by Kat Bostick
Mari narrowed her eyes at her stepmother, ready to make a sour comment of her own when Cash entered the kitchen and nudged her out of the way to take his own share of bacon. “Best take your breakfast and go if you plan to do this wedding thing the traditional way. Your groom is headed downstairs”
“Well make yourself useful and go stop him!” Cora swatted Cash with a spatula. “We don’t need any more bad luck around here.” She swiped the second piece of bacon from Mari’s hand and grabbed her wrist. She was officially in full wedding planner mode. “C’mon sugar, it’s gonna take me hours to get all that hair styled proper.”
Cora shrieked at the top of the stairs when they almost collided with Jasper as he left the bedroom. She slammed the door in his face, hopefully missing anything vital, and muttered a series of weird curses about “skunks” and “cows” and all sorts of other animals. They stationed themselves in Cora’s bedroom, Mari seated in front of the vanity while Cora buzzed about her with more bobby pins and hair curlers than she’d ever seen outside of a salon. Clem joined them soon after, bringing coffee, bacon, and enough pancakes to make Mari worry that Veronica was right about fitting into her dress.
It was surprisingly easy to let herself get distracted by conversation and the sisterly arguing between Clem and Cora. For those short hours she could forget that her father was here with the intention of ruining the occasion. She could forget the giant mess she’d created with her best friend—who never made an appearance to get ready with them.
Mari watched in the mirror as she was slowly transformed into a woman much more elegant than her true self. For all the work Cora put into it, her hair was simple. Half of it draped down her shoulder in soft waves, the other half was wrapped in a bun made up of intricate braids.
Her feelings about the wedding flip flopped as the reactions from her family and friends came streaming in. Was this marriage just for show? Did they really need to do this to prove their commitment? She and Jasper were already bound. What was the point of a wedding now that it would do nothing to help him and nothing to improve her father’s opinion?
Well, the point was that it was special. Sacred. Mari soaked in that specialness the whole morning, letting butterflies gather freely in her belly. This wasn’t as she envisioned getting married, but she knew she would look back on this day with a full heart. Here were two sisters she was gaining, fussing over her the way only sisters could. For all that Cora pretended to hate Mari, she was careful to the point of reverence as she helped Mari into her gown.
Charlie might never be a complete picture to her, but she was beginning to see him as the father she wished she had. The father she could have. Mari was another one of his wayward charges.
Cash was obnoxious and somehow that made him more likable. Teal was the easy calm that mellowed out the intensity of his brothers. Deak was... well, Deak was there when it mattered most.
And Jasper? Jasper was her better half. He was laughter on a crumby day, shelter when the storm was too fierce. He was passion and tenderness and all the things that made her feel wholly and truly loved.
All of them would be hers today. Maybe they had been before, but it felt different now. There was a finality that at one time would have scared her. When she searched her feelings though, she found only comfort. The kind of comfort that cushioned the word “family,” that made her feel like no fall was too great because she had a sturdy safety net below her.
A pack wasn’t a family by blood. They were a family of choice. To Mari, those bonds would always be stronger. It wasn’t the obligation of blood that made them stand at each other’s side. They loved her because they saw her. Not the person she could become, not her potential for greatness or darkness, but who she was right in that moment.
And flawed or not, they accepted her.
Chapter 20
Jasper
Jasper didn’t necessarily understand the need for all this wedding stuff. He understood that living together without being married left a certain impression in human culture, but he never wasted his time caring what outsiders thought. There was also the impression it gave Mari’s friends and family but that one was so far gone there was probably no repairing it. Which was why he half expected Mari to call the whole thing off and send her father home after their confrontation last night.
Instead, he was being crammed into clothes that offered far too little movement and made him feel ridiculous.
“What’s ridiculous about a tie? Look, I bought this one to match your eyes!” Clem held up a shiny green noose.
“Not wearing it.” He growled, unbuttoning his shirt because he’d missed one and the whole thing was lopsided.
“What about this?” She held up a bowtie in the same color.
“Nope.”
Clem sat on the edge of his bed, pouting. “Teal is the only one who appreciates my ties.”
“Don’t worry about her.” Cash prodded her with the foot he’d spent more than three minutes stuffing into brand new loafers. They were a dark shade of brown and didn’t match his black pants, but they were the only pair Clem could find in his size without special ordering. Jasper was suffering from the same problem and was considering skipping the shoes altogether. Werewolves had big feet. “She’s just surprised that batting those big blues isn’t getting her what she wants this time.”
“You are prone to bending over backwards to please me.” She smacked his shoe away. “Can I trust you two not to come out looking like vagrants if I finish helping Coralee in the other room?”
