18. CHAPTER 18
I find my feet rooted to the spot once all the heads turn my way, their eyes drilling into me with a mix of confusion, shock, and disbelief. Most of the people here are the kingdom’s creme de la creme, which means that they don’t know me. The other few faces that do shine with recognition belong to the guests that I’ve invited.
“Keep your chin up and your smile on,” Malia whispers, her arm hooked through mine.
She’s right, my wolf agrees. You might not be royalty, but that doesn’t mean you’re less than them. Quite the opposite! You’re Alyssa fucking Hunt, and you’re the badass Alpha of the deadly Dark Hunters.
Hell yes, I am,I say, letting my wolf’s excitement wash over me. Her confidence is what will help me get through the day, and after that, I can go back to being myself because that’s the person that Garren mated and fell in love with.
“Time to walk, little sis,” Malia whispers, gently nudging me to take a step.
Thanks to Garren’s support and encouragement, I decided against wearing high heels. He pointed out that if I wear a gown long enough, no one will see them anyway. He was so right because when my mother saw me, she didn’t even comment on it, which can only mean one thing.
Garren went above and beyond to have my friends and family occupy the first few rows on the right side. I see their faces first, the Dark Hunters giving me small smiles, and my mother flanked by my brothers. There are more people that I know, but my eyes don’t linger because, at that moment, I glance toward the altar and see him as if it’s for the first time.
My handsome mate is wearing an official royal uniform in his family’s colors, the crown on his head marking him as the king. I’ve never been much for men in uniform, but there’s something about him and the power he radiates that makes him that much more attractive.
He’s probably the only wolf out of all the kingdoms that has the potential to master the Sacred Darkness, my wolf comments, sounding just as in awe by simply looking at him.
Garren’s dark eyes lock on mine, shining with quiet joy. Even from a distance away, I notice his lips moving as he silently tells me that I’m beautiful.
I absentmindedly touch my princess-cut glitter wedding dress with a V-neck. Fallon made sure to order it long enough that I’m able to wear normal sneakers. It does wonders for my confidence as I walk toward Garren.
My heart fills up with love for this man, and I pick up the speed, half-dragging Malia with me. I can’t wait to be married to him, and to get some privacy. My mind’s already coming up with all sorts of ideas of the things I’ll do to him.
And his Claw, my wolf adds, chuckling to herself.
Some part of me notices the looks that the guests have been throwing my way, but I choose not to give them any attention. Garren and I have all the support we need to begin our life together. The rest will have no choice but to follow soon after.
Malia and I ascend the two little steps, and she symbolically offers my hand to Garren. They exchange a look that I can’t quite decipher, but I’m pretty sure it’s some kind of a warning. My sister has always had my back, and that’s not something that will ever change. She takes the place of a bridesmaid, positioning herself a step lower and across from Gavin.
I place my hand on top of Garren’s, the contact of our hot skins sending shivers all the way down my spine. He gives me a small smile that’s meant only for me.
“You look beautiful,” he tells me, his eyes shining with sincerity.
I self-consciously trail my hand down my gown as far as I can reach without awkwardly leaning down. The material is smooth and cool to the touch. It fits my body to perfection as Fallon made sure that the measurements had been taken only two days ago.
The archbishop looks at us both with a smile that feels surprisingly genuine. I sort of expected an old person such as him wouldn’t be so keen to marry a commoner to a royal. The slight gleam in his eyes speaks of the opposite. He looks quite excited to take a step into the new future.
“Usually, the wedding ceremonies are rather long and at times boring,” the archbishop says, his voice carrying across the abbey. “This time, I’m under strict orders given to me by our new king that I have to keep it short and straight to the point.”
The crowd chuckles, the sound of it telling me that they’ve dealt with the initial shock. Garren turns my way and winks, the gesture heating up my insides.
We’re at church. Calm the fuck down!my wolf exclaims, pretending to be outraged, although I know she’s thinking the same thing. We can’t wait to devour our mate and kiss every part of our husband’s body, paying special attention to certain areas.
“King Grey requested to say a couple of words before I continue,” the archbishop says, catching me by surprise as he gives Garren a slight nod to go ahead.
