Chantal shook her head. “Are you insane? I don’t want to be the one to face Mom’swrath. You know how mothers get about their children getting married. As it is you’llprobably be disowned and stricken from the will.”
Noah snorted. Conner glared. Katya looked to all of them with a worriedexpression. “We could always wait and invite your parents out for the wedding. What can a few weeks matter?”
Conner kissed the top of her head and wrapped his arm around her. “Mom’s going
to love you, Little Miss Proper. But no. I want to be married as soon as possible.”
“Because of the work we have to do with the ministry?”
He knew what she was asking, but he’d be damned if he was ready to admit it out loud. He was still trying to get used to the idea himself. “I want you pregnant.”
“That may have already happened, as you well know,” she said, her cheeks turning a sexy pink.
He grinned. “Sooner rather than later suits me just fine.” The thought of her carrying his child filled him with awe, and he realized he really did want Katya pregnant. Very soon.
Christ, how his life had changed.
Chantal coughed, but he ignored her. If he was going to give Katya a goddamn declaration of love, he sure as hell wasn’t going to do it in front of witnesses.
Love. Did he really love her? Did he even know what it meant to love someone? Then again, he’d changed in the short time he’d been here. Whereas before he’d never consulted anyone outside the family, now he’d become dependent on Katya’s counsel. The past few days they’d spent every moment together, from plotting out their nextmove over coffee and breakfast each morning to breathing fire in the ministry’s office,
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playing off each other’s strengths as if they’d been partnered for years instead of only a
week.
Katya was fierce, tenacious, refusing to back down and never afraid to voice her opinion, especially to him.
They argued with each other well into the night, where their passion for the wolvesturned to passion for each other.
Could he have found a better mate than Katya? He doubted it. She really was his
destiny. She was everything he’d ever wanted in a lover, a mate, even a business partner.
Damn, he was one lucky man.
“Before you devour the woman on the dining room table, I’m getting out of here,” Chantal said.
“Right behind you,” Noah added, winking at Conner and following his sister.
“I thought they’d never leave.” He picked up her hand, brushing his lips over each knuckle, then turning her hand over to lick her palm.
Katya shivered, her dark eyes glazing over with a passion that he would never tire of seeing.
“Are you quite sure about marrying me?” she asked.
He read the uncertainty in her voice. “I don’t say what I don’t mean. I knew someday I’d be required to seek out a mate, to find a pack’s alpha female and create a dynasty. How damn lucky I am to find out it was you.”
“There are things you need to know about the ceremony. Rituals that are required.”
Oh, God. Now that kind of stuff he didn’t want to hear about. Clothes and flowers
and stand here and do this and that. “Baby, if it’s tradition, we’ll do it. You take care of that part, okay?”
“But I think you need to know that after the wedding ceremony…”
Once again he cut her off. “The only thing I’m interested in after the ceremony is having you alone.”
“That’s what I’m talking about. It’s customary for—”
This time he silenced her with a kiss. When he pulled back her cheeks were flushed. “Go make your arrangements. I don’t need to approve every detail of the wedding. I’ll be there, we’ll get married. The rest will happen according to your customs and we’ll take it one step at a time.”
She blushed and stood. “All right. I have a lot to do to prepare for the wedding.”
“Will I see you in bed tonight?”
She leaned up on her toes and kissed him softly, sliding her tongue inside his mouth and tantalizing him with a heated promise. “Of course you will. And tonight, I get to be alpha and ravage you from on top.”
He couldn’t think of a better way to submit to his woman.
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And tomorrow, she’d be his wife.
He shook his head and pondered his own happiness. Life was sure strange. In the
blink of an eye, everything changed.
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Chapter Twelve
Katya undressed and ran out into the forest, letting the wolf take over. Her body burned with the adjustment in anatomy, but she welcomed the pain, hoping it would clear her head.
So many times the past few days she wanted to tell Conner how she felt about him, but something stopped her.
She raced to the top of the tallest hill on Braslieu land, knowing her boundaries,retaining just enough of her humanity to keep her senses.
The moon was nearly full as it rose over the tallest mountain peak. She closed hereyes and breathed in its power, hoping for the strength to see her through the next stepof her life journey.
Conner.
She loved him.
She hadn’t loved anyone since her parents died, fearing if she lost another that she loved, she’d never survive it. Instead, she had kept her heart encased in a wall of stone,impervious to feeling.
Until Conner, who’d stormed in and broken down that wall as if were nothing but the weakest wall of sand.
Hearing from Chantal that Conner was in love with her gave her conflictingfeelings of euphoria and fear. Who wouldn’t want a man to love her? But love meant the possibility of loss, and she didn’t think she could take it if something happened tohim. Could she live with him, sleep with him every night, share her body with him but still keep her heart removed?
She wasn’t certain she was capable of that. And what of children? More people tolove, more potential for loss?
The moon provided no answers to the pain in her heart.
As always, she would do what she had to do and hope she never had to face that kind of loss again.
* * * * *
“For Christ’s sake, Con, breathe.”
Conner swallowed and inhaled deeply, glaring at Noah. “I
am
breathing, dammit!”
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He was getting married in an hour. An hour. Married. He still had a hard timewrapping his head around this whirlwind that had been his life lately.
