Page 51 of Wild

The barn was transformed.I didn’t know how they did it—some female magic trick of making something special with the most basic of ingredients. Like Marina’s cakes. Fairy lights were strung from the rafters, and an archway was covered in tulle and flowers. Maybe it wasn’t only female magic because Levi and Clint had been in and out of the barn all day. They’d wrangled the Barn Cats, aptly named for a barn wedding, and their fiddles to play for us, although it wasn’t hard to twist their arms. They loved any reason to play, and this was a good one.

Everyone was spiffed up, even me as we stood at a makeshift altar waiting for Audrey. I hadn’t brought any uniforms home with me, so I was in my crispest jeans and shirts with a bolo tie. I’d buffed my boots, but a shine on my shoes was normal for me. We were inside the barn, the doors wide open to let in the natural light.

It had been a while since the last shifter mating celebration, but that had been different. This time, there were human wedding traditions, like the bride walking down a center aisle. There were only a few chairs as the guest list was small. Becky, Leigh and Anna were here, but Audrey hadn’t invited any other human friends. The rest of the guests were shifters from the ranch or who lived up in the hills.

Rob stood in the center. As alpha, he would conduct the service. While Boyd had already claimed Audrey, this was a legal wedding in the eyes of the state. Rob was a Justice of the Peace and could officiate. He’d had the role for years, ensuring the pack members had the legal perks of being claimed as well as the shifter ones.

The fiddles started, softly and without the raucous punch I was used to from the duo.

I stood beside Boyd—who was as calm as a fucking cucumber—and watched as Marina walked toward me, a bouquet of wildflowers in her hands. The wind had picked up even more, and her hair swirled around her face.

My breath caught in my throat at the sight of her. She was wearing a simple dress, the color of spring grass. It was made of a soft, gauzy material that floated and wisped about her. It fell to her knees and she wore cowgirl boots on her feet. I wasn’t sure if Audrey had gifted her the pair or if they were borrowed, but she looked like a little slice of Montana heaven.

“Fuck,” I whispered, watching as she moved to stand on the other side of Rob.

He leaned toward me. “Am I winning the fifty bucks?”

I looked at Rob, saw the grin and growled.

Then Boyd looked toward the open barn doors, and his mouth dropped open. There was Audrey, pretty as could be, but I couldn’t look away from Marina. My wolf wanted to cut across the ten feet that separated us and tell Rob to make her mine, legally, then I’d toss her over my shoulder, take her somewhere private and claim her. But I couldn’t. Not only because Boyd would kill me and bury me in the back forty, but also because Marina didn’t even know I was a shifter. Didn’t even know how much I fucking needed her.

Hell, maybe I didn’t either, until now. Until the ride this morning. Until it wasn’t just a craving of my wolf. It was my heart that was telling me to make her mine.

I loved her. How the fuck that happened in two short days, I had no idea, but it wasn’t going to change. I had no idea what to do now. It wasn’t just my wolf that needed sating. I needed it too. I needed Marina.

Audrey cut into my view, and I blinked.

Boyd met her, took her hand and leaned down and whispered something in her ear. She smiled up at him, and he pushed her glasses up her nose. She wore a white dress with a similar gauzy material as a top layer. It had little flowers embroidered on it. Her dark hair was pulled back in the front but lay over her bare shoulders. I had no idea if she ever wore contacts, but she had on her glasses. Boyd had told me she was the picture of a sexy doctor, and I had to agree. She looked beautiful, in love and not the least bit nervous.

Maybe it was because she was already claimed, and this was just a human formality. A celebration, really. Yet it felt more to me. Doubly official.

They turned to face Rob, and he smiled at them. A full-on fucking smile.

I hadn’t noticed it all that much before, but the older he got, the more he looked like our dad. His bearing was that of an alpha. His voice, as he spoke of love and a permanent bond, was full of authority. He was made to be a leader although we all wished he’d have been able to wait a few years.

Our parents would have loved this. Loved Audrey, the baby she was carrying. And Marina.

“You may kiss the bride.”

Boyd leaned down and kissed Audrey while everyone clapped and cheered. I’d missed the entire ceremony, lost in my thoughts. Hell, I’d turned sentimental. A romantic. Next, I would need a hanky to wipe my tears.

But I wanted this with Marina. To profess my love for her. Completely and honestly in front of everyone we cared about. There were no secrets between Audrey and Boyd. I wanted that with Marina, but it couldn’t happen. Not now. Fuck me, I was screwed.

The first clap of thunder made everyone cheer, like it was the pistol-shot starting off the celebrations.

In true wolf-pack fashion, the place instantly transformed to a party. The Barn Cats struck up their instruments before the chairs were even moved to the sides. I pushed my way to Marina’s side, drawn like a magnet.

“Hey, beautiful.” I swept her up into my arms and twirled her around. Her scent flooded all my senses. It must have been the full moon because I could swear it made me drunk. The room suddenly spun even though I’d stopped moving. When I looked down at Marina, her eyes widened.

“What?”

“Your eyes look strange in the light—almost gold.”

Shit.

I should tell her what I am. She was my mate, she needed to know. Then again, if I weren’t taking this to the next level yet, I’d be breaking pack law. And right now, I was fucking surrounded by pack members all looking on with curiosity.

I’d made my decision to give her the life she deserved. The alpha had agreed.