Page 109 of Big Knot Energy (Shadowverse)

“All of what? I mean, I know you didn’t want a ceremony…oh, man. Am I being way overly excited? I’m sorry. It’s just…my first child’s ceremony. Wedding. Whatever. And you’re so perfect for him and I want the whole day to be perfect for your whole pack.”

“I’m not used to having a mom,” I admitted softly, trying to keep my expression neutral instead of letting the mixture of heartache and gratitude fill my face.

There was a beat of silence. Then another. The longer it stretched on with Athena staring at me, the more uncomfortable I grew.

This was why I hated telling new people about my past. I hated the look of pity that always appeared on their faces no matter how hard they tried to cover it.

Tears welled in Athena’s eyes, and she lunged to her feet, rounding the table and kneeling at my feet.

Confusion pulled my brows down as I stared into her watery eyes.

“You do now, Kóri. I am your mother.Youaremydaughter. You are as much my daughter as Annalise, Amini, or Alysia.”

Damn it. Now my eyes were blurred with unshed tears. “Th– " My voice caught as a sob threatened to steal my breath. “Thank you.”

“Now…” She leaned forward and pressed a kiss to my cheek before pushing to her feet. “I know I’m a lot to take in all at once. So you’ve got to use your voice, Kóri. You won’t hurt my feelings or offend me.”

“She’s used to four kids reminding her to chill out on a daily basis,” Amir said from my right.

“I want to make your wedding day absolutely perfect, but perfect foryou two, not my vision. You tell me what you want, what part you want me to play, and I promise I will do my best to keep from squealing at every decision or inserting my opinion too much. But again, you say the word and I’ll back off. No hard feelings.”

A rogue tear trailed over my lashes, but Amir caught it with his thumb, leaning forward to press a soft but lingering kiss to my lips. “Good now?”

After a deep inhale, I gave him a wobbly smile. “Yeah. I’m good now.”

We all relaxed, and it felt as though the room took a collective cleansing breath. “Now,” Athena started. “Tell me what you’re thinking. Are you two wanting something small, casual, and intimate? Extravagant with hundreds of guests?”

I barked out a laugh. “I don’t think I even know a dozen people anymore. At least not that I would want to be there for the best day of my life.”

A rush of love and affection flooded my chest as it trickled down the bond from Amir.

I smiled when he nuzzled his cheek against mine, his strawberry and chocolate scent covering me and floating around me in a sweet cloud.

“Okay,” I said, getting serious, or at least trying to with Amir rubbing his cheek along mine, along my shoulder, and running his hand up and down my spine. “Small. Simple and elegant. And intimate. Does that help?”

Athena clapped her hands then rubbed them together. “Absolutely. Have you thought about what kind of dress you would want?”

“Not really. I know I don’t want anything frilly or a big, ridiculous train.”

My poor sister had been stuffed into so much lace and taffeta and had been forced to wear a veil that covered her face on the day of her – thankfully – failed bonding ceremony.

That dress had been ruined by the blood of the guards who’d been escorting her, but her kidnapping had ended up being a blessing in disguise as she was now madly in love with her pack, had a beautiful baby boy, and was so damn happy.

“We’ve got some time to go shopping and make sure you get exactly what you want. As far as a venue…I haven’t been to your house yet, but we’d be more than happy to host something here,” she offered.

The field near the creek where Amir had proposed flashed through my mind, but I wasn’t sure how willing the few guests we might have would be to either find a horse to ride to the area or traipse through the woods for over an hour to get there. It might have been my wedding I was planning, but I didn’t want to put anyone out.

“We have a pretty big yard. You’ll have to bring the girls over to swim when it gets warmer,” Amir offered, saving me from having to decide then and there.

The next few hours went about the same, with Athena offering suggestions and me either vetoing them or agreeing. Amir was silent, even when I asked for his input. According to him, he would wear a dinosaur costume if it made me happy.

I would have felt awful for the guards who were stuck with us all day, but Athena kept their bellies full, and they spent their time in front of the TV when they weren’t communicating with our alphas or checking the perimeter as though some threat might wander onto the property.

“We should get going,” Amir said, standing and stretching.

“Your sisters, dad, and baba will be disappointed they missed you,” Athena said, hugging first Amir then me as we stood at the door, our guards already at the SUV and waiting patiently.

“We’ll be back soon. From what I saw online, there’s a lot to wedding or bonding ceremony planning.”

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