’m honored to marry them here today,” Grandpa said.
I took Fiona’s hands. Grandpa began in Irish. He kept it short and sweet, but really that’s all we needed.
Because I was marrying Fiona. For all the time I’d loved her, for the fact that I’d moved to another country to be with her, there had always been that doubt in the back of my mind that she would leave me for an alpha.
Even after we bonded and I could feel that she never wanted to leave me, I still wasn’t sure. After all, she had those two boys–did she have any use for a delta like me?
But she did.
Now here we were getting married, being watched by our family, friends, and pack.
We had a pack. Not some grumpy alphaholes who looked down on non-alphas. No, we had two boisterous alphas, a fun-loving kappa, and a dog who honestly was coming along obedience-wise much better than the boys.
But I suppose it’s also why we loved our guys.
Dusty came over with Ispín so that the puppy could give us the rings.
My eyes met hers as I said my vows. “You have my heart, Fiona. You have for a very long time. I will always have your back, and love you forever and always.” I slid the ring on a finger.
She took my ring and did the same. “You are my everything and I am so grateful to finally marry you. I’ll always have your back and love you forever and always.”
“You may now kiss your mate,” he said in English.
Leaning forward, I kissed her longer and deeper than I should at a wedding. Grandpa introduced us to the audience and I squeezed her hand.
Yes, this was my mate. My amazing omega. And she was mine for always.
Hale
I shifted my weight as one of Saoirse’s hysterical old grandpas married them in a language I not only didn’t understand, but didn’t know existed until I met them. It was short and sounded beautiful.
The best part was when Ispín brought the rings. I looked out at the crowd as her grandpa switched to English and presented them to everybody.
I still wasn’t talking to any of my parents but Mama and Baba. The others knew I was getting married. Part of me worried that they’d show up, but it hadn’t happened. Which honestly was a point in Dad’s favor.
He had sent a message through Grace, who continued to speak to them for the sake of my little brother and sisters. I let her give me the message, which was that he wished me happiness and hoped it worked out the way I wanted.
I’d take that.
All the siblings were here, along with Grace’s and Verity’s packs. Big Tad, my mentor, and a few other friends were here as well. Fiona held to her word, and we’d flown out everybody who couldn’t afford to get here on their own.
This place was beautiful, and very different from Verity’s castle in Greece. Every single person here fully supported us. Even Fiona’s dads.
Wow. I was about to marry Fiona. My beautiful omega mate.
Then I’d marry Carlos. The man I never knew I needed, but had wanted since the moment I saw him at Taco Hut.
Fiona said she didn’t care who married us, because her dad was doing the pack confirmation.
I hadn’t known who to ask either, especially since I wasn’t talking to Dad.
So, I asked Mercy, because she was my closest sibling.
She was my adultier-adult, the one who stood by me the past six months in a one-hundred-percent nonjudgemental zone.
I walked over to Fiona. Saoirse gave her one more kiss, then stood with Dusty and Ispín.
Mercy came forward.
“If you would’ve asked me who the next Thorne sibling to get married would be, I wouldn’t have told you that it was Hale,” Mercy said as everyone laughed. “But here we are and I couldn’t be prouder of my brother, this amazing pack, and the family he is building for himself.”
Mercy could very well be the most excited of my siblings about the baby.
That’s not to say Verity wasn't also happy for us. But in a cautious way. It turned out that a professional baby proofer was literally a team of people who came to your house and told you all the things that were not appropriate for babies, and then fixed it. It was absolutely bananapants. Yet it made so much sense when I remembered Pax eating things that he wasn’t supposed to, all the things Tru put up her nose, and Hope bringing a shelf down on her head.
Mercy continued to talk, but I just focused on my beautiful omega.
Wow, we were here. There were definitely times in the past six months when I didn’t think I’d make it.
It was hard going back-and-forth to Research Circle, spending all that time doing my research, and having to choose between things like doing classwork and spending time with Carlos because he was actually in town while I was.
That had been hard on Fiona, us both being away. Thank goodness she had Saoirse. With me going to NYC State, that wouldn’t be as big of a deal now.
I squeezed Fiona’s hands as Pax and Tru came over with the rings. Hope hadn’t wanted to help. She was sitting on Verity’s lap. I was a little worried about them, but I’m sure Grace would figure it out, especially since it looked like Tru, at least, would be staying with Grace for a while.
The twins handed us the rings. “She’s so pretty,” Tru whispered.
Fiona gave her a smile. She really liked my little siblings.
I took the ring and slid it onto her finger as I sent love through the bond. “I take this amazing omega to be my partner in good times and bad. I will support and love and cherish her always.”
The ring was delicate and fit underneath the ring that Carlos had gotten her. His band would fit above them, making a little set, which was probably the cleverest thing I’ve ever seen.
“Fiona, I love you,” I added.
“I love you, too. Yes, I take this alpha to be my partner. I promise to love him and raise a family with him, be nice to him, and love him for always,” she said as she slid the ring on my finger.
Mercy announced, “I pronounce you mates. You may now make out.”
I kissed Fiona long and deep. Mercy presented us to our guests as everyone applauded.
Mercy stayed, because she was going to marry Carlos and me, too. Fiona gave me another kiss, then went to stand next to Saoirse. She kissed her on the cheek and whispered something to her, and Fiona giggled.
Carlos stood across from me. Nerves coursed through him, but they were happy nerves as he greeted me.
“It was also a surprise to find out that Hale got himself a kappa. But I know Carlos and he’s a good one. I wish you a harmonious but incredibly fun household, and may my sister always make you cake pops,” she said as a few people chuckled.
I gazed into Carlos’ eyes. Today Carlos would be my husband.
Carlos
My mom beamed as Mercy gave her speech.
While we hadn’t invited all the Knights, we had invited the ones that had become my family, like Dimitri, Clark, Tenzin, and Gwen, JP and Celine, Anders, and, of course Grif, Dean, Jonas and AJ, who were here with Verity.
Dean grinned at me as the remote control car came down the aisle with the ring box in it.
A few people laughed, especially those who knew what this meant.
I had absolutely invited Lucky to the wedding.
We’d ended up using the same pink remote control car that was used in Verity’s wedding, because it was funny.
“Thank you so much, Lucky. You look incredible.” I picked up the rings. The car returned to Dean.
I couldn’t believe that I was marrying an alpha and an omega today. Never had I thought much about having a pack. But now I was so happy to have my two amazing mates, my fabulous pack mates, a dog, and a Baby Lovely on the way. I felt more complete than I had in my entire life.
It was like this was what I needed to anchor myself.
Though, I still would like to think that I was a very good time.
Hale took my hands. “Carlos, until I met you, I never knew that you were who I needed. I will spend every night next to you for the rest of my life, if that’s what you want. I will love you for always.”
I practically melted it into a puddle right there. Those words meant everything.