Chapter 6 Rowan
Rowan
Ivy looked amazing. No, stunning. Well, there really was no actual word strong enough to describe how radiant she looked on our wedding day. No matter what form she appeared in, whether that be in our stolen clothes or in her floral sundresses, Ivy was always the most perfect thing in my world.
I couldn’t fucking wait to do this. I honestly hadn’t expected to feel so excited over the idea of getting my very own mate mark. But of course, from anyone else it might have felt wrong.
With Ivy, knowing soon she’d be placing her own mark on me, it felt more than just right.
She’d been wearing our marks without complaint, and with some of her dresses, she displayed them with pride. But soon, we’d be displaying her marks on our bodies.
Ivy took us in with glassy eyes, her smile the brightest I’d seen in months. Even though we were safe, happy even, there was still a heaviness that hung over us. But that was easy enough to forget when her eyes landed on me.
Through the bond, I felt her excitement. I could tell she liked how we’d dressed. I’d been a little uncertain about the choice to wear white, but, hey. We actually looked pretty damn good.
A giant smile unfurled across her face as her eyes darted between us, never sure who to lock eyes with, especially as Maeve guided her to us. It’d been the hardest secret to keep, though it was only the knowledge that she was okay with these sorts of secrets that we’d kept it to ourselves.
“You all look…” Ivy stopped herself with a choked sound, blinking hard. “I can’t cry. It would ruin my makeup.”
“Cry all you want, friend,” Vanya said. “I made sure it was all waterproof.”
Ivy laughed and wiped a stray tear from her eye. I itched to reach for her, to comfort her. But they were the happiest tears she’d shed for some time, and if I’d learned anything these last couple of months—especially with her hormones at play—it was good to let her cry sometimes.
And if I were being honest with myself, I was learning to do the same for myself.
Always a man who tried to keep those destructive emotions at bay, who now had a mate that encouraged letting the emotions—and the tears that came with them—out.
Like when I thought about my mom, or that she couldn’t be here.
Ivy’s shining eyes flickered to mine, a softness filling her expression. “You look great in your suit,” she whispered. “You all do.”
“And you look more beautiful than anything in this world,” I replied, love warming my chest.
The rosiness of her cheeks darkened as she ducked her head. Thank you.
Thea stepped in behind her. “We’ll see you down there,” she said to us, waving a dismissive hand. “Now, go so she can walk down the aisle.”
And that was our cue to fuck off to give Ivy the moment of a lifetime. It was almost painful to look away from her and how fucking gorgeous she was, but with some strength, I finally did it.
With the rest of my bond mates, we left the house and started our march down to the field below where it would all come together.
Just us, our beautiful mate, and our friends to witness it all.
The chairs were filled with friends and family.
Adrian’s father and his bond mates took up most of those seats, as well as the siblings that hadn’t betrayed us.
And that meant all but one. Arthur had, thankfully, reassured us he hadn’t seen any of them—other than Greer’s mates—in Dante’s compound.
Of course, we already knew they hadn’t chosen his side, but it was nice to have that reassurance. For all of us.
There were others, too. The new leading High Councilwoman, Elara, and her mates were sitting nearby. She was probably the only one we actually trusted on the council.
We’d tried to invite Sunniva, the shifter who’d helped Ivy and the others escape, but she’d disappeared after the battle. We hadn’t heard anything from her—or her supposed allies in Dante’s compound—again.
Even my biological father was here, despite the tension still heavy between us. The last couple of months had given us a chance to get to know each other, but I still had my doubts about him.
Granted, he was helping the council with everything he knew about God Runes and the Old Gods.
He also knew the most about the inner workings of Dante’s plans, being so close to him for so long.
We weren’t at the stage in our relationship where we discussed a lot of that, but Ivy kept reminding me to give the man a chance, so I would. For her sake.
Near him sat Orion’s half-brother. I knew the little asshole from the academy, and from what I knew about his relationship with my bond mate, there wasn’t really one. But like me, Orion tried—for Ivy.
The remaining few of Hawk’s team were in the back rows, while Cyrus sat nearby. Even Rhadamanthus’s old advisor was here, along with the remaining Elysian demons.
“I kind of forgot how big my family is,” Adrian murmured, scratching the back of his neck as he took in the nine males mated to his mother, as well as his ten siblings and their mates. “Shit.”
I snorted, clapping him on the shoulder. “Don’t stress. It makes it look like we have more friends than we actually do.”
Unfortunately, most of us had no friends to be here. I was standing with mine—well, my cousin—about to marry the love of our lives. Without my mother, the closest thing I had to family was Adrian’s—and now the one we were building here.
We didn’t need anyone else.
“Shut up,” Elias muttered, voice barely loud enough over the soft music playing. “She’s coming.”
Gently, I reached through the bond to find her.
Through the trees, only a short walk away, I felt her.
Ivy’s magic lit her up like a beacon in my mind, making her appear like the brightest star in my galaxy.
When I closed my eyes, all I saw was her: the white dress draped over her figure, the swell of her stomach growing our babies, her bright smile as she walked towards us.
