162- The Oath Beneath the Sun
POV Lunara Grimwald:
Our friends were right in front of us, all of them smiling in complicity, having planned this surprise over the last few days and doing an incredible job of hiding everything from me. Lyris, Celindra, Andrei, and Nicoleta. I felt, not for the first time, and not for the last, Anton’s absence. And I knew it would always be like that, until our final breath.
“I don’t know how the ceremony worked in your former pack, but here it’s very simple. The main act is mating, and we’re already mated.” He held my hands and stepped closer, facing me. “I’m going to prick your finger and suck a drop of your blood, then speak my vow. You’ll do the same with me. There isn’t any object that represents our union, like it happens with humans. The representation, for us, is your scent, which is intertwined with mine, marking you as mine, just as I am marked as yours.”
I must have been the first bride to walk up to the altar without having the slightest idea what the ceremony would be like. But I was used to it by then. It wasn’t as if Edric and I followed to the letter the step-by-step that was normally done by a couple.
I nodded, swallowing to moisten the sensation of a dry throat.
He took my finger and brought it to his lips, looking at me through dark lashes.
I couldn’t move, couldn’t do anything—only stare and lose myself in his beauty and in the magnitude of the moment.
I felt a sharp fang pierce my skin, causing a brief sting. He sucked the drop of blood that appeared and ran his tongue over it, healing me.
“Lunara, member of the Eldoria pack,” he said, not referring to who I was, but rather to who I had become since we mated. “You are my anchor, the light that guides me through the darkness, my safe harbor. I promise to honor, protect, and love you for all eternity, as your husband and fated mate.”
I held my breath in my lungs, moved. His gaze carried the same feelings as mine.
Lyris stepped toward me and stopped at my side.
I took Edric’s hand and brought his index finger to my lips, piercing the tip of it with my fang and drinking the drop of his blood, which tasted like pure, ancient fire.
Lyris brought her lips close to my ear and whispered the words I was supposed to say.
“Edric, leader of the Eldoria pack,” I breathed, and I looked at him, showing—through my eyes—all the love I felt, as if it were spilling over from inside me. “You are my strength, my refuge in the storms, the flame that warms my heart,” I whispered the words Lyris spoke to me. “I promise to be your rock, your support, and your loyal partner for the rest of our days and beyond, as your wife and fated mate.”
The wolves of the Eldoria pack clapped and howled, lifting their faces to the sunny sky that shone down on us—blessing us, celebrating the union that had just taken place.
With a smile that could light up the entire clearing, Edric cupped my face in his hands and pulled me in, kissing me with love.
I was married.
Married to Edric Eldoria, my fated mate, my companion, my husband. I couldn’t believe it was true, that what we were living was our reality—especially after everything we’d been through.
I planned my wedding with Alessio, thought it would be the most special day of my life, the most incredible of all. I had the illusion of a romantic, lovestruck girl—until everything happened.
“Replace bad memories,” if he only knew that simply spending the rest of my days by his side would already be enough for me. No memory was strong enough to stop me from living fully—not if he was with me.
No ceremony could be as special as the one Edric prepared. Every small detail had meaning; everything had been done with love and dedication for the moment, planned by my mate and carried out by his pack as a welcome gift for me, of acceptance.
Not even in my deepest dreams could I have planned something so magnificent.
With gratitude in my heart and tears in my eyes, I turned toward the wolves of our pack, who were celebrating our happiness.
I leaned against Edric’s arm, satisfied with our journey. Our scars would tell stories in the future—not as marks of pain, but of what we overcame together.
With each challenge we conquered, we grew stronger, more united.
We became one.
Tears spilled from my eyes.
It was a cry of joy—for the family I built, for the love I found, and for the pack that had become my home.
...
Three Months Later
I helped Celindra with the pups’ snack, cutting the fruit into flower shapes, just like I loved to do. They had fun and always ate with pleasure.
I wiped my sweaty palms on the light dress I was wearing and looked at the teacher.
“Do you need me for anything else?” I asked. She smiled and nodded.
“You can go to your lake. Everything here is already taken care of, don’t worry.” She sighed. “After they eat, I’ll just run a few more activities and let them go.” She rubbed a hand over her forehead. “It’s so hot—I know they’re eager to escape from here.”
I nodded.
“I just want to take a nice, relaxing bath in the lake.” I rested my hand over the small swell of my belly. “Meet me there later—you and Lyris.”
She bristled, wrinkling her nose.
“As long as Edric is anywhere else—anywhere but there.” I couldn’t hold back the laugh that burst past my lips, drawing the attention of a few pups.
Edric had the old habit of swimming naked—especially when I was at the lake. The last time she and Lyris decided to go there and surprise me, they caught us in a somewhat embarrassing situation.
“I can’t say whether he’ll go there,” I admitted. “He’s in Valmorin, talking to Alpha Aldren. I don’t know how long it’ll take him to come back.”
She raised her brows, worried.
“Did something happen?”
“I don’t think so. He just called Edric to talk.” She huffed.