169, Tieing the knot

169, Tieing the knot
Nash

We knocked on the door to Bone’s office and he called for us to come in. I opened the door and let Tite go in ahead of me.

“Come, sit,” Bones said as I closed the door behind us. “Ready to do this?” he asked us. I looked at Tite and she looked back at me. Neither of us could stop smiling. “I will take that as a yes,” Bones said with a chuckle.

“How about you?” Tite asked. He smiled at her.

“I am. Sometimes the thought of leaving the club is tough – it has been my life for the best part of it – then I remember what it will be doing instead, and I’m fine with it,” he told us. “Is everything ready to go?” he then asked.

“Yes. All guests are here, the ceremonial ground is ready, all members are ready and the party is all planned,” I told him.

“And your apartment?”

"My dad had all my things shipped down when they arrived, and we moved the last of our things from our room before we came here," Tite informed him.

"Things are falling into place. Bloody hell, I had no idea where we were going to end up when all of this started," Bones said, leaning back in his chair.

"It has been a crazy ride," I agreed, taking Tite's hand in mine.

"Any regrets?" he asked.

"None," I said.

"No, things landed where they were supposed to," Tite agreed.

"Good, good. It feels safe to leave the club, the pack, in your hands. The two of you will run it as it should be run. I see how much you both love it."

"Thank you," Tite said.

"And we expect you to check in and come to visit every now and then. You and Hilda will always have an apartment of your own here," I reminded him.

"We will stop by. Hilda wants to keep in contact with Tite, and we both want to keep an eye on you." We talked a little longer, and then Tite and I left. We walked up to what had first been my room and then our room. Now it was empty, with the exception of two garment bags.

"It feels a little surreal," Tite said, and kissed me.

"It does," I agreed. I pulled her in tighter against me and locked eyes with her. I took a moment to wonder at the never-ending need to have her close, to touch her, to show her affection, and to protect her. "I'm very lucky," I told her. She smiled and seemed to understand what I was talking about.

"I'm the lucky one," she said. "I had my doubts about you, but you proved me wrong. I think it's the first time I'm happy to be wrong." I smiled and kissed her.

"I love you," I told her.

"I love you too." We both needed these last few hours alone with each other. We had made sure that no one would need us. We could stay in the empty room that held so many memories. I had lived in it for years before I even met Tite, but now it was hard to remember not having her here by my side.

"I'm happy your family and friends could come," I told her.

"I am too. And they are just as much your family and your friends now," she pointed out.

"I would have guessed your father would hate me, but he seems to genuinely like me," I said.

"Of course, he does. How about your family? Do you want to reach out?" she asked. I took a moment to think it through before answering.

"No. I don't think I would enjoy that. Some things are better left in the past," I answered. Tite caressed my cheek.

"It's up to you. Let's leave that book closed. If you want it to remain closed, that's fine. Just remember that you can change your mind at any time," she reminded me.

"I will." We took a shower and got ready. Tite stood in front of her dress, staring at it. Normally, Tite in her underwear would have sent my thoughts in a naughty direction, but something felt off. I walked up to her and wrapped my arms around her from behind. I hadn't put on my shirt yet, and when our bare skin touched, the familiar sparks erupted.

"Don't you like it?" I asked. The dress had been ordered from a special shop that both Luna Bella and Luna Alice had insisted she needed to use. It looked beautiful, with a corseted top and a flowy skirt of some thin material scattered with gold at the bottom.

"It's white," she pointed out.

"It is. I thought that was the point. Lunas wear white," I agreed.

"I know. It will be the first time I wear it," she said, and I understood. It was a big moment for her.

"You deserve to wear it. You've been the Luna of this pack since you came here. You've tried to save us and make us better than we were. Sometimes you've had to drag us kicking and screaming, and I thank you for doing it," I told her. She let out a deep breath, and I felt her relaxing.

"It feels big," she confessed.

"It is big, but big in a good way." She nodded and reached for the dress. "Need help?" I asked. She looked over her shoulder at me with a smile.

"I can manage for now, but you'll have to help me tie it," she said. I kissed her bare shoulder and let her go. I needed to put on the white shirt and blood-red tie, a symbol of my Alpha status. I usually avoided ties, but as Tite had pointed out, this was big. I was putting on my patch when Tite asked me for help. I walked over to her again and looked with some horror at the ribbon that zig-zagged across her back. "Nash?" she asked when I didn't move.

"How do I do this?" I asked. She giggled.

"In the middle, on both sides, there's a part of the ribbon that forms a loop," she explained. I could see what she meant. "Pull on those until the lacing is tight, and then tie it." I pulled on the loops and saw the ribbon tightening. I didn't want to pull it too tight and hurt her.

"Like this?" I asked when I felt it was enough.

"No, tighter. We don't want the top to slide down," she said.

"No, we don't!" I agreed and tightened the lacing. I could hear her chuckling.

"That's better," she told me. I tied the ribbon at her back, making several knots to ensure it wouldn't come loose. "Will you be able to untie it later?" she asked.

"I can use a knife," I said. She laughed and turned around. She looked amazing, but then she always did to me. "You look like a real Alpha," she told me. Her hands smoothed my shirt and adjusted my tie.

"Thank you. You look beautiful, and I guess you look like a real Luna. My experience in the field is limited," I confessed.

"Are we ready to do this?" she asked.

"We are," I told her, and we kissed.