The Alpha's Contract: A Baby For Christmas.

Dear Wife

[Noel’s POV]

I hang onto Nick’s hand as he leads me down a hallway that is filled with a slight buzz of excitement from what I can only assume is the afterparty that was mentioned. And as we grow closer to the place that it is being held, I can hear soft music playing and the murmurs of guests.

“Oh!” I gasp, listening to the chattering and laughter that drifts toward us. “There was something I wanted to ask.”

Now that our whirlwind ceremony was done, I could actually stop and think about what took place, and even now I can’t quite understand how he was able to even provide us with guests to our wedding and even this after party.

“What is it, angel?” Nick asks, stopping and fixing his gaze on mine. “Whatever it is, I will answer honestly.”

“Right,” I say, nodding. “I was just curious… Who are all these people?”

“These people,” he repeats, raising a brow. “As in the guests?”

“That’s right.”

From what I was told about him needing a bride to take back his pack, I knew there was no way that his family would be present. Hell, if they even knew about this, I was certain that not only Hunter but even my own family would be here trying to stop us from what we just did.

So, who were these people, and what did they mean to Nick? I was certain that if they were here, it meant that they were somewhat special to him, but just how special was that?

“These people,” he says slowly, looking in the direction of the noise while a gentle look crosses his handsome features. “Are the ones who took care of me.”

The ones who took care of him. He must be referring to after he was supposed to have died.

“I’m sure they’re great people,” I murmur, drawing his soft gaze to mine. “I will be sure to thank each and every one of them personally.”

Nodding, Nick gives me a brilliant smile that reminds me almost of the boy I once knew, but behind that smile is a sadness that breaks my heart.

Just what did he go through?

This single question pops into my head, but I know that today is not the day to ask this question. Today was a day of celebration over what we both just achieved, and when tomorrow came, we would face the hard things.

“Shall we?” I ask as Nick’s gaze continues to burn into me. “I’m sure that everyone is waiting.”

For a moment, he doesn’t speak as he just stares, his eyes filled with an unreadable emotion that makes my heart skip a beat.

“Alright.”

Instantly, I’m swept forward and into a softly lit room with beautiful white flowers and garland intricately placed around it, making the room look almost as if it could be heaven itself.

A dance floor sits in the middle of the space with tables filled with people positioned around it, and the minute those sitting see us, an eruption of congratulations and clapping begins along with the spray of confetti from above that falls around us like rain.

With wide eyes, I take everything in while once again wondering how Nick managed to do something like this within a day. However, I don’t get to ask him before the crowd that watched us wed and was now congratulating us begins to move, surrounding us in a bubble of warmth that I’ve never felt in my life. At least, not since my father’s passing.

“Good job.”

“Congratulations.”

“You look great together.”

“You did good.”

The voices drift in and out, mixing and unmixing until I can’t quite make out which words of encouragement and congratulations are coming from whom.

It is only when Nick pulls me close and his warmth starts to seep into me that the crowd seems to understand my discomfort.

“Sorry,” one man in particular with long white hair pulled into a ponytail at the nape of his neck laughs, lifting a hand and making the group back away. “I’m sorry we overwhelmed your bride.”

“It’s alright, Fritz,” Nick responds, reaching out and cupping the man’s shoulder. “No one meant any harm.”

Nodding, the man, Fritz, fixes his golden gaze on me and then lets a smile spread across his wrinkled face.

“Now then, who might you be, miss?”

“Noel,” I respond quietly. “It’s a pleasure, sir.”

“Noel,” Fritz repeats, a look of shock flashing in his eyes before he turns his gaze to Nick. “Don’t tell me she is…”

“Fritz,” Nick hisses, cutting the old man off before he can finish. “May I have a word with you privately?”

Frowning, I look from Nick to Fritz and back while wondering what exactly it was that the old man was going to say before Nick cut him off. However, I don’t voice my question; instead, I remain silent while he leads him away so that I’m left with the rest of our guests.

“Don’t worry,” a woman with a kind face and curly blonde hair sighs, drawing my attention to herself. “Nick won’t go too hard on him.”

“Right,” I say, shifting my gaze to the two men who stand aside speaking quietly. “I’m sure you’re right.”

“Of course,” the woman giggles. “Anyway, while they speak, why don’t you allow me to make all the introductions? I’m sure all of this is quite overwhelming for you, and it must be extra hard when you don’t know anyone.”

“It…” I begin, considering lying out of habit, but stopping myself. “Yeah, I guess you could say that.”

“Then please,” the woman beams, wrapping an arm around me. “Allow me. Let me start by introducing myself. I am Glenda Darling, Luna of Blue Moon.”

Blue Moon. I knew of this pack. Hell, everyone knew of this pack since it was the second strongest after Azure Moon. How was it possible that Nick stayed within this pack without ever being found out?

“And this…” The woman continues, snapping me out of my head. “This is…”

Anna, Glenda and Fritz’s daughter. A beauty with the same blonde hair as her mother and the same golden eyes of her father. And as she stares at me, I can't help but notice a hint of hostility in her gaze, but before I can think too hard about it, I'm being led to the next person.

Brendan. Anna’s twin, who looked almost identical.

Grant, a tall man with a large build that made him look intimidating when you paired it with his buzzed head and dark scar-covered skin, their beta.

Anthony, a short man with a lean build who looked almost like he couldn’t handle a fly, let alone the enemy of the pack, their delta.

One by one, Glenda goes through the motions of introducing me to the members of Blue Moon while Fritz and Nick continue to talk, and only when my head is spinning and I don’t think that I can handle much more information does it finally stop due to Nick’s return.

"Sorry about that," he husks close to my ear, causing a shiver to rush through me. "Didn't mean to leave you alone for that long."

"It's alright," I respond, peeking toward Anna to find her gaze growing even more hostile. "You don't have to worry about me."

Maybe I was being a bit harsh because I couldn't help but feel like an outsider here, but I couldn't stop the words from leaving my lips, and when Nick's confused gaze comes to rest on me, I instantly regret it.

"Sorry," I say quickly, hating the shift in mood I was feeling. "Shouldn't we get the party going? Let's live it up."

Growing quiet, I wait while Nick continues to examine me, but to my relief, after another moment, he simply smiles and nods his head.

"Whatever you, dear wife, want."

Wife. It was weird to hear since all of this was so rushed, but I had to admit I didn't necessarily hate it. Instead, it left me with a sudden sense of belonging that I didn't realize until now I was craving.