“Look at you,” my mother croons.
She finishes doing my bow tie and stands aside, so we can both look at our reflections in the full length mirror.
“My brave and handsome Omega.”
I don’t feel brave. My looks don’t amount to much either. I’m shy and awkward. Still slender, no matter how much I eat. Courage is another matter. I gaze at myself in the mirror. I’m twenty-one, an adult, but I don’t feel all that mature. Weddings are supposed to be more cheerful and happy.
I should be ecstatic, head stuck in the clouds. Any Omega in my place would be, paired with the most powerful Alpha in the region. I stand there, gazing at the frightened boy in the mirror, unable to bring myself to be the least bit excited. I’m about to meet the man I’m going to spend the rest of my life with. I’ll bear his pups, build a life with this Alpha, a complete stranger I know nothing about except on the surface level.
Everyone in our small pack says I should be grateful, that I’m lucky to be chosen. Don’t mistake my meaning. We’re not doing this without my consent. To save my pack, my family, I said ‘yes’. On the verge of extinction, of eradication from another rival wolf pack, there’s no other solution.
The Gray Valley Pack, led by Alec Williams, is the largest pack in the area. Catching sight of me and my dad during a regional meet of all the animal groups in the area, Alec made my dad an offer we couldn’t refuse.
The moment I turn twenty-one, I’ll become his.
Alec will be the first man to touch me and the last.
He’ll become my husband, for better or for worse.
“Tristan, honey. What’s wrong?”
My mother means well, I know. Worry lines appear on her face, but I shake my head, kiss her on the cheek. She bites her bottom lip, a trait I acquired.
“We can still call it off. Say the word, Tris.”
I take her gently by the shoulders, remembering. Ten years ago, I stood no taller than her shoulder, looking up at her. When did I grow so tall?
“I can’t back out now, mom. I want this.”
She lets out a shaky laugh.
“No you don’t, baby.”
“Omegas can’t be choosy. I’ll end up becoming a dominant wolf’s mate at any rate. Choosing Alec makes no difference. Besides, we talked about this long enough. I want to save our pack, mom.”
She nods, bringing me close to a hug. I wrap her in my arms, closing my eyes for a couple of seconds. Mom smells like home, like pack, but once Alec claims me, Alec’s pack will assimilate ours.
In return, we’ll have the protection of Alex and his wolves. No one can threaten or hurt one of our own again.
“You’re so strong, baby. I’m proud of you.”
“That means a lot, mom.”
A knock on the door interrupts our tender moment. I recognize scarred and muscled man in his thirties. Salvatore, Alec’s Beta, is always by Alec’s side. He was there too, when Alec saw me during the regional meet. Like always, I can’t read the expression on his face.
“Everyone is waiting,” Salvatore says, flashing me what appears to be a look of pity.
My stomach does strange flop, but there’s no use delaying the inevitable. It’s time I strap on a pair of balls and face the music. How bad can it be? I’ve rehearsed this moment a thousand times in my head and now it’s finally come. My parents did all they could to ready me, prepare me for what’s ahead. Parting from my mom, I follow Salvatore out of the dressing room.
One of Alec’s conditions for our union is to get married in a church. He’s traditional, something I don’t expect. Then again, he could have taken me anytime. Instead, he waits until I turn twenty-one. Alec’s waited long enough.
Salvatore leads me to my dad. In his suit, my dad appears older, like he’s in his sixties when he’s only fifty-one. He gives me a nod, a smile, and offers me his hand. I loop my arm around his, aware of the procession falling in behind us.
The pianist begins to play the wedding march. The tiny church is full. Half with friends and family of my parents’ pack, the other half, Alec’s retinue occupies. Most of them are like Salvatore, scarred and tough. They watch me with hard eyes, considering gazes.
I train my eyes forward, looking for Alec. He’s not hard to find. Out of his usual pair of scruffy jeans and shirts, Alec looks unexpectedly good in a suit and tie, but no less domineering. He chooses to dress in all white for a reason. It makes the rest of his copper skin stand out, every solid muscle I know hidden underneath his impeccable designer suit.
