by E A Price
“So what?” Hanna fingered the bodice. “Hardly anyone wears white anymore.”
Nina nodded in agreement. “Yeah, it’s not like you’re a virg… oof.”
Kira elbowed her, and her wolf grumbled at their little sister. She was given a death glare in return.
Hanna ignored them. “Lots of people have all sorts of colored wedding dresses. You can have red, gold, cream or even black.”
Nina stopped glowering. “I like that; I’m definitely having a black wedding dress if I ever find a dumbass worth marrying.”
“But in the meantime, what am I supposed to do with Barbie’s prom dress?” asked Lilah, her voice cracking.
Kira looked at the dress shop owner. “Is there any way it can be dyed a different color?”
The nervous looking rabbit shifter shook her head. “No, it would ruin the material.”
“Is there any way a new dress can be made?”
The rabbit sighed. “Not by Valentine’s Day.”
Kira looked around the shop. “Could we take one of these off-the-rack dresses instead?”
“Sure, I’ll pull together everything in Lilah’s size.”
“I still think you should go with the pink one,” insisted Hanna.
Lilah tried to stem her burgeoning tears. “I don’t think…”
Kira held Lilah’s hand. “You could always try it on. It is a really pretty dress.”
Lilah bit her lip. “You don’t think it’s too girly?”
Kira squeezed her hand. “It’s vey girly, but what’s wrong with being girly?”
“I don’t know. Do you think Tommy will like it?”
Nina let out a chuckle. “You could walk down the aisle naked and he’d like it, actually, he’d probably prefer it.”
Kira pulled out her cell phone. “I tell you what, I’ll find out whether Tommy likes pink while you try it on.”
*
“Fuck, Lilah’s never going to marry me know. What am I supposed to do? My life is over.”
Gabe passed the hyperventilating bear shifter the paper bag he had taken to carrying around.
Gabe and his mate Kira had only been in town since the previous evening, but they had been thoroughly sucked into the madness of the wedding preparations. Tommy’s best man was, unfortunately, detained, for thirty days in the county lock-up, and couldn’t make the wedding. Kira had volunteered Gabe to take his place. Gabe didn’t mind really, he’d do anything his mate asked and besides, he liked Tommy and wanted his sister-in-law to be happy. However, anything that could go wrong had, and it left Lilah tearful and wanting to cancel the wedding, which led to Tommy panicking that he and Lilah would never be together.
Gabe looked up at the huge bear shifter and shrugged. “It’ll be fine.”
Tommy looked at him like he was mad. “How can it be fine? Lilah wanted white tulips and they’ve delivered pink ones. This is a disaster – she’ll never forgive me!”
Gabe gave him a disapproving frown. “I don’t think you give Lilah enough credit.”
Tommy looked a little guilty and was about to say something when Gabe’s phone rang. “Hold that thought, it’s Kira.”
He walked a few steps away and answered. “Hey, flower.”
“Hey, Bambi. How’s yours doing?”
He immediately warmed at hearing his mate’s voice and his wolf sighed contentedly. “Currently going into the meltdown about the flowers, how ‘bout yours?”
She let out a small giggle. “Ditto about the wedding dress. Hey, does Tommy like pink?”
Gabe paused and looked at the big man currently scrubbing his hands over his face. He doubted the bear shifter had ever been asked that question. “Well, given that the white flowers have arrived and they’re actually pink, I think that he can learn to love pink in the next couple of days.”
“No way! Listen, Lilah’s wedding dress has accidentally been made in pink fabric instead of white. She looks beautiful, but she’s not sure about the color.”
Gabe chuckled. “Tell her she’ll match the flowers.”
“She wants to make sure that Tommy won’t mind her wearing a pink dress.”
“I know he won’t, but gimme a second.” Gabe pulled the phone away from his ear. “Hey, Tommy, how would you feel if Lilah wore a pink wedding dress?”
Tommy’s look of worry melted to adoration. “She’ll look beautiful in pink.”
Gabe nodded and pulled the phone back. “That’s a go for pink. How would she feel about the flowers being pink?”
