A Bleacke Wind (Bleacke Shifters Book 3) (41 page)

“Thank me? For what?”

“For your years of sacrifice. For loving us. For being our mom and our sister. We couldn’t have made it without you.”

“Just keep making me proud,” Nami said. “I wish you’d told me you wanted a creative writing degree.”

“You were working so hard, sis. I didn’t want to waste it. It’s okay. I didn’t mind what I was doing, but it was just a job.”

Nami felt a little guilty about that. “Is Da’von doing what he really wants to do, or just doing it to make me happy?”

“No, he really likes computers. He is happy. That’s what he told me.”

“You sure?”

“Positive.”

“Okay. Don’t forget to text me pictures while you’re in Spokane.”

“I promise I’ll text and call.”

“Good. Love you.”

“Love you, too.” Malyah headed out, a smile on her face.

Nami couldn’t ever remember her sister looking so…joyful.

Beck returned a few minutes later with Bebe and her things. “Don’t worry,” he said as he settled Bebe on the bed with Nami. “Peyton has Trent and several heavily armed shifters accompanying them to Spokane.”

“Thank you.” She kissed Bebe on the top of the head. “Listen to me, little girl. I forbid you from falling for a wolf.”

Bebe giggled and threw her head back, letting loose with a howl.

Beck’s eyes widened. “Holy cra-ud,” he muttered.

Chapter Thirty-Six

The wedding preparations proceeded without further interruptions, although there was a heavily armed contingent of wolves surrounding the wedding party at almost all times.

Dewi enjoyed being able to spend some alone time every evening with Duncan, Badger, and her brothers, as they got him caught up and asked him questions about their mom when she was a kid.

Collette, Carolyne, and Cynthia, Duncan’s daughters and Dewi’s aunts, all flew in early on Wednesday when Peyton broke the news to them about Duncan being alive. There were more than a few happy tears shed at the house over that revelation when they joyfully embraced their father for the first time in nearly fifty years. Plus he had more grandchildren to meet.

Dewi gave up grousing—mostly—about the froufrou dress as the preparations continued at high speed. She let herself be swept up and carried along, thankful that not only was her family safe, but that they’d regained someone long believed dead.

Even she couldn’t deny that was worth smiling over.

Early Saturday afternoon, Dewi studied herself in the mirror as Gillian, Asia, Nami, Malyah, Lu’ana, and Dewi’s aunts looked on. There would be twenty minutes between Nami and Malyah’s ceremonies so that Dewi and Malyah could both change. There wouldn’t be a break between Dewi and Nami’s ceremonies to keep things moving along so they could get to the feast and the cakes.

Nami had overruled everyone and said Dewi could stay in her wedding dress for her and Beck’s wedding to save time, waiting to change until the break between Nami’s wedding and Malyah’s. Because of her ankle, Nami was going to wear the same dress for all three ceremonies instead of changing.

“I look ridiculous,” Dewi muttered at her reflection. She couldn’t even carry a gun today.

When Nami had ratted Dewi out to Peyton that Dewi had planned to wear an ankle holster during the ceremony, he’d gone pack Prime Alpha on his little sister and ordered that she would
not
be armed at the altar.

And on that point he wouldn’t budge in the least.

“The threat’s over,” Peyton told her. “You do not need to be packing anything in terms of firepower. Everyone else will be armed and on guard. You do not need to be doing anything but being a bride.”

“One of them got away.”

“Exactly. ‘Away.’ There will be plenty of armed folks there today. If trouble breaks out, someone will hand you a weapon.”

“How about a knife?”

“
No
.” He’d even Primed her. “You will
not
be wielding anything more dangerous than a bouquet and a snarky look during your wedding ceremony. Understand?”

And that had been that.

“You’re a beautiful bride,” Nami insisted, reaching over to adjust her veil.

Collette, Carolyne, and Cynthia agreed. “I never thought I’d see the day anyone would get her into such a beautiful dress,” Collette gently teased. “You really are gorgeous.”

The photographer was documenting the day as well, another thing that annoyed Dewi. She hated having her picture taken.

Especially in a froufrou dress.

And the photographer was making sure to follow Peyton and Trent’s orders to document the day thoroughly.

“That boy is gonna faint when he gets a look at you,” Nami insisted.