God. Seeing him in the flesh again tugs things inside me. Wakes my cock in my trousers. This can’t be good. Everyone’s watching, but I can’t control the way my body reacts around him.
Alec smiles, a toothy grin, as if he can smell my arousal from a mile away. He angles his body towards me, so I can see the bulge in his trousers. I swallow.
We walk and with each step, my heart hammers a little faster. It’s hard to breathe. Everything and everyone falls away from my line of sight. Once Alec’s yellow gaze catches mine, I’m like a prey caught in a trap.
Alec doesn’t look at anyone else either, doesn’t seem to give a damn about his surroundings. His gaze all but screams hunger. Raw want sits on his face, otherwise handsome except for old scars and his nose, broken a few times. He’s a hard man, a logical Alpha. I’m afraid, yet excitement stirs in my veins, waking my wolf.
No other man looks at me the way Alec does, like I’m worth devouring. He’s waited for so long. Three years and so did me.
I realize a second later it’s not him I’m terrified of. Never in a million years will Alec hurt me. Don’t ask how I know. I simply knew.
What I’m really afraid of?
Once he gets a taste of me, he’ll want more.
I’m the same.
The moment Alec takes possession of my body, my heart and soul won’t be far along.
My legs wobble. Without my dad to hold me steady, I would stumble, fall flat on my face in utter embarrassment, but I managed to make it to Alec without screwing up.
“Take good care of my son, Alpha,” my dad tells Alec so softly only the priest can hear.
“You don’t have to worry about a single thing, Daniel. He’s mine now. Mine to mate and breed. Cherish and protect.”
Alec fails to mention one word. Love. But in an arranged marriage we can’t throw that word around. Love will come later, or so I hope. Besides, the true worth of something of value can only be measured by how hard it is to obtain. Lust burns in Alec’s gaze, the way longing does in mine. It’s enough for now.
My dad releases me, giving me a little push to Alec’s direction. We don’t touch. Not out of indifference or disinterest but out of the fear of opening the floodgates of desire. That comes later too, in a couple of hours. The waiting, all the years apart, nearly killed us both.
What are a few minutes more?
“Dearly beloved we are gathered here today...” the priest begins, but I don’t hear the rest.
Although I’m not a believer in religion, I believe in holy vows, but what Alec and I have is beyond any marriage contract on paper. When shifters mate, it’s until death do us part, no short cuts and divorces, and he chose me.
I’m about to embark on the most important journey of my life with a stranger, except I can’t call Alex that.
Alec reaches for my trembling hands.
“Hush, pup,” he says in a whisper, not listening to the priest either, as if there’s only the two of us in the room. “There’s nothing to be afraid of, now that you’re with me.”
Alec plants a kiss on each of my knuckles. The unexpected gesture disarms me and I shiver. One moment he’s cold, another he’s hot. Rough and sweet, kind and cruel, Alec’s a walking contradiction, a puzzle only I possess the key to unlock. This might be the first time in three years we meet again face-to-face, but he’s the stranger I’ve known all my life.
“Will you take this man as your lawfully wedded husband?” The priest asks.
“Yes,” I answer without hesitation, making Alec smile.
For better and for worse, our fates, wolves and souls will become entwined. Alex echoes the words. Slips a ring into my finger and I return the gesture.
“You may kiss the groom.”
The next thing I know, Alec bands one powerful arm around my waist, pulling me close. I yelp in surprise. My shaking hands are all over his sexy body in a second. There’s so much to explore. I want to memorize every nook and cranny, every scar and birthmark on my new husband.
Our clothes need to go.
I don’t think I can make it to the rest of the ceremony, especially when his demanding mouth descends on mine.
Alec doesn’t kiss. He takes. Heat leaps from his mouth to mine. My insides melt and I all but lose my ability to generate coherent thought. Our tongues and teeth tangle, but it’s me who responds and yield. He clasps the back of my neck and I open my mouth wider, so he can thrust his tongue down my throat.
I can’t hear the cheers, wolf whistles and yips.
I’m lost.
I’m his.