330
Lucy
The morning sun, a mischievous wink through the blinds, painted golden stripes across our bed. I snuggled deeper into the warmth of David's embrace, the rhythmic rise and fall of his chest a soothing lullaby. He slipped his hand across my lower back. The warmth of his bare skin against mine set a spark of pleasure through me. He rumbled low and content into my hair.
“Wake up,” David rumbled. He kissed my head and twined a curl around his finger. “We have things to do.”
“You shouldn’t have kept me up all night.”
He chuckled. “You didn’t say that last night.”
I nudged him. He dipped his head to nip my lips.
“You know, if it’s too much, you can always tell me to slow down.”
He’d been saying that for five years now, and I never found a reason to tell him to. He knew that. His eyes flickered between colors. I nipped his lower lip.
“Give me a reason.”
He smirked and rolled me onto my back. “To slow down or…”
“To get up,” I said as he kissed my neck and trailed his lips down.
“Well, if we don’t get up, we’ll just be getting up to more of the same.”
I shivered. “No-Not helping.”
He smirked, and his eyes flashed. "Chocolate pancakes and a surprise.”
A smile bloomed on my lips. Surprise? Every day with him was a surprise, a gift that I still couldn’t believe I got to have.
“Fine, but only because I know we’ll be… up to more of the same after my appointment.”
He hummed. “Maggie already brewed it for you, tailored and everything. I think he and Yvonne are in competition.”
I snorted as he slipped out of bed. “Sure, if you count them making out in closets.”
He grinned back at me, bending down to slip into the pajama pants he threw off last night.
“I’m happy Maggie has found someone who makes him happy outside of torturing Duke.”
I slipped out from beneath the sheets as he held a nightgown and a robe out for me. I kissed him as thanks and slipped into both before we headed downstairs.
The sun-drenched kitchen welcomed us. The rest of the house was quiet, and it took no time for him to pull out pans and start cooking. I perched on the stool, flipping through the planning album Blue was making me put together. I shook my head.
“She’s added things.”
David grinned. “I bet she did. I got mail from my… relative.”
“Which one?”
“An Elvish one. They’re bringing flowers.”
“Is that a good thing?”
“The best thing. Longevity, celebration… It also comes with the best wine you’ll ever have.”
I smiled over at him. “Not every day a king gets married.”
He hummed and set plates down on the table filled with food chocolate chip pancakes.
"Suppose not. You think we’ll get an invite from Peter and Michelle soon?”
“Probably.”
Just then, his phone counter buzzed, shattering the blissful morning reverie. David, with a sigh, answered it. I listened, a grin slowly spreading across my face.
“Yeah?” David asked. “… What… Of course, I’ll send a team.”
“Problems?” I asked.
“Shifters in a human high school.”
I grinned. “That’s the fifth time just this month.”
“I know,” he said. His eyes turned sultry. “I love it when you gloat.”
I beamed at him. Once the crystal necklace had been destroyed, the werewolf virus died with it. Ever since then, things have been different. The Blue Moon Pack no longer existed. The Council had been purged, and the human and supernatural worlds were merging as more humans who were related to werewolves but hadn’t become werewolves started manifesting powers.
Most of the werewolf packs had broken up. The Black Moon Pack had been rebranded in its entirety. Peter was leading the integration of humanity back into the supernatural fold alongside David and gathering resources for every aesir that was coming into their powers.
The phone clicked off, and David lowered it with a sigh. Then, Blue swept in, beaming at us both with a stack of mail piled precariously in her arms. She dropped the envelopes on the table with a satisfied smile.
“More mail?”
“Invitations, replies all good things!” Blue said and scurried away.
I scanned the envelopes, drawn to one with a thick, embossed border. My breath hitched as I read the elegant script: "Lucy Whitetower and David Bloodborne are cordially invited to the wedding of Anthony Mountainheart and Ginevra Moretti…"
A smile bloomed on my face. Tony was now back to being the CEO of Chance Industries, now under the name and face of Anthony Mountainheart. On the back, in smaller script, it read: "formerly known as Anthony Chance."
"Well, look at that," I breathed, handing the invitation to David. "I wouldn’t be surprised if we get one from Matt and Arwen."