“Or her brothers will,” Asia teased. “I’ve never seen two straight men this excited about a wedding that wasn’t their own.”

“I think they
are
more excited about Dewi’s wedding than they were their own,” Gillian lightly snarked.

“This is a first for us,”Asia said. “Three weddings in one day. And all of them part of the family, so to speak, not just the pack.”

A dark cloud briefly flitted across Nami’s features. “Yes. Three weddings.” She glanced at Malyah but continued fussing with Dewi’s veil, even though it didn’t need it.

But Nami still felt aggravated at Joaquin. At least Nami’s status as Beck’s mate—and as Malyah’s oldest sister—meant Joaquin had to pretty much take whatever Nami dealt out. It would be a while before the eldest sister would come to grips with the fact that her youngest sister was now an Alpha wolf’s claimed mate.

A light knock sounded on the door. Asia walked over to see who it was, then admitted Duncan. Freshly shaved, and with his hair now professionally trimmed and styled, he cut a handsome figure in his tuxedo.

After getting hugs from Collette, Carolyne, and Cynthia, Duncan walked over to Dewi. She didn’t miss the way his eyes suddenly looked too bright.

She prayed he didn’t cry, because if he did, she knew she would, too.

“You’re beautiful,” he softly said. “You look so much like your mother, it breaks my heart in the good way.”

“Thanks, Gramps.”

He smiled.

“Grandpa?”

He let out a sigh. “Still don’t want to settle on Duncan, eh?”

She hugged him, relaxing in his embrace. “No. That doesn’t feel right. All my life I grew up with family, but no parents or grandparents.”

“Your mother and aunts called me Da when they were pups.”

“We still do,” Collette said, sounding a little choked up. The three women hugged him again and gave him pecks on the cheek before heading out to take their seats. Gillian and Asia followed suit, leaving Dewi, Nami, and Malyah alone with Duncan.

And the photographer.

Whom Peyton had already protected by Priming Dewi to force her to allow pictures to be taken and not to make the photographer leave.

Dewi pulled back enough she could look into Duncan’s eyes. “I like that,” she said. “Da.” She slowly nodded. “That feels right.”

It was good to see him smile, to see it actually break through the veil of sadness that cloaked him.

“Then I’m all right with it, too, sweetheart. You have one very nervous man and two very nervous brothers out there who are more than ready to see you get married right and proper.”

“I’m already mated right and proper. This is just for show.”

“You realize this is more for them than it is for you, right?” His smile faded. “As I talked to Beck and Badger and your brothers…it crushed me that I wasn’t here for any of you all these years. Had I been here, had I not tried to take the coward’s way out…”

He sighed again. “Maybe it would have made a difference. Maybe they’d still be alive. This is Peyton and Trent’s way to carry out a promise they made over your mother’s grave, to fulfill what they knew was her wish. You were beloved, not just by your parents but by your big brothers, too. And your aunts. By everyone who loved our family. You were a miracle at birth, a miracle for surviving, and a miracle as you grew up and became the fiercely beautiful woman you are now. Let them have this. It will help them settle a past chapter of their lives and move on.”

She’d never really thought about it like that before. She knew her brothers wanted to do it for their mom, but…

Looking over to Nami, who sat in her wheelchair and wore a serene smile, Dewi quietly said, “Honestly. Do I
really
look okay?”

Nami tipped her head the other way. “Baby girl, you are a
gorgeous
bride. I would
not
have put you in something that didn’t make your already beautiful self look absolutely breathtaking.”

Duncan held his arm out to her. “Ready, little one?”

Dewi hooked her arm through his and held on tight to help calm her quaking nerves. “Ready, Da. And thank you for walking me down the aisle.”

Yes, calling him that did feel right.

“I offered to let Badger do it since he earned the right, raising you like he did. He flat-out told me no, that I was a miracle, you were a miracle, and that he’d be proud to see me do it. I did insist when the preacher asks who’s giving you away that he be part of it. Him, Beck, and your brothers.”

“I asked Badger to give me away,” Malyah said with smile. “Da’von’s gonna give Nami away. So everyone gets a chance.”

“Reggie won’t feel left out?” Dewi asked.

“Nah,” Nami said. “He’s gonna have Bebe to deal with when that little heartbreaker of ours is older.” Nami snorted and turned to Malyah. “I guess maybe having another wolf in the family isn’t so bad. I can sic Beck and Joaquin on any boyfriends Bebe brings home.”

