Broken Wolf

by Stacy Claflin

  “Are you okay?” asked my mother.

  A butterfly danced behind her. I craned my neck for a better view.

  “It’s something of a love potion,” Quinn said. “It has interesting side effects for a few moments when someone drinks it on any other day besides Valentine’s Day.”

  “You think she needs a love potion?”

  I reached for the butterfly.

  “It merely intensifies feelings that already exist and provides some relaxation—which I thought she could use after the day she’s had.”

  The butterfly disappeared, the music grew softer, and the floral scents faded.

  I shook my head to clear it. “What just happened?”

  The music’s tempo picked up.

  “That would be your cue.” Quinn smiled. “Knock ‘em dead.”

  “Don’t say that!” I glared at him.

  He and my mom both laughed.

  Tap came over and held out his hand. “Are you ready?”

  “You have no idea.” I kissed my mom on the cheek and then looped my arm through Tap’s for the second time that day.

  “Grab your seat,” Tap whispered to my mom.

  She hurried into the other room. Tap and I waited a minute before heading back to the aisle. The room looked exactly the same as it had before. Guests filled the room beyond the capacity of the chairs. Not a trace of evidence remained from the werewolf who’d arrived, wanting to kill everyone in sight.

  We walked down the aisle again. My gaze landed on Toby, as gorgeous as ever. His face lit up and I grinned. It was a good thing Tap held onto my arm because I was ready to run down the aisle and skip all formalities. We finally made it to the platform. Soleil asked who gave me away, and Tap once again answered.

  I joined Toby, unable to focus on anything else. In the background, Soleil spoke of love, trials, and tribulations.

  “These two have a love that will last—just look at what they’ve overcome tonight alone. That doesn’t even take into account the last few months or centuries. But we know that, and these two lovebirds are eager for me to declare them husband and wife. Everyone’s already heard my speech, so what’s say we skip ahead to the good stuff?” She turned to Toby and me.

  Toby arched a brow. I nodded. He squeezed my hands and turned back to Soleil. “Sounds great.”

  Waves of chuckles ran through the audience.

  “Who has the rings?” Soleil asked.

  Jet stepped forward and handed Toby mine. Ziamara held out Toby’s for me.

  Soleil smiled at me and then Toby. “You two wrote your own vows, right?”

  The corners of my mouth twitched as I held in a laugh. “We did.”

  “Phew.” Soleil wiped her brows. “I was worried for a moment.”

  The guests chuckled again.

  Soleil turned to Toby. “You first.”

  Toby kissed my right hand. “I’m thrilled to take you as my wife, my partner in this grand adventure called life. I give you my full love, my deepest devotion, and my most tender care. We’ve already been through so much, and our future is uncertain. The one thing I can guarantee you is that I will forever be at your side. I promise to love you, honor, respect and cherish you as long as we both breathe. From this day forward, you will never walk alone as my heart will be your shelter and my arms will be your home.”

  I swallowed and blinked back tears. How was I supposed to remember what I wrote after that? I cleared my throat and squeezed his hands. “You are my everything—the answer to all my hopes and wishes. I couldn’t be more excited about starting our lives together. I’ve always admired everything about you, from your fierce loyalty to your unyielding bravery. I promise to always appreciate you, to encourage you, and to stand at your side every day. I’ll take care of you when you’re sick and be your biggest fan, always making you feel as stunningly wonderful as I know you are.”

  Tears shone in his eyes. I blinked back more of my own. Toby held out my ring and slid it carefully onto my finger. I stared at it, tears blurring my vision.

  We were almost married.

  I took his hand, and shaking, I slid on his wedding band. Our two ringed fingers took my breath away. I blinked the tears, spilling them onto my face, and met Toby’s gaze. His eyes held every emotion I felt.

  “I now pronounce you husband and wife!” Soleil’s voice reminded me that Toby and I weren’t alone.

  He rested his palms on my face and pressed his soft, minty mouth on mine, transporting me to a place where only we existed. Clapping and whistles brought me back to the wedding. Toby pulled away, and I stared at him, breathless.