David grimaced. “I’m not looking forward to being related to them, even if Trent is the best.”
I shook my head. “Aren’t you related to almost everyone?”
“Almost,” he said. “And very distantly in most cases.”
I laughed, tracing the delicate border of the invitation. "You'll adjust. Besides, Matt and Tony are… better. A lot better.”
He sighed. “I won’t hold a grudge any longer than you do.”
“Having Eve and Trent has done a lot,” I smiled. “Are you going to go deal with the high schoolers?”
“After the surprise.” He grinned.
We finished breakfast and got dressed before David took me outside to the central garden and walked us to a stone gate I had never seen before.
“So… where are we going?”
“The wedding venue.”
My heart leaped. I bounced on my toes. He’d been keeping it a secret from me since he proposed, and I wanted to see it almost more than anything.
We stepped through the stone gate into the thin air. I shivered as the wind swept by.
My breath caught in my throat. Craggy, ancient, carved from the very bones of the mountain, it stood bathed in the morning light, its towers piercing the cloud-kissed sky. A shiver ran down my spine, a cold thrill of recognition. This… this was the castle from my dreams.
“Where are we?”
He held out his hands and grinned. “Welcome to Fenris Castle.”
David’s gaze met mine. “You’ve seen this place before.”
I nodded. “In… In that dream, I told you about.”
He nodded. “Makes sense. Every man of the family has been married here… including Fenris, but this isn’t really the surprise.”
I frowned. “Well?”
“It’s about time for you to see… what else being my wife will mean.”
He led me down the winding steps to a small courtyard that was overgrown with lush vines and flowers.
“Why do you seem anxious?”
“I’m anticipating the worst,” he said. “I haven’t… been here since I was in that coma.”
My eyes widened. “Where is this exactly?”
“The world of shifter spirits.”
I bit my lip and tightened my grip on his hand. “I’m with you. No matter… how much work it might be.”
He grinned and nodded, and we walked into the cave and down the carved steps. The first thing I smelled was flowers.
He gasped and tugged me forward. There was lush greenery as far as the eye could see. Waterfalls cascaded down moss-covered rocks, and vibrant flowers bloomed and waved in the breeze. Animals rushed this way and that. A dragon flew across the sky.
“It’s… beautiful.”
My heart fluttered with a mix of nerves and excitement as he led me further into the spirit world.
“There are so many,” he whispered. “There was… nothing here before.”
A bird fluttered toward him, chirping at him as if they knew each other. It nuzzled him before flying off.
“A girlfriend?”
“An old acquaintance,” David said. “Part of being a son of Fenris is managing this place. Selene’s virus turned this place into a barren wasteland, but… it’s incredible that it’s flourishing like this with only a few years behind us.”
He smiled, looking up at the sky. “I’ll have to come back and run.”
I bit my lip.
"David," I began, my voice barely above a whisper, "I have a surprise for you.”
“Better than the lingerie?”
I scowled at him as he laughed. “It’s not that kind of surprise!”
He tilted his head, a playful grin dancing on his lips. "Oh? Do tell, then.”
Squeezing his hand, I met his gaze. "Close your eyes."
He eyed me suspiciously before closing his eyes. I walked behind him just to make sure. Taking a deep breath, I focused, channeling the ancient magic that hummed within my veins, the legacy of the Whitetower family. It felt like riding a wild river as it washed through me, changing me. Bones shifted, fur sprouted, senses heightened. When the tremors subsided, I stood, no longer on two legs but on four, my paws sinking into the mossy earth. I was a wolf, sleek and gray, the moonlight already shimmering on my pelt. I nudged him with my nose. He turned around. He gasped, then chuckled as his gaze fell on me in awe and joy.
“Quite a surprise… Enforcer training?”
I nodded.
“Very impressive.”
He shifted then until he stood beside me, a magnificent black wolf, his size dwarfing mine yet somehow making me feel even more fiercely loved and protected. He leaned down to bump our noses together.
You’re gorgeous, he whispered. And I love you… so much more than I can say.
I looked up into his eyes, feeling the weight of his care and love wash over me.
I sent it back to him and bumped our noses together.
I love you more.
The End.
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