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She wore three-inch pumps that brought her almost level with Blake. She looked impressive, imposing. She walked confidently, clinging delicately to her father’s arm.
She was a beautiful bride. As soon as she began to walk down the aisle, something powerful stirred inside Blake. His wolf felt it too, and he ran in circles, wagging his tail happily as Eleanor approached the altar.
Blake felt a burning hunger for her as he watched her draw nearer, his heart beating an unsteady rhythm inside him. This wedding and the subsequent marriage were nothing but a ploy to exile a dead tradition, he knew.
But some part of him toyed with the idea of this woman truly becoming his wife.She would make a remarkable mate,his wolf said in his mind.There’s something about her that makes me want to howl.
Blake suppressed his desires and quietened his wolf. Naturally, no one else could hear what the pair discussed, but he felt some shame for having such thoughts for Eleanor while her brother was standing beside him as his best man.
Blake had spent the last week dreading this day. His wedding. He still couldn’t believe it was happening. Looking out at the many faces in the crowd, he wondered how many of them were in on the deception.
They smiled and looked happy, but surely they had to know this was a marriage of circumstance. Yet, everyone acted as if the couple was about to embark on some journey of love and adventure.
And what if it is? What’s stopping you from having this with her?His wolf didn’t understand why everything had to be so complicated with people.
It’s quite simple, Blake replied.Because she may not want me.
And he knew he wasn’t wrong. Eleanor had protested the oath and the subsequent marriage every step of the way. Although she had agreed to help out in any way possible, she didn’t hold back how barbaric and pointless she found the entire practice to be.
The first day they had seen each other again, Blake had thought he’d caught her staring at him a few times. Though it could have been for a number of reasons, if he was being honest. The last thing he wanted to do was take her reaction to seeing him to mean more than it actually did.
The night before the wedding, it had been a hard-fought battle with himself whether to call her or not. When he eventually did, the sound of her voice had created a sick, sinking feeling in his stomach. It wasn’t that talking to her was unpleasant, but he hadn’t been prepared for how much he would enjoy doing so.
The ceremony was a long, boring affair. Try as hard as he could, all he could see was Eleanor as she entered his den. He replayed the image over and over, taking in all her little perfect details. And now she was to be his wife.
He definitely felt nervous enough when the time came to kiss his new wife. His only consolation was that Eleanor seemed even more nervous than him. That encouraged him a little bit.
However, nothing could have prepared him for how much he enjoyed the kiss. He heard his wolf howl as their lips touched, and for a moment time ceased to exist. That kiss stirred something inside him, and now he didn’t understand the feelings that were rolling in him when he looked at Eleanor.
The next and hardest step was convincing the elders and members of both packs that he and Eleanor were truly happy to be fulfilling the oath and were happy to be married.
Surprisingly, it took even less effort than Blake could have anticipated. It shocked him how naturally Eleanor settled into the role of the blushing bride. Amused him, even. If he wasn’t in character himself, he would have had a good laugh at her award-winning performance.
She smiled widely in all the pictures, as if there was nowhere she would rather be in the world. She hugged guests and laughed at drab jokes. They held hands and looked like a spectacular couple, a perfect image.
Eleanor really was beautiful. Every time he looked at her, Blake saw something that he’d previously missed, something he had never seen before.
For instance, he only just noticed that she had one dimple, on her right cheek. He also noticed how she squinted when she smiled, and the way she tapped her thigh when she laughed. It all looked so perfectly natural that he didn’t know where to draw the line that separated reality from the act. She fascinated him.
Eleanor’s performance only got better at the wedding reception. To put it simply, she was charming. On several occasions, Blake saw Xander regard his sister with an expression of confusion. He was glad to see that he wasn’t the only one she was wrong-footing.
“If I’d known that all it would take to make her this agreeable was a wedding, I would have pushed for her to get married sooner,” Xander said, sitting down beside Blake. “Enjoying your wedding?”
Blake chuckled and glanced at Eleanor, who was speaking to his mother. “It’s not half as bad as I thought it would be. Honestly, it’s even better than I could have imagined. Your sister…she’s something.”
Xander glanced at Eleanor with those blank, gray eyes. “She is, isn’t she? But she bites. I don’t envy you.”
“And what are the two of you gossiping about?” Eleanor asked, turning to face the two men. “I’m certain you were talking about me. Good things, I hope?” She winked at Blake and his heart fluttered in his chest.
Blake cleared his throat and forced a smile, struggling to keep his blush away from his face. “What do you think?”
Eleanor tapped her jaw with her index finger thoughtfully, knotting her brows in faux concentration. “Knowing Xander, he was probably warning you about how feisty and dangerous I can be. Tell me I’m lying…”
Xander looked away and Blake laughed. “Well, I’m impressed. That was impressive.”
She grinned. “I know.” She scanned the reception area for a few seconds, then turned back to look at Blake. “He’s right, you know?”
Blake looked confused. “Right about?”
