by Karen Ruth
A low voice echoed through my head. “Be safe dear sweet Nina. I will see you soon.”
I turned around and stuck my tongue out at him.
“You are not out of trouble just yet.” I replied to him.
“We will see.”
I left the conversation at that and walked out the door to head to my dreaded room.
As I walked into my room, my heart dropped in dread. A whole group of people were waiting for me, sitting on the couch. I couldn’t help myself, I let out yet another audible groan.
“Let the fun begin.” I said quietly, not really to anyone in particular.
I heard a soft giggle come from the kitchen.
“Cath? Is that you?” I asked in a normal tone.
“Coming Nina!” She yelled back at me.
She was obviously still getting used to the fact that I could hear her if she just talked to me. There wasn’t truly a need for her to yell at me.
Catherine approached me with Reed right behind her. She was still in the same outfit that she was wearing to the wedding.
“Does this mean you get to be tortured too?” I asked her, hopeful.
“Tortured? This will be fun Nina!” She yelled excitedly.
“At least once of us will enjoy ourselves,” I replied with a small giggle.
“Aww come on Babe. It can’t be that bad.” Reed replied giving me a small wink.
“Oh yeah sure. You are more than free to take my spot if you want.” I replied flicking my arm yet again signify the people sitting on the couch.
“I think that is my que to leave.” Reed said popping a grape into his mouth. “I will see you later chickas.” He said as he walked towards the door.
“Coward,” I muttered out loud to Catherine could hear as well.
“Nina, that isn’t nice.” My sister said reprimanding me and slapping my arm.
“Neither is being a tease,” I replied while crossing my arms.
Reed simply winked at us and walked out the door, escaping the immenent threat that lies ahead for Catherine and me. Well actually for me, Catherine is going to be in a heaven of sorts. I’m just glad that she will at least enjoy herself. She needs some good pampering after everything we have been through lately.
“Let the fun begin.” I said to Catherine.
“Yippee!” She shouted while running to the crew.
“Lucas, I’m still going to kill you.” I muttered in my head once again.
Lucas chuckle entered my head, causing a brilliant smile to etch my lips. He would always have that effect on me. I will never be able to describe just how he does it.
“I will let you attempt to kill me soon enough. You just have to get through this coronation, then you can do all the killing you want. Sound fair.” His voice echoed through my head.
“Deal.” I replied and severed the connection.
My foot slowly dragged its way to where Cassie and the rest of the crew were waiting for me. Catherine already jumping up and down in excitement as some of the crew members spoke to her, letting her know what they had planned for. I simply shook my head and gave a small chuckle at the sight.
“Here goes nothing,” I muttered, rolled my eyes, and approached the crew.
Chapter 21
Catherine and I walked hand in hand, into the clearing, to where we were supposed to go. Amelia walked up to us, a brilliant smile etching her gorgeous face.
“Nina! Catherine!” She cooed as she pulled us into a hug.
“Good afternoon Amelia,” I said to her, bowing.
“Good afternoon your majesty.” Catherine respectfully responded.
“Oh, please, just call me Amelia. We are going to be family after all.” Amelia said casting her elegant smile towards me.
“Right, of course,” Catherine said.
“I am so happy you agreed to marry Lucas. I knew you two would work out. I can’t wait to have a new daughter. If you need anything at all, never be afraid to ask. Like I always say, we ladies must stay together. You too Catherine, you are apart of the family as well.”
“Aww, thank you, Amelia. It means a lot.” I said in response.
I was excited to have Amelia be my mother-in-law. She was always such a nice werewolf and I felt like she would never judge anybody for anything. Even though I loved my mother when she was still with us, it was difficult with her situation. It felt like we were robbed of having someone we could always turn to when situations went wrong. Since she was brainwashed, she slowly lost a hold of herself. Catherine and I had to step up, playing the mother of sorts. It will be nice to have someone do that to us for a change.
