Chapter 152

Aiden’s POV

“Honestly, Aiden. Are you sure you want to go through with this?” My mother asked for the hundredth time this evening.

I wasn’t sure if my temper could handle her asking that question again; I was at my wit's end with her right now. I stood in front of the mirror, wearing a dark suit designed just for me and a silver tie that was designed to match the white and silver of Carol’s dress. I haven’t actually seen her dress, but the same designer who designed her dress also designed my suit, and I trusted her when it came to fashion.

“She’s my mate, Mother. I love her,” I said, hoping my aggravation wasn’t leaking through my tone. But I was aggravated and a part of me wanted her to know it. However, another part of me didn’t want the drama on this occasion.

Not only was I finally going to mark my mate, but she was also becoming the Luna of my pack and my wife. My heart was overjoyed, and I wasn’t going to let anybody ruin this.

“But she’s a human,” my mother said, folding her arms across her chest. “She wouldn’t benefit from this pack at all. It’s ridiculous to—”

“Miranda!” A deep growl echoed from behind us.

I turned to see my father, seated in his wheelchair, with Oliver wheeling him in. He was able to leave the hospital for my ceremony, but only if he remained in a wheelchair. Oliver pulled the short straw and had to wheel him everywhere.

“Johnathan,” my mother said, her back straightening and she looked almost ashamed having been caught speaking ill of my future wife and Luna.

“Are you giving our son grief on the day of his ceremony?” My father asked, sounding incredibly displeased. “We’ve spoken about this, have we not? We are to be on our best behavior. Nothing you say will change his mind so we might as well respect his choices.”

“But a human?” She nearly spat. “She can’t be a proper Luna. Katrina is incredibly upset right now. It isn’t fair to her that—”

“We are to respect his wishes,” my father said firmly. “He is the Alpha after all.”

My mother huffed, but she said nothing more. She left the room with her head held high, slamming the door behind her. I rolled my eyes and turned back to the mirror to fix my tie. It wouldn’t be long now before Carol arrived at the packhouse and then she would be walking down the aisle to me, promising to be my wife and Luna.

“You are looking good,” my father said as Oliver stopped the wheelchair beside me. “You seem happy.”

I nodded, not looking at him, but looking into my own eyes.

“I am,” I admitted. “She makes me the happiest man in the world.”

“Even happier than you were when you played Hockey?” Oliver teased.

I smiled.

“I admit that I miss the rink. But I would choose Carol over Hockey every single day of my life,” I admitted.

“Just be careful, Son. I don’t approve of your mother’s approach, but she wasn’t wrong. Carol is only a human, which makes her more vulnerable and weaker. Now she will be living amongst werewolves, which will put her in constant danger. As the Alpha, you need to be wary of that.”

“I know, Dad,” I told him. “I won’t let anything happen to her. Carol is stronger than you think.”

My father didn’t look convinced of that, but he nodded his head and motioned for Oliver to wheel him out of the room.

“The King should be arriving soon, and I’d like to be the first to greet him,” he said as Oliver grabbed the wheelchair and started to move him towards the door. “Don’t be long in here, Aiden. You have guests to greet.”

I didn’t respond, I waited until I was completely alone in the room, and then I let out a huge breath. I was about to marry my mate in less than an hour. This was the moment I had been waiting for.

With one final look at my appearance, I finally turned away from the mirror and walked out of the room.

….

Carol’s POV

“Cheers!” Fiona squealed as she lifted the champaign flute high in the air to clink with mine and my mother’s. I had never been in a limo before, but I wasn’t expecting champagne. I was pleasantly pleased.

“Let’s not get plastered before the ceremony, Ladies,” my mother warned, though I knew she was serious, her tone was warm.

“We would never,” I teased.

“Not ever,” Fiona chimed in, winking as she took a heavy sip of her champagne.

As soon as her eyes were out of the window, she nearly spit out the champagne, choking on it almost violently.

