29. Naomi

Naomi

The W?lfennites collectively gasped.

Then they glared accusingly at Frey, who was standing further back in the crowd with Astrid.

Then, Ronan growled in English, "Did you just dare to ask our mate to marry you instead of us?"

Well, new knowledge unlocked about the ESP bonds that mates shared:

Evidently, the mate bond could be shared with more than one partner.

And it must act as a translator.

Lorcan and Ronan appeared to have understood exactly what Priscilla said, and they both took a menacing step toward the W?lfennite who had just proposed to their bride.

For some reason, every W?lfennite in the crowd turned to look at me as if to ask how I was going to resolve this situation. Including Priscilla .

I wasn't their queen. Non-hierarchical societal structure was about the only belief system I shared with the W?lfennites. Even so, something compelled me to intervene.

I turned to Sea to explain as quickly as I could why he needed to let me go. But he was already one step ahead of me. He released my hand with a firm, "Go tend to your subject," like one of the commanders on my forbidden internet shows sending in special forces.

I rushed forward toward where Priscilla stood, facing down the grooms and bride. Did I have any idea what I was going to say? Absolutely not.

But I had to do something.

No, I didn't believe in any of this ridiculous queen stuff, but at least I didn't have to fight my way through the crowd.

They moved back, making a path on the right side of the fire pit as I hurried toward Priscilla and Amanda.

But I wasn't fast enough.

Amanda pushed her way past her grooms and said in W?lfennite, "Priscilla, stop this nonsense now! You are ruining the happiest night of my life!"

"But how can you be happy with two males?" Priscilla asked helplessly. "You hardly know them, and I am your best friend. I have loved you in secret for years —"

"Do you think I did not know that?" Amanda asked. "Or that it matters? I do not love you back. Now return to the audience and disrupt this wedding no further!"

Priscilla looked crushed. "But I love you — "

"Arghh!" Amanda stepped even closer, practically standing toe-to-toe with Priscilla as she declared in English, "You are no better than the St. Ailbe elders. Not listening to me. Having no care whatsoever for what I want. Yes, you love me, but I have chosen Lorcan and Ronan. You must accept my decision and cease this interruption of my wedding at once!"

"I do not understand!" Priscilla continued to speak in W?lfennite. "Everything about this wedding to two non-believers goes against our Ordnung."

Amanda answered her in English. "The Ordnung is cow dung, and our W?lfennite queen was right all along about not wishing to accept a St. Ailbe or Scottish husband!"

Our W?lfennite queen? At first I was confused, then my mouth dropped open with the realization that Amanda — who had apparently, as they say on the forbidden internet, drunk all the kool-aid — was talking about me.

I'd come to intervene, but I ended up staring at Amanda in complete shock. Meanwhile, another gasp went up from the W?lfennites.

"Yes, you heard me correctly!" Amanda continued defiantly, turning to address the W?lfennites instead of Priscilla. "We have all been brainwashed by the rules of our W?lfennite Ordnung, which were written by males so that we females would do whatever they wanted. My father, our Deacon, held such a respected position within our community. But do you know that he became a terrible tyrant behind closed doors? I cannot recall even one day that he did not belittle my mother in front of me — for the absolute smallest infractions — when all he did for either of us was sit around dispensing unnecessary orders. I also cannot count the times he brought her to tears simply because he was bored at night with nothing else to do. And I very much doubt that I'm the only W?lfennite here whose father treated her mother like that."

Well, my beloved father gave up his entire culture and country of origin to be with my mother and vocally considered it the best decision he'd ever made. But the shifting feet of Priscilla and many of the other W?lfennites let me know that Dad may have been the exception.

"Sometimes our brothers, too," Leah called out from the crowd on the other side of the fire.

"I believe you!" Amanda declared, pointing at Leah. "We are told our community has no hierarchy, but that is only because all the males have been given thrones!"

I was in complete agreement but could hardly believe these sentiments were coming from Amanda's mouth. In the dramatic flickering shadows of the firelight, she looked like nothing less than an avenging angel. Meanwhile, Priscilla stood there, looking completely stricken, unable to find words.

Orpah appeared to be speaking for her and the rest of the shocked W?lfennites when she called out from the crowd, "But you were our truest believer, Amanda! Less than two weeks ago after the full moon, you were saying that you would only marry a male who would agree to accompany you back to our community in Canada and live a pious life. How could you have changed your view so radically and fallen in love with two males you've known for less than half a moon cycle?"

"I did say that, didn't I?" Amanda shook her head as if she were talking about her teenage self, not the sanctimonious she-wolf she was only half a month ago. "I cannot believe that I was so brainwashed that I'd actually hoped to bring one of the Scottish Wolves to accompany me back to St. Ailbe so that I could live under the same oppressive system as my mother. But then I met my husbands."

Amanda's gaze softened, and she looked over her shoulder to behold her grooms. "Lorcan and Ronan have shown me care and consideration like none I have ever known or witnessed. Orpah, you asked me how I could love two strangers I only met such a short time ago. The answer is, how could I not? These two Irish Wolves have shown me a new way and given me a chance to escape that terrible destiny. I am so very fortunate."

