Page 110 of Rejected By My Stepbrother Alpha
My brother and I had made a bet about whether or not he would cry at the ceremony.
“Shut up,” he murmured, wiping away his tears and grinning.
Blackwood Industries and BloodMoon Enterprises had merged so that we could have branches in both the BloodMoon and ColdCrest Packs. Asher and I ran the branch here, and Damian was in charge of the one in ColdCrest. Damian, his family, and my dad split their time between living here and ColdCrest territory.
The Alpha king was very happy with our drones, and now we were working closely with Anya to develop an extended line of army weapons for the Royal Guard.
Silas’ company went bankrupt, and his pack now had a new—less corrupt—Alpha. It turned out that he was in a lot of debt and owed a lot of money to his company’s financiers, which was why he was always cutting corners.
Under an archway decorated with ivy and honeysuckle stood three men. Beta Flynn was going to perform our ceremony. My son looked dashing in a suit and white bow tie. Adrian grinned at me. His front teeth had grown in, but a small part of me missed his gap-toothed smile.
I had purposely saved looking at Asher last, because I knew when I laid eyes on him, I wouldn’t be able to look away.
When our gazes met, my heart skipped a beat.
Goddess, how did I get so lucky?
Asher looked devastatingly handsome in a fitted black suit and white tie. His gorgeous hazel eyes were shining with happiness as he took me in.
“Beautiful,” he breathed out. “Absolutely stunning.”
I flushed from his compliment, and he grinned, pleased that he could still make me blush.
“You do look beautiful, Mom!” Adrian added and smiled.
The three of us shared a warm look.
My family.
Although it wasn’t traditional, Asher and I decided to have Adrian stand behind his father during the ceremony. We couldn’t imagine not having our son upthere with us.
My dad took my hand and gave it to Asher in a symbolic gesture. He gripped Asher’s shoulder and then mine.
“I’m so glad you found your way back to each other,” my dad whispered to us.
My throat tightened with emotion, but I didn’t want to cry just yet.
After I handed him my flowers to hold, my dad took his seat.
Under the archway, Asher and I took each other’s hands, and when he met my eyes, my heart lifted with joy.
It’s really happening.
I was about to marry Asher. My Fated Mate. The love of my life.
From the profound emotion brimming in Asher’s eyes, I could tell he was thinking the same thing.
Beta Flynn began the ceremony by taking a moment of silence for the Moon Goddess. After he explained the commitment that Asher and I were making and what the mating ceremony represented in our pack, it was time for the vows. Asher went first.
He cleared his throat and gripped my hands even tighter. Just his warm skin against mine was enough to quicken my pulse.
“Ivy, there is nothing in this world that I love more than you and our son. I promise to not only love you but to never take your love for granted. I will spend the rest of my life being the kind of partner that you deserve to have by your side. I promise to spend the rest of my life protecting you, supporting you, and cherishing you. You’re the best woman I’ve ever known, and I want to thank you for entrusting me with your heart and soul.”
Asher gently squeezed my hands, and I couldn’t help but let a few tears roll down my cheeks.
He raised his hand and gently wiped them away with his thumb.
“And I promise to always wipe away your tears, whether you're sad, happy, or somewhere in between,” he finished.
