"That's convenient. I like this magic thing."
"I can teach you this. In fact, I already should have." Westwood shook her head. "I'm getting old and falling down on the job."
Randi snorted. "As if."
"Now, I think we're ready," Eleanor said.
Just then, a knock sounded on the door and a brick dropped in Belle's gut. This was a done deal, she was just playing the part they'd asked of her. She and Parker were technically already married.
This was just a dog and pony show for his company and her protection.
But when Eleanor Westwood opened the door and Randi's father stood there in his tuxedo, looking every bit the proud Papa, she knew it meant more to her than that. More to her than she should let it.
Something bright shone in David's eyes and the smile he had for Randi encompassed so much. She could see the emotions play on his face. The pride. The love. The joy. The sorrow that his little girl wasn't his anymore. A woman grown. Or maybe that was all in her imagination?
Randi took his arm. "I love you, Dad."
"I am so proud of the woman you've become." He kissed her cheek. "I love you more than I can say."
"You say it all the time, Dad. With everything you do." She leaned her head on his shoulder.
David held out his hand for Belle. "Coming?"
She took his other arm and with a shaking hand. "I suppose I should."
"Too late for cold feet now, you're already married," Randi teased.
She walked in a fugue toward the long, red carpet that led to Parker.
He was such a beautiful creature, she thought with a sigh. Every time she looked at him, it made her think of the sun. Of warmth. Of beautiful things that didn't have to end.
The expression on his hard sculpted face was intense, but when he saw her, he smiled. Again, like the sun, he made her insides melt and she felt warm all over. That perfect bright smile was just for her. How had that happened?
She gave him a shy smile in return, careful not to show any fang.
He watched her, and only her, on the entirety of her descent down the red-carpeted aisle. For a moment, it was as if it was only the two of them in the room. There was no press hounding them, no business associates, not even David beside her, was real. They were all ethereal and fey, the only thing solid, the only thing real, was Parker Woolven waiting for her at the end of the gauntlet in all of his golden, shining glory.
She realized they did make a beautiful couple. She'd chosen a blue Cinderella reproduction, mostly because the image consultant said it would market well, as Parker was in costume as well--Prince Charming.
Randi and Blake had chosen Sleeping Beauty, and Randi's dress was a glorious shade of pink that instead of clashing with her fiery hair, made her look all the more beautiful.
Yeah, this was a fairy tale.
Up to and including the evil waiting to strike.
But the voice that warned her of such things was faded and seemed so far away, because Parker was waiting for her.
Golden Parker, with his heart on his sleeve and the intensity in his eyes. He was a Werewolf Ken doll, and it was just her luck she was no Barbie.
Chapter 9
Parker hadn't expected to feel this wedding.
He hadn't expected it to all be so real. Logically, in the back of his mind, he knew it was all a farce. That didn't stop his chest from swelling at the sight of her in that dress. Or his heart from racing while she walked down the aisle toward him.
He kept thinking about his mark on her inner thigh. He wanted to know if it was still there. Needed it to be.
She moved toward him, a dream.
Belle seemed to be as caught up in the moment as he was. The contrast of the pale blue dress against her dusky skin made her seem to almost glow. Or maybe that was just her.
He knew words came out of his mouth because eventually, the attendees clapped and he was told to kiss the bride.
He knew it had to be dramatic. He knew this was a photo op. He knew that Woolven Industries’ bottom line needed this to be good.
But mostly, none of that mattered because he got to kiss his mate.
He didn't bother with a chaste kiss, a sealing of their vows. No, he did what he was good at. Sweeping women off their feet.
He swept her up in his arms and kissed her like he was dying and she was the only one in the world who could save him.
The crowd gasped and she curled her fingers around his neck and into his hair. When he broke the kiss and the photographer's flashes died away, he eased her back to her feet and then she did the most perfect thing.
She flashed the crowd a shy smile. The smile of a woman who knew she was well-loved, and she waved.
Everyone clapped and he couldn't resist hoisting her up and again and making a mad dash with her down the aisle as a thunderous applause greeted them.
He took her straight to the staging room so they could both breathe before braving the greeting line outside.
"You were amazing."
"That whole stealing me away was pretty inspired. Every girl will wish she was me. You don't think Blake and Randi will be upset that we kind of upstaged them, do you?"
"Not at all. I'm the baby brother. This is part of my charm. Randi prefers not to be the center of attention, if you couldn't tell."
She nodded and pressed her lips together, as if she were trying to hold back something.
"What is it? What's on your mind?" He still hadn't put her down. He wasn't going to unless she made him.
"I was thinking about kissing you again."
He tried examining that from every which way, but he couldn't see why it was a bad thing. "Where's the problem? We're supposed to be blissfully happy newlyweds. Even to the other wolves."
"Yeah, you're right. But there's no one here now."
"So it's just a bonus." He dipped his head toward hers.
She met him halfway, and their mouths fused in a searing kiss. He was going to be walking around this reception with a serious hard on. He'd come to expect that was just life around Belle. Constant boner. There were worse things.