“No.” Cash and Jasper answered at the same time.
She gave them a mock scowl. “This is probably the only wedding I’ll ever get to attend. I want it to be special!”
“You’re not even the one getting married.” Jasper grumbled.
“You are, so look alive! Weddings are very important to humans. We have to get this right.” Clem stood in the doorway, her hand on the knob.
Cash gave an irritated flex of his smooshed foot. “How would you know?”
“I watched every episode of Say Yes to the Dress in preparation for this. It’s quite dramatic.”
He responded by taking the blue tie Clem left for him and wrapping it around his neck like a rope, making awful gagging noises until his sister rolled her eyes and vacated the room.
“What’s a mating ceremony like?” Teal asked as he stepped through the door, perfectly dressed with a navy blue tie to finish his getup.
Jasper shrugged. “Give your mate a gift under the full moon, say the sacred words, then complete the mating bond.” He jacked his eyebrows up at the end and Teal chuckled. Truthfully, Jasper had never been to a traditional mating ceremony. There were a few held at pack gatherings over the years, but he hadn’t cared enough to attend. Pack gatherings only served as a reminder of the misery he’d left behind when he joined Charlie’s pack and he did his best to keep to himself during them.
“Maybe that’s why your mating was so thoroughly botched.” Cash opened the linen closet and used the full length mirror on the door to reshape his unruly black beard with his fingers. “It’s not just the formalities that you have to suffer through to get to the hay rolling. Those sacred words are the foundation of your bond. They give it the strength it needs to survive turmoil and trials. When you get married you’re making vows to your wife. Mating ceremonies are much the same. The bond is a living representation of that vow.”
Cash was oddly serious as he explained, his tone uncharacteristically reverent and his eyes unfocused as he journeyed somewhere deep in his mind. He’d always been so adamant that he would never take a mate that Jasper assumed it was because he didn’t want one. But there was no denying the weighty sense of longing that filled the room as his brother spoke.
It was important, wasn’t it? And as much as Jasper wanted to be offended that Cash called his mating “botched,” there was some truth there. To him, all that mattered was the bond. Mari was always going to be his mate. It was fate. Their connection felt
innate, no different than the parts of himself that were wolf. Maybe that kept him from realizing the significance of it.
To bind yourself to someone for life was no small thing. He was hurt by Mari’s reluctance—confused even—until that very moment. Jasper believed it to be inevitable and thus hadn’t seen a problem with diving into it headfirst. All the fuss of ceremonies and sacred words was pointless when what mattered was them, bonded, two becoming one. Why bother with the ceremony part when the bond would let her feel how much he loved her?
Well, because vows were concrete. Words were more consistent than emotions. Mari wanted to know what his commitment meant and how could she without words?
The epiphany must have shown on his face because Teal nodded knowingly. “Pretty special, huh? It ain’t just another Sunday dinner.” He pulled the bedroom door open, anticipating Deak’s entrance before he’d even touched the handle. Deak stomped in, tugging at the collar of his button up and grumbling something about playing dress up. Teal pinched his cheek and said, “You look so handsome I might just marry you.”
“Weren’t you already married once?” Deak swatted him away and flopped backward onto the bed, ruining the perfectly pressed appearance of his shirt.
“Engaged.” Teal’s expression darkened. “That was a long, long time ago.”
Deak was wise enough to change the subject. The brothers threw jabs at each other—verbal and physical—until Deak threatened to throw Cash out the window. That, of course, became a challenge as Cash insisted he was too big. They almost tussled but Deak dodged his brother’s attack with a warning about ruining his hair. Their squabbling came to a halt when Jasper finished getting ready and strode over to the mirror.
His brothers stood behind him, each putting a hand on his shoulder. Their expressions were all variations of happiness—even Deak seemed pleased for him—but the emotions coming from each brother were a complicated mess that told another story. Weddings did that to people, apparently. Jasper was beginning to feel nervous. He hadn’t expected any of this to be so dramatic.
“This is a good, good day.” Charlie said as he entered quietly behind them. “I don’t think my heart was beating until I saw my Viola in that white dress. What a vision.”
“You are hopeless, old man.” Teal teased.
“I’m the opposite, and that’s why you want me as your alpha.”
Cash ruined the moment by saying, “I want you as my alpha because you make good sandwiches and pay my bills.”
“You are my only son by birth and somehow you are the worst of them.” Charlie shoved his son out of the way, taking Jasper’s face into his hands. “This is all I have ever wanted for you. I’m so very happy for you, and so very proud of you too.”
