Page 81 of Dark

“DON’T BE ANGRY,” Hayden said, her Volvo shuddering as we pulled up to Dark. Once again, she’d insisted we take Death Trap even though he barely made fifty-five on the interstate.

But whatever. She’d married me. I’d just start hiding chocolate in my truck until she was subliminally conditioned to lunge for it every time we came downstairs.

“Uh oh.”

“It’s not that bad.”

“You stole all my socks and hoodies.”

“Um, hello. Honeymoon? My plans for you this weekend do not involve clothes.” Cranking the car into park, she reached for her bouquet. “But kind of worse.”

Which was when my brothers filed outside. West leaned in the window, which amazingly, given this was Death-Trap, still rolled down.

“Heard there was a wedding.” He grinned, tucking in a pale-blue button down over the Spiderman costume he’d clearly had on at school that morning. “We doing this or what?”

His voice betrayed nothing, but I could see the faint shadows beneath his eyes, two weeks of fatigue taking their toll. Topher had been assigned to our pack. And my brother had stepped up to serve as his sire until he was ready to live independently. For the time being, Topher was in one of the holding rooms back at the ranch, pissed as a wet cat and talking to none of us. But he was safe. And that was a start.

“Uh?” I turned to Hays, who batted me with her bouquet, then pulled a yellow post-it out of the glove box, which she promptly stuck to my forehead.

I peeled it off, squinting. “Wow, when I told you last night I wanted to try this—”

“Pervert. And FYI, you are a total art snob.”

Grinning, I kissed her. “Kidding. I can totally tell it’s a wolverine. But why is he eating a dandelion?”

She narrowed her eyes. “Get out of Axel before I bite you.”

I pocketed the note. (Violet, a big, floppy daisy in her mouth, I love you scrawled across the top.) Yeah. I was never letting this one go.

The moment I got out, August had me in a headlock. “Thanks for letting us know you were getting hitched.”

I elbowed him, and after a beat, he released me, smoothing his coat and tie. “Brody’s still pissed about the pack receiving a formal censure. Didn’t seem right to put everyone in the middle.”

“It’s your wedding. Pretty sure that’s grounds for a one-day time out.”

I looked down. “You know why it had to be this way. Ellie shouldn’t see any of you. It could retrigger her memories. It’s a risk even having me come down to Austin. Hays and I just figured we’d have the wedding there with her family and the official mating in a few weeks when we induct her into the pack.”

“Well, we’re celebrating either way.” August held the door, ushering us inside. “Got a message from River, by the way. Said to tell you congratulations.”

I looked away, not wanting to get into it with August on today of all days. He and River had always been close. But there was no excusing what our youngest brother had done. Not this time.

The inside of Dark had been decorated with crepe paper, black and orange streamers, and a display of Halloween pumpkins and candles.

“Someone cleans up good.” Cal clapped me on the shoulder. “Congrats. Who would have thought you’d be the first?”

“How did—” I started.

“You really think we’d miss this?” Brody said from behind me. “We’re family. ‘Bout time you got that through your head.”

West elbowed in to add, “Dickbreath.”

“You all suck.” I looked around. “Is Dallas here?”

West shot August a look and got only a shrug in response.

“He was in on the text, same as everyone else.”

Cal rubbed his beard. “Give him a chance to come around. Think with everything that’s happened he may need a little time.”