Page 49 of Star-crossed Betas

“No, nothing. Sorry,” I mumble like a bumbling idiot. He huffs in response, and we continue to the venue in silence.

As we enter the main room, I can’t help but wince at how loud it is. I quickly remember to plaster a smile on my face as peoplestart coming over to congratulate us both. I’m eternally grateful when Connor snags two glasses of champagne from one of the servers as she walks past. He passes one to me, and I take a large gulp; Cee downs his in one.

It’s strange to only recognise around half of the attendees at your own wedding, but considering both packs seem to be mingling without any bloodshed, I’m counting this as a win.

Next time someone asks me who my ideal dinner guests would be, dead or alive, I’m saying literally anyone except for the combination right here.

The large round table is covered with a crisp white tablecloth, and a floral/foliage arrangement decorates the centre. Shockingly, Cee and I are not the most awkward people at the table. I think Jasper and Jade might be in the middle of a fight because their smiles look forced for Henry’s benefit. Sam is sitting on Jasper’s other side, and I don’t think they’ve exchanged a word the entire meal. And Sam has excused himself to go to the bathroom so many times it’s getting kind of embarrassing. Niamh and Will are really carrying the burden of conversation, but I think even they might be reaching their limit.

With the dessert dishes cleared away, my mum gently taps a spoon against her champagne flute, and the room falls silent.

“I would like to thank you all, on behalf of my son, Phoenix, for joining us today at such short notice. I find I don’t quite have the words to express how grateful I am to see the seeds of peace between our two packs being sewn here today.

“Most of us in this room have lost friends and family to this war, and while I know they will never be forgotten, I am hopeful that with the beginning of a new pack on these lands, all of the packs in the north can finally prosper with this feud put behindus. Let us all raise our glasses to Phoenix and Connor, whose sacrifices have united us today.” She raises her glass, and our guests do the same.

“To Phoenix and Connor.” The room is filled with clinking glasses as everyone toasts our ‘union’.

Not to be outdone, Cee's dad stands up next.

“Twenty-five years ago, my late wife Cara and I were blessed with twins. We were awake in bed one night when they were a few weeks old, Cara feeding them and me just keeping her company. Little Sammy was fast asleep between us because I was a soft touch.” He pauses, and our guests laugh softly. “Cara had just placed Niamh into my arms while she finished feeding Connor when she asked, ‘Who do you think they’ll be when they grow up?’ Now, I will hold my hands up and say I responded like a man who didn’t know any better and said, ‘Whoever we raise them to be,’ to which my lovely wife laughed so hard she woke the wee babes up.” Everyone laughs at this, and when I glance at Cee, his eyes look glassy.

“So I asked her, ‘If you’re so clever, who do you think they’ll be when they grow up?’ and she says, ‘I think they’ll be kind and fierce, with big hearts just like their daddy, they’ll be exactly who they’re meant to be, and I can’t wait to find out,’” Alpha Kelly’s voice breaks. He takes a deep breath before continuing on. Cee's eyes are filled with unshed tears, and before I can think better of it, I reach for his hand under the table and squeeze. Anticipating rejection, I’m shocked when he grips my hand back and doesn’t let go.

“Sadly, my sweet Cara never did get to see the wonderful people you’ve all turned out to be, but she wasn’t wrong. My boy Connor is kind and fierce with a huge heart, and he turned out to be exactly who he was meant to be. I couldn’t think of a better person to take on the responsibility of building this new pack, and I hope over time, the two of you will be able to grow a lovelike Cara and I. Welcome to our family, Phoenix, and take care of my boy.

“To love,” he says, raising his glass in the air.

We unclasp our hands to join in the toast, and I find myself holding back tears of my own at Alpha Kelly’s heartfelt speech. My chest aches at the fact Cee's mum never got to see him grow up to be the man he is today. Because even on his worst day, he's still my favourite person in the world.

When the reception is blessedly over, we stand by the doors, saying goodbye to the last few guests as they leave. I’m tired down to my bones, and I’m grateful this is all finally over. Niamh and Will are the last to leave, and my shoulders sag with relief from not having to beonanymore. When it’s finally the two of us alone, Cee leans against the wall and closes his eyes.

“Home?” I ask. He lets out a deep breath before nodding.

By the time we make it to the dainty cottage we’re renting in Pateley Bridge, we’re both exhausted from the day we’ve had. We trudge upstairs and groan at the sight of all the unpacked boxes along the far wall of the bedroom.

“Is there bedding in any of these?” Cee asks. I don’t want to admit my parents’ housekeeper, Claire, packed up my house for me because I know he’ll give me theYou’re a pampered little princeraised eyebrow.

“Yeah, I think they should be labelled. I’ll help you look in a sec, need a piss,” I tell him before I make a quick dash for the bathroom. When I walk back into the bedroom, my entire face heats with embarrassment.

“What the fuck is this?” Cee asks, waving a small purple dildo in the air. If there was ever a convenient time for the world to swallow me whole, now would be it. I totally forgot I had it, andthe realisation Claire must have boxed it up for me only adds to my humiliation.

“I’m pretty sure you know what that is.” I try to grab it from his hand so I can hide it away and pretend this never happened, but he takes a step back. I can’t help but feel confused when I look into his eyes and see them blazing with anger. This is pretty mortifying, but why on earth would he be mad I own a dildo for fuck’s sake?

“How soon after we broke up did you start fuckin’ someone else?” My eyebrows scrunch as I become even more confused. He continues on undeterred, “Must be pretty serious if you bought a sex toy to fuck them with,” he spits out the words at me. As my brain catches up to the frankly absurd accusation, I go from bewildered to pretty fucking pissed off very quickly.

“Why would I fuck someone else with a dildo when I have a dick to do that with?”

“Who is it?”

“Out of curiosity, do you warm up before you start jumping to conclusions, or do you just dive right in?” I ask, riling him up some more.

“Stop avoidin' the question. Are you gonna be fuckin’ someone else while you’re married to me?” The slight quiver in his voice and the vulnerable look in his eyes drains the short-lived fight right out of me. I hate that I always break before he does.

“I haven’t fucked anyone else since the day I met you,” I tell him, exasperated by this pointless and frankly embarrassing conversation.

“Then why do you have this?”

“Honestly, it’s none of your business.”

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