“Yes, thank you, Amelia,” Catherine said beaming.
Devlon beckoned Amelia over to him. “I will be right back. You two stay put ok? I will tell you everything you need to do.” She instructed while walking backwards to her husband.
Catherine and I simply shook our heads in acknowledgment and watched as she walked away.
Catherine was wearing a Crimson dress that was longer in the back than in the front. The front of the dress went to her knees, while the back of the dress touched the forest floor. The dress hung off her shoulders, just giving a small glimpse of what they possessed. The chest portion contained small diamonds that shimmered in the glistening sun. The bottom half of the dress was designed with ruffles that swayed in the light breeze. Where the two ends met, a small ribbon hung around her waist that tied together in a bow. It was an elegant dress, nothing too fancy nor informal. Her hair crept along her left shoulder, pulled by a clip that contained a beautiful wolf.
She loved the way the dress looked. Her face lifting every time someone looked at her and pointed in her direction. “You think they like it?” She would ask me.
“Of course, I think they like it,” I replied to her. “You look stunning Cath.”
“Aww, thanks!” Catherine replied to me. “You look beautiful too.” Her face glistened.
“Yeah, right. I look ridiculous.” I replied rolling my eyes.
“Nina Anne day!” You do not look ridiculous. I’ve never seen you look so beautiful in my entire life!” She exclaimed while hitting me on the shoulder.
“Gee, thanks.” I muttered while rolling my eyes.
I was wearing a crimson dress as well. It appeared everyone here was wearing one to be exact. The protocols must have required it, although I didn’t particularly get to read the rules as I was dressed by others. My dress was strapless which scared the crap out of me. I felt like if I moved the wrong way, the entire thing would fall off. Oh, and the best part? It didn’t have pockets. What a fricken crime if you ask me. Trust me, when I put it on and noticed this, I immediately whined about it to Cassie. According to her, pockets are ridiculous and not formal enough. Whatever. Not an argument I could win. I knew she was just doing her job, and I appreciated her for it. She would always be another mom to Catherine and me.
The dress reminded me of a princess prom dress, although it would be way too expensive for most people to buy for only prom. The length of the dress rubbed against the floor, making me afraid I was going to trip on it. Just like Catherine's dress, diamonds encircled it. Unlike hers though, mine littered the entire dress. Engulfing it in its shimmering hue.
I was deathly afraid of tripping not only because of the length of the dress, but because someone thought it would be a good idea to put me in silver high heel shoes. Do I look like I know how to walk in high heels? I can barely walk-in tennis shoes, let alone something that looks like it can break my ankle in two in milliseconds. Again, did I win this battle? Absolutely not.
A small tiara encompassed my head. It was silver and crimson along the base of the tiara. At the front of the tiara, which it met my forehead, was a wolf howling at the moon. The official crimson symbol. I was hoping that I would not ever have to wear something like this, but I suppose an event like this calls for being “official.” I mentally held up air quotes to signify exactly what Cassie said.
The sight of Lucas cau
sed my mind to stop wandering and my mouth to drop. He looked just like how you would expect a king to appear. The reality of what was going on slowly sinking into me. His long sleeve outer jacket the color of crimson and black. He had a small crown on top of his head, although nothing major. I only assumed during the coronation he would receive the one that Devlon was currently wearing.
Lucas walked right towards me and I instinctively stood on my tippy toes. Not that it helped much since I was already pretty much on them from the size of my heels.
“Hello, you,” I said looking up to him once he arrived.
Lucas wrapped his hands around my face and brought his lips slowly to mine. He kissed me ever so gently before pulling away. I couldn’t help but to make a pouty face since it was over so soon.
“Wow. You look beautiful.” He said while grabbing my hands in his.
I let out a loud laugh and shook my head in denial.
“I look ridiculous is what I look. Look at these things I said pulling one of my hands from him and grabbing a foot to show him my shoes. I’m going to end up killing myself.” I said flabbergasted.
