Chapter 158 Damien's POV

Chapter 158 Damien's POV
"Stop fidgeting with your collar," Jaxon says, swatting my hand away. "You look fine. Better than fine. Stop acting like you're about to face execution."
"Feels like it," I mutter, staring at myself in the mirror.
The formal Alpha ceremony robes are black with silver embroidery, wolves running along the hem, moon phases traced across the shoulders. 
They're beautiful. Expensive, and they make this all feel terrifyingly real.
In a few hours, I'll stand before the entire pack and officially claim Riley as my mate. The mating marks will be permanent. The bond will be sealed. There's no going back after tonight.
"You're doing it again," Lucien says from where he's sprawled on my couch. "That thing where you think too hard and start spiraling."
"I'm not spiraling."
"You're absolutely spiraling," Cassian confirms, adjusting his own formal attire with practiced precision. 
"You've checked your appearance six times in the last ten minutes. That's textbook spiraling."
"What if I mess up the vows?" I ask, voicing one of the dozen fears circling my mind. "What if I forget what I'm supposed to say? What if…"
"Then you'll improvise," Jaxon interrupts. "Riley's not marrying you for your public speaking skills. She's marrying you because, for some inexplicable reason, she loves your brooding, over-protective, occasionally stupid ass."
Through the bond, I feel Riley's laughter. She's listening, of course.
He's not wrong, she sends. I do love your occasionally stupid ass.
Not helping, I send back.
You're going to be fine. We're going to be fine. Stop panicking.
Easy for her to say. She's not the one who has to stand in front of hundreds of wolves and…
"Okay, intervention time," Lucien announces, standing. "Damien is officially in his head. Jaxon, get the whiskey."
"It's three in the afternoon," I protest.
"It's your mating ceremony," Jaxon counters, producing a bottle from somewhere. "Traditional pre-ceremony drink. Settle your nerves. Besides, your father will smell it and know we're doing this properly."
He pours four glasses, passing them around.
"To Damien," Cassian says, raising his glass. "Who somehow convinced the most stubborn, fierce, incredible woman to put up with him for life."
"To Riley," Lucien adds with a grin. "Who clearly has terrible taste in men but excellent timing. She's getting a future Alpha and all the headaches that come with him."
"To the mate bond," Jaxon finishes. "Which is either the moon's blessing or the moon's cruel sense of humor. Still haven't decided which."
We drink, and the whiskey burns in the best way.
"Better?" Cassian asks.
"Marginally," I admit.
"Good enough," Jaxon says, refilling the glasses. "Now, let's discuss the important things. Like whether you're actually ready for this."
"I'm ready," I say immediately.
"Are you?" Lucien challenges. "Because being mated isn't just the ceremony. It's every day after. It's sharing everything, your space, your life, your pack. 
It's having someone connected to your thoughts and emotions constantly. That's a lot, even for wolves."
"I know," I say. "And I want it. All of it. With Riley."
Through the bond, I feel her warmth. Her certainty matching mine.
"Even the parts where she's stubborn and won't listen to reason?" Jaxon asks.
"Especially those parts," I say.
"Even when she challenges your decisions in front of the Council?" Cassian adds.
"She keeps me honest," I say. "Makes me a better leader."
"Even when she refuses to hide during battles and scares you half to death?" Lucien finishes.
"Even then," I say firmly. "Because that's who Riley is. Strong. Brave. Unwilling to back down. I wouldn't change any of it."
The heirs exchange glances, and Cassian nods.
"Okay. You're ready."
"That was a test?" I ask.
"Everything's a test," Lucien says cheerfully. "But you passed. You see Riley for who she is, not who you want her to be. That's important."
A knock at the door interrupts us. My father enters, already dressed in his formal Alpha robes.
"How's he doing?" he asks the heirs.
"Spiraling," Jaxon reports. "But we're managing it."
"Good," my father says, then looks at me. "Can I have a moment with my son?"
The heirs file out, Lucien giving me an encouraging pat on the shoulder as he passes.
My father settles into the chair across from me, studying me with those cold gray eyes that miss nothing.
"You're nervous," he observes.
"Is it that obvious?"
"Only to someone who's been exactly where you are." He pauses. 
"I was terrified before my mating ceremony with your mother. Convinced I'd mess it up. That I'd say the wrong thing or somehow prove I wasn't worthy of her."
"What did you do?" I ask.
"I remembered why I was there. Not for the pack. Not for tradition. Not even for the ceremony itself. I was there for her. For Selena, because she was worth any fear, any challenge, any risk."
He leans forward.
"That's what you need to remember tonight. You're not performing for the pack. You're making a vow to Riley. 
Everything else is just ceremony. Just tradition. But that vow, that's real. That's what matters."
The words settle something in my chest.
"Did you ever regret it?" I ask. "The mating bond? The permanent connection?"