And now he was dressed in Romanian garb, following their custom. Tight black pants and a crisp white shirt. He felt like a pirate, but what the hell.
“All you need is a broadsword, an eye patch and maybe an earring and you’ll be all set to rape and pillage.”
“Fuck off, Noah.”
Noah just laughed and led the way to the small chapel contained within the castle. An arched doorway was decorated with white flowers. He didn’t even know what they were or how they got there, but he assumed the people of Braslieu had spent the evening setting up decorations in the chapel.
A white linen carpet lined the short walkway from the entryway to the altar, where he and Noah waited. The top of each row of benches was adorned with white ribbons, and some other good-smelling white flowers sat in huge vases on either side of the altarstairs.
He found himself unable to stand still, fidgeting and rocking back on his heels.
He’d never been so nervous in his life. At least Chantal sat in the front row, afamiliar face to stare at. His mother had been disappointed that the wedding was taking
place too quickly for her to attend, but said she understood. She made him promise to have Chantal take pictures, and sure enough, his sister had her camera in her lap, periodically blinding him with the flash.
His mother had then left explicit instructions that he was to bring Katya to Boston as soon as possible so they could have a reception there. That conversation had gone much easier than he’d thought.
One battle down, one to go. Only this one wasn’t a battle. It was a forever-lifechanging event, and he didn’t feel the slightest bit prepared to take on a wife and all the responsibilities associated with caring for another person.
Yet it was his duty, and as his brother and sister reminded him, his destiny. He’d do what he had to do. All the Devlins would.
An old woman sat at the ancient organ and began to play. A haunting strain ofbeautiful but unfamiliar music echoed through the tiny chapel. Soon thereafter Elena came forward, dressed in a black full skirt and a long, flowing white blouse.
But Conner wasn’t looking at Elena. His gaze was trained on the archway, and he
was holding his breath.
He let it out when he saw Katya at the entryway, resisting the urge to whistle appreciatively.
God, she was a gorgeous woman. He didn’t know where the wedding dress came from, but it was a body-hugging white velvet that billowed out into a long train behind her. She looked the part of the princess today, carrying herself regally. As she walked down the aisle, her gaze focused only on him.
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His heart pounded like crazy, all the blood rushing from his head. He sure as hell hoped he wouldn’t faint. Noah would never let him live it down.
If he didn’t know better, he could swear Katya was scared to death. The flowers she held trembled and she looked so damn pale.
Marrying him couldn’t be that scary, could it?
Maybe she was overwhelmed with everything happening so fast, like he was. That had to be it.
But when she arrived at the altar, Conner felt the icy chill of her fingers. And it wasn’t cold in the chapel. She managed a tremulous smile, but her body was shaking.
Great. Now he had to worry about
her
fainting.
The mayor as well as a priest were present to provide both the civil and religiousceremony. All of it passed in a blur as words were spoken in Romanian and translated by Elena. When it came time to exchange rings, he pulled the ruby and diamond-encrusted ring from his pocket and slipped it onto Katya’s finger.
“This was my grandmother’s and was passed down to me to be given to the woman I chose to marry.” Thank God for overnight express delivery. As soon as his mother heard he was getting married, she’d sent the ring.
Katya looked up at him and smiled. Really smiled this time, her face finally showing some color. Moisture pooled in her eyes and she said, “Thank you, Conner. It is truly beautiful and I am honored.”
The rest of the ceremony moved quickly. He gathered Katya in his arms and toldher without words how he felt, kissing her passionately. Her skin warmed and he scented her body’s desire. His prime goal was to be alone with her as quickly aspossible.
But that wasn’t meant to be. At least not for a while. Apparently, Romanian
wedding celebrations were steeped in tradition and that meant that they spent the better part of the day and into the night celebrating with everyone in Braslieu. At least Katya had spent some time over the past week teaching him some rudimentary phrases in Romanian, and more people spoke English than he originally thought.
Throughout it all, Chantal took pictures. So many that he wanted to take the fucking camera and toss it out the nearest window. Unfortunately, she guarded the damn thing like a momma wolf guarding her pup, claiming she was doing it for Mom.
Whatever. He was likely to suffer permanent eye damage from the flash going off so many times. He was certain that Chantal derived some kind of perverse pleasure in torturing him.
Finally, he had a chance to dance with his bride. His bride. His wife. God, he still couldn’t believe all that had happened. Gathering her in his arms, he pulled her close, letting out a contented sigh.
“I’ve waited way too long to get you in my arms.”
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Katya smiled up at him. “It’s almost over. Did you know it is customary for the Carpathian lupines to consummate their marriage outside under a full moon?”
Hell, yeah. The moon was full tonight. “I’m always happy to bow to custom.”
“Only one more event and then we can be alone.”
He rolled his eyes. “Now what? Grape stomping? Tree chopping? Rope climbing?”
She laughed and shook her head. “No. It’s symbolic among my people, as I’m sureit is with yours.”
“By people, are you meaning Romanian or lupine?”
“Carpathian and lupine.”
Lord, if he had to perform another stupid task that required him to show hissuitability as a husband, he’d need a stiff drink. “What is it this time?”
“It is customary for the alpha male to prove that the he is willing to share all that hehas with the pack, that his mate will belong to all of the pack, symbolically speaking, ofcourse.”