Like facing Maribella.
He hadn’t actually spoken with her about what had happened. She’d accepted her change in mates without complaint. She’d even told her father she was content with the arrangement. For all Parker knew, maybe she was.
But he still owed her an apology.
Well, he'd finally found his "boner killer."
The idea that he'd actually caused her pain didn't sit well with him.
"You ready for the reception?" he asked when they broke apart.
"Not really, but the sooner we get to it, the sooner it's over, right?"
"Right."
"Have you spoken with Maribella?"
"A few times. She's a little reserved, but nice."
"I need to speak to her. To apologize."
"You haven't done that yet? Are you kidding me? Correction. She's not just nice, she's a saint."
"Yeah, I know. It's just with everything that happened with Emmie, we've been a little busy."
"She understands, obviously. Do you really think your wedding is the best place to apologize?"
"Yeah." He grinned. "She can't murder me here, if she's mad."
Blake and Randi made their way into the room. "Ready to face the press?" Blake asked them.
"Why not?" Parker shrugged.
"Yeah, give them that bad boy grin." Belle shook her head, but she was smiling.
After they emerged to the greeting line, he could tell Belle and Randi were uncomfortable with all the cameras in their faces and he fielded most of the questions.
"Parker Woolven, now that you're married, what are you going to do next?" One of the reporters asked.
"What else would a brat prince do except take his princess to Disney World?" He flashed them another one of his grins, just as his beautiful mate had instructed.
"It was rumored you were engaged to be married to Maribella DeVaughn," another voi
ce asked. All the reporters turned to the back of the crowd to see where the question had come from.
A man stood there, looking pale and hungry. His dark hair slicked back with too much product. His eyes were hollow and too large for his face. Belle tensed next to him.
"Maribella and I were introduced by our families," Parker began. "But once she met my uncle, I didn't have a chance."
"Warner Woolven you're not," the man agreed.
His devil-may-care casual persona didn't work on this man. His daggers were sharp and he had precision aim. Parker wouldn't let the stranger rattle him.
"Of course I'm not. I haven't told you to get off my lawn, yet."
The members of the press laughed and turned away from him, but Parker kept watching him and he smiled. It was the smile not unlike that of a kid who liked to pull wings off flies and set up magnifying glasses on anthills in the sun.
"Belle was a waitress at The Greasy Lamb, is that right?" The man yelled above the din. "Did you hear it burned down a few days ago? Killed everyone inside."
Belle was obviously stricken and Parker decided enough was enough. "What's your horse in this race? Why would you come to our wedding, the happiest day of our lives, and share news of such a tragedy unless you were trying to hurt my wife?"
He just smiled again, and turned to walk away.
Blake nodded to security who immediately flanked him.
Belle put her hand to her mouth. "Oh my god," she whispered.
"Shh," Blake said, both to comfort her and obviously to keep her from saying anything else the mics could pick up.
"If you'll excuse us," Parker took her hand and led her back inside the staging room, away from the press. He knew his brother could handle it from there.
"It's my fault," she said, once they were inside.
"No, it's not your fault. Not unless you're the one who lit the match."
"I may as well have."
"No." He tilted her chin so she would look up at him. He wanted her to see the truth in his eyes. "You are only responsible for your own actions. Whoever set that fire and whoever ordered it done are the only ones who bear any blame. Don't let them lay that at your feet."
"I knew I was putting them in danger by working there."
"What are you supposed to do? Never work? Never live or experience anything?"
"If it will save people, I guess so."
"If you really felt that way, you wouldn't be here, now. You wouldn't have run. You'd have gone back to them."
"I guess you're right. I want to feel that way. I want to say that I'd do anything... I want it to be true. I'm not a good person."
"Yes, you are. I know you may not believe this, but I do know you. My monster knows your monster in a way the human part of our psyche can't understand. I know this won't give back what was taken, but I can use our army of lawyers to make sure the insurance pays out to the families of those people who were killed. And Woolven can sweeten the pot."
"I guess you were right about money, too. It doesn't fix everything, but throwing money at a problem does make it easier to swallow."
"It's your money, now, too. Would it make you feel better to write the check yourself?"
"No. It would make me feel better to rip that guy's arms off and shove them up his ass." She said it with all seriousness.
"That can actually be arranged."
"Won't that cause problems if a member of the press just disappeared after pissing me off at my wedding?"
"I think we both know he wasn't press."
She closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths. "I'm getting slow and too complacent. He was off to me, but he didn't have that vampire taint humans get when they're cattle or blood slaves. I missed it."
"Maybe he's something else. Doesn't matter. We'll figure out how to make him suffer. If you want him to pay, I will deliver."
"Parker, don't. Promise me you won't try to find him."
"Sweetheart, I will never lie to you, so you have to know, that's not a promise I can make. Security will be acquiring certain things from him on his way out. A piece of his hair, the pheromone chemistry of his scent, and then enforcers from our pack will run him down and either bring him in for questioning, or they'll tear him apart."
"You're as brutal as the Asakku," she said quietly.