Vanya and Blythe appeared through the trees first, holding hands and grinning ear to ear. Around us, the music picked up as they made it to the chairs. We’d picked something from the human world, a song Ivy would recognise and love—but not the traditional wedding march. Something nicer.
Vanya and Blythe joined Thea’s father at the very front as the children came into view. They looked beautiful in their purple dresses with their hair pinned back and bouquets of flowers in hand. Eloise walked in the centre with Ginny on her left, Maisie on her right, all three beaming.
They’d been so excited to help plan the ceremony, and Eloise especially had a lot of input.
And now, they stared at everything with pride and excitement.
As soon as they made it to the end of the small aisle we’d created from flowers picked from the field, they slowed, looking over their shoulders at our approaching mate.
Watching Ivy appear in the house had been a sight I would never forget.
But seeing her now, it was like a dream only my heart could have created, because tears burned my eyes at how perfect she truly looked. With the afternoon sun shining behind her and the soft glow of witch lights guiding her way to us, she was more than just a vision of beauty—she was everything.
My past. My saviour. My future. My eternity.
Everything I never dreamed of having, walking towards us now.
The children came up first before seating themselves at the front of the guests, while Thea and her mother walked alongside Ivy. They each had her arm, sandwiching our mate between them, and I could tell just how much both their presences meant to Ivy. That she needed them both—especially now.
The music became louder as all our friends and family stood, gazes turning towards Ivy.
This was taken from human ceremonies—standing for a bride as she walked down the aisle.
Eloise said usually a father was the one to walk the bride, but Ivy didn’t have one of those, and she’d never liked that part of the tradition, anyway. According to Eloise and Thea, that was.
Eloise was the one who suggested Thea and her mother be the ones to do it, and it appeared the little siren had been right in her observations. I’d considered telling the children to do it themselves, since Ivy would have loved that, too.
My eyes were locked on Ivy and her alone. On the way her cheeks darkened, on the white material of her gown rippling like water around her with every step she took towards us. The brightness in her dark eyes as they flickered over the nine of us, waiting for her.
We were lined up in a semi-circle. Unlike human ceremonies, there was no officiant. Just us.
When Ivy made it to the end of the aisle, Thea’s mother brought Ivy’s hand to her lips and kissed her knuckles, tears spilling down her cheeks. “You make me so proud,” the woman whispered. “And I know, wherever your mother is, she’s watching. And she’s just as proud of you and what you’ve done.”
Ivy made a choked sound as Thea’s mother released her. She stepped away and joined her husband with the children, leaving Thea to see Ivy off to us.
“Love you,” her best friend whispered. “Go get your happily ever after—again.”
My mate let out a short laugh as they hugged. “Thank you. You have no idea how much you mean to me.”
“I do,” the female whispered. “And like Mom said. I’m proud of you.”
Ivy pulled back with a sniffle, and slowly, Thea joined the rest of the family, wiping away tears as she did.
That left Ivy with us.
Orion stepped forward first and offered his hand. “Our sweet, gorgeous mate,” he said, his heart racing loud enough for everyone to hear. “Join us?”
Ivy’s hand trembled as she took his, stepping into us. “This is amazing,” she whispered, gazing around the setup. “I can’t believe you did all of this.”
We’d set it up so the pavilion was behind us, acting like an arch, though we stood in front of it. Unfortunately, we hadn’t been able to fit all nine of us in here with Ivy—Eloise had play-tested the situation to make that observation.
That left us standing in front of it, with ropes of flowers dangling like a curtain at our back.
“We had a lot of help,” I replied, winking at the children, who giggled.
The smile pulling at Ivy’s lips widened as she glanced over her shoulder at the girls. “Keeping secrets, I see.”
“Only the best kind,” Hawk interjected. “Only good surprises.”
Ivy scoffed, a tear sliding down her cheek. I caught it before it could fall, smoothing my thumb under her eye. For a moment, she leaned into my touch, eyes finding mine. Thank you.
I pulled in a shaky breath, heart racing. Anything for you, my love.
“This won’t be your typical ceremony, and it won’t be like your wedding to Rhadamanthus,” Adrian explained, taking a step forward. “If you were Queen, we would be knighted, made your eternal council, your warriors and protectors.”
“Even though you aren’t,” Maeve continued softly, “that does not stop us from wanting to give ourselves to you. You wear our marks, Ivy. But we want to wear yours, too. We want to be yours in all the ways that mean something. We want all the realms to know that you are our mate, and we are yours.”
“Will you not just be our mate for eternity, but our wife, too?” Xerxes asked, voice shaking.
I felt like I was holding my breath, could almost sense the others doing it, too.
Ivy’s gaze flickered over us again, so soft and full of love. The bond between us heated with the power of her love, with everything she felt towards us.
Love. Devotion. Happiness. Content.
All of it shuddered through me.
“I would love, more than anything, to be your wife,” she whispered, tears falling freely now. “And it would be my honour to mark you all, too.”