I checked my watch again, confirming Christian's assessment with a grimace. "Five minutes," I muttered. "An eternity."
"You've already done the hard part," Christian reminded me, his voice softening into something more genuine. "You convinced Emma to mate with you, to marry you, to rule alongside you. This?" He gestured around at the cathedral. "This is just a formality."
I scowled at him, not appreciating the reminder of how close I'd come to losing her. "That's not helping."
"Isn't it?" he countered. "Think about it, Theo. She chose you. The stubborn, fiercely independent werewolf who challenged you at every turn, who made you work for every inch of ground – she chose you. She wears your mark willingly. She sits on the throne beside you not as consort but as equal. After all that, do