“Fiona, are you okay?” I asked, patting her back.

“Holy shit,” Fiona croaked, pointing out the window.

I followed her finger and took a look out the window; my jaw nearly dropped to the ground.

Holy shit was an understatement. I had never seen so many people in my entire life as we approached the packhouse. People, those who weren’t even a part of the pack, were swarming around outside and it made me wonder how many of them came to see this ceremony. Obviously, other packs were here as well.

There was no way they were all here to see me… were they?

I felt nearly sick.

Besides a ton of people, dressed elegantly and ready to witness this joyous occasion, there were also dozens of paparazzi. They were in the middle of interviewing certain people and I’m assuming awaiting my arrival.

Or maybe they caught wind that the King would be here as well, and they were waiting for him.

My heart hammered wildly in my chest, and I suddenly grew incredibly nervous.

“Just breathe,” my mother said, eyeing my face carefully. “It’s going to be okay.” She had a plastered smile on her face, but I knew she was just as frightened as I was, if not more.

Fiona looped her arm through mine and grinned.

“You look hot; you’ll look great on the cover of some magazine or newspaper. Don’t let the cameras freak you out,” she told me gently.

I knew she meant well, but she only made me more nervous.

A cover of a magazine or newspaper?

The limo stopped and moments later the limo driver was opening the back door. I wondered if people were going to swarm around us, but I was relieved to see that some of the pack gammas were outside, shoving people away and making a safe passageway into the packhouse.

“Right this way, miss,” the limo driver instructed, helping me out of the limo.

My mother and Fiona followed closely behind us.

The paparazzi immediately turned their attention to me and tried to get as close as possible before the gammas stopped them. But I could still hear their rapid-fire questions.

“You are Carol Miller?”

“Are you the one who is about to mate and marry Alpha Aiden Cruz?”

“Are you really a human?”

“How do you expect to be a Luna when you are nothing more than a human?”

“What kind of changes should we expect for the Capitol once you become Luna?”

“Who designed your dress?”

“How did you and Alpha Aiden meet?”

I wanted to answer some of the questions, but one of the gammas who was guiding us through the crowd gave me a not-so-subtle head shake and I closed my mouth immediately. I kept my head down as we walked through the crowd of onlookers and then we reached the inside of the packhouse.

It wasn’t much better than outside; there were still so many people, but this time, I recognized a majority of them as packmates. There were also no paparazzi, much to my relief. I tried to spot Aiden somewhere in the crowd, but I couldn’t.

My stomach tightened; I just wanted to see him. I missed him and once I saw him, I knew I would feel calm again.

“Where is Aiden?” I asked one of the gammas leading the way.

“In the reception hall already with the invited guests,” he answered.

I nodded, feeling relieved that he was there, and I was seconds away from seeing him. We paused outside of a large set of doors; I could practically hear the sound of my heart beating in my chest.

“Carol…” I heard a familiar voice approaching.

I turned and sighed relieved when I saw my father making his way through the crowd.

“Dad,” I nearly cried.

“You look incredible,” he said, wrapping his arms around me.

“Hey sweetheart,” my mother said, kissing his cheek lovingly, making his cheeks blush.

“You look beautiful as well, my love,” he told her, smiling at his wife.

“We should find seats,” Fiona said, nudging my mother. “This isn’t a traditional wedding, remember. We don’t have to walk down the aisle too.”

My mother nodded and gave me one last hug before entering the reception hall to find her seat. Fiona hugged me as well before following. My father stood by my side; he was going to escort me down the aisle and towards my mate.

“Oh, good. You’re here. I’ll let them know we are ready,” Madison said before she retreated.

I soon heard the beautiful lull of the music, and the doors opened revealing all of our packmates and family members. They all turned to look at me, standing as I stood before them with my father by my side. But my eyes were fixed on the one person at the end of the aisle.

Aiden.

My mate and in just a few minutes… my husband.