Lucas laughed at me.
“Nina, put your foot down before you do kill yourself. And I wasn’t lying when I said you look beautiful. You need to have more confidence in yourself.” Lucas said smiling at me.
“Ehhhh.” I responded while shrugging my shoulders. “Anyway, shouldn’t you be preparing for whatever you gotta do?” I asked him.
“They can wait,” Lucas responded while rolling his eyes.
“Isn’t your father going to be mad at you?” I asked him.
“Ehh, I don’t care. There is something more important I need to do.” Lucas said looking me in the eyes.
“And what is that?” I asked him confused.
“This,” Lucas said while crouching down on one knee and taking something from his back pocket.
“Lucas, what are you doing?” I questioned him confused. My heart fluttering with butterflies. “People are watching.” I muttered while looking around us.
“Let them watch,” Lucas muttered smiling at me. “Nina Anne Day, I have loved you from the moment I first saw you. The way you walked into that clearing, running in front of the pack to protect everyone from bloodshed. You are so very selfless that you can be reckless at times. I love that about you. I have never stopped loving you, nor will I ever. You are the love of my life. The sunlight to my darkness. The oxygen to my deprived body. You bring me happiness that I never thought possible. I can’t imagine a life without you in it. I can’t promise a safe one, but I can promise a happy one. No matter what obstacles we face, I promise to fight them alongside you. And yes, that means that I will never again try to sideline you from a fight ever again.” Lucas said smiling up at me causing me to let out a giddy laugh. “So my dear sweet Nina, answer me this, will you marry me.”
My heart was fluttering with so much joy, I could barely contain myself.
“Oh my God, you dummy. I already said that I would marry you.” I giggled at him.
“Yes, but that didn’t feel right to me,” Lucas said grinning from ear to ear. “So what do you say?” He questioned me further once more.
Instead of answering him, I crouched down on the ground beside him. Lucas flashed me a face of confusion but didn’t say anything. His face of confusion was short-lived as I grabbed his face in mine and kissed him passionately. As our lips were dancing against one another, he placed his hand in my hair and I slowly opened my eyes. He opened his eyes as well and his golden eyes met my blue ones.
“Of course I will marry you, Lucas,” I said to him within my head. “There isn’t anything else in the whole world that I would want more than to be married to you.” I said to him still locking my eyes to his. Tears swam in my eyes, but I refused to let them go.
“Nina…” Lucas started in my head but I cut him off.
“I love you so very much Lucas.” I cooed at him.
“I love you too Nina.” He said to me and began kissing me again.
Eventually, I had to break the kiss to breathe. Both our chests rising and falling as our body filled with the deprived oxygen. My heart wouldn’t stop fluttering, I’m sure everyone around us heard it. Lucas pulled the ring out of the box and gracefully placed it on my ring finger. Illegible words emerged from the inside of the ring. I watched as he placed the ring, my excitement barely containing itself as my hand shook. It was a beautiful ring. The diamond was huge and was red in hue. Around the silver band werewolves howling at the moon.
“What did the inside say?” I asked him in awe.
Lucas gave me yet another huge grin as he placed his hands around my head making me look directly at him once again. Our eyes doing their own little dance together.
“I will love you forever my dear sweet Nina,” Lucas said right before kissing me again.
“How did you get this?” I asked him. “How did you even have time to do this?” I asked him again before he could even answer.
“Oh my love, I always had hopes for us. You don’t think I didn’t immediately start making this as soon as I met you.” Lucas said to me winking.
My heart felt like it was going to explode.
“You knew right away?” I questioned him smiling.
“Of course, I knew Nina.” He replied once more.
“Awwww!” I heard Catherine yell causing me to fall into Lucas’s arms.
I placed my hand over my heart and glared at Cath and Lucas simply laughed.
“Geeze woman! You about gave me a heart attack!” I exclaimed causing a lot of people to laugh.