“Hey,” Dewi protested. “What about me?”

“Oh, that’s a given,” Nami said. “I’m gonna demand that little girl introduces all boys to you first. After her parents, of course. If you don’t sign off on them, she don’t go out with them. Period.”

“I guess you have a fierce reputation,” Duncan said.

“I think I get it honest,” she said, squeezing his arm.

* * * *

Belatedly, Dewi was glad the ceremony was being videotaped. As she stood with Ken before the official, one of their packmates, she realized her only focus was on the man about to legally become her husband. All she could see were his brown eyes and his smile.

They’d tried to get her to write custom vows, or agree to something a little more elaborate, but on this she’d held her ground. She wanted a short, sweet, quick, textbook marriage ceremony, the faster, the better.

On this point Peyton and Trent, with some poking and prodding from Nami, reluctantly agreed.

She repeated the words she was told to say, but her mind wasn’t there. Her mind was on this man she was marrying, a man who had not only changed her life for the better, but who had helped heal her family in ways she never could have imagined before this.

A small shiver raced through Dewi as Ken slipped the wedding band on her finger with the engagement ring.

Then when she put his ring on him…

She knew life had finally settled into its proper groove for her. For all of her conscious life, she always felt like she was bouncing around, following the track but never firmly seated in it.

Not anymore.

For the first time, she felt…normal.

And she loved it, not something she would have ever admitted before, not even under the threat of death.

When the official said, “You may kiss your bride,” Ken swept Dewi into his arms and laid the most deliciously ferocious and possessive kiss upon her that she’d ever felt from him.

As she came up for air, he smiled and whispered, “Mine,” before turning with her to greet the vocal cheers and applause from their packmates. Peyton had warned everyone to keep it “vanilla” for the humans, and to not howl.

Except for little Bebe, being held by her daddy. Apparently, she didn’t get the message.

When everyone else started applauding and cheering, she let out a joyous howl that made the entire gathered audience burst out laughing and finally join her in their proper wolf celebratory way.

Dewi’s eyes widened as she stared at Peyton, who shrugged, threw back his head, and howled, too.

This delighted the little girl, who clapped and laughed in amusement.

As that died down, Dewi and Nami and Ken and Beck and everyone changed places to start their ceremony.

Once they were legally hitched, this time with everyone clapping and howling, including her parents—much to Bebe’s immense delight—Dewi raced into the great hall with Malyah, Asia, Gillian, and Lu’ana to get changed.

* * * *

Beck crooked his finger at a very nervous-looking Joaquin, for him to lean in. The younger wolf did cut a handsome figure in his matching tux.

“Yeah?” Joaquin asked.

“I’m going to give you a secret to dealing with Nami.”

“Yeah?”

“Treat her like a big sister. Suck up to her as a big sister. She sees herself as a mother hen to her siblings. You do that, she’ll get over being mad at you soon enough.”

“You think? I’m still not sure she won’t castrate me.”

Ken laughed. “She won’t. She’s just trying to make you sweat. Let her think she’s succeeding.”

“I’m really sorry about this,” Joaquin apologized for about the hundredth time. “I really didn’t want to upstage you all.”

“Stop apologizing,” Beck said. “You’re not upstaging us. You’re family.”

Ken patted Joaquin’s shoulder. “Things will settle down soon enough once we’re in Florida,” he assured Joaquin. “Besides, I think she’s giving up the castration fantasies.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.” Ken smirked. “Now your biggest worry is going to be her bugging you for nieces and nephews.”

Beck laughed at the expression on Joaquin’s face and played along. “Yep. ‘Grandma’ Sis will kick in. You’ve seen how she dotes on Bebe.”

“Holy fuck,” Joaquin muttered.

Ken shot Beck a wink, which he returned.

Brothers. That’s what this felt like.

His own sisters and parents were sitting in the audience. At least Sadie had taken the high road about this. She and Joaquin had a brief, private talk the evening before and settled the past for good. Neither held it against the other, and they agreed they’d both matured a lot since then.

Poor Marcy Stafford, though. She sat toward the back of the audience, a pinched, sour look on her face. Sure enough, she’d been counting on hitting up Joaquin, once she’d found out he was going to be there that weekend…until she realized he was getting married, too.