I feel my cheeks flush a bit. Maybe one day, I think, Celine would agree to marry me. I know we’ve marked each other, and it counts more than any marriage certificate could, but I’d love to share this moment with her.
I can’t see us marrying in such a surrounding though, but also not having a huge classic wedding. I know Celine by now, and I know she likes things simpler, just like I do. I smile a bit… maybe a wedding by the ocean…
I don’t have time to linger on my thoughts any longer though. Music starts, and Annie’s dad, Brian, leads Ella down the aisle.
She looks beautiful. She has chosen a very simple white dress. Although rather short, it’s still elegant. It’s something she can probably wear in summer too. In her hands, she holds a small bouquet in the color of the bridesmaids’ dresses.
Her smile, however, is the thing that strikes me the most. It’s radiating and contagious. One day, I hope Celine will look at me like that too.
Epilogue #3 – The Luna Meeting
*MARIUS*
“Yourbrotherishere,Marius,” Garret informs me.
I raise my brows. “Which one?”
“Right,” he grins. “I always forget that there are a bunch of Alcotts roaming this world. As if one of you isn’t enough.”
I smirk. “Careful how you talk to me, or I’ll tell your Alpha.”
“Ugh, scary,” Garret pretends to wince, but then he laughs. “I’ll drive you to that luna meeting later. See you afterward for training and dinner?”
“Dinner?” I chuckle. “That bad? What did Elias do this time?”
Garret and I hit it off pretty well immediately. He tried to hate me for like half an hour for hurting his Alpha, then he faltered. Maybe it’s the natural bond between gamma and luna, but I know it’s more than just that, as we both are on the same wavelength. I have never had any friends before, well, aside from my siblings. And even Aryanna, with whom I managed to build a bond, is Liam’s beta and probably watched out for me because I was her alpha’s brother, out of pity for the both of us and to help us. At least, that’s what I assume. I don’t want to sound unfair though. The fact that I didn’t manage to open up to anyone and let them in is on me, not on the others, and Ari was the only one I somewhat allowed in.
She’s an amazing person, and I hope now that I’m starting to heal and have my own life, I can befriend her for real.
“I will tell you everything later.” Garret pulls me out of my thoughts.
I chuckle. “So which brother?”
“The edgy one with the piercings. Why are all your brothers so hot?” He grins when I grimace. “He is waiting in front of your office.”
I nod, immediately going to look for Finn. Celine and I have separate offices and divide the work between us. I still have a lot of catching up to do, though. While growing up, Liam, Finn, and Aurelia showed far more interest in pack business than I ever did. Now, my ignorance has come to catch up with me. But oh well, I’ll learn.
When I find Finn, it suddenly strikes me how much he’s changed. He looks so much like a man and less than a boy all of a sudden that it shocks me a bit. It’s almost like it was yesterday when he came home with his first piercing, and Dad almost had a heart attack.
“Finn,” I greet him. “Nice to see you.”
He smiles. “Hi Mari!”
“You are here for the last intel we gathered and to talk to Elias in person, right?”
“Yes,” he says. “I also would like to speak to Steve and Marcel to brief them a bit.”
“Are you nervous?” I ask him.
Finn just shrugs. “A bit, but it’s okay,” he says. Things are still a bit strained between us, I notice. Finn is not showing it much because that’s just the way he is, but I treated him even worse than Liam, and that says a lot. Our relationship is not going to get magically perfect again in the blink of an eye.
“If you need anything, you can tell me,” I promise.
He smiles slightly. “I know, thank you.” An awkward pause. “Where are you off to?”
I flash him a grin. “Luna meeting!”
“Man, it’s like you are getting a taste of the forbidden fruit,” he chuckles.