Page 137 of Wanted

Minutes later, Reese, Ms. Elsie, and I head out the door. On the way over to the ceremony, Reese turns to me.

“Um, when there’s time, I’d like to talk with you.”

Some unknown sentiment flickers through her eyes, but I can’t quite read it.

“Uh, sure,” I tell her, then look down at her belly.

Reese is now six months pregnant.

“You’ve been on your feet for a while. Let’s get going so you can have a seat underneath the tent,” I tell her.

Reese bites her bottom lip, looking as if she wants to say more.

“Ladies, are you coming?” Ms. Elsie jokingly asks.

“Yes, let’s go,” I insist. Excitement ricochets through me in anticipation of meeting Chance down the aisle.

Yes, we’re officially mate bonded. My wolf knows that he’s mine for all of eternity and I’m his. But this wedding satisfies my human side. The part of me that also craves the acknowledgment of a public display of our commitment to one another.

As we make our way to the field and I catch my first sight of Chance in his black and white tuxedo, my knees weaken.

In the craziness of Sera’s three mates showing up out of the blue, I hadn’t had time to really look at him in his tuxedo.

He wears the long braid that I did for him this morning, intertwined with the white ribbon that’s the same material as my dress, hanging over his shoulder.

We skipped some of the human traditions such as not seeing one another from the night before until the moment of the ceremony. Since one mate doing the hair of the other is a common practice among the history of Nightwolves, I asked Chance if he would allow me to do his for the ceremony.

Of course, he agreed.

He’s so gorgeous that I can’t take my eyes off him.

You’re so beautiful I can’t stop looking at you.I laugh as it feels like he’s read my thoughts.

I take his extended hand, and we take our stance before our pack and Chael, the alpha, who is also the officiant for our ceremony.

Chance doesn’t let my hand go, nor does he stop staring me in the eyes. In the distance, gray clouds roll in over the mountains. To anyone else that would put a damper over our outdoor wedding.

Not me, though.

Chance’s eyes glow as he recites his vows, never taking his gaze off me. In front of our pack and the mountains we call home, he vows to always protect, cherish, and love me.

My mouth trembles as I repeat the words to him as well. My body feels so full of love that I can’t get the words out fastenough. It’s as if the glow that’s already apparent in his eyes goes up a notch with each word I speak.

That’s when the first drops of rain started.

As I vow to my mate to always stand by his side, to make sure he never wants for anything again, and to love him for the rest of our days together and into the next lifetime, rain soaks the both of us as we laugh and smile at one another.

“By the power of Mother Moon, I pronounce you mate and mate,” Chael says, obviously altering the vows to fit our unique experience.

More laughter spills from me when Chance cups my face before cementing our union with a kiss. Our souls were already bound together through the mate bond. But this kiss solidifies it for the outside world.

The rain soaks us as we both peer up at the moon in the distance.

The beautiful gold rings we’ve slipped onto one another’s fingers tell the outside world that we belong to one another.

Thank you,I tell him through our bond.

Chance lifts my hand to his lips and kisses the back of my palm before he lowers to place another kiss on my lips.

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