My face lit up in embarrassment as I remembered that we were in the open with dozens of werewolves watching that. Lucas saw the redness on my face and gave out another small chuckle.
“Come here.” He said as he took my hand and gently pulled me to my feet.
“That was so sweet!” Cath retorted while holding her hand to her heart. “Don’t get me wrong, you still aren’t my favorite person, but after that, OMG!” She replied. “Although it would have been better if I could have actually heard Nina say she would marry you instead of your whole mind thing. At least I’m going to assume she said yes.” Cath said amused.
“Oh, she definitely said yes.” Reed muttered bumping Cath.
I rolled my eyes at the remark.
“Reed, do you ever not listen to people’s thoughts?” I questioned him.
“Naah, babe, that is how I get the intel,” Reed said happily with himself.
“Come on you big idiot,” Caleb said pushing Reed out of the way.
“What did I do this time!” Reed retaliated.
“Move,” Caleb said dragging Reed away, causing Catherine to scurry after him.
“Cath we are supposed to wait for Amelia!” I called after her.
“Not anymore, look behind you!” She yelled once more and I turned around. Sure enough Amelia was standing right there and my face went pitch red once again.
“No need to be embarrassed Nina dear. I am so happy for you guys.” She said to me while pulling me into a hug. “Now Lucas. Don’t make your father wait any longer for you. He may be your king for only a little bit longer, but he is still your father. Go now, I will instruct Nina on everything she needs to do.”
“Very well.” Lucas said to her.
“See you soon my love,” Lucas said to me, kissing my hand, and walking away into the distance to meet up with Devlon.
“Now for you to learn everything you need to do today,” Amelia said to me.
“You mean I don’t just sit in the stands?” I questioned her, dread beginning to fill my body.
Amelia laughed at this.
“Oh heavens no. We could only wish right?” She muttered to me. “You are going to be up there right with him. You won’t be crowd today, since you haven’t gotten married yet, but you will be right by his side supporting him through the whole thing.” Amelia instructed me walking me to the aisle.
“Great. And eve
ryone is going to be watching me. I better not trip.” I said to Amelia jokingly.
She let out another high-pitched sweet laugh.
“You won’t trip Nina. Plus, if you do, I’m sure Lucas will catch you.” Amelia joked.
“If he does, I’ll never hear the end of it.” I retorted while rolling my eyes.
Amelia walked me over to where Lucas and Devlon were standing. Amelia pulled me into a hug and wished me good luck. She then stood in the front next to Devlon and I stood next to Lucas. He grabbed my hand and whispered into my ear, “Are you ready?”
“Is it too late to run.” I asked him back jokingly.
“Hmm, I think so?” He replied back to me.
“Well looks like I don’t have any other choice, so yes, I am ready.” I smiled at him.
“Good,” he said. “Let the coronation begin.”
My heart dropped to the pit of my stomach as the music began to play and Devlon and Amelia began taking their first steps down the crimson aisle.
Chapter 22
Once Amelia and Devlon were about 5 steps in front of us, Lucas gently nudged me and we began walking down the aisle. I could feel everyone’s gaze encircling us, entrapping us. My heart pounded with each step as my nerves increased. I could only imagine how red my face is as it felt like it was on fire.
“Shh, dear sweet Nina. You are doing great. Try not to focus on the crowd.” Lucas said within my head.
“Easier said than done,” I muttered while giggling in my head.
“You got this,” Lucas said to me.
I turned my head to look at him and he flashed me an adorable smile that made my heart flip in happiness. His golden eyes found my blue ones and the world disappeared around us. For a brief moment, the world slipped away. It felt like it was only the two of us in the entire clearing.
I was so distracted by Lucas’s eyes, I temporarily forgot that I needed to walk decently and not trip. Of course, my feet forgot how to work properly and I stepped on my long dress. My body started to slowly fall as I tripped on the dress. As always, Lucas was there to pull me back up and we continued walking. My face the color of a tomato once more.