Chapter 20

Megan

The door opened, and Grandpa shuffled in, his eyes twinkling, grin turning his mouth up under his bushy mustache. I was glad at least one of us was happy at this turn of events. My stomach rolled, sour and uneasy. The wolf pranced around, ecstatic at the prospect of being near Sam. My human frustration and apprehension were warring against the wolf's happiness and giving me a serious fit of nerves.

I stood from the chair I'd been sitting in and turned to face the door as Mr. Wolfe walked in. Mary sidled up to him, a serene smile of anticipation making her glow.

"Brides are supposed to be nervous on their wedding day," Rachel whispered so low in my ear I didn't think the others could overhear. She squeezed my hand supportively. The fabric of her light gray dress crinkled against our clasped hands.

I turned to her, fighting panic, and she squeezed my hand again.

"One month. You can do this. You'll be human again before you know it." Her reminder was a balm on my frazzled nerves. My lungs filled with oxygen as I gripped her hand. Sam's friend Cade walked in, and the wolf sniffed suspiciously at the new male scent that came in with him. I'd known Cade as long as I'd known Sam. I shouldn't have been surprised to find he was a werewolf, too. Rachel's quick intake of breath confirmed she must have come to the same conclusion.

Cade turned his bright blue eyes on me, his dark head tipping in my direction. While it was a hello to my human half, the wolf calmed, recognizing the gesture in a primal way that acknowledged my dominance. It was a weird sensation that took my human half a second to recognize.

And then Sam came in.

My heart lurched as I took in his shaggy blond head, his blue eyes, his wide shoulders in a crisp white shirt and black suit with a silver tie. A shiver whispered over me, both from nerves and appreciation at the fine figure Sam Wolfe cut. The wolf preened. I hoped her blatant ogling didn't show on my human face. I tried to shush her. She growled but calmed down. At last, I was glad for the dress and my hair that I'd decided to leave loose but curled in big waves—the way Grandma had always liked it.

His gaze met mine across the room, and he offered a half smile, unsure but widening as his eyes swept over me appreciatively. My shoulders shrugged slightly, unsure myself. I tried to keep my face neutral. I was anxious, apprehensive, but if I was totally honest with myself, part of me was a little excited.

Rev closed the door, and the tiny band of witnesses to our wedding was complete.

"Let's move this couch back. I want to have some sort of aisle to walk Meggie down." Grandpa motioned to make a walkway. Red swarmed my cheeks. I just wanted to get this over with.

Cade and Tammy both jumped in before anyone else could get to the couch and made quick work of moving the furniture. And then there was nothing left to do.

Rev stood in front of the table in the kitchen with Sam at his side. The others in the room had fanned out along the sides of the small space. Grandpa leaned down and kissed my cheek. He smiled, sadness touching the corners of his eyes. He nodded to me and propped his cane on the side of Sam's bed before looping my arm through his. There was a soft click, and I realized Rachel was taking pictures.

Our footsteps boomed in the deafening silence as he led me down the short makeshift aisle to the kitchen.

Just like in the movies, Grandpa leaned down and kissed my cheek one more time before taking my hand and putting it in Sam's.

Sam looked into my eyes, and I felt a slight tremor go through his hand as he clasped mine. Could he possibly be as nervous as me?

Ready?echoed in my head.

I closed my eyes. I didn't have the emotional energy to respond. I took a breath and opened my eyes, biting the inside of my lip as the wolf seemed to offer me comfort by rubbing her head against me affectionately.

Rev was saying something, but I couldn't hear the words or make the syllables into anything coherent. It was just noise as I stood there, staring at Sam, wondering how my life had suddenly taken such a drastic turn in such an unexpected direction. Sam's thumb rubbed across my skin, bringing me back to the present and exciting the wolf. She basked in his attention.

I jerked at my name.

"Megan Elizabeth Carmichael, do you take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband for as long as you both shall remain tethered by the laws of nature?"

For as long as I remained a wolf? Was that what Rev meant? It was better than the traditional "for as long as you both shall live." I couldn't give my word to that. It was probably Grandpa's doing. I snuck a peek at him, and his face was crinkled in understanding. Definitely Grandpa's doing.

The silence was pressing in around me, and my stomach lurched painfully against my ribs.

Sam's eyes were blue and hopeful, waiting for me. He squeezed my hands softly. This was it.

"I do," squeaked from my lips and hung in the air.

"Samuel Lawson Wolfe, do you take this woman to be your lawfully wedded wife for as long as you both shall remain tethered by the laws of nature?"

"I do." No hesitation. He smiled at me.

"Then by the power vested in me—"

The tingling started—not the quiet lead up, these were full stabs that jerked my arms. No, no, no, no! Not now, not in front of these people, not right after my wedding vows! I tried to calm the wolf, but she was having none of it. She needed out now.

Clearly interpreting my anguish, without waiting for Rev to finish, Sam leaned forward and kissed me. Wolf immediately calmed. It might have been Sam's kiss she'd wanted all along. His lips weren't insistent. He didn't push me. Lingering only a second more than he needed to calm her, he slowly lifted his head.

"—man and wife," Rev finished. A collective sigh of relief floated up from those gathered around us.

And just like that, I was a married woman.

In name only.