Chapter 23 - Violet

"Violet, you've got a phone call over here," Walter said, calling me to the front register. "They said they tried your cell but couldn't get a hold of you. Sounds important."

I hurried over to the counter and took the phone from him, placing the receiver to my ear. There were only a few wolves who would call me at the shop, and I couldn't imagine why any of them would need to get in touch with me while I was at work.

"Hello?" I said.

"Violet, it's Terry," a man's voice said. "Alpha Nile told me to call you. There's been an emergency."

"An emergency?" I asked, panic rising in my voice. "What happened? Is he alright?"

"I'm not sure what it was, but he said he needs you to meet him right away," Terry said.

"I'll head home right now," I told him.

"Not home," he replied. "The alpha said you should go to the lookout tower on the north side of town. Do you know it?"

That could only mean the gazebo where Nile had taken me on our painting date. I hadn't been back there since, but I knew the pack used it to monitor for threats from both within the town and outside of city limits.

"I know the one," I told him.

"Good. Better hurry," Terry said.

I hung up the phone, fear taking over as I tried not to imagine what kind of emergency would mean that Nile couldn't call me himself to tell me about it.

"Walter, I gotta go," I told him quickly, grabbing my purse from behind the counter.

I pulled out my phone and saw that I had three missed calls from Terry's number, but none from Nile or Penny's preschool. What in the world was going on?

"Everything okay?" Walter asked in concern.

"Um, I'm not sure," I said. "Terry said it was an emergency and that Nile needed me right away. I'll call you when I find out more, but I really need to leave."

"Of course, Luna Violet. There are times when I'm your boss, but this isn't one of them," he said, bowing his head slightly.

I thanked him quickly and rushed out the door. I grabbed the keys from my purse and then realized that Nile had dropped me off this morning. It wasn't a far walk, but I cursed the distance as I hurried my pace. My mind raced with worst-case scenarios as I did my best not to draw attraction from the human contingent of town.

By the time I spotted the stairs leading to the lookout gazebo, I felt as though my heart was about to beat out of my chest from the anticipation of finding out what I was heading into. There was no one in sight, so I decided to let the anxiety out of my body by running the rest of the way. I burst into a sprint, feeling the burn of the lactic acid as my muscles worked overtime to propel me toward my destination.

I was about to pass through the wooden gate that blocked the stairs from the street below when two men stepped out from behind the barrier. I careened to a stop to avoid hitting them and was prepared to fight back when I realized it was Alpha Jasper and his second, Killian.

"What are you two doing here?" I asked, confused and concerned by their sudden appearance.

"We're really sorry about this, Violet, but we need to put this blindfold on you," Jasper said, holding up a blue strip of cloth.

I eyed them suspiciously, wondering if something had happened that had turned these friends into foes. Had the alliance between our packs turned sour?

"Why?" I asked, still poised to run or fight.

"Don't worry, it's just for the effect," Killian said with a smile. "Trust us, it'll be worth it."

I looked between them, noting that neither of them seemed on edge or threatening. In contrast, their eyes twinkled with a kind of happy mischief, as if they were in on a secret that they couldn't wait to share with me. I nodded, turning around so they could tie the cloth behind my head and allowing them to turn me back toward the stairs.

"We'll make sure you don't slip, we promise," Jasper said.

"If I get hurt, Nile will have your heads," I reminded them.

"Don't I know it," Jasper agreed.

They chuckled as they led me carefully up the stairs. With my eyes covered, my other senses seemed to be heightened. I heard the creaking of the wooden boards and smelled the flowers that lined the path on either side. The wind blew slightly, causing the loose ends of the blindfold to whip in the air behind my head along with my hair.

"Nearly there," Jasper said. "Three more steps."

I counted to three, and the men led me a few more paces forward. The sound of a tinkling wind chime was coming from the edge of the gazebo, and I heard the shuffling of feet all around me.

"Can I take the blindfold off yet?" I asked.

In response, I felt the cloth being untied from my head. As my eyes adjusted to the light again, the first thing I saw was that the gazebo had been transformed. The fairy lights had been removed, and in their place were climbing flowers. Baskets of perennials in all shades hung from the rafters between the flowing greenery of ivy and violet morning glories.

As I looked around, I saw that not only were Alpha Jasper and Killian present, but so were Luna April, Alpha Lex, Luna Grace, and my parents from Sparkle Hollow. And kneeling on the ground in front of me was my mate.

"This is the strangest emergency I've ever experienced," I said with a nervous laugh. "What's going on here?"

"When a person realizes that they haven't told their mate the most important thing in the world, it's an emergency," Nile said. "Violet Pinedale, I know that we are already married, but I never got the chance to take this step with you. I can't wait one more day to tell you the biggest truth of my life. I love you, Vi. You are my guiding light, my comfort, and my true mate. Will you marry me?"

Not once had he ever spoken those words to me. We had talked of duty, of responsibility, of passion, and family. But never love. My heart raced, hearing the word, and I was tempted to flee from being suddenly confronted by his feelings for me.

I looked around at the faces of my loved ones who were present and saw the happiness reflected in their expressions. My mother smiled tearfully, and my father glowed with pride. For the first time, I saw myself the way they had always seen me. As someone worthy of love. It had taken me years to accept that it hadn't been my fault that Nile had rejected me, and I never would have known the truth if I hadn't chosen to do my duty to my pack.

It had taken Nile time to arrange this surprise for me, evidenced by the flowers that were fully in bloom all around us. Arranging for all the alphas and lunas to be present, as well as my parents, would have taken effort and planning as well.

But even more than the work he had put into this moment was the work he had done on our relationship and on his own ability to communicate with me. Nothing less could have proven to me that the words he spoke were true. And that I felt it as well.

"I've loved you from the moment we met, Nile," I replied. "And I will love you forever. It is my honor to be your bride."