Chapter 210: Chapter Two Hundred And Ten

Camille’s POV

I stood in front of the mirror while Lena helped secure the last clasp of my dress. The rehearsal gown wasn’t the final one, but it still made my chest tighten. Soft ivory, simple straps, a flowing skirt, nothing dramatic, nothing royal. Just me. A woman getting ready to marry a man who had held my broken pieces like treasures.

Theo watched from the doorway, leaning against the frame like he needed the support. His eyes softened every time they touched me, but something behind that softness was wound tight. Stress. Worry. Pressure. He hid it well, but not from me.

“You look perfect,” he said quietly.

“You look tense,” I replied.

He tried to smile, but it didn’t reach his eyes. “Just a lot to handle today.”

I walked to him and fixed his collar even though it didn’t need fixing. “I know you’re carrying a lot. But you’re not carrying it alone.”

His hand brushed my cheek, gentle, grateful. “You make it too easy to forget the rest of the world exists.”

I leaned into the touch. “Good. Forget it today. Just be here with me.”

Lena cleared her throat, smiling softly. “Okay, lovebirds. Rehearsal time.”

We stepped out of the room and walked down the hall. Guards passed us discreetly, wolves mixed with humans. I felt protected, but not smothered. For the first time in a long time, I felt… safe. Truly safe.

When we reached the lounge area, my grandfather was waiting near the window. He turned when he heard our footsteps. The moment he saw me dressed for the rehearsal, something warm flickered in his eyes.

“Camille,” he breathed. “Come here.”

I walked to him with a smile. He held my hands gently, as if they were something sacred.

“My beautiful girl,” he said, voice thick. “You look so much like your mother today.”

That sentence always hit me in a place I didn’t have a name for. “You really think so?”

“More than you know.” His hands lifted to cup my face. “The same spark. The same stubborn grace. And that same quiet fire that doesn’t bend to anyone.”

I swallowed. He rarely spoke of her. This felt like opening a door we had both been afraid to touch.

He took a breath. “When I lost your mother, I thought that was the end of my story. The world felt smaller. Colder. And I learned to live with that emptiness.” His voice cracked softly. “Then you came back into my life.”

“Grandfather…”

He held my hands tighter. “You gave an old man hope again. You reminded me that blood carries strength forward. That the Steele name still meant something. You were the light I didn’t expect, the second chance life rarely gives.”

Tears stung my eyes, but I held still, listening.

“I am proud of the woman you’ve become,” he continued. “Not because you’re strong. But because you survived when the world tried to break you. And now you stand here… loved, safe, and choosing your own future.” His gaze shifted to Theo briefly. “You chose well.”

Theo bowed his head, respecting the moment.

My grandfather lifted my chin. “Thank you for coming back into my life, Camille. Thank you for letting me be part of your story. After losing your mother, I never imagined I’d get this gift.”

I wrapped my arms around him, and he embraced me fully, holding me like he wasn’t letting go.

“I love you,” I whispered.

“And I love you, my girl,” he murmured. “More than you will ever know.”

Theo watched quietly, his eyes soft, full of something warm and protective. When I stepped back, wiping a tear, he moved closer and pressed a kiss to my temple.

“Are you ready?” he asked.

I looked between the two most important men in my life, one who raised me with memories, one who rebuilt me with love.

“Yes,” I said, lifting my chin. “Let’s go rehearse a wedding.”

Theo held my hand. My grandfather walked on my other side.

For a moment, the world outside didn’t matter. All I felt was this steady, overwhelming truth.

As we entered the rehearsal hall, I stood between Theo and my grandfather. The room was bright, filled with soft music and the scent of fresh flowers. White petals lined the aisle. The chairs were arranged neatly. Everything looked close to perfect.

But nothing felt more perfect than the two hands brushing mine.

Lena hurried ahead to speak with the coordinator while I stayed with Theo and my grandfather. The coordinator clapped her hands lightly.

“Alright, let’s try the entrance first. Camille, we’ll start with you and your grandfather. Theo, wait for your cue at the altar.”

Theo lifted my hand to his lips. “I’ll be right there.”

My heart warmed. “I know.”

My grandfather held out his arm, the same way he would on the real day. I slipped my hand into the crook of his elbow. His grip was steady, proud, protective.

“You ready, my girl?” he asked.

“Yes,” I whispered. “More than ever.”

The music started, soft strings, gentle and warm. We began to walk. Step by step. A slow pace that stretched into something emotional. Something symbolic.

My grandfather leaned closer, murmuring without looking away from the path ahead. “Your mother would be honored to see you walking toward a man who truly deserves you.”

Tears gathered at the corners of my eyes, but I blinked them back. “Thank you for walking with me.”

“Always.”

Halfway down the aisle, Theo turned to look at us.

He inhaled sharply.

His jaw clenched.

And the warmth in his eyes nearly stole my breath.

It wasn’t the look of a king.

It wasn’t the look of a protector.

It was the look of a man who had found the one thing he never planned for, never expected, but would fight the world to keep.

We reached the end of the aisle. Theo met us, nodding to my grandfather before taking my hands into his.

“How do you feel?” he asked softly.

“Like the luckiest woman alive.”

His lips curved into a slow, reverent smile. “Good. Because I feel like the luckiest man.”

The coordinator clapped again. “Wonderful. Now let’s practice the vows. You don’t have to say the real ones today, just something simple.”

Theo didn’t give me a chance to speak first.

He lifted my hands, voice steady and low, “On our wedding day, I’m not promising you perfection. I’m promising you presence. I’ll stand beside you in every storm. I’ll guard your heart, your peace, your happiness. And I’ll love you in every way a man can love a woman.”

My breath caught.

Even the coordinator froze.

My turn.

I swallowed gently. “Theo… I’m marrying you because you’re the first person who saw me, not the scandal, not the headlines, not the broken pieces. Just me. You gave me a place to breathe again. A future to walk toward. And I’m choosing you every day, every moment, for the rest of our lives.”

Theo’s thumb brushed my cheek, catching a tear before it fell.

My grandfather exhaled shakily behind me. Even Ethan, standing guard near the wall, looked away like he was witnessing something sacred.

The coordinator cleared her throat. “I… think that’s enough for rehearsal. The real vows might actually make me cry.”

Everyone chuckled softly, easing the thick emotion in the air.

Theo squeezed my hand. “Come on,” he murmured. “Let’s walk it one more time.”

We practiced the walk, the positioning, the timing. Each time our eyes met, something in my chest tightened in a way that felt like love, deep, raw, certain.

When the final round was done, the coordinator dismissed everyone. My grandfather kissed the top of my head before leaving the hall.

Lena hugged me tight. “You two are going to make people believe in love again.”

When she left, Theo slid his arms around my waist from behind, resting his chin on my shoulder.

“One more day,” he whispered.

“One more day,” I echoed.

He pressed a soft kiss to my neck, pulling me closer.

And in the quiet of the rehearsal hall, beneath the golden lights and scattered petals, I realized something with absolute clarity:

Tomorrow, I wasn’t just walking toward a wedding. I was walking toward the life I fought for. The life I deserved. With the man who chose me, every part of me, without hesitation and nothing Miles did would ever take that from us.