Chapter 39
Opal
It’s time! It’s time! It’s finally time!
Calm down or you’re going to make me trip over my own feet. I laughed to myself as I twirled in front of the mirror, inspecting every inch of the heart-cut corset top and fairy-tale inspired massive tulle skirt that made me look like a real princess.
“You’re gorgeous,” the female voices gushed from behind me.
“So are all of you,” I said, overwhelmed and not sure where to look in the mirror to take in them all. Aspen was here, wearing a designer gown that seemed cut specifically just for her.
“Goddess, I can’t wait to have my waist back,” Fallon grumbled as she rubbed her swollen pregnant belly under the stretchy black maternity dress.
“You’d never be able to pull off this look.” Clara was a vision in pink, daintier than I’d thought she could ever be.
My gaze danced between their reflections, seeing all the shining love on their faces and feeling their happiness for me, and I tried not to cry.
“No!” Jesse snapped his fingers in front of my face, shocking my eyes dry as he dusted some glitter on my cheeks. He took a step back to admire his handiwork. “Magic. I’m the greatest stylist in the entire world and you are my masterpiece.”
“Thought you said that about me,” Aspen mumbled.
“You’re so last season.” Jesse waved her off.
“She looks gorgeous.” Penelope stepped through the group. The tears in her eyes threatened to make me cry all over again, but I was scared of Jesse.
“At least the show is going to get their money’s worth,” I teased, trying to downplay the situation and slow the anxious pacing of my wolf.
Ha. Fat chance. I’m going to be like this until the honeymoon.
“That show went to shit after you left,” Cindy said as she ended whatever business call she’d stepped outside to make. I still hadn’t told her Atlas’s size, but she seemed more preoccupied—and happier—with other things now. “I’m surprised they’re still on air.”
“Ken held it all together.” Jesse shrugged with one shoulder.
We all watched him, suspicious of his seemingly kind words.
“What’s the deal with Ken anyway?” Clara asked.
“Beats me.” Jesse busied himself with gathering his makeup supplies. “I was just supposed to watch him and make sure the show stays clean. I fulfilled my end of the bargain.”
“And did he?” Fallon pressed for more details.
Jesse zipped up his bag and I thought that was the end until a Cheshire grin spread across his face. “Oh, he’s clean alright. And also a little dirty.”
Catcalls and whistles filled the room.
I smiled at my own reflection as Aspen stepped up beside me.
“You don’t owe that show anything,” she whispered as she took my hand in hers. “This is your day. Your life. Your story.”
I held her hand tighter, pouring all the love and magic in my heart into the touch. “Thank you for helping me.”
“Anytime.” She winked.
“Five minutes!” someone called.
After a flutter of kisses and hugs and well-wishes with some last-minute lipstick touch-ups, I went outside.
The cicadas were a background noise as the early summer wildflowers blossomed in the heat. But dusk was falling and the air was less sticky when the breeze rippled through the mountains.
We’d gone for a traditional folk-style venue with wood arches and lace white trim. Everything was simple and rustic and beautiful.
The perfect Appalachian wedding.
There he is!
Standing at the top of the walking path that would lead to the ceremony was Alpha Journey looking very dapper in his suit.
I picked up the hem of my gown and hurried toward him, bare feet barely touching the earth.
The rapid fire of cameras and sound teams moving around didn’t bother me as much as I’d thought they would.
But Journey was nervous.
“Look at you.” I whistled, kissing his rough cheek as I sent him a wave of calming energy. “You clean up nice.”
“Yeah, yeah,” he grumbled, tugging at his collar.
“Don’t stretch out your shirt,” one of the camera team warned.
Journey growled.
I laughed, knowing I was going to love all these pictures.
“You look real pretty too,” Journey spoke from the corner of his mouth as the camera crews prodded and poked and posed us for photos.
“Thank you for giving me away,” I whispered.
“Thank you for asking me to,” he whispered back.
And suddenly I was eight years old again, watching as he sat patiently on the porch step, waiting for me to come out of hiding when my mom had disappeared on a bender, with a bar of chocolate in his hand. “Come on, pup. You need to eat something. We’ll go look for your mom after you do.”
“Okay, you two. The music is starting. We need you at the top of the hill.” We were ushered to the next point.
Journey smiled down at me as he offered his arm. Tears shone in his eyes behind the years of wrinkles and scars.
Remember the cat will kill us if we cry.
I took Journey’s arm, looking below the hill to where the path widened out. There at the end, under the tall wooden arch, stood the Omega priestess along with my handsome mates.
Breathe. Just breathe.
“You know, you’re not like your mom,” Journey said as we started to walk. His voice cracked with emotion he didn’t bother to hide.
“Is that so?” I was still trying really hard not to cry.
“I’m serious,” he gruffed out. “You stayed kind when the world was harsh.”
“You’re right.” I smiled. That was the Omega in me, and I was starting to realize it was more of a strength than I once thought.
“Your mom, she… She stopped believing in love,” Journey spoke faster, as if afraid this was the last time he’d ever get the chance to say it, “but you never did. That’s why you deserve this. I’m proud of you, pup.”
“You’re right again, Alpha.” I leaned against him as he led me to the Alphas of my future. “I don’t think I’m much like her at all. If anything, I’m more like you.”
Journey nodded and patted my hand.
I was glad I got the chance to tell him that too.
The banjo played. Cameras flashed. My handsome mates stood smiling, waiting for me.
And this is happily ever after.
*
“We welcome you to a special episode of Mating Season,” Jay Renfro spoke on the side stage under the golden hour of the setting sun as the Omega and her mates said their vows below that wooden arch.
No one noticed the hint of pink lipstick that still touched his cheek just above the healing slap mark they’d dusted with makeup.
But they did see the gleam in his eyes that reminded them of his early acting days.
“The producers have decided it was time to go back to our show’s roots, focusing on the matches made and romance created during Mating Season, but offering you a glimpse of life after the show.
If you want to see more happily-ever-afters, head to the official website to cast your votes,” Jay recited the script flawlessly, but then he paused.
A slight glitch in the matrix.
And he spoke from the heart, “Because true love is more than what you see on screen. It happens long after the filming ends. When the lights dim and the cameras turn off, that’s where the real magic begins.”
“Jay…” someone warned.
He smiled brightly again, “And we want to thank all of you viewers at home for being a part of the magic that is Mating Season.”
*