Chapter 8

Alec

It'smy wedding day and the night of the full moon. I can already feel the mating heat now, and it's only noon. I know that by tonight, I'll be even more desperate for my mate.

I wonder if Morgan can feel it too.

I hope so,my bear grumbles.

I get dressed and pull on the one and only suit that I own. It's a little tight in the shoulders, and I hope I don't rip anything as I get ready to head to the courthouse. I'm supposed to be meeting Morgan there at three for our wedding. I wish I could pick her up, but she sent me a message this morning to say that she was already in town with her parents and she would just meet me there.

It's quarter to three now, and I hurry to grab my keys and get out of the house. I drape my suit coat over the passenger seat and head down the mountain and into town. I arrive in plenty of time, and I jog up the courthouse steps and inside.

I stop dead in my tracks when I get into the building and spot all of my friends there.

"What are you guys doing here?" I ask them as I head over to greet them.

"You thought that we were going to miss your wedding?" Davis asks with a smirk, and I laugh.

"Well, I knew that you had work."

"We wouldn't miss this," Niko says sincerely, and I smile.

All the guys are here with their fated mates, and I smile and thank each of them for coming. Then I turn and try to spot my mate. The courthouse is pretty quiet, and it doesn't take me long to realize that she's not here yet.

I glance out the front windows and scan the streets, but there's no sign of Morgan there either. I pull out my phone and am about to text her when I get a message.

Morgan: Headed there now! Sorry, it took me longer than I expected to get away from my parents today.

Alec: It's okay. I'm here, just inside the doors.

Morgan: See you in a minute!

I tuckmy phone back into my pocket and scan the sidewalks until I spot Morgan's black hair and curvy figure rushing down the street toward the courthouse.

I push out of the doors and hurry down the steps toward her.

"Hey, sorry that I'm late. My parents didn't want to let me go today."

"Do you think that they suspect something?" I ask, glancing behind her to see if I can spot anyone following her, but I don't see anyone.

"I don't know. They were weird this morning when they said goodbye and headed into town or wherever. Things were just… tense. They didn't say anything though."

"Let's get to the officiant in case they do," I say, and she nods.

I take her hand and she squeezes it. I smile down at her and she stares at me.

"I can feel it," she whispers as we head up the steps.

"The mating heat?" I whisper, and she nods.

I take a deep breath, trying to control my bear as I can smell her arousal.

"Fuck, Morgan. I need you, but I'm not going to force you to do anything that you don't want. I need you to know that."

"I know. I trust you," she says, squeezing my hand again.

I drop her hand to open and hold the door for her.

"And I want you too," she whispers as she walks past me.

Claim her!My bear roars inside me, and I grit my teeth, holding him back.

We're about to. She's about to be our wife,I remind him.

Yeah, yeah. That's great and all, but we need her to be ours. Our mate.

"Hey," Elle, Niko's mate, greets us, and I blink, getting myself under control.

"Sorry, Morgan, these are my friends" wives. That's Elle, Cameron, Frankie, Tessa, and Sophie. Ladies, this is my Morgan."

"It's so nice to finally meet you!" Tessa says, stepping forward and wrapping Morgan up in a hug.

"You too. Alec has told me about all of you guys," Morgan says with a shy smile.

"All good, I hope," Davis jokes.

"We can talk later. Right now, let's get married," I say, grabbing my mate and leading her over to the officiant's office.

It's empty as we all gather inside, and the receptionist there looks up and smiles at us.

"Hey, guys," she greets us.

I recognize her from the pack meetings, but I don't remember her name.

"Hey, we're here to get married."

"Yep, let me tell them that you're here."

She heads back into an office, and I pull Morgan closer to her.

"You still want to do this, right?" I whisper, and she smiles, nodding.

"Absolutely."

We're called back a few moments later, and I keep Morgan close to me as we take our spots in the officiant's office. My friends gather around us, and I smile as we stand in front of the officiant.

"Ready to get started?" The officiant asks, and Morgan and I both nod.