She held out her hand to Lorcan and Ronan, and both males clasped it as they regarded her with equally — if not more — tender gazes.

Amanda's face then grew serious as she turned to address the rest of the W?lfennites, this time in our community language. "Hear me now in this. We have all been brainwashed into believing that following the paths of our mothers is the only choice for us. These two Irish Wolves have given me a chance to escape that terrible destiny, and I could not be more grateful. My advice to you is to use this wedding to get to know these kind and good males. Then pray that you go into heat so that two of them can take you to wife."

The W?lfennites stared back at her in open-mouthed confusion.

Priscilla finally found her voice. "Amanda, I do not know what devil has stolen your mind, but you must —"

I sighed and stepped between the best friends to intervene as I had originally meant to.

"She has given you her answer, Priscilla," I said to the slightly taller she-wolf in W?lfennite. "And she is right about at least one thing. This is her choice, and she told you no."

Priscilla's face turned red, and she glanced side to side, suddenly seeming to remember that she was surrounded by a crowd of other wedding guests.

"Look at me," I told her, placing both hands on her shoulders. "Do not be embarrassed over this. What you did was brave. And from me, you have no judgement. But you must stand back and let your best friend have her wedding."

Priscilla sniffed, her lip trembling as she visibly held back tears, but in the end, she stepped away and returned to the audience as I instructed.

I let out a breath of relief — until I saw the way the other W?lfennites shuffled away from her as if she'd become infected with some unknown disease.

Bitches . Remembering all the reasons I'd been planning to leave St. Ailbe behind, I started forward to tend to Amanda.

But Wild's wolf got in front of me before I could. I hadn't even realized he'd followed me when I'd left Sea's side, but here he was, blocking my way with an expression on his furry face that was no longer playful.

Wild and I didn't have ESP like Amanda and her husbands, but somehow, I knew he expected me to return to where Sea stood.

Luckily, Frey chose that moment to emerge from the crowd of freaked-out W?lfennites and place a comforting arm around Amanda's shoulders.

Meanwhile, Wild did his best impression of a sheepdog, all but herding me back to Sea's side.

"Good job," Sea whispered when I got there. "You were truly the queen they needed."

Wild's wolf nuzzled my legs as if to say, "I agree! "

My chest swelled in response to their double compliment, and maybe it was the adrenaline pumping through me, but I just couldn't dredge up the defiance to feel bad about it.

You are a queen born and cleverer than a den of foxes. Even as I recover from what happened in my castle, I find myself wondering how a parentless wolf like me got so lucky. The Irish Wolves are beyond fortunate to have gained you as a ruler.

Sea's written words floated through my head as he clasped my hand tightly again and smoothly transitioned back into the ceremony as if no interruption had taken place.

"We will conduct the rest of the wedding ceremony in English to honor the bride and her guests," Sea announced to the gathered audience.

Then he turned to the two grooms and asked, "Lorcan and Ronan of the Wild Wolves, do you agree to always light the way for your bride?"

Lorcan and Ronan lowered two torches I hadn't noticed they were carrying, lit them in the fire, then raised them above their heads. In unison, they declared to Amanda, "We will always light your way!"

"Amanda of the W?lfennites, do you agree to let these grooms honor you as your mates and protectors as they light the way for your path in marriage?" Sea asked in his resonant way.

"Oh, yes, yes, I do!" Amanda agreed without a second of hesitation.

"Good, then you three are well met," Sea declared with a wide smile. "Your Wild King and I both pronounce you husbands and wife."

With that, the crowd cheered, and the musicians began playing a light, happy tune .

Wait, that was it? It occurred to me that what I'd just witnessed was the opposite of a St. Ailbe wedding.

Our ceremonies were brief, too, so as not to fall into pompous display, which was strictly forbidden by the Ordnung. But they were still much longer than this. Apparently, Abel Flosswulf had needed way more time to instruct the bride in her many servile duties to her new husband.

Amanda's words floated through my mind as I watched her kiss Lorcan, then Ronan, who further thrilled the Irish Wolves in the audience by bending Amanda back dramatically.

You asked me how I could love two strangers I only met a week ago. The answer is, how could I not?

As I watched Amanda with her new husbands while standing between the two males who wanted me to become their queen, a new feeling sprouted in my chest.

"One day that will be us." Sea's Irish brogue was a song in my ear.

One I knew I had no business liking. I will allow myself to like to for a few minutes. Only a few minutes I assured my unexpectedly aching heart and the low purr of my wolf.

I stilled at that low hum from my wolf. Even a second would be too dangerous.

Not if I wanted to stay out of heat.

One I refused to acknowledge or name before ruthlessly squashing it down.

Get the rest of the W?lfennites through this wedding without anyone going into heat, and figure out an escape route to the tower. That was the plan.

It didn't matter what Amanda had said. I couldn't let myself stray from it.

I had a whole life to live, and it didn't include the two Irish kings who had kidnapped me.