Page 33 of Alpha's Arranged Mate

He followed the path of white rose petals down the center aisle and joined Dash and his second, Max, who were awaiting him. With a silent nod of respect to the fellow alpha, he took his place at the altar before the very elderly, yet strong and beautiful she-wolf who also awaited him.

As if he saw Braxton's questioning gaze fall upon her, Dash explained, "My grandmother, Penny. As the eldest living she-wolf in the pack, she is regularly given the honor of officiating ceremonies. I thought it best, given she is also Lottie's grandmother."

Before Braxton could say anything, the elderly woman reached out and took hold of both his hands. Whether it was the simple warmth of a grandmother's touch or something more, Braxton was not sure, but whatever it was it shot up his arms and caused his heart to swell as she smiled at him and said, "I can see you will make my granddaughter very happy."

A lump in his throat, he responded, "I shall try my best."

"Braxton, before the ceremony begins," Dash announced, stepping up to lay a hand upon his shoulder. "I have a gift."

With that, he gestured with a wave of his hand down the aisle. Braxton watched in astonishment as one of the witch's perfectly shaped hell portals opened up at the far end of the aisle. Tears pricked in his eyes as demon wolf after demon wolf streamed through, led by his own grandmother.

Though for a second, he was fearful that Dash had taken a huge and misguided risk, Braxton was relieved when he met his grandmother's gaze. She met it levelly and without a word, she gave a long and over-respectful bow of her head, as if assuring that they were there in peace.

And when Diane and Duncan came rushing forth to wrap their arms around his legs, he almost wept.

"I thought it best that they all attend such an important ceremony," Dash said, clapping him on the shoulder. "This shall be the beginning of our alliance, after all."

"Thank you," Braxton said, tearfully.

"Come now, children," his grandmother instructed Diane and Duncan. "Your father has something important to do."

Reluctantly, he released them back into their grandmother's care and watched all the demon wolves slipping into the empty chairs. Happiness was tinged with pain as he glanced through them all, looking for the faces of Molly and the others. Clearly, Dash hadn't seen fit to have them released just yet.

Braxton couldn't blame him after what they had attempted to do. All he could hope was that they would be released afterwards, just as Dash had him believe.

It was only when the drums began to play, loud and melodic, that Braxton looked around to realize the portal was gone and Lottie now stood at the end of the aisle, along with her sister, whose stomach appeared to have grown considerably since he first saw her that night in the woods when he had threatened her life in order to escape. Slight guilt still gnawed at him for that, but the raven-haired she-wolf would not even look at him, and so how was he to apologize?

Now was not the time for guilt and shame. Lottie was far too beautiful to linger on such things.

Wearing a shift gown of sheer satin material, Braxton could see every curve of her body. The bouquet in her hands contained flowers of white, silver and pink, just like the ribbons that blew above them, and the pink pansies in her hair only made her locks more golden.

She smiled with tears in her eyes as she approached them with Macie at her side.

And soon the ceremony was unfolding.

As Lottie stood before him, her grandmother stepped up and said, "Your hands please?"

Holding her bouquet in one hand, Lottie offered the other, and Braxton took hold of it instinctively. The red ribbon that the elderly she-wolf wrapped around their entwined hands was cool against his flesh, but Lottie's touch quickly overwhelmed the sensation; he barely heard a word that the woman said, though he repeated every word without failure.

It was only the very last words that he truly heard deep in his soul. "You may now kiss your mate."

Reaching out, Braxton took hold of Lottie's cheek with his free hand and pulled her in to kiss her long and passionately. Several gasps from the crowd suggested that all had not been prepared for there to be so much passion between a couple who had been thrown together out of necessity, but for once, Braxton didn't care for what others thought, and the way Lottie dropped her bouquet on order to cup his cheek in return suggested she did not care much either.

Ending the kiss, Braxton pressed his forehead against hers and whispered, “We made it.”

Glancing down at her glossy pink lips, he saw a smile that lit up his entire world.

“And now!” Dash announced loudly, “We shift!”

Braxton, surprised, looked up to watch all of the Silverdales throwing off their clothes. Even more surprising was those of his own pack who also started to do the same, even those like his sister, who still wore the runed bracelets made by Emily and Malia.

And as if his surprise had been noted once more, Dash clapped him on the back and whispered, “My second gift to you.”

Still confused, Braxton looked to Lottie, who smiled even brighter and said, “Malia and Emily had new bracelets made to suppress only the demon side. They’ll be removed as soon as your…our pack is ready to leave.”

Braxton watched in astonishment as his own packmates began to transform, and for the first time, he saw their wolves just as the other werewolves were—huge and glossy coated, not beautifully covered in hellfire, but beautiful just the same.

“Go!” Dash urged him, gesturing for him to join his pack, but Braxton shook his head.

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