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This is it. The moment I never thought would happen. The moment all of this has been building up to, but I don’t even get to savor it before my dad grabs my arm and blinks at me. “I’ve never seen so many cameras.”
Smiling as I lean in, I brush a soft kiss to his cheek. “Yes, there are, but we’ll be all right, Dad. One foot in front of the other.”
He nods, the music starts playing, and then he practically runs me down the aisle to my three Alphas. I barely have time to wave at Ms. Frampton in the second row before he hands me over to them, placing my hand atop their joined fingers.
Everything and everyone else disappears as I look at each of them in turn, the lord, the earl, and the prince who are about to become mine. A pair of black eyes meet mine, then brown, then blue, but what they’ve all got in common today is the slight shimmer that tells me they are fighting tears as we join together.
The king stands behind the podium, and he stretches his arms out to his sides to let everyone know they can be seated before he begins. He’s stone-cold sober, and looking really happy as he welcomes our guests.
“I’ve been asked to keep this short and sweet,” he says before rolling his eyes at us. “When we become parents, we’re told that we’re going to learn a lot from our children, but I don’t think anyone really believes it until it happens to them. I myself have learned a lot from these four young people standing before you today.”
“I’ve learned that life is what we make of it, regardless of the cards we’ve been dealt and that the most important thing any of us can do is to listen to our hearts.”
He glances at the queen. “I’ve learned that sometimes, we need to be kind to ourselves and to those around us, and we need to trust each other even when times are tough and it’s almost impossible to believe things will work out the way they should. Mostly, I’ve been reminded that love conquers all. It doesn’t care about status or station, and it has the power to heal wounds even if they’ve been festering longer than they should. What you’re looking at when you see this pack is the future, and I, for one, am excited to see what it holds for our family and for the kingdom as a whole.”
Applause breaks out, and then he gets to the nitty-gritty. Our hands are bound together with a swatch of delicate white lace, and after that, we repeat our intention to bond with each other. When it’s done, Wolf sticks our joined hands in the air again, and then he’s kissing me hard.
I smile against his lips. “Love you.”
“And I, you,” he murmurs before releasing me.
Kaz takes my hand and brings it to his mouth, those dark eyes locked on mine as a slight smile curves on his lips. “I didn’t think we’d ever get here, but you have a way of weaving your magic on us all, it seems.”
I wink at him. “No magic. It’s called fighting for what you want.”
“Yes, and I’m afraid there will be a lot more fighting for that in our future,” he says before his chest rises on a deep breath. “Thankfully, I’m certain you can handle it.”
Tai slides his arms around me from behind, and although I can’t see his face, I’m pretty sure he just rolled his eyes at Kaz. “Nah, the hardest part of the fight is over now. Think your mother is ready to retire yet?”
Kaz chuckles. “Let’s hope not. We have a month in Thailand to look forward to. Perhaps after that.”
A dreamy smile spreads on my lips. A whole month in Thailand, alone at the beach with my Alphas. I can’t freaking wait.
No responsibilities, no reporters, and no overbearing royalty. It will be amazing.
First, however, we have a reception to get through. Tai places my hand in the crook of his arm and leads me to the massive tent that has been set up in the garden for it, and my breath catches in my lungs. “Wow. This is beautiful.”
Thousands of fairy lights have been strung across the ceiling and around the pillars. There are mountains of greenery so it looks like we’re in an enchanted forest rather than a tent, but the table decorations are simple and elegant.
“The queen approved this?” I ask.
Kaz smirks. “A lot of it was her idea. You might not think you’ve weaved any magic around here, but I beg to differ. The proof is in the pudding, or the reception, in this case.”
My jaw slackens. I honestly can’t believe she’d have done this for us. For me. It’s truly beautiful, and so romantic and perfect that he’s right. Maybe the proof really is in the reception that the queen has finally accepted me.
Wolf comes up on his other side. “This is romantic and all, but how about we sneak away to the dowager cottage instead? We can always come back later.”
My heart starts racing. The dowager cottage is important to us, and it’s where we’ve agreed they’re going to give me their marks. I thought it would only happen much later, but it seems Wolf isn’t the only one who’s eager.
Tai’s grip on me tightens and even Kaz nods. “We’ve got some time. Let’s go.”
Sneaking away with all the cameras around proves a chore but since we’ve been guaranteed privacy in the opulent tent to complete the bonds, it’s not impossible to slip out the back undetected.
By the time we reach the cottage, I’m laughing and flushed with exhilaration. “Do you think they know we’re gone?”
Wolf snorts. “Probably, but it doesn’t matter. We’re here now and no one but Antonio will know where to look for us.”
The door opens, and Kaz wraps his fingers around my wrist, tugging me into the entrance hall and straight into his chest. His mouth descends on mine in a kiss that’s as powerful as he is. With his arms around me, he walks us back to our nest, but before he lays us down, Tai starts unbuttoning all the satin-covered buttons running down my spine.