  Soleil took each of our hands. “I get to introduce to you, for the first time ever, Tobias and Victoria Foley!” She raised our hands high into the air. The guests burst into applause and rose to their feet. I scanned the crowd, finding so many faces of loved ones. My heart felt as though it might explode with joy.

  “Time to party! I mean, celebrate these two lovebirds.” Soleil laughed and let go of our hands. She nudged us toward the aisle. “You guys head down to Tap’s quarters for some kissy-kissy time while the rest of us set up this place for feasting and dancing. Take all the time you need—this party’s going to last for days!”

  Heat filled my cheeks, but before I had a chance to respond, Toby took my hand and led me off the platform. We walked down the aisle as our friends and family cheered, waved, and grinned. A few gave us high-fives.

  Toby led me down the stairs. My ears rang as they adjusted to the sudden silence. We went down a hallway I’d never ventured to before.

  “Where are we going?” My voice echoed around us.

  “You’ll see.”

  “To a special kissy-kissy place?” I teased.

  He smiled at me devilishly but said nothing. My heart raced. He stopped in front of a door with an old-fashioned knocker. It looked like the carved head of a Muppet. Toby turned the knob and stepped in before me. He pulled me in and held me close.

  The first thing I noticed was a fountain taller than Toby. Water cascaded down three levels, over carved images of fish and mermaids. Behind that loomed three flowered trees. The room smelled of an array of exotic florals. The rest of the room was filled with various artwork of couples in love—a painting of two people kissing in front of the Eiffel Tower, a sculpture of lovers embraced, and more. Off to the side sat a couch big enough to be a bed that had an ancient Roman look.

  “What is this place?” I whispered.

  Toby turned to me, placed his hands at the small of my back, and pressed me against himself. “This is the room Tap shared with his wife. He’s only ever told two others about it. He wants us to enjoy it.”

  My pulse raced through my body and drummed in my ears. Toby stared at me with desire like I’d never seen before. He reached over and locked the door before running his fingertip along the side of my face. He kissed my neck, trailing up to my ear, and over to my mouth, taking full possession of it. I opened my mouth and our tongues danced together.

  He pressed me against the nearest wall and lightly ran hands down my side, exploring in ways he never had before. I gasped and reached for his tie, loosening it. I threw it to the side and unbuttoned his top button, then the next and the next, with all the excitement of unwrapping a highly-anticipated birthday present.

  Toby cupped my chin and pulled away from the kiss. “Do you want to take this to the bed?”

  “More than you know.”

  Chapter 31

  Toby

  I zipped up Victoria’s dress from behind. She spun around and gazed at me adoringly, her face flushed. I brushed some hair behind her ear and kissed the corner of her eye. There was so much I wanted to say, but words failed me.

  She rubbed the skin just below my mouth. “You’ve got lipstick everywhere.”

  “Doesn’t bother me.”

  “Me, neither. We should fix it before joining the celebration, though.”

  I pulled her close. “I don’t care who sees it. We’re marrie
d now, and I have the world’s most beautiful wife.”

  “Still, I don’t want people imagining us together.”

  “Let them. It won’t come close to the magnificent reality.”

  Victoria’s face turned red.

  I ran my thumb across her lips. “You’re so fun to tease, you know that?”

  Her luscious lips curved upward. “Wonderful. But I bet you’re just as much fun.”

  “Unfortunately not.” My lips quivered, giving away my fib.

  She rolled her eyes. “You’re a terrible liar.”

  “Only to you.”

  “I suppose that’s a good thing.” She ran her fingers through my hair. “We do need to get that lipstick off you.”

  “And we should fix your makeup. It would appear I smudged it.”

  “That doesn’t surprise me.” Victoria leaned close and kissed me deeply.

  “If you keep doing that, we’re never going to make it upstairs.”

  “Is it bad that I don’t care?”