Jasper placed his hands over Charlie’s, meeting those frosted blue eyes. “Thank you.” For so much more than his words. Without Charlie, Jasper wouldn’t be here. Charlie was the father he never had, the alpha that redeemed pack life for Jasper, and the guiding voice that kept him steady when he was far from home.
The alpha nodded softly, acknowledging the words that hadn’t been spoken. Then he clapped Jasper on the back and boomed, “Let’s get you married, lad!”
✽✽✽
It was true that Jasper’s heart had also been unmoving until he saw Mari descend the stairs in a gown of gold. The fabric sparkled as she moved, complimenting her sun warmed skin so perfectly that she glowed. Her shy but eager smile completed the image that would be burned into his mind for all of time. There she was. His mate. His bride.
As she moved closer and closer, he forgot his surroundings. He lost sight of her sour faced father and her pale, petty friend. Even the hateful woman somewhere to his right was a distant buzz as Mari became his sole focus. Jasper was in the presence of an angel and he could scarcely breathe.
Suddenly he truly understood why this mattered. This was their promise to each other. Not only the words they would speak but the ceremony in itself. This was their promise to always celebrate their happiness, no matter what the world threw at them. This was a representation of the strength and resilience they gave each other.
So he stood with his pack at his back, awed and honored as Charlie brought his mate to him. He watched her in utter awe as she agreed to be faithful and honest, to stand steadfast at his side through each of their struggles. And when it was time for him to do the same, he poured his heart into every promise, letting her feel how wholly he was committed to her. Jasper vowed to protect her, to trust her, and to love her without condition, unwavering, for as long as he lived and beyond.
Mari laughed as she nearly dropped the ring while trying to snap the silicone over his finger. A piece to match hers would have suited him better, but he wasn’t keen to lose a finger if he accidentally forgot to take it off before changing.
They were all laughing when Jasper dipped her for their kiss, bending low and savoring her lips on his. She let out a squeal as he lifted her into his arms, kicked open the front door, and marched outside.
“What are you doing!” She shrieked. “Too cold, Jasper! Too cold!”
Jasper turned back around, carefully bringing her through the door and setting her back on her feet. “I had to carry you over the threshold again.”
“You are ridiculous.” But she kissed him as she said it, uncaring of their audience. The kiss would have gone on for much longer if Clem hadn’t cleared her throat and suggested they cut the cake.
“Yes!” Cash agreed. “Cut it already! I’m starving!”
Cora ran after Clem, complaining about the order of events during a wedding and insisting dinner and toasts were supposed to come before the cake. Teal rested his hands on her shoulders, trying to calm the outburst before Cora went full squirrel and screeched at them all.
Jasper turned to Mari, his smile so wide it hurt. “You’re happy.”
“You make me so very happy.” She answered.
And for that brief, beautiful moment, it felt as if things would be that way forever; that they would always be basking in the glow of this joy. But even as he thought it, a hand came to fuss on Mari’s dress. Veronica was like something slimy and foul that he couldn’t clean from his skin. Jasper didn’t know if he could bear another ten minutes with her, much less a lengthy dinner.
“That was lovely. Just lovely. But you know Mari, you don’t have something borrowed or something blue. Aren’t you worried that—” Jasper took Mari by the hand, leading her into the hallway to steal another kiss or six before that awful woman could ruin the mood.
“I love you, y’know.” Mari whispered against his ear.
“How truly lucky I am.” He answered, intent on kissing her until someone came to drag them to dinner.
Chapter 21
Mari
If anyone could throw together an extravagant wedding feast in one afternoon, it was Charlie. His cooking skills were unbeatable and he had decades of experience creating meals for a crowd. Even better, he was charming while he did it. More than once as the evening progressed, Mari had to wonder why she was the liaison of the pack. The alpha was a successful business man and, at one time, a successful con man. He could talk a lemming off a cliff.
Unfortunately, he wasn’t charming enough to soften the infamously displeased Alan Sowka out of his pouting. Here he was in a luxurious home, surrounded by interesting people and incredible food and he was sulking. Or plotting. Dad looked like he was plotting and she didn’t like it.
So, she turned away.
This whole wedding was originally put in motion because of him. Mari was reclaiming it. This was for her and Jasper. They were what mattered.
The dinner they sat down to put Thanksgiving to shame. There were three different variations on winter salad, roast duck, beef wellington, glazed carrots and parsnips, potato dishes with fresh herb garnish, fluffy rolls, and half a hundred other dishes that Mari couldn’t even identify. Between Charlie, Cora, and Clem, the entire feast came together in hours. They made it look easy.