"Never," my father says without hesitation. "Your mother has been my partner through everything. Through political battles. Through raising you and Vivienne. 
Through decisions that could have destroyed us. She's kept me grounded. Kept me human when the Alpha role tried to make me cold."
He stands, placing a hand on my shoulder.
"Riley will do the same for you. She already does, and tonight, you're making that partnership official. 
So yes, be nervous. Be terrified. But also be certain, because I've watched you two together. I've seen how you balance each other. How you make each other stronger."
His grip tightens slightly.
"You chose well, Damien, and I'm proud of you. For seeing Riley's worth when others didn't. For standing beside her through everything. For becoming the kind of leader who values character over bloodline."
"Thank you," I manage, my throat tight.
My father nods and turns to leave, but pauses at the door.
"And Damien, after tonight, after the marks are sealed, remember one thing. Being mated doesn't mean you stop working at the relationship. 
It means you've committed to working at it forever. Don't take her for granted. Don't assume the bond will carry you through everything. Keep choosing her. Every day."
Then he's gone, leaving me with his wisdom and my thoughts.
Another knock. This time, it's Elder Isolde Mooncrest.
The ancient seer enters slowly, her blind eyes somehow finding me despite her lack of sight.
"Young Alpha," she says, her voice that familiar whisper. "May I?"
"Of course, Elder."
She settles into the chair my father vacated, and for a moment we sit in silence.
"I have seen many matings in my long life," she says finally. "Thousands. Some born of duty. Some born of convenience. Some born of genuine love. But few..." She pauses. "Few are born of destiny."
"You think Riley and I are destined?" I ask.
"I know you are," Elder Isolde corrects. "The moon showed me visions of you both long before you met. Shadow and light. Alpha and Luna. Two souls that would either save Silverwood or destroy it."
The words send ice down my spine.
"And which do you think we'll do?" I ask.
Elder Isolde's lips curve into something almost like a smile.
"You already have saved it. The battle proved that. But your work is not done. There are challenges ahead. 
Trials you cannot yet imagine. Forces that will test your bond to its breaking point."
"You're really not helping with the pre-ceremony nerves," I say.
The seer laughs, a sound I've rarely heard.
"I do not come to frighten you, young Alpha. I come to assure you. Whatever challenges lie ahead, you will face them together. 
That togetherness, that bond, is stronger than any force that might oppose you."
She stands, moving toward the door with uncanny precision for someone who cannot see.
"The moon blessed your bond long before you claimed it," she says. "Trust in that. Trust in her. Trust in what you're building together."
She pauses at the threshold.
"And Damien, when the darkness comes, as it always does, remember this moment. Remember why you chose her. 
Remember what you felt standing at that altar. That memory will anchor you when nothing else can."
Then she's gone, leaving me with cryptic warnings and unexpected comfort.
The heirs return moments later, finding me staring at nothing.
"What did Elder Isolde say?" Cassian asks.
"Something about darkness and trials and the bond being tested," I say.
"Classic Isolde," Lucien mutters. "Can't just say 'congratulations' like a normal person. Has to be all mysterious and ominous."
"She also said Riley and I are destined," I add.
"Well, obviously," Jaxon says. "We could have told you that. The way you two fought the mate bond at first? Classic destiny. The universe loves that kind of drama."
Despite the lingering unease from Elder Isolde's warning, I smile.
"Two hours until the ceremony," Cassian says, checking his watch. "Final preparations, and then you become officially mated to the most formidable woman in Silverwood."
"Terrifying," I mutter.
"In the best way," Lucien says.
Through the bond, I reach for Riley.
How are you holding up?
Harper has been working on my hair for an hour and Vivienne won't stop crying happy tears, she sends back. So about as well as you'd expect. You?
The heirs plied me with whiskey and my father gave me relationship advice. Also Elder Isolde predicted doom and destiny in equal measure.
Sounds about right, Riley responds, and I feel her amusement. Damien?
Yeah?
I can't wait to see you. To finally make this official. To be yours permanently.
You're already mine, I send. Have been since the mate bond snapped. Tonight just makes it official.
I know. But still. Can't wait.
Me neither, I agree.
And despite the nerves, despite the warnings, despite everything…
I mean it.
In two hours, Riley becomes my mate officially. My Luna. My partner in everything.
The heirs continue their banter around me, making jokes and offering advice and keeping me grounded.
My family has given their blessings.
The pack is gathering.
Riley is getting ready to walk down that aisle and change both our lives forever.
I touch the spot on my neck where her mark will go. Where permanent proof of our bond will be visible to everyone.
I'm ready. For the ceremony. For the bond. For the future we're building together. For all of it.
Let the challenges come. Let the darkness Elder Isolde warned about try to break us.
Riley and I have survived the Chasm. We've survived conspiracies and battles and forces that tried to tear us apart.
We can survive anything.
Together.