A wedding and a nose
1116 Words
*Chase*
Signing the document was a damn stupid thing to do, I decide in retrospect as Reverend Tucker performs the ceremony. Rowan Windscar had given me an honorable way to get out of marrying his sister, and I had been too stubborn to take it.
For her sake, I wish I hadn't insisted she come to my office, wish I had left her outside so she wouldn’t have had to witness all that had transpired. Her hand rests on my arm as we stand before the preacher with everyone we know standing behind us, and I can feel that she is shaking worse than she had been earlier when I had first met her.
I had told Reverend Tucker to use words that had to do with trust, honor, and respect and steer clear of love. I don’t want to make her aware of what she isn’t getting.
Reverend Tucker finishes his opening remarks. “Would you two face each other and join hands?” he asks quietly.
As I take Callista’s hands, her trembling increases until I think it rivals the shaking of the ground during a stampede.
“Do you, Callista Jane Windscar, take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband and chosen mate, for better or worse, through sickness and through health, to honor and to cherish from this day forward?”
A hush settles around us. I resist the urge to peer beneath the veil and assure my bride that everything will be all right. Why is she wearing a veil anyway? I never close a business deal without looking a man straight in the eye. A marriage is just as important. It seems to me that this moment is the one time when a she-wolf shouldn’t be shielding her gaze from a man.
The silence becomes suffocating. I am grateful that Reverend Tucker speaks low enough that only those standing nearby can hear. I am even more grateful that only family stands nearby.
Reverend Tucker leans forward slightly. “If you’re inclined to marry Chase, simply say, ‘I do.’”
“She does,” Rowan says.
“Damn the Goddess, Windscar, let her say it,” I snarl.
“What the hell difference does it make?” Rowan asks.
I glare at him. “Years from now, it might make a difference to her, and it does to me now.”
Reverend Tucker clears his throat. “Could we possibly refrain from using the Goddess name in vain during the ceremony?”
I feel the heat rise in my face. “Sorry, Reverend. Why don’t you leave out that part about cherish?”
“That doesn’t leave much,” Reverend Tucker says.
“Leaves enough.” I mumble.
He sighs. “Very well. Do you, Callista Jane Windscar, take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband, to honor from this day forward?”
She holds her silence, and I damn my impatient nature. I should have taken a few minutes to put her at ease, to talk with her. I had been so worried that I would lose this opportunity to have a mate that I had rushed into it without considering her feelings. I would call the whole thing off if I didn’t think I would lose the respect of every person standing in my front parlor.
Reverend Tucker rubs the side of his nose. “I have had dealings with Chase off and on for over five years now. I can assure you that it won’t be difficult to honor him.”
“I do,” she says quietly.
I work hard not to let the relief show on my face.
Reverend Tucker turns to me. "And do you, Chase Moonshadow, take this she-wolf to be your lawfully wedded wife and chosen mate, to have and to hold, through sickness and through health, to honor and to cherish from this day forward?"
"I do." I say clearly.
"You have a ring?" He asks.
Nodding, I reach into my pocket and pull out the ring that had once belonged to my mother, had once been worn by Briony. Awkwardly, I tug off the glove that covers Callista's left hand. Her hand is almost as white as the glove...and as cold as a river in winter. I have heard once that if a she-wolf has cold hands, she has a warm heart. I latch on to that small hopeful thought as I slip the ring onto her finger. "With this ring, I thee wed."
I glance at Reverend Tucker. "Sorry, Reverend, I got ahead of you."
Reverend Tucker smiles. "That's all right. We've been here before, haven't we? I now pronounce you mated and married. You may kiss the bride."
My mouth goes dry, and now my fingers tremble worse than hers as I slowly lift the veil.
She has a cute little chin and the reddest lips I have ever seen. Perhaps the red seems more brilliant because her skin is incredibly pale, as though it has never known the touch of the sun. Her mouth reminds me of a ripe strawberry, shaped to torment a man. I could live with that.
I whip the veil up and against my will, my gaze latches on to her nose. Her tiny, perfect nose.
I narrow my eyes and glare at Blaise. Blaise's mouth had dropped open. Blaise jerks his gaze to Riley, who looks as stunned as I feel.
"Your brother has a strange sense of humor," I say quietly as I turn my attention back to the perusal of my new bride. She has brown eyes that remind me of a fawn I once saw. They are shaped like almonds, large… frightened.
I hate the fear reflected there and decide if I can make her relax and fill those eyes with happiness, they would be her most striking feature.
I smile. "Let's see if your brother likes my sense of humor."
I had planned all along to give her a quick kiss and be done with it, but I understand that sometimes the circumstances demand that I change the plans. I decide a long, slow, enjoyable kiss is in order, might even make her brothers squirm.
I cradle her face in my large hands, lower my mouth the short distance to hers, and discover what I should have known: she has never been kissed. She puckers her lips as though she has just bitten into a lemon.
I draw back because I have no desire to initiate her into the proper way to kiss in front of the whole town.
"Ladies and gentlemen," Reverend Tucker's voice booms. "I present to you the Alpha and Luna of Moonshadow."
- Writer
