Chapter 26 - Leah

The proposal from Killian had been completely unexpected, and absolutely perfect. The whirlwind of that night had subsided, and after a few weeks of intense planning, the day was finally here.

Killian had been hands-on with every step of the planning. He seemed hell-bent on making our wedding the most magical and perfect event our packs had ever seen. The only snag we had met so far was with the guest list.

“You’re kidding, aren’t you?” Killian asked.

“I wish I was, but Alpha Lex said they refused to attend, even with our express invite to come back to Pinedale,” I answered.

“I assumed they would realize that we could make amends if their behavior changed, not that they would cut off contact with you forever,” he said angrily. “I’m so sorry.”

I shrugged. There wasn’t much that either Killian or I could do to make my parents into better people. Still, I wished my parents were invested in my future as much as they had been interested in what I had done in the past.

“I’ll be alright,” I answered him. “Besides, we only have a little while left until the ceremony. Guests should be arriving soon, and I still need to get ready.”

We had been setting up at the community center, where I had asked for our ceremony and reception to take place. The fight between us and Franco’s pack had left scars in the minds of many of the Pinedale wolves. I felt that a happy event was just what was needed to wipe the slate clean for everyone.

“There should be a gift waiting for you when you get home,” Killian told me. “If you don’t see it, message me so I can check where it is. I want to make sure you get it before the ceremony.”

“Mysterious,” I commented. “Will I like this gift?”

“I think it might be the best gift you’ve ever received.”

I headed home and unlocked the door, looking around for a package of some sort from my mate. Everything looked exactly as it had when we had left this morning, but I did notice a pair of shoes by the front door.

“Hello?” I called out.

A head of red hair popped her head around the door to the hallway as someone screeched loudly in excitement.

“Leah!”

“Sienna?” I asked. “You came!”

“Of course I did, silly goose,” she replied. “Your parents didn’t let me come to your first wedding, but there’s no way in hell I was going to miss this one.”

“I can’t believe Killian kept this a surprise from me,” I said, still in shock at seeing my best friend.

“ For you,” Sienna pointed out. “You got yourself a good one there.”

I agreed with her wholeheartedly, and we moved to the bedroom so we could both get ready for the wedding. As we did each other’s makeup, we caught up on the parts of life that we had missed.

“That dress is amazing,” Sienna gushed as I put on my gown.

When Killian and I had said our vows to each other at the civil ceremony, I hadn’t worn anything fancy. In fact, I couldn’t remember what I had been wearing because so many other things had been going through my mind. But today, in my floor-length, strapless silk dress with lace detailing, I was the epitome of “bridal.”

“Time to go. It’s nearly dusk,” I pointed out, taking a deep breath to calm my nerves.

“Why are you so nervous?” Sienna asked with a laugh. “You’re already married to the guy.”

“I’m not sure,” I replied. “This time, we’re choosing each other. It’s about love, not duty. We’ve seen each other’s flaws and issues and are making a commitment to stick together, anyway—to become a new version of ourselves, together. It means more this time around.”

Sienna nodded in understanding as she drove us toward the community center. We arrived just as the last guests went inside. She opened the door for me.

“My lady,” she teased, giving a gallant bow as she helped me to my feet.

We walked inside and waited by the door leading to the backyard, where the guests were being seated. Light, classical music drifted through the speakers as everyone sat in white chairs decorated with tulle and greenery.

At the head of the group, waiting on the other end of the aisle, I could see Killian shifting nervously from foot to foot next to Jasper. I was pleased that he had asked Jasper to be his best man, as well as to officiate our wedding. There was no one better suited to either task than his true brother.

“I should get up there,” Sienna said. “Can’t get married without your maid of honor!”

I giggled as she winked at me before striding confidently down the aisle. It didn’t surprise me that all the young men in the pack eyed her as she walked past, but as usual, she paid them no mind.

As Sienna reached the front, I saw her bend down and pick up her violin. I hadn’t even realized it, but Killian must have set it up for her while we were gone. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes as she began to play the most beautiful song I had ever heard. Her talent had always surprised me, but the combination of the romantic setting, my joy at seeing her, and the fact that she was playing just for me was overwhelming.

I began walking down the aisle, tears already in my eyes as I walked toward my mate and our best friends, surrounded by the rest of our found family. I reached the front as Sienna held onto one wavering note and clasped hands with Killian.

“Welcome, friends and family, to the marriage ceremony of Alpha Killian Stone and his true mate, Luna Leah Stone,” Jasper began. “Love is more than a contract; it is an eternal bond between two souls who are prepared to go through fire for each other. No couple has shown this more than Killian and Leah.

“You two have already exchanged your formal vows, cementing your bond,” Jasper continued, turning his attention to us. “As you start the next chapter of your journey together, each of you has asked to share new vows that signify the loyalty and commitment you have for one another.”

Killian gazed at me. “Leah, my love for you has no beginning and no end,” he said. “Being your husband is the greatest gift that I have ever been given. Loving you gives me purpose and drives me to be a better man each and every day. You are the sun in my storms, the stars that guide me, and the moon that lights up the dark. I promise to always protect you, always serve you, and always love you.”

My heart burst with love for him as I listened to his promises of forever. Killian deserved to be loved for everything he was and everything he could become, and I found myself struggling to speak now that it was my turn to share my vows.

