Chapter 36: Chapter 36

Chapter 36

"Never did I think that the Lotus Pack would have the chance to witness the wedding of our very own beautiful Princess. We never thought that you'd choose to marry outside of the conference. Thank you, Miranda!"

"Yes!" Audrey chimed in. "The cardinal committee can go throw themselves off a cliff! All because of our status, they refused to invite us. Now, our princess won't be gracing the occasion with her wedding. Instead, the Lotus Pack will host its own Alpha wedding, the first of its kind, and we'll still have the Goddess' blessings!

"The Silver Pack has not only shown us the irrelevance of those gatherings, but they have also added a very giant feather to our cap by agreeing to marry our Princess!"

The two friends could not help but jump up and down in excitement as they helped Miranda get ready for her wedding.

"A very giant one indeed!" Beatrice beamed as she added the finishing touches to Miranda's make-up.

"This is a very special day for me," Miranda said in agreement. "I don't think I would have wanted to spend it with anyone else apart from those who have supported me in both good and bad times, especially since it's mostly been bad times for us."

"But now, all that is about to change because of you, Miranda! Because of you, our victory and our honor will be restored. We hope that the Silver Pack helps us enough to overcome the next war. No doubt, we'll be victorious, and after that, it will be nothing but joy and happiness in our lands! We will grow, we will regroup, we will rebuild, and we will no longer have to live in fear or shame any longer!"

"We will no longer keep our heads down in the midst of the other packs, and it's all thanks to this union. This union will be forever blessed, whether it graces the conference or not," Beatrice added in support.

After her hair and make-up were done with, Miranda was almost ready. It was time to wear her dress, so she took off her robe and stood up so Beatrice and Audrey could help her put it on. The two of them wore bridesmaid dresses with light make-up on.

Audrey tittered, "I'm so happy this fine wedding gown didn't have to go to waste! Our hopes suddenly crashed when we found out you were no longer getting married to Walden, but look at how fate stepped in!"

"Yeah, exactly," Miranda sighed.

As Audrey and Beatrice continued to exchange happy thoughts about the wedding, Miranda travelled to her own world, shutting out all her surroundings, so she could think about the life she was about to step into.

Growing up, she'd always heard stories about this ruthless Alpha, the one who killed without mercy, but now she knew they weren't just stories because she'd seen it for herself only a few days ago. But then, this ruthless Alpha had another side to him that she really liked. He was merciful, he was kind, he had behaviors she'd have never expected when she met him that first day at the Silver Pack's court. How were things going to turn out for her from now on? Would he show her more of his ruthless side or his kind side?

She was still deep in thought when the wedding escort came to inform the girls that it was time.

"Don't worry, dear. We are here to give you all our support today," Audrey assured her.

"You'll do just fine," Beatrice said too as she helped her put on her wedding veil, the last item of her wedding gown.

Miranda's hands trembled as she picked up the bouquet of flowers from her bed and headed downstairs with her two bridesmaids, making their way slowly towards the Lotus Pack courtyard where some of the Silver Pack's soldiers were gathered along with the Lotus Pack wolves. Some important Silver Pack wolves such as Beta Renard and some other council members had come to act as witnesses for the groom's side since Alpha Damian had no living family members.

The doors opened and Miranda walked in, wearing the most beautiful flowing white gown Damian had ever seen. The flowery dress hugged her body perfectly, and even through the veil, the make-up and through all the light jewelry, she looked so beautiful. He couldn't wait to marry her!

There he was, standing at the altar with his two groomsmen. He wore a very fine tux, and his hair was slicked backwards, outlining his perfect face. He'd never looked more handsome, and yes, he was staring at her as she came in. He didn't take his eyes off her for a second until she came to stand in front of him.

She placed her two hands in his, staring straight into his eyes as the ceremony began.

Right there, the two exchanged their vows and their union was established; the union uniting the Lotus and Silver Packs as allies. Right there, Miranda and Damian became a wedded man and mate as everyone present clapped and cheered in acknowledgement of this blessed union that would bring joy and happiness to all the lives involved. It was truly a day worth celebrating.

***

After the wedding, the guests moved to the reception in the Lotus Pack garden, where the Silver Pack had made provisions for plenty to eat and drink. Everyone made merry and cracked happy jokes, a worthy respite from the usual daily training all Lotus wolves were obliged to carry out. It was a short event and everyone present was in a happy mood.

The time finally came for Miranda and Damian to have their first dance. The emcee invited them to the middle of the stage. No one expected that they would be required to do any of the things that normal couples usually did on their wedding day, but they just decided to go with it.

Damian held her hand and led her to the center of the floor. There, he wrapped his other hand around her waist, and when the both of them began to hear the music play, they danced slowly to it, looking into each other's eyes. Miranda lost herself in his arms, and she didn't know for how long they kept dancing until they both began to hear repeated clinking of glasses by the seated guests.

Miranda looked over his shoulder and saw the happy faces of those who were clinking their wine glasses, using small spoons, to cheer them on.

Damian wasn't used to any of this stuff and neither was Miranda, but she did know a thing or two about wedding traditions. After the repeated clinking, he couldn't help but ask her.  "Why are they doing that?"

She looked at him in surprise. "You don't know?"

"Know what?"

"Um.... They want us to kiss," she answered nervously.

She'd thought he'd only ignored the clinks because he didn't want to kiss her, not that it bothered her though. They weren't a real couple anyway, so the fact that he didn't kiss her didn't bother her at all, even though they had been pronounced as man and mate.

When he didn't respond, she decided to say something else so as not to make the situation uncomfortable. "It's okay. You don't have to―"

The expression on his face cut her short as he smiled at her in response. She got lost in those flashy green eyes and she thought she would melt when he grabbed her by the waist, pulling her close to him. He tilted her head ever so slightly and brought his lips closer. Oh, those lips! Were those sexy lips really about to kiss her? She couldn't believe it as she closed her eyes and gave herself over to the sensation.

Their lips met in the cool garden breeze that travelled in sync with the music – a sweet kiss; Miranda's first. As their tongues found each other, his hands explored her body, running up and down her back, finding and squeezing different parts of her body, pulling her in closer still.

Both of them were oblivious to their surroundings, oblivious to the people gathered watching them. Soft moans vibrated through their shared tenderness and the moment seemed to last forever, until he pulled away. It felt as if she'd been holding her breath underwater for a long time as she let out a deep exhale. It had been like a roller coaster and she wanted to ride again as soon as possible.