  I wrapped my hands around her sides and spun her around. “Only if it’s bad that I don’t, either.”

  She laughed. “We really should at least make an appearance.”

  “True. We can’t have our guests eat our cake without us.” I took her hand and led her into the hall. We managed to find a bathroom. I splashed my face with water and rubbed to get the lipstick off.

  Victoria rubbed around her eyes. “This isn’t working. I’m going to need some makeup.”

  “Don’t look at me,” I teased.

  “Can you find Soleil? She’s the one who put it on me earlier.”

  “You want me to leave your side?” I pouted.

  “I’m not going upstairs looking like this.”

  “Well, I’ll just call her.” I dug into my pants pocket, found my phone, and sent Soleil a quick text.

  A knock sounded before I’d even put the phone back. “Hello? Did someone call for a makeup artist?”

  Victoria and I exchanged an amused expression, and I opened the door.

  Soleil rushed in, carrying two black bags and a multi-colored one under her arm. She looked the two of us over. “Looks like you both had a good time. Let’s get you fixed up.”

  I stepped out of the cramped bathroom.

  “Not so fast, hickey-boy.”

  “Hickey-boy?” I arched a brow.

  “Get in here.”

  I went back in and glanced at the mirror, turning to both sides. Sure enough, a plethora of red marks decorated the sides of my neck. I looked at Victoria. “You were going to let me go out there like this?”

  She shrugged. “Maybe.”

  “I’d better see if Tap has a scarf.”

  “Sit.” Soleil gestured toward the toilet.

  “There? It has no lid.”

  “I have faith in you.” She pulled out a thin rectangular box and a round brush. She opened it and brushed flesh-colored makeup all around Victoria’s face.

  I pressed myself against the wall, not allowing myself to sit on the toilet. Curious, I watched as Soleil used a variety of products on Victoria’s face. Somehow, she blended everything perfectly and there were no signs of the makeup ever having been smeared.

  She turned to me. “You don’t listen very well.”

  “I’m your alpha. I don’t take orders from you.”

  “Really, now?” She put her hands on her hips.

  “Yes, really.”

  “Get over here so I can hide your hickeys.”

  I went over to the sink.

  She snickered. “You just obeyed my order, alpha.”

  “You’re lucky you’re an angel of death.”

  “Hold still.” She pulled out a tube of something a little lighter than flesh-colored and smeared it on my neck.

  It was cold and wet. I couldn’t help jumping.

  Soleil rubbed it into my skin and turned to Victoria. “Men are such babies.”

  She giggled.

  I shook my head. “I’d deny it, but I’m clearly outnumbered.”

  “Exactly.” Soleil pulled out something round with a powder slightly darker than the icy liquid she’d smeared all over my neck. She reached for an angled brush and applied the makeup, this time giving me the chills. “Would you hold still?”

  “If you’d quit putting weird stuff on my skin.”

  “Sorry, but that’s Victoria’s job. I’m merely applying makeup.”

  I turned away from her and studied Victoria’s reflection in the mirror. She held out her hand, admiring the ring. It was nice to see her appreciating a stone other than the wolf one. She glanced up and caught me staring. Her face lit up and she blew me a kiss. I winked, not daring to move, and thus annoy my makeup artist.

  Victoria made faces, clearly trying to get me to laugh. I fought to hold still, and did a commendable job, considering the lengths my wife was going to in order to make me laugh.

  “You two are worse than children.”

  Apparently, I hadn’t been holding still as well as I’d thought.

  “I’ll be good,” Victoria promised. She turned her attention back to the ring, holding it at different angles. The wolf essence stone glowed brightly for a moment before returning to normal.

  My heart leaped into my throat. It had happened so fast, I almost thought it was my imagination. Maybe it was. It had to be. I shoved the thought from my mind and turned my attention back to my makeup artist.

  Soleil stepped back and pinched her mouth, looking at my neck. She moved my chin to the right and then the left before craning her neck around to look at the back from the mirror. “Not bad, if I do say so myself.”

