Chapter twenty-four
Planning a wedding and actually pulling it off in two weeks had been a crazy idea, but Lark and Mike had waited long enough to get married, so with the help of both their packs and Mike’s parents—as well as some creativity—they’d made it happen.
When Mike had asked her to marry him the first time around, Lark had been set on a summer wedding, but she decided getting married during the holidays might be even more magical.
The huge, heated event tent set up for the reception at the SWAT compound was decorated with Christmas trees, colorful twinkling lights, and red and green ribbons.
They even had a holiday-themed wedding cake—red velvet with cream cheese frosting and decorated with chocolate poinsettias that looked real.
Then again, she had the feeling the reason their wedding seemed so magical had more to do with the man who’d officially become her husband an hour ago.
Lark had waited so long for this day that she was afraid she might actually be dreaming and would wake up to find out that none of this was real.
But as she looked over at Mike, where he stood on the other side of the tent, currently deep in conversation with Gage and her father, and their gazes met, she knew no dream could be this perfect.
Lark turned back to the delectable display of sweets, trying to decide between the mini yule log and hot chocolate macaron over at the dessert station when her sister—and maid of honor—appeared, bouncing as she wrapped an arm around her in a side hug.
“I know I said this already, but I’m so happy for you!” Violet said. “And you look happier than I’ve ever seen you.”
Lark laughed, her gaze going to Mike. They were now discussing whether Chapman would ever be able to recover Roman’s crypto account data from the damaged mess he’d gotten away with. None of them seemed to have a definitive answer to that question.
“I am happy,” she said.
“Not to mention lucky,” Violet said, following her gaze. “Got any tips where I can find a guy like that?”
Even though Violet’s tone was light, the look on her sister’s face gave her pause. It was the one Lark had seen reflected back in the mirror for ten long years after she’d left Mike. It was yearning. A need for something you couldn’t even put a name to. But Lark understood it all the better now.
And whether she understood it or not, Violet was feeling a longing for her soul mate.
Whoever he was.
Wherever he was.
“You know, The One is out there somewhere for you, too,” Lark said softly, leaning in close and nudging her sister’s shoulder. “All you have to do is take a chance and be willing to find him.”
“You make it sound so easy,” Violet said, her tone wistful as she reached for a gingerbread macaron and nibbled on it. “Like you just walk into a crowd, and poof! There’s your soul mate.”
“It wasn’t easy, I’ll admit,” Lark said, catching Mike’s eye across the tent, her heart doing a little flip when he smiled at her.
“I had to leave my pack, not really sure where I was even going when I traveled across the country with nothing to guide me but a feeling in my chest. I met an amazing man, had a baby, ran away, came back ten years later, had our son kidnapped, and then almost died before finally marrying my soul mate.”
“Okay, I’ll grant you that you had to work hard for your happily ever after,” Violet said with a sigh. “But that just makes it so much more improbable. I could never do any of those things.”
“I’m not saying you have to go through everything I did, and I wouldn’t want you to. I’m saying you have to put yourself out there.”
“I’m not sure if I can do that,” Violet said.
Lark pulled her sister in for a hug. “Yes, you can.”
“Sometimes, I think you have more faith in me than I have in myself,” Violet whispered as she hugged Lark in return. “But I’m praying you’re right.”
Lark grinned. “I’m your big sister. I’m always right.”
Violet rolled her eyes, making them both laugh.
Before Lark could say anything, strong arms wrapped around her, and Mike pressed a kiss to the curve of her neck.
Laughing, she half turned in his arms even as he came around to stand beside her.
Violet grinned and announced she was going to mingle, helping herself to another macaron before giving them a wave.
That was something she and Mike needed to do some more of, too, Lark thought.
But first, she wanted to know what he and Gage had been talking about a few minutes ago.
From where she’d been standing, the conversation had seemed a little intense.
Mike sighed. “The Carlyle Group.”
She groaned. Not them again. “What about them? I thought the Feds said Chapman and the Sentinel guys who got away with him had left the country.”
By Feds, she meant an agency Mike had told her about called STAT—or Special Threat Assessment Team. They were a specialized unit trained to handle supernatural threats. Interestingly enough, some of their agents were werewolves, which had surprised her.