The ceremony starts a moment later, but I can't focus on anything that the officiant is saying. All I can think about is that fact that I have my fated mate and we're getting married. By tonight, we'll be bound in every single way.

"Alec, will you take Morgan to be your wedded wife, to love her, comfort her, honor her, and keep her, forsaking all others, for so long as you both shall live?" The officiant asks, and I come back to the present.

"Yes," I vow.

"And Morgan, will you take Morgan to be your wedded husband, to love him, comfort him, honor him, and keep him, forsaking all others, for so long as you both shall live?"

"Yes," she says, smiling up at me.

"Please take each other's hand and repeat after me," the officiant says. "I, Alec Warren, take you, Morgan Wright, to be my wedded wife, to have and to hold, for better for worse, for richer or for poorer, to love and to cherish, from this day forward."

I repeat the words, staring into Morgan's pretty green eyes the whole time. Then it's my mate's time.

"I, Morgan Wright, take you, Alec Warren, to be my wedded husband, to have and to hold, for better for worse, for richer or for poorer, to love and to cherish, from this day forward."

Morgan repeats the words, and I take a shaky breath. This is it. We're about to be pronounced husband and wife.

The doors bang open, and we all jump, spinning to see what the interruption is. Morgan tenses next to me and I know that the people glaring at us are her parents and Randolph. I can see the family resemblance, but these people are older and look so severe. They're nothing like the happy, relaxed woman that is my mate.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Her mom screams, and I move in front of Morgan.

I can see my friends all step in front of their mates too. They're eyes are locked on the intruders, and I know they can see them for the threat they are.

"I'm getting married," Morgan says, and her mom sneers.

"To the wrong man!" She shouts.

"No, to the man that I choose. I don't want to marry Randolph. I'm meant to be with Alec."

"This man? What can he offer you? How well do you even know him?" She asks and I know she's trying to manipulate Morgan into leaving and doing as they order.

"I know him. He can offer me a life of love and support," Morgan says confidently.

Her mom must be able to see that she won't be able to drive a wedge between us because she switches tactics.

"What about Susan?" She asks softly, and I see Morgan swallow hard.

"I'll take care of her," Morgan says, but she doesn't sound as confident now.

"How? How are you going to afford that?" Her dad snarls, and she flinches.

I tighten my hold on my mate. My bear is growling in my head. He wants me to rip them to shreds, but I'm not sure that my mate would appreciate that.

"I can afford it," I tell them, and they glare at me.

"You?" Her mom asks, laughing bitterly.

"No, you can't," her dad says, an evil glint in his eye.

"But I can," Randolph adds.

I glare at him, but his eyes are locked on Morgan. I can see the lustful look in his gaze, and I let my bear slip out a little bit.

At least rip him to shreds,my bear growls, and I'm on board with that idea.

"Actually, I can," I say and they all look doubtful. "I've saved almost all of my money since I started working when I was fifteen. I learned how to invest and could retire today if I wanted to and be set for life. Now that we're married, all of that is Morgan's too."

"What?" Morgan asks, looking shocked.

"Even if he wasn't rich. We all would have chipped in and helped to take care of Susan," Niko says and I see my friends all nod.

That seems to have shocked her parents and Randolph into silence and I turn back to my mate.

"Please finish," Morgan whispers to the officiant.

He glances at me, and I nod.

"Then, with the power invested in me by the state of Alaska, I know pronounce you husband and wife."

"No!" Her parents and Randolph scream.

They try to step forward, but my friends stop them.

"You may now kiss the bride," the officiant ends, and I step forward, cradling Morgan's head in my hands as my lips lower to hers.

I kiss her, just briefly, because I'm nervous about what her parents and would-be fiancé are doing.

We'll kiss her properly when we're safe at home,I tell my bear, and he nods.

"If you'll just sign the paperwork," the officiant says and we hurry to both scribble our signatures on the lines that he points to.

Good, now get out of here,my bear says once we're done.

"Get me out of here," Morgan whispers, like she can read my thoughts, and I give her a grim smile, gripping her hand as we take off for the door.