“I already asked, and she’s fine with that, she says that at least the flowers will make it look like she chose pink for her dress on purpose.”
Gabe breathed a sigh of relief. “Hey, that’s great, I love it when a plan comes together.”
Kira giggled down the phone. “Right back at ya, Hannibal. If I haven’t said it before, thank you, and I love you for helping out like this. You’re the best.”
His wolf puffed out his chest. “You don’t have to thank me; I’m your mate. Your pain is my pain. But, I better get going, because my pain is starting to get antsy. I love you.”
“Me too, bye.”
Gabe clicked his phone off and gave Tommy the good news. The agitated bear almost collapsed in relief.
Gabe patted him on the back. “Two more days and this will all be over.”
*
13th February
“Oh hell! This is a disaster! The wedding is cursed! We’re never going to be able to get married tomorrow!”
Kira once again pulled her twin into a comforting hug.
“Why not?” asked Hanna, “I think it’s really kooky.”
“You would,” sneered Nina.
Kira growled at both of them and soothed her sister. It was déjà vu again. This time, it was another problem with the caterers. The first caterers they had hired canceled at the last minute. They were a husband and wife team who were getting a sudden divorce and therefore refused to work with one another. When they had called to cancel, they hadn’t put it so succinctly as that, and words like adulterer and lying bastard had been thrown around.
At the last minute, they had hired the same caterer that provides refreshments for the dances at the local high school. Unfortunately, something seemed to have been lost in translation, and they had just taken delivery of hundreds of pink coconut snack cakes, packs of crackers and bags of pretzels.
Their mother, Mari looked through the food carefully. “Sweetheart, it’s going to be okay. We just have to improvise a bit.”
“The pretzels and crackers could be entrees,” suggested Hanna.
Nina agreed. “Yeah, we could get loads of different kids of dips for them.”
Hanna bobbed her head in agreement. “We could get some tortilla chips too, and some vegetables, to go with the dips.”
Kira smiled. “We could have salsa, thousand island, barbecue – who doesn’t love dipping food.”
Lilah sniffled. “But we don’t have any of those things, and we’re still missing a main course and dessert.”
Kira snapped her fingers. “Pot luck.”
The other women in her family looked at her inquisitively, and Kira explained. “My new Alpha, when it was his wedding, the reception was done as a pot luck. All the pack wanted to contribute to helping out with the wedding, so they were asked to provide the food. Everyone brings a dish, so there’s always loads.”
Mari kissed her daughter on her temple. “Good thinking, brainiac.”
Lilah looked at them doubtfully. “Are you sure people won’t mind?”
Mari waved away her concerns. “Of course not, everyone will be thrilled to help. You said that you didn’t know what presents you wanted. Well, this can be the presents.”
Lilah and Tommy had specified that they didn’t want presents as Tommy already had a house with furniture and appliances. Anything they didn’t already have, Lilah wanted to pick out herself.
“Well, if you think it will be okay…”
“It wil
l be, honey. I’m going to make a quick call to our female Alpha, and she will put the word out that we need food. Then, when your father has finished helping with the tables, we will go to Bulk Buy and pick up some dips and vegetables. Everything’s going to be fine.”
Mari made kissing noises at all her daughters and left to find her mate.
Kira beamed. “You see? Crisis averted!”
Lilah let out a nervous chuckle. “Yeah, thank god. I’m sorry I’m turning into a bridezilla.”
Nina affected a look of surprise. “What? You? Never!”
Hanna rolled her eyes. “Ignore her, you’re the bride, you’re allowed to be as bat-crap crazy as you want.”
Lilah’s eyes widened. “So you do think I’ve been bat-crap crazy?”
Kira rubbed her arm. “Ignore both of them. The only thing that’s important is that this time tomorrow, you’ll be married to your mate and all these hiccups will be a distant memory.”
*
“Crap! Fucking hell! Lilah’s going to call off the wedding! What am I supposed to do? My life is ruined!”
Gabe smiled indulgently at the overly-dramatic bear shifter. “It’s going to be okay.”
