“No, Astrid,” she said. “He was pretty clear last night. Believe me. Hey, it’s all right. I promise, I won’t let things get weird and I’ll be your maid of honor.”
“You will?”
“Of course!” She put on a bright smile. “I’ll never forgive you if you choose anyone else.”
“Never.” Astrid squeezed her hand. “Sisters. Forever.”
“Sisters,” Deedee replied. “Now, when do we start the wedding planning?”
“Zac and I haven’t made real plans, but we can wait. Oops.” She had nearly forgotten about him waiting outside. “Actually, give me a minute. I need to call him to let him know he should go home.
“Go home … Astrid, is he out there? Don’t make your mate wait out there in cold,” she said.
“He’s got heated seats in his Porsche,” she retorted. “He can wait a while longer.”
They talked some more about wedding planning, but when Astrid started fussing over Dee, she declared she was tired of Astrid’s mother hen routine. “You’re worse than my mother,” she said as she escorted Astrid to the door. “Go. Get out.”
“Fine. But you call me, anytime, okay?”
“Yes, Mom.”
After one final long hug, Astrid left and headed to where Zac was parked in front of Deedee’s building.
“Everything okay?” he asked as he stepped out of the car. “Sweetheart, what’s wrong?” She told him everything, and he pulled her into an embrace. “I’m sorry,” he said, kissing her palm. “Dee’s my friend, too. I don’t want her to suffer like this.”
She pressed her cheek against his wool coat, taking in his yummy Christmassy scent. “I’m just so mad, you know. How could Cross do that to her?” she fumed. “He’s just been acting so weird lately. I thought maybe that now he’s back, he and Dee could live happily ever after too, and, you know, it’s nice to be with the person you love.”
“It is,” he agreed, then leaned down to kiss her on the lips. “But, sweetheart, if he doesn’t feel the same way, you can’t force him to love her.”
“I know. I just wish …” She looked at Deedee’s door. “I just hope she won’t do anything drastic.”
“Deedee’s a smart, level-headed girl,” he said. “She’ll be fine. We’ll look out for her. She’s not just our friend. She’s family.”
“Thank you,” she said. “For being here.”
“Of course.” He reached down to rub her stomach. “Let’s go home. You must be hungry.”
Her stomach gurgled on cue. “Starving,” she laughed.
“We can’t let our baby get hungry.”
She leaned into him, enjoying the feeling of his arms around her, warming her up on this chilly winter morning. The street was unusually quiet for New York, so all she could hear was the sound of his breathing and his heartbeat. “Take me home, Zac.”
“With pleasure.”
Epilogue
Some might say pulling off an entire wedding in two weeks was impossible, but not for the combined forces of the New York Lycan clan and their allies. In that short time, they had a judge, caterers, flowers, a cake, a custom