The Moment We've Been Waiting For (Part I)

*September*

“Oh, hell no!” Sterling growled at Jordan. “You and me, outside right now.”

Adjusting his lapels, Jordan eyeballed his brother. “Are you challenging me to a duel?”

“You’re damn right I am. You will not upstage me on my fucking wedding day!”

“Sterling, it’s my wedding day, too.”

“I don’t care! I’ve already accepted that Little Red is the sirloin steak. I mean she could come down in a brown paper bag and I’d still do a backflip, but you don’t get to be the mashed potatoes, Jordan. You look beautiful!”

“Sterling, we look the same.”

“Yeah, but somehow you make it look better.”

Placing a noogie in Sterling’s head, Jordan finally made him laugh. “You look very nice too, idiot. How do you feel?”

“Honestly? I’m so fucking happy I can hardly contain it. I would never compare Rhea and Morgan, especially after almost getting my ass kicked the last time, but I just feel”—he patted his chest—“like we really got a second chance to be happy.”

“I know what you mean. It’s weird. In all the years Morgan and I worked together, I would have never thought we would have ended up here. Now that I know what Rhea did, I’m convinced she somehow knew what was about to happen and sent her to us.”

Sterling nodded and grabbed Jordan’s hand. “Rhea, we’ll never forget you. You were our first love, and you made us into the men we became. You taught us so much, and we’ll always be grateful for that. Thank you for loving us so unconditionally.”

An Alpha, who thought he would never forgive the person who hurt him the most, laid his hand on the shoulder of the Alpha, who thought he would never forgive himself. And as they exited the suite to marry their shared love, they couldn’t help but think about how much she’d made them grow. What was meant to teach her a lesson, instead, taught them they knew nothing. Standing at the altar, they waited, and as soon as they saw her, their eyes teared.

Dressed in an Annie original, Morgan walked down to them.

Sterling leaned over to Jordan. “We’re so lucky,” he said, and Jordan had to agree.

This woman, their Luna, who looked at them with so much love, had healed his very soul. She was the woman whose direct nature he’d told himself he hated, when really it was what he looked forward to everyday.

She was the one whose body made his heart beat so fast, he complained about all the horrid things she wore. And if he was honest with himself, he knew she was made for him before he’d bitten her. She was his match in every way, her mind coming in a close second to her heart, that he loved most. He would spend the rest of his life grateful to her because she’d helped him become a better brother and an Alpha.

Sterling found himself in awe. He might joke a lot, but seeing Morgan, he couldn’t breathe. This was the woman who, from the first time he saw her, haunted his every thought. The woman whose eyes lit up when she saw him, whose laughter he craved so much, it almost became an addiction. And perhaps everyone thought he was a lunatic, or that he wasn’t the smartest, but the way Morgan looked at him with so much love made him feel like he could conquer the world.

He’d never met someone so brave, or who loved as ferociously as she did. Who could scare the hell out of him only because he was afraid that she would one day walk away. The Mad Jester who spent his time doing whatever he wanted, found himself pulled at the strings. Not by a woman who wanted to control him, but a mate who wanted to be a part of his world.

Morgan understood why Rachel cried at her wedding after seeing their tears. The way they looked at her while she walked towards them made her heart swell. As tears fell from her eyes, she looked from one to the other and wondered how she got so blessed. She was a woman so broken from abandonment that she was sent two hearts to make her whole.

Her Alpha, ever the professional, taught her to believe in herself. He was the one who loved her mind and who brought out new things in her. He was the one with the brain she admired and who had the heart she couldn’t believe that she owned.

Her Mad Jester, who from the first moment they met, showed her his entire soul. He was the one who was so courageous, he made her conquer her fears. To many, she was impulsive, but he showed her what she really had was passion. They were the two wolves who changed her life and made her become a better woman. Standing across from them, Morgan smiled, and they wiped away her tears.

“You look stunning, Morgan,” they said in unison.

“Back at cha,” she replied, making them laugh.

The three turned to the officiant, the feeling of completion flowing through them. In front of the entire Dark Moon and Moon Stone, two Alphas and their Luna hearts became one.

*****

Wedding Reception

Sterling was drunk. Having had too much champagne, he found himself giddy. Walking from the love seat table to the center of the stage, he tapped the microphone. “Is this thing on?”

“Get him,” Morgan said to Jordan.

He laughed. “Honey, wait, he might actually have something decent to say.”

Turning to gaze at Jordan and Morgan, Sterling placed his hand on his chest. “I’m fucking happy today.” He extended his hand to the crowd and lifted his head to the sky. “You all see this shit? This wedding band? I’m married to this woman!” From the crowd, he heard a familiar voice.

“Hell yeah!”

Sterling covered his mouth and looked at Morgan. “Oh my God, you didn’t.” She laughed as he turned back to the crowd. “Gar-to-the-motherfucking-bear…is that you?”

“Yup. Glad I came. It’s like the playboy mansion here. All the women are fine!”

He pointed at Gary. “You get me! Though there isn’t anyone finer than my Little Red!” He sat on the floor. “You know, I embarrassed myself the last time I took the mic, so, at the risk of doing that again, I wrote my thoughts out.” He faced Morgan and read from the paper. “Little Red, you reunited me with my brother and showed me how to love myself. I didn’t know what I needed until I met you. I didn’t know how incomplete I was until you showed me all the holes.”

Morgan’s face flushed, and she held onto Jordan and blew him a kiss. Happily, he turned back to the crowd. “Speaking of holes, did you all know Little Red no longer has a no-fly zone? At first, she would only let me get a mini-copter in there, but now it’s planes, trains, and automo—” His sentence broke off as Jordan grabbed him by the neck.

Snatching the microphone, Jordan glared at him. “And now, a word from the maid of honor.”

Alexus stood from her table and pointed at Sterling. “You know she’s going to beat you black and blue for that, right?” she said into her microphone.

“I know…”

She giggled before inhaling. “When my sisters first told me they had met the love of their lives, I was like, oh my God, that’s amazing! Then when Morgan told me she had two, I said, oh you naughty, naughty girl. And now, as I look at her with her mates, I can’t believe how entwined they are. To truly find each other in this harsh world means to hold on tight and never let go.

“You are a godsend to us, Morgan, and now you gave us two new brothers. You changed the Pierce family with your heart and kindness. You’re my sister. One of my favorite people in the entire world. I’m so happy to share your happiness.” Morgan felt a lump in her throat. “And shout out to you and Rachel for getting some badass werewolves! I mean, I probably would have judged you if you got something as lame as a vampire, but these guys? I’ll allow it. Either way, I wish you all the best, and I can’t wait to see everything you do as Luna and Alphas. Welcome to the family, big brothers. You three are going to show the world what true love means.”