Tommy’s eyes flashed to black as his teeth and fangs surged forward. “How is it going to be okay?” he hissed.
Gabe’s wolf snarled, but he pushed him back. The bear wasn’t making a challenge; he was just upset. The wedding cake Tommy and Lilah had ordered had met with an unfortunate accident. The cake shop had dropped it as they were trying to move it.
The cake shop owner was very apologetic, but the only alternative cakes they could offer weren’t exactly thrilling. One was for a toddler’s birthday, and one was for a wake. What they really needed was a three-tier coconut cake with vanilla buttercream icing. However, they weren’t going to get it.
Tommy almost looked like he was on the verge of tears.
Gabe slapped him on the back in a friendly fashion. “I’m gonna call Kira, and together we will think of a solution. Everything’s going to be fine.”
He pulled out his phone and started dialing his mate. She answered on the first ring with a cheerful hello. His wolf almost purred when she came on the line; they hadn’t seen enough of each other during the past few days.
“Hey, flower, how’s everything on your end?”
“We had a mini-crisis with the caterers but everything’s in hand. How about you?”
Gabe looked at Tommy and gave him a reassuring smile. “We have a problem with the cake.”
“Oh, what?”
“There is no cake.”
Kira let out a long breath. “Oh, crap.”
“My thoughts exactly.”
Kira was silent for a few seconds, and Gabe could imagine her biting her plump lip. He felt a bolt of arousal; what he wouldn’t give to be the one biting that lip.
“I might have an idea,” she said slowly, “hold on.”
Gabe waited patiently as he heard some muffled talking. Moments later, Kira came back on the line. “We’ve got it covered.”
Gabe raised his eyebrows. “Really?”
“Yep, really.”
“So, what do you have in mind?” he asked, curiously.
“Let’s just say it’s coconutty and will definitely go with the pink theme we seem to be cultivating.”
Gabe could imagine her dark eyes twinkling, the way they did every time she had an idea. “I can’t wait to see it.”
“Careful, you’re starting to sound as excited as the groom.”
Gabe paused. “Would that be a bad thing?”
Kira let a few beats pass. “No, it wouldn’t.”
“I’ll see you later, flower. Love you.”
“Me too, Bambi.”
*
14th February
After the manic lead-up to the wedding, the day itself was actually quite uneventful. The ceremony went off without a hitch; everyone agreed that Lilah looked divine in the pink wedding dress, and commended her on daring to be different.
The wedding cake, a mass of pink coconut cakes pressed together into a tower, was drooled over by guests young and old and the delicate pink flowers were charming. Lilah’s three bridesmaids, all her sisters, wore cream dresses.
The groom looked… uncomfortable, frankly. He started the day by pulling on his collar and complaining about the tightness of his tux, but the moment he saw Lilah, all of that was forgotten.
The pot luck had been a success, with pack members generously donating huge amounts of food. After the ceremony, the meal, the speeches and a very vigorous amount of dancing, Lilah and Tommy had happily gone back to Tommy’s house. They were spending the night there and then leaving for their honeymoon in the morning. Kira, Nina and Hanna had decorated their bedroom with rose petals and candles.
Most of the guests were leaving; there were just a few stragglers left. Including Kira and Gabe. They danced slowly, clinging to each other.
Kira drew back to look at her handsome mate; she and her wolf swooned at his chiseled features. “You know with all this wedding madness I just realized I forgot to tell you, Happy Valentine’s Day.”
Gabe kissed the spot beneath her ear. “Happy Valentine’s Day, flower.”
“It’s our first one and I didn’t get you anything.”
He chuckled softly. “Don’t worry, I figure we’ve got lots more Valentine’s Days in front of us for you to make it up to me.”
Kira gave him a naughty smile, and her beast almost purred. “Why don’t I make it up to you?”
Gabe cocked a smile at her. “Alright, you’ve twisted my arm.”
She swatted at him and quickly grabbed his hand, pulling him towards the house. He was surprised when she didn’t pull him to her bedroom. They were mated; her parents had no problem with them sharing a bed.