Garren turns to me, his beautiful eyes locking on mine. The smile on his face tells me everything, but apparently, there’s more that he wants me to know.
“Alyssa,” Garren starts with a gentle voice, not caring whether the others can hear him. His words are meant for me, so it doesn’t matter if the rest can’t catch them even after straining their ears. “I’m going to keep this short and sweet because I can’t wait to take you home.”
A low chuckle escapes through my lips, and I struggle not to lower my head as the heat spreads from my belly and all the way up to my cheeks.
Good thing that red is your new family’s color, my wolf makes a snarky and completely unhelpful comment.
“From the moment I met you, I hated you,” Garren says, his speech taking a turn for the worse, but he quickly amends it. “I hated you because you didn’t take my shit. You saw my potential and pushed me to be a better person. Until I met you, I didn’t like who I was. Thanks to you, for the first time in my life, I believe that I can actually be a good and just king.”
“You’ll be amazing,” I whisper, believing it with every fiber of my being.
Garren gives me a small smile before continuing, “I fell in love with you long before I knew you were my mate. I fell in love with you without wanting to, but it’s easily the best thing that happened to me. I fell in love with you because you’re the best person I’ve ever met, and I fell in love with you because you’re the only one who has ever seen me for who I truly am, and you accepted, embraced, and loved me just as fiercely in return.”
A single tear of happiness and joy makes its way down my cheek. A distant part of me is grateful for waterproof mascara because the last thing I’d want is to look like a raccoon in my own wedding photos. It would be a meme nightmare that I was trying to avoid when I decided not to wear high heels.
“If the archbishop will allow me,” Garren says with a louder voice, briefly glancing at the confused man of wolf gods, “I would like to be the one to ask you what will probably be the most important question of your life. Please forgive me for my lack of humbleness, it’s my coronation day after all.”
Another wave of gentle laughter spreads amongst the crowd. He has us all on edge, and I’m not the only one who’s leaning closer to hear his next words.
“Alpha Alyssa Hunt,” Garren says, his loud and clear voice resonating throughout the abbey. “Would you do me the honor of becoming my wife along with all the things that go with the classic set of vows?”
He really is trying to speed up the process, isn’t he? my wolf muses, knowing that he’s doing it for us because he knows how nervous we were before the ceremony.
He probably wants to make sure that we won’t get cold feet,I agree, and while standing in front of the abbey, I was thinking of asking him to elope, now that we’re here, I can’t remember the reasons for it. We have eyes only for each other. No one else matters. The abbey could very well be empty for all I care because he’s the only one.
Breathe, my wolf says when Garren’s smile takes my breath away. He needs an answer!
I clear my throat, realizing that while I’ve been staring at him like a lovestruck idiot, he’s been patiently waiting for my answer.
“Yes,” I breathe, then repeat it louder with all the emotion that he brings out of me. “Yes!”
Garren’s grin widens and he cups my cheeks, leaning closer as if to kiss me. The archbishop loudly clears his throat, interrupting our moment.
“Oh, right,” Garren says with a chuckle. “Me too. I take you, Alyssa Hunt, to be my wife and my queen. I promise to uphold all the vows and be the best husband you could ever wish for. I also promise to make you the happiest wolf on the whole damn planet and make your deepest desires come true.”
A wave of heat crashes against my cheeks with such force that I wouldn’t be surprised if the tips of my ears turned an angry shade of red. It’s Garren’s fault for giving me that sexy smile of his, insinuating the hidden desires that we’ve only begun to discover and satisfy.
You’re in the church!my wolf reminds me again, but she’s far from convincing because she’s just as smitten with Garren as I am.
Garren leans closer, but I don’t wait for him to cross the whole distance. I meet him halfway, our mouths crashing against one another with an overwhelming amount of powerful emotion that I’ve never experienced before.
That’s how it must feel when you marry your mate, my wolf guesses after Garren and I break apart to catch a breath and face the cheering crowd.
Hand-in-hand as husband and wife, as a king and queen, we walk past the many rows. While it’s expected of us to take some time to celebrate our union with our friends and families, we don’t need to talk to know that we’re clear about one thing. We won’t attend any celebrations, parties, or events demanded by protocol. Right now, we’re going to a private five-star hotel and consummating our marriage. Everything else can and will wait.