by Kim Fox
“Still,” Kylee said, looking uncomfortable. “I’m not sure.”
Royal pointed up at the mountain behind him. “Maybe we should go ask the mayor what he thinks you should do? Or did you forget that you have skeletons in your closet as well?”
Kylee took a deep breath and nodded. “You’re right. We all do what we have to do. It couldn’t have been easy being a kid on the streets by yourself. I’m sure you did what you did in order to survive.”
Camilla nodded. “I always felt bad whenever I stole from someone. I hid it and pretended to like it but deep down, it always made me sick to my stomach. I promise that I’ll never steal anything ever again.”
“Okay,” Kylee said, standing up with open arms. “I believe you.” The boys clapped and cheered as the two girls hugged.
“You heard her!” Tyler said. “She won’t steal again. That includes our lobsters.”
“No, it doesn’t,” Camilla said with a grin as Kylee sat back down.
She looked up at the sexy bear shifter who was standing beside her. The shadows of the fire were flickering on Royal’s handsome face. “And you?” she asked. “Do you want me to stay?”
“Under one condition,” Royal said, gazing down at her with the most loving brown eyes.
She gasped as he dropped down to one knee. Her pulse was racing as uncontrollable giggles erupted from her body like a volcano.
He reached into his pocket and pulled out a tiny white box. “Will you marry me, Camilla?”
She dropped to her knees and cupped his fuzzy cheeks in her hands. “You’ll marry me even though I’m not a princess?”
He smiled. “You are a princess to me.”
She answered him with a kiss. A long passionate kiss that had the boys cheering.
“Yes,” she whispered on his lips when they finally broke apart. “I would love to.”
Royal slid the rock onto her finger and then the squad rushed in and showered them with hugs and congratulations. They all officially welcomed her into the squad and Camilla couldn’t have been happier. She finally felt like she had a family that she belonged to.
“You’ve all been so good to me,” she said, reaching into her back pocket and pulling out a folded envelope. Royal wasn’t the only one with surprises.
She handed the envelope to Thorn with a smile. “For The Clawed Squad,” she said. “Thank you all for being so nice to me. This place is great but it could use a few horses.”
Thorn’s eyes widened as he opened the envelope and pulled out the cheque inside. It was her life savings: almost half a million dollars. Camilla was a fanatical saver. She always needed a big financial buffer so that she would never have to result to selling herself for money. It was a fear that had always lingered in the back of her mind. Until now.
She didn’t need a buffer anymore. She had a family now and they would always take care of her, like she would always take care of them.
“What is that?” Slate asked, snatching the cheque out of Thorn’s hand. “Holy Margarita Monday!” he shouted when he saw how many zeros were printed on it. “Is this real?”
Camilla nodded proudly.
“That’s enough to build the stables, fill it with horses and get all of the equipment that we need for the ranch,” Thorn said, still in shock.
Slate passed the cheque around and there was gasp after gasp as they all saw the size of it. Royal picked her up in his big muscular arms and spun her around. He didn’t care about the money. He was just thrilled that she had said yes.
“How soon can we get married?” she asked before kissing him softly on the lips.
Royal grinned as she pulled away. “Not fucking soon enough.”
That was exactly the answer that she was hoping to hear.
epilogue
“Dude,” Karl said with a grin. “Stop smiling. She’s not even here yet.”
It was physically impossible for Royal to stop smiling. He was standing at the altar in a rented tux about to marry his dream girl. Camilla was better than any princess that he could have ever dreamed up.
“They came,” Royal said with a laugh. He had invited his bear shifter neighbors to the wedding but he didn’t think they would show up.
Julius, Alexander, Khan, and Hannibal were all walking over with their mates. Khan’s son, Liam, was sitting on his father’s wide shoulders with a wide smile on his cute little face.
Royal hurried over to meet them. “Thanks for coming, neighbors,” he said, shaking Khan and then Liam’s hand.
Julius laughed. “I never thought you chumps would get married. Who did you kidnap, Royal?”
“Yeah,” Hannibal said, raising an eyebrow at him. “Where is she tied up?”
Their mates, Ava and Mikki, slapped the backs of their heads simultaneously. “Julius!” Ava said. “It’s his wedding day!”
Julius just smirked. “Congratulations, bud,” he said, stepping forward and giving Royal a hug.
Hannibal was next. “We’re kidding. I can’t wait to meet her.”
“I’ve never been to a royal wedding before,” Khan’s mate, Bailey said.
“Me neither,” Mikki added. “This is so exciting.”
Royal smiled. Nobody was as excited as he was.
The Vega Crew took their seats and Royal hurried back to the altar. He rubbed his hands together in anticipation.
Camilla had wanted to get married in front of the lake so Royal and the boys set up an altar on the sandy beach and placed folding chairs on the grass. They even set up a large tent in the back so that Camilla could hide inside in her wedding dress until the moment when she was supposed to walk out.
Royal couldn’t wait any longer. He waved to Tyler who was in charge of the iPod that was hooked up to the speakers. “Hit it!”
Soft piano music began playing and Royal tensed up, staring breathlessly at the flap of the tent. He couldn’t wait to see her.