  Victoria fluttered her eyelashes. “You’re so pretty with makeup.”

  I pretended to fluff shoulder-length hair and fluttered my own lashes. “Why, thank you. I try.”

  “You do very well,” she said in a sultry tone.

  “Not nearly as well as you.” I stepped around Soleil and kissed Victoria deeply.

  Soleil grabbed my arm and pulled me away from Victoria. “If you guys mess up your makeup, I’ll kick you so hard your one-hundred-years-in-the-future selves will cry.”

  I reached for Victoria. “That sounds like a challenge, don’t you think?”

  Soleil threw her head back. “Do what you want. I’m going upstairs. The party of the century is there.”

  “Or is it down here?” I took Victoria’s hand and kissed her fingertips.

  “Goodbye.” Soleil hurried out of the room.

  I burst into laughter.

  Victoria leaned against me. “It’s kind of fun to rile her up.”

  “It’s more fun to tease you, though.” I kissed her nose and headed out into the hall. Music and happy conversation sounded before we reached the staircase. I turned to Victoria and pressed her against the wall for one more passionate kiss before joining the festivities.

  She gasped for air. “You make it hard to want to see our reception.”

  I opened my mouth to respond, but the door at the top of the stairs opened. “Get up here, you two!” Soleil shouted.

  “We’re right here,” I said. “No need to yell.”

  “Everyone keeps asking about you.”

  “You win.” I scooped up Victoria and hurried up the stairs, carrying her into the Faeble. The main part of the bar had been turned into a dance floor and the other rooms into banquet halls. I set Victoria down and the entire place broke out into applause. Loved ones crowded around us, offering their congratulations.

  Jet and Ziamara ushered us to a long table where the rest of our wedding party sat. Victoria and I took seats in the middle. Tap came over and filled our champagne flutes.

  He stood on a stool and raised his glass high into the air. “We’re here to celebrate the union of Toby and Victoria. It’s rare to see a love so deep and pure as theirs, and I think I speak for everyone here when I say I’m honored to be part of their lives—now life. May the rest of their days be filled with love, laughter, blessings, and all t
he happiness they can handle.”

  Everyone spoke their agreement. Glasses clinked all around. Victoria tipped hers toward me and we tapped our flutes together. I leaned over and kissed her. Friends called out for more. Who was I to deny them? I cupped her chin and gave her the most toe-curling kiss I could in front of everyone.

  Whoops and hollers sounded all around, followed by cheers and more glasses clinking together. Victoria looked a little dazed as I pulled away, but then she rose, took my hand, and bowed. I followed, bowing.

  Once the noise settled down, some called out that it was time to eat. My stomach growled at the mention of food. Victoria poked me and grinned. “We’d better feed the hungry alpha.”

  Soleil waved us over to the food tables. “Bride and groom eat first!”

  I looped my arm through Victoria’s, and we headed over. Everyone offered congratulations and high-fives as we crossed the room. My heart soared. For once, everything was perfect. Victoria and I were now married, all of our enemies were dead or otherwise taken care of, and we had the Faeble full of loved ones, celebrating with us.

  The music picked up, playing a cheerful tune as we filled our plates—I piled mine high. We went back to our table and ate, laughing and enjoying our time together and with the others. People continued coming up to us, offering heartfelt congratulations and thanks for taking care of Fen. My phone buzzed in my pocket with similar texts until I finally turned off all notifications.

  Food gave way to dancing. Victoria and I danced the night away in each other’s arms, only occasionally switching partners. I danced with Laura while Victoria danced with Tap. Then Soleil and Quinn, followed by some of the witches and pack members. Finally, Victoria and I had a stretch of dances together.

  I gave her a quick kiss. “Are you ready for a break? It looks like the sun’s starting to come out.”

  She shook her head. “This celebration can go on forever, as far as I’m concerned.”

  “It sure can.” I stared deep into her eyes.

  Someone cleared his throat next to us. “May I dance with the lady?”

  I turned to see Carter. “Of course.”