He got the idea she didn't mean it as a compliment or encouragement. "Yes, we are. How do you think we've survived so long? My brother became Alpha of this pack when he was nothing but a kid because of the brutalities of the world we live in. We protect the pack at all costs. That includes you."
"I left the Asakku to get away from the killing."
"Killing is who and what we are. We don't have to do it indiscriminately, but it's part of our DNA. You just said you wanted to tear that man's arms from his body."
She flashed him a nasty look.
"Hey, I'm not judging. I'm all for it. But you have to stop denying who and what you are."
"You sound like my father."
"Maybe that's something you should've listened to him on." Parker took a moment and breathed deep. He wasn't trying to wind her up, or make this worse. "Belle, you can accept who and what you are while still being true to who you want to be."
"How do I do that?" she whispered.
"There's a reason you're wired for violence. It's to protect yourself. Stop fighting it."
"Have you stopped fighting it? I don't see you running the countryside eating flocks of sheep and shepherds when the moon is full."
"That's the most ignorant thing you've ever said. Herds of cattle, not flocks of sheep. The wool gets stuck in my teeth," he snarked.
She laughed. "Damn it, Parker. I'm upset. Don't make me laugh."
"It's the best time to laugh." He kissed her forehead. "Have a little faith in me, okay? In us?"
"This pretend us?"
"No, not pretend us." He decided now was as good a time as any. He wasn't going to pretend anymore. "You may not feel for me what I feel for you, but my wolf says you're my mate. Do you know what that means for me?"
"It's not--"
"It is." He held up his hand. "I will live for you, I will die for you. My beast is wired to feed you, care for you, to protect you. Your lack of faith in him is a physical wound, more so than you not feeling the same way about me. I'll prove our worthiness to you, Belle. I swear it."
"Don't say that."
"Why not?" His tone had gone cold, and he didn't mean to distance himself from her, but he had to protect himself. At least a little bit. She'd flayed him open and bleeding.
"Because someone else said that to me once. I believed him. I trusted him. Now, he's a monster."
"We're all monsters, Belle."
"No, Evgeni Kumarin wasn't always a monster. There was a time when he was a scholar. A healer. A gentle soul. He loved me and I loved him. He thought he could free me from the Asakku, too." She bit her lip and sniffed. "You'll have to remind me to thank Eleanor for this spell. Otherwise, there'd be blood all over my face and my dress from my tears."
Parker couldn't imagine shedding a single shit, let alone a tear, over Kumarin, but the emotion roiling through his mate was real and it was tearing her up.
He took her hand and kissed her knuckles. "I swear to you, this will all be okay. I will make it okay."
"Don't go after him alone, Parker. Please, swear it to me."
He searched her eyes for a long moment, the vow she wanted on the tip of his tongue, but he wouldn't bind himself. There were so many circumstances that could lead to him needing to run this guy down and there was a chance he'd have to do it alone. Parker wouldn't be sidelined from his duty.
"I can't, but I'll give you this. I won't leave our wedding to do it. And I won't do it unless there's no other choice."
That seemed to mollify her for the moment. "I can accept that. Thank you." She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "So are we really going to Disney World?"
"We can go wherever you like, but you'll be safest,
we'll all be safest, at Aphelion."
“You’re right. It would be dumb to go where we just told them we’d be. I mean, while we’re trying not to die.”
“Do you actually want to go to Disney?”
“Um, hell yes?”
“When this all over, I’ll take you to Disney. We’ll rent the whole park for the day.”
She laughed. “You don’t have to do that. That would be ridiculous. I want the whole experience. Sweaty masses of humanity with bawling kids and all.”
He wrinkled his nose. “I mean, I guess if you really want it…”
“I do, Parker. I really do.”
“Done.” He kissed the top of her head. “Remember what I said.”
“Which thing?”
“All of them, of course.”
“You might be sorry you said that.”
“Yeah, I already am, mostly.” He brushed his lips against hers again. “I need to go speak to Maribella. Are you okay here for a few?”
“Yeah. As long as you’re just going to talk to Maribella and you’re not chasing after Shitty McShitface.”
He laughed. “No, I promised I wouldn’t leave our wedding for that. And I won’t.”
“Then I’m fine. Your conversation with Maribella is long overdue.”
“I’ll meet you at the main table in time for cake?”
“Definitely.”
He headed out with the rest of the guests and when he spotted Maribella, Warner was nowhere in sight. His uncle was probably prowling the perimeter. Maribella was sipping a flute of champagne and watching the display around her without a seeming care in the world.
In that, he and Maribella were alike. They’d both accustomed themselves to certain things and were determined not to show the rest of the world they’d been affected.
“Hey, can I talk to you for a moment?”
She quirked a brow. “Sure, nephew.”
So that was how she was going to play it. “You want me to call you Auntie?” Parker couldn’t quite get a read on her. He wasn’t sure if he could or should joke with her, yet. Eventually, it was a matter of percentages, because he couldn’t help who he was, but he could strive to put her feelings first. At least today.
The Mate Mistake (The Woolven Secret Book 3) Page 8