“It’s not Sentinel he’s worried about. STAT has confirmed they’re long gone.
At least for now,” Mike assured her. “It’s Carlyle he’s concerned about.
Your father’s source inside the group confirmed it was definitely Trey’s missing DNA sample that was used to create the werewolf MOD Carlyle sold to that unnamed government organization.
And get this. The werewolf MOD is the only one they believe they’ve made that’s permanent.
Thing is, they don’t have any more of Trey’s DNA left so they can’t figure out how they did it. ”
“And they need more werewolf DNA so they can replicate what they did and apply it to their other MODs,” she said, suddenly understanding why Carlyle had gone to such lengths to get their hands on one of Mike’s pack mates.
“That’s what has Gage so worried. There’s no doubt in his mind they’re going to keep coming until they get what they need.”
“Does that mean Sentinel will be back at some point, too?”
“Them, or someone just like them.” Mike reached out to take her hands in his. “But it doesn’t matter because we’ll be ready, regardless of who they send.”
Lark nodded. While she wasn’t thrilled at the thought of another run-in with heavily armed goons looking to kidnap someone from their pack, she’d fight alongside them if she had to.
Pushing thoughts of Carlyle, Sentinel, and supernatural genetically modified werewolves aside, Lark grabbed two mini yule logs, giving one to Mike just as Kal ran up to the dessert station with his new friends from Mike’s extended pack, Nugget and Tuffie right behind them, along with several more adorable dogs who belonged to Mike’s pack mates.
Kal and the other kids helped themselves to a variety of sweet treats before running off again.
Laughing, Lark took Mike’s hand and tugged him onto the dance floor.
“How did I get so lucky?” she asked when a slow song played a little while later, wrapping her arms around his neck and gazing up at him.
“I’m the lucky one,” he said softly, bending his head to kiss her again. “I will be forever grateful for the day you came back to me. If I say it every day for the rest of my life, I still wouldn’t have told you that enough. I love you with everything I am, and everything I’ll ever be.”
“And I love you just as much,” she whispered.
The DJ played a faster tune next, then another, and another.
Before Lark knew it, she and Mike spent the next two hours dancing late into the night and laughing with everyone.
She was having so much fun, she didn’t even realize the guests were gathering up their coats to leave until people came over to congratulate them again.
Her parents stopped by first, hugging her and Mike.
Everett and Jasper were next, along with their respective plus-ones.
They were followed by Mike’s parents, who told her again how relieved and happy they were that she and Kal were safe.
Despite Mike’s assurances, Lark had been worried they would resent her for taking their grandson away, but nothing could be further from the truth.
They were as sweet and welcoming as they’d been when she’d known them a decade ago.
Violet came over last, Kal with her. Since Lark and Mike were spending their wedding night in the honeymoon suite at one of the most expensive hotels in the city as a gift from Gage and his wife, Violet was going back to Mike’s house—or rather, their house—with Kal, her parents, and brothers.
Lark’s family was staying in Dallas for the holidays, and she and Mike insisted they stay with them.
“Tonight was so fun!” Kal said. “But I can’t wait for tomorrow!”
Lark laughed as she hugged him. A decade ago, she and Mike would have gone on a romantic getaway to some island paradise, but they decided their honeymoon should be about the three of them spending time together as a family, which meant Kal would be going with them.
Of course, the moment Kal heard that, he’d suggested Disney World. She and Mike had immediately agreed.
“I know you’re excited, but try to get some sleep, okay?” Mike said, ruffling his hair with a grin. “So you aren’t a complete zombie on the flight to Orlando.”
After several more minutes of hugs and handshakes, Lark looked around and realized the only ones left in the tent were the SWAT pack and their soul mates, everyone holding glasses of champagne.
A smiling woman from the catering staff came over to them with a tray topped with two champagne flutes for her and Mike.
Mike handed Lark one of the glasses, then took the other for himself before taking her free hand in his and turning to his assembled pack.
Their pack, she realized.
“When I lost Lark and Kal all those years ago, I thought I’d be alone for the rest of my life. Truthfully, I never would have gotten through that time without all of you,” Mike said. “So, thank you.”