Chapter 160 Riley's POV

Chapter 160 Riley's POV
A knock at the door distracts us, and Professor Liora enters. She stops when she sees me, her emerald eyes widening.
"Riley," she breathes. "You're radiant."
"Thank you," I manage.
"I came to tell you it's almost time," Professor Liora says. "The guests are assembled. The ceremony ground is ready. Damien is at the altar."
Through the bond, I feel his nervous anticipation spike.
Ready? he sends.
As I'll ever be, I respond. You?
I've been ready since the mate bond snapped. Everything else is just ceremony.
Sweet talker, I send again, but I feel the warmth of his words settling into my chest.
"One last thing," Harper says, handing me a small bouquet. White roses and moon blossoms, tied with silver ribbon. "For the walk."
I take the flowers with trembling hands.
This is it. In minutes, I'll walk down that aisle. Stand before the pack. Speak vows that will bind me to Damien permanently.
"Nervous?" Vivienne asks, seeing my expression.
"Terrified," I admit. "What if I trip? What if I forget my vows? What if…"
"What if you just focus on Damien?" Selena interrupts gently. "Not the pack. Not the ceremony. Just him. Everything else will follow."
It's similar to what Alpha Marcus told Damien, I realize through the bond.
"Okay," I say, taking a deep breath. "Focus on Damien. I can do that."
"You can do anything," Harper says firmly. "You survived the Chasm. You destroyed a shadow core. You faced down your father. This is just walking down an aisle and saying some words."
"In front of hundreds of people," I point out.
"Details," Vivienne says with a grin.
Music drifts up from outside, the ceremony is beginning.
Professor Liora offers her arm. "Shall we?"
I take one last look in the mirror. The Luna staring back at me looks confident. Certain. Ready.
I hope she knows something I don't.
We process out of the room and through the academy halls. Students and staff we pass stop and stare, some bowing their heads respectfully. Word has spread fast, the ceremony is starting.
We reach the entrance to the ceremony grounds, and I can hear the music more clearly now. Traditional wolf ceremony melodies, ancient and beautiful.
Through the doors, I see the aisle lined with thousands of white flowers. Lanterns hanging from trees. Hundreds of guests in their seats.
And at the altar, Damien.
Even from this distance, I can see him clearly. The formal black robes with silver embroidery. 
The way he stands tall and confident despite the nervousness I feel through our bond. The heirs flanking him, his father beside him.
He's waiting for me.
Through the bond, I feel his love like a physical force. His certainty. His absolute commitment to what we're about to do.
I see you, he sends, and I realize he can see me now at the entrance. Riley, you're... I don't have words. You're stunning.
You're not so bad yourself, I send back, echoing his earlier words.
The music swells, signaling the bride's entrance.
Everyone stands.
"Ready?" Professor Liora asks one last time.
I look down the aisle. At Damien. At the future we're about to claim together.
"Yes," I say with absolute certainty. "I'm ready."
Professor Liora releases my arm, I'm walking alone. My choice. My decision. My commitment.
I take the first step down the aisle, and suddenly, the nervousness fades. The fear dissipates, because this isn't about the ceremony or the pack or the traditions.
This is about Damien and me. About choosing each other. About making permanent what's already been true since the mate bond snapped.
I walk steadily, my eyes never leaving his. Through the bond, I feel everything, his love, his pride, his overwhelming joy that we're finally here.
Guests blur into background noise. The flowers and lanterns fade into soft focus. There's only Damien, watching me walk toward him with an expression that makes my heart stutter.
Almost there, I send.
Take your time, he responds. I could watch you walk toward me forever.
But eventually, I reach the altar. Professor Graymark stands ready to officiate. Alpha Marcus looks solemn but proud. The heirs are grinning, and Damien…
Damien is looking at me like I'm the only thing in the world that matters.
Professor Graymark begins speaking, but I barely hear the words. I'm too focused on Damien. On the bond humming between us. On the certainty that this moment, right here, is what every challenge was leading to.
The vows come naturally when it's time. Words I've been holding in my heart, finally given voice.
And when Damien speaks his vows, when he tells me I'm perfect for him and for this pack, when he promises to stand beside me through everything…
I feel the truth of it resonate through the bond. Through my soul. Through everything I am.
Then comes the marking.
The permanent claiming that will seal our bond forever.
I tilt my head, exposing my neck, and through the bond I send everything I feel. All my love. All my certainty. All my commitment.
When Damien's canines pierce my skin, the bond explodes with power.
Silver and gold. Luna and Alpha. Light and shadow merging into something stronger than either could be alone.
The mark appears, I can't see it, but I feel it. Feel the magic settling into my skin, proclaiming to everyone what I am to him.
Then it's my turn.
I mark him with the same care, the same love, the same absolute certainty, and the bond completes.
Permanent. Unbreakable. Forever.
"By the authority vested in me," Professor Graymark announces, "I declare Damien Blackthorn and Riley Ashford mated. What the moon has joined, let no one separate."
The crowd erupts in howls.
And Damien pulls me into his arms and kisses me like we're the only two people in the world.
Through the bond, everything floods between us. Past, present, future. Every struggle. Every triumph. Every moment that led us here.
We're mated. Truly, completely, permanently mated, and I've never felt more certain of anything in my life.
When we finally break apart, the crowd is on its feet, celebrating.
Alpha Marcus places the official Luna circlet on my head, replacing the borrowed one.
The Council acknowledges me formally, and just like that, I'm Luna.
Riley Blackthorn. Luna-designate of Silverwood.
The scholarship girl from the trailer park who became exactly what she was meant to be.
Through the bond, Damien squeezes my hand.
How does it feel? he asks.
Like coming home, I respond, and I mean it, because Silverwood is home now. Damien is home. This pack that finally, fully accepts me is home, and I'm ready for whatever comes next.
Together