Instead, Kira pushed and pulled him into the bathroom. She turned the water on and began stripping. She looked at him incredulously as he stood gaping at her like a darn fish.
“Pants mister!”
“Yes ma’am.” He nodded and began shucking out of his own clothes. “Any reason we’re not doing this in our room?”
She licked her lips. “I figure we can be as vocal as we want in here.”
Gabe grinned as his wolf panted madly. “I like the way you think.”
She wiggled her butt at him. “I’ll bet that’s not all you like.”
He laughed but hesitated slightly. He bent down and found his pants again.
“You haven’t changed your mind, have you?” she asked with a frown.
His wolf roared. “Hell, no. It’s just, ah, I've been trying to find the right time all day, and with you standing there naked, well, fuck, flower, there isn’t a more perfect sight than that.”
He fished something out of his pocket and got down on one knee. Kira sucked in a breath as her wolf went wild.
He flipped open a jewelry box, uncovering a diamond ring. “Kira Jayne Norton, will you…”
“Oh my god!” she squealed and launched herself at him.
He almost toppled over as she planted kisses all over his face. His wolf roared in happiness.
Gabe managed to stand up amid her passionate onslaught. He placed the ring on the counter, and they stumbled into the shower.
She moaned into his mouth as he swiftly lifted her up his body and thrust his thick length inside her. He pushed her against the tiled wall and began driving himself into her again and again. Her claws flexed into his shoulders as her body tingled and trembled in readiness at the upcoming release.
He growled as their flesh slapped together, and her glorious body vibrated around him. Damn, it had only been a few days but even that had been too long. Far too long. His wolf howled in agreement. He sped up his movements, and Kira screamed as her orgasm cascaded through her body.
Her inner muscles clutched at him, and she pressed her fangs into his shoulder. Gabe bellowed as he hardened and exploded inside her. Their wolves yapped pleasurably as feelings of love
flowed through their bond.
Kira finally released his neck and began licking at his wound as Gabe sank to the floor of the shower. He ran his hands over her skin as they enjoyed the gentle aftershocks of their lovemaking.
Gabe snickered softly. “I take it that’s a yes.”
“Mmmm, that’s a hell yes. When did you get the ring?”
“Yesterday, after the cake emergency. How soon should we get married?”
Kira giggled. “Why don’t we give my family a little time to calm down from today’s wedding, and then we’ll get married?”
“Sounds like a plan; how long?”
“Is two weeks too soon?” she asked fluttering her eyelashes.
“Not soon enough.” Mine.
Kayleigh & Don – Camping
14th February
“Camping, Don? Camping? This is your idea of a romantic Valentine’s getaway?”
Kayleigh’s eyes bulged as she stared at her mate.
A week ago, Don had announced that he wanted to whisk her away for a romantic getaway on Valentine’s Day, and he was adamant that the location would be a surprise. Kayleigh had been bouncing up and down with excitement for the past week imagining where they might go. New York? Hawaii? Paris? Nope, he’d brought her out to the back of beyond!
That morning, he’d bundled her into his truck, blindfolded her and after driving for a few hours, including a very strange meal at a Diner where she remained blindfolded, they had arrived. In hell, as far as she was concerned.
“When you use the words romantic and getaway together, I picture a fancy hotel, a hot tub and room service. Not a freezing-cold tent in the middle of a forest!”
Don grinned as he set up the tent. “Really? I picture the two of us naked, sharin’ a sleepin’ bag and miles from anybody else. Besides, you said you wanted to come campin’ with me, so here we are.”
Kayleigh bit her lip. God, she could kick herself. She had said that a few times.
Don was a wolf shifter and a member of the Grey wolf pack who lived in a town called Rose. He was the pack tracker, more skilled at tracking and hunting than any other wolf. While it made her inordinately proud, it also irked her something fierce. It was his job to train other wolves to hunt and track. This meant he often travelled out of town, to the middle of nowhere, to camp with young, lissome, female wolves, to hone their skills…