“Killian,” I began after clearing my throat of the emotions that had risen. “You are the most dedicated and loyal man I’ve ever met. I am honored to call you my mate. I promise to stand beside you, no matter what we face. I promise to be your comfort and a safe place to rest from the storms of life. And I promise that from now until forever, you will never need to be alone. I will choose you today, tomorrow, and every day, for as long as we live.”

When I finished, Killian’s eyes had filled with tears to match my own. He smiled at me happily.

“By the power given to me by the parties gathered here today, I name you, once again, husband and wife,” Jasper declared. “You may kiss the bride!”

Killian took me into his arms and kissed me with the promise of a thousand kisses to come.

***

Our wedding reception was the biggest, most elegant party I had ever attended. Everyone we knew had come to celebrate us with food, drinks, and dancing. We mingled and chatted with everyone, thanking them for their attendance, before the notes of our song played from the speakers.

“Mrs. Stone, may I have this dance?” Killian asked.

I blushed to hear my new name and accepted his request to join him on the dance floor. Polite applause greeted us as he twirled me around the dance floor.

“Are you having a good time?” he asked in a low voice.

“Amazing,” I answered. “It’s everything I dreamed of. Especially because I’m here with you.”

“I have a feeling the party is going to go on all night.” Killian grimaced.

“I’m thinking I don’t want to stay much longer, to be honest,” I said. “As much fun as it’s been, I’d rather spend some alone time with my husband.”

Killian dipped me as the song ended, planting a kiss on my lips. I smiled into his mouth, realizing he had given me the picture-perfect finale for our wedding.

“Let’s get out of here,” I said as he brought me upright once again.

“Everyone, can I have your attention, please?” Killian said to the room. “The bride will be tossing her bouquet. If we could have all the single ladies to the dance floor.”

A mad rush of feet followed his announcement as people cleared a space for all the women to huddle together. I spied Miranda and Nia elbowing for a position in the front row and rolled my eyes. Our spat had ended, but I knew that a part of me would always find their presence slightly annoying.

With my back to the group, I threw my flowers in a high arc over the top of my head. I turned around just in time to see Sienna snatch the bouquet from midair before it reached the waiting hands of Miranda. She smirked at me and gave me another wink.

“Better luck next time,” I overheard her say to the girls as I walked forward to give her a parting hug.

“You’re staying for a few days, right?” I asked her.

“Of course,” she said. “I’m staying at Nile’s tonight, but I’ll call you in the morning.”

“Actually,” I said, spying the look Killian was giving me, “better make that the afternoon.”

Killian and I waved goodbye to the crowd, and we headed back home.

“You need to keep your eyes on the road,” I pointed out.

“I can’t,” he said. “You look too damn good in that dress, mate.”

“As long as you get us home in one piece so you can take it off me, I suppose I’ll allow the ogling,” I replied.

“Hmmm,” he said. “Actually, I think I want to leave it on.”

I raised my eyebrows, grinning in anticipation of what he had planned.

When he pulled into the driveway, he opened my door, but before my feet could touch the ground, he picked me up.

“It’s customary for the groom to carry his bride across the threshold,” he pointed out.

“Something tells me you just wanted an excuse to hold me.”

“That, too,” he smirked.

As he opened the door, he kissed my lips deeply. I closed my eyes, lost in his touch, and when I opened them, I found myself in our bedroom.

He set me down, and I immediately moved to unhook my dress.

“No,” he said, staying my hands. “I meant it. I want you to leave it on. For now.”

“Yes, sir.”

I climbed onto the bed, allowing my dress to splay out around me as I watched him remove his clothes.

“You look like an angel,” he said.

I bit my lip as he leaned over me, trailing his hands up under my dress to remove my underwear.

“I’d be anything for you,” I told him.

“All I want you to be is yourself.”

My breathing hitched as his hands traced the most intimate parts of my body, sending shivers through me as electricity tingled and crackled in my ears.

“You have no idea what you do to me, Leah.”

His head disappeared under my dress, and I moaned as his tongue brushed against my inner thigh. He moved steadily toward my center as my fingers squeezed the bedspread underneath me. With practiced movements, he teased me before resurfacing.

“Still doing alright in that dress?” he asked.

“I’d be doing a lot better if you would stop teasing me and let me make love to my mate,” I replied.

I sat up, tracing his muscles and scars with my fingers as I watched his eyes close in rapture. “Get on the bed,” I told him.

He lay down, and I straddled him, fanning my dress off to the side as I slowly lowered myself onto his cock. He gripped the fabric of my dress at my waist, pulling me firmly onto him with a satisfied groan.

“Leah,” he whispered.

I ground up and down, sliding him in and out of me without hurrying. After all, we had the rest of our lives together.

“I love you, Killian,” I said.

“I need you,” he replied. “All of you.”

Without halting my movements, I reached behind me and unzipped my gown. Once it was undone, Killian lifted it over my head and tossed it aside, returning his hands to my body.

Our pace intensified as we both became overwhelmed by the growing urge to bring the other person to their release. Killian’s selflessness won out, and I felt my body wracked with the intensity of my climax. As he joined me in ecstasy, a feeling of completeness washed over me.

The profoundness of what Killian and I had was at the forefront of my mind as he held me in his arms.

“I’m yours,” I told him.

“Forever.”