Page 124 of Victorious: Part 3
Alpha takes a deep breath, his hands link with mine, and our eyes lock. “Haven…” he begins, his voice steady but full of emotion. “I promise to love you in leather and in lace, in war and in peace, in your assassin mode and your Old Lady madness.” The crowd chuckles, but his eyes never leave mine, his smile growing wider. “I promise to trust your instincts, even when they scare the shit out of me. I promise to have your back in every fight, whether it’s against enemies or against my own damn stupidity…” He pauses, his thumb stroking across my knuckles.
“And I promise that no matter what nightmares I have or what demons I fight in my sleep, I’ll always come back to you. Because you’re my anchor, you’re my home… my Haven.”
My throat tightens with emotion, but he’s not done. “Most importantly,” his voice drops, and becomes more intimate despite the crowd around us. “I promise to honor the love Livvy and I shared by building something new and beautiful with you. Not replacing what was, but creating what is. Whatweare.” Tears blur my vision, but I blink them back. “I love you, now, and every day of fucking forever.”
Sniffling, I wipe a tear from my face as he looks around the room and clears his throat. “Okay… I’m done.”
Everyone chuckles as Dutch signals to me, and I have no idea how the hell I can follow that, but I’m going to give it my best try. “Alpha…” I begin, my voice surprisingly steady. “ I promise not to murder you for the stupid shit you do in my dreams. Because Lord knows that when you cheat, or even flirt with other women, it’s not your fault that I dream it, so I will try not to take it out onyou…too much.” The crowd erupts in laughter, and even Alpha grins widely.
“But I promise more than that…” I continue, my tone becoming serious, “I promise to be your partner in every sense of the word. Your backup, your conscience, your soft place to land when the world gets far too fucking heavy.”
I glance at Poppy, including her in this moment. “And Poppy, I promise I willnevertry to replace your mom. Livvy willalwaysbe your mother. Livvy will always be part of this family. But I promise to love you, guide you, and support you the way she would want me to. I promise to help you navigate this fucked-up world we live in, and to love you like… like the mother you deserve.” Poppy’s eyes fill with tears, but she’s smiling.
I turn back to Alpha. “I promise to choose you, every day, in every way. In the darkness and in the light. You’re my forever ride, Alpha. My home. And yes, I may have wanted to kill you in the start, but let’s be honest, I want to kill you every day at some point. But I promise, I will never actually do it. But I do promise to choke you during sex—”
“Oh my God!”
“Sorry, Poppy…” I chuckle, turning back to her as she hides behind her flowers while everyone laughs, even Alpha, who is currently shaking his head, but staring at me lovingly.
I grin at him, fighting my laugh. “I love you. So much it feels like I can’t keep it contained.”
Alpha holds me a little tighter. “I know the feeling, Little Lamb.”
“Well…” Dutch says, his own voice a bit rough, “… I think we officially know too much about your sex life. Rings?” he asks, trying to move us along.
Loki steps forward with my ring, while Clover hands me Alpha’s. They’re simple bands, made of white gold, engraved on the inside with coordinates—the exact spot where we first met atthe Gears, the bar we’re all headed to after this for our reception.
“By the power vested in me by… well, by being The Wise One of this damn club and knowing you fuckers are perfect for each other, I now pronounce you husband and wife. Alpha, kiss your Old Lady before I change my damn mind.”
Alpha doesn’t hesitate, not for a heartbeat. His hands come up, strong and steady, framing my face like I’m something precious, like he’s terrified I might vanish if he doesn’t hold me just right. And then his mouth claims mine.
The kiss is a collision of heat and history, raw and consuming, with nothing gentle about it. Alpha’s lips crash against mine with all the pent-up hunger of years, with the relief of survival, with the vow that from this second on, we are bound by more than blood and fire.
I fist my hands against his suit, dragging him closer until there’s no space left, until I can feel the thunder of his heartbeat hammering against my chest like it’s trying to sync with mine. The world narrows to the press of Alpha’s mouth, the scrape of his stubble, the taste of him—smoke, whiskey, and the promise of forever.
The room erupts with hoots and whistles, someone pounding a fist against a table, but all of it fades, a dull roar under a storm that’s only ours. Alpha’s thumb brushes my cheek, tender where everything else is feral, and it undoes me. Heat coils low, surging through me, pulling me deeper into him until breathing feels like a luxury I can’t afford.
When we finally tear apart, it’s only because oxygen demands it, our lips parting on a ragged breath that feels stolen. Alpha’s forehead rests against mine, his voice a low growl still tinged with awe.
“Damn,” he murmurs against my mouth. “You look absolutely stunning. It’s not what I imagined you wearing for our wedding, and for a second…” My heart skips a beat, worry flashingthrough me.Did I get it wrong?“I thought you couldn’t get any more beautiful,” he finishes, his grin wicked. “But I love you in leather too. Hell, I love you in anything. I love you innothing, and I can’t wait to get you out of this dress later.”
Heat flashes through me at his words, at the promise in his eyes.
“Mrs. Landry,” he says, testing out my new name.
“I like the sound of that.”
The crowd erupts in cheers and applause as Alpha kisses me again, shorter this time but no less intense.
When we turn to face our family, everyone is on their feet. But it’s the tiny hummingbird that suddenly appears, hovering near the altar, that makes everyone go quiet.
My memory instantly shot back to Livvy as she spoke some of her last words to Poppy when she was dying.
“But while Haven is here… fighting for you… I’ll always be with you…” Livvy sniffed back, her strength clearly waning, “… protecting you… guiding you… watching over you. Maybe this time… I’ll be the hummingbird.”
The little bird hovers for a moment, its wings catching the sunlight, before darting away toward the sky.
Livvy.
