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CHAPTER7
A Ceremony Of Everlasting Love
“This feels like a dream,” I whispered and stared down at the miraculously beautiful black gown that clung to my flesh. The black corset glimmered with black rhinestones, and the bottom half consisted of layers and layers of mesh fabric of black with stars.
Randomly placed iridescent and black rhinestones decorated the bottom portion of the layered skirt, which perfectly matched the veil that rested upon my head.
Metallic jewels of onyx layered my neck, and rubies and iridescent gems twinkled along my neck along with the various bangles, rings, and anklets I wore. My earrings were big diamonds that twinkled like stars.
My hair was left down and curled perfectly. The mix of blue with hints of orange and white only further accented the veil upon my head, while the marking of paint with their rooted symbolism decorated my forehead, cheeks, chin, neck, and hands.
My lips were cloaked with a unique red tint that was made from scratch from berries, and all my various incantations were glowing vividly against my flesh. Even my nails were painted black with little bits of rhinestones to fit the aesthetic.
Lifting my hand up, I beamed at the sight of the massive ring. I couldn’t wait to add another band of commitment to my finger. Something so swift should have frightened me to the hills, and yet all of this was so bloody perfect, I felt like the luckiest woman in the world.
“I always wondered if I’d get the opportunity to walk you down the aisle.”
Lifting my head, my eyes landed on Father. He was already shedding tears as he looked at me from head to toe. He wore a black suit with a red undershirt, a black tie, and various rings of onyx and red.
His hair was gelled back, not a single strand out of place, and he was barefoot like I was for the path we were going to walk upon was in sacred land in this world.
“I’d sit under the dazzling sky every day and night wondering if I’d get a second chance somehow. Who would have thought I’d be lucky enough to meet you again. To wash you with nothing but love and affection one last time,” he revealed as more tears flowed down his cheeks.
My approach was silent, but before I could acknowledge it, I was before him.
“My beautiful Selene. My Mini Shadow. About to be married to the man our Mother Moon has marked worthy of your devotion. To witness this is but a blessing, and how thankful I am to the land that harvests our souls and gives us the freedom to experience such a divine moment.” He lifted his hands and lightly cradled my face. “Thank you for being willing to embrace our culture and traditions and to proceed with this ceremony in a place that may not reach human or shifter standards, but that has given us enough time, patience, and peace to witness your union.”
“Father, all of this is beyond perfect,” I stressed as I laid my hands on top of his. “To have a sacred lagoon as a venue is such a privilege. To creates such clothes with the magic that thrums in the atmosphere matched with everyone else's help. The markings and effort placed in drawing all these unique symbols that have rooted meeting our culture, and having you all come together to celebrate my love for Asher, is something I can only be abundantly grateful for,” I expressed my gratitude. “The Shadow Realm has been a sight to explore with my own eyes. I thought it would be exactly that: a world of shadows and nothing more. But I’ve come to see the beauty of the dark and the potential for blossoming growth. I would have been happy just with you and the other pack's company. I love you dearly, and I pray Mother Moon will give me the opportunity to return the favor by building upon this world until I’m strong enough to encourage the rise of all the Shadowborns who were unjustly slain in an attempt to silence us.”
He pressed a kiss to my forehead before offering me his arm.
“Ready to stand by your mate’s side?”
“More than ready,” I replied with a wide grin that made Father smile even wider as I hooked my arm around his.
With those words, we followed the chanting that grew louder the deeper we walked through the tunneled path toward the lagoon.
I was beginning to realize what a good choice it was for the lagoon was illuminated by natural lights of blue, purple, and teal, which made the balls of black metal that hung from large black tree branches that were wedged between black rocks more enchanting because of the orange flames that resided in the middle of each sphere.
The path was decorated with black petals and the ceiling was left to be its natural essence of haunting beauty.
The chanting was joined with whistling sounds that reminded me of a flute.
Various scents tickled my nostrils, but together, they mingled perfectly with one another.
And then my eyes landed on my mate at the end of the aisle.
My stomach flipped as my heart beat wildly in excitement. He wore a completely white suit. Some parts had black rhinestones while other places had iridescent ones that matched mine, making him twinkle under the luminous lighting.
He carried markings on his face just like mine, and his eyes were wide as they took me in from head to toe while I began to walk with Father by my side.
I couldn’t focus on anything else now that my eyes were on Asher, and I felt he was in the same predicament as me, for neither of us pulled our gazes away — even as we now faced one another.
“Hey,” I whispered and blinked my eyes to stop the tears.
“Hey,” he replied, and he couldn’t look prouder.
Slipping his hand in mine, we turned to surprisingly face Nyx, only she was like a much older version of the woman who’d helped us in many ways.