The flap finally opened but it wasn’t Camilla. Not yet.
Two arms sprung out holding Scrappy. The two wedding rings were tied to a little pillow that was strapped to the puppy’s back. Royal’s ring was more than double the size of Camilla’s.
The arms dropped Scrappy on the ground and the little pup with the wagging tail ran full speed in the opposite direction towards the forest. Everyone laughed as he ran.
“Tyler,” Royal said, getting the skin shifter’s attention. “A little help.”
Tyler’s arms fell to his sides and his face stilled as his eyes began glowing a bright white. The little puppy stopped, turned, and obediently hurried back to the aisle with his chin in the air and the pillow balanced perfectly on his back. He trotted right up to the altar and stopped in front of the best man Thorn, bowing down to let him untie the rings.
When the rings were safely in Thorn’s pocket, Tyler released his hold on the dog. Scrappy shook his head in confusion and then sprinted after a bird.
Royal winked at Tyler when his eyes returned back to normal.
“We have to get one of those in our crew,” Khan said.
“A dog?” Alexander asked.
“No,” Khan corrected. “A skin shifter.”
“Hey, Tyler,” Julius called out. “Want to join a real crew?”
“He’s ours,” Slate interrupted. “But we do rent him out on weekends.”
“Will you guys shut up?” Ava said. “The wedding has started!”
“Yeah,” Elena added. “This is why we never get invited anywhere!”
Everyone hushed as the tent flap opened once again. This time, Kylee stepped out looking stunning in a baby blue bridesmaid dress. She was holding a bouquet of flowers with one hand and her pregnant stomach with the other. Royal glanced at Stetson who was smiling proudly as he watched her walk down the aisle.
“You look beautiful,” Royal whispered as she stepped up to the altar and took her place.
“If you think I look good,” she whispered back, “wait until you see your princess.”
Royal straightened
up as he darted his eyes back to the tent. His heart was pounding so fast.
He gasped as the tent flap opened and his gorgeous bride stepped out. She looked amazing. Even more beautiful than the first time he saw her running across the street in that second-hand wedding dress. This was a new one and it fit her perfectly. It hugged her hips and breasts in a classy yet sexy way.
Royal could barely breathe as she approached. She never took her stunning green eyes off of him and he never took his eyes off of her. It could have been just the two of them there for all it mattered.
He took her hand as she arrived and helped her step up onto the raised platform. The minister began the ceremony but Royal didn’t hear one word of it.
He was lost in Camilla’s bright green eyes. “Royal,” Thorn whisper, nudging his back after a few minutes of gazing at his bride. “Answer him.”
“Huh?” Royal asked, jerking out of his daze.
The priest cleared his throat. “Will you take Camilla Hill to be your lawfully wedded wife?” he repeated.
“Of course,” Royal said, staring at her.
The minister turned to Camilla. “Will you take Ivan Maltese to be your lawfully wedded husband?”
She smiled. “Of course, I do.”
“Then,” the minister said, closing his book, “I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride.”
It’s about fucking time!
Royal had been waiting to kiss her since the second she came out of the tent.
She slid her hands over the back of his neck as he caressed her lower back and pulled her in, kissing her firmly on the lips.
That kiss sealed his future. He had a mate and a lover to spend the rest of his days with. And he couldn’t have been happier.
Camilla moaned as her new husband kissed her passionately in front of her new family. It was the first time in her life that she was ever positive about the future. Not only was she optimistic, she was looking forward to it.
And it was all because of Royal and the incredible way that he made her feel. She wasn’t a princess, but Royal sure as hell made her feel like one.
WANT MORE ROYAL AND CAMILLA FOR FREE??
Join my Mailing List to hear about new releases, specials, get a Free Book and to get an Exclusive Bonus Chapter from this book only available to my newsletter subscribers!
Bonus Chapter 8.5: Join Royal and Camilla as they spend their first day tending the cattle. Camilla has a lot of her ridiculous questions lined up and puts Royal under the spotlight. Be prepared for the weirdest interrogation ever.
Send me the free Bonus Chapter (and a free book)!
I love to hear from my readers. Please feel free to contact me at [email protected]
Connect on Facebook:
Kim Fox on FB
www.AuthorKimFox.com
The Clawed Squad Series:
Stetson
Royal
(Coming Soon!)
The Twins
Tyler
Thorn
Vega Brothers Series:
(Completed Series)
Julius
Khan
Alexander
Hannibal
Bare Knuckle Bears
(Completed Series)
Bare Knuckle Bear
Bare Knuckle Grizzly
Bare Knuckle Black Bear
Bare Knuckle Kodiak
Bare Knuckle Luke
Bare Knuckle Box Set
Werebears of New Hampshire
(Completed Series)
Bearly Breathing
Bearly In Control
Bearly Interested
Bearly In Time
Box Set
Smokejumpers: Werebear
(Completed Series)
Ellis and Alexi
Beckett and Amanda
Finch and Jessica
Matteo and Lani
Keane and Chloe
Quint and Lystra
Sander and Morgan
Smokejumpers Box Set (Books 1-5)
Celebrity Bears
(Completed Series)
Starstruck Shifter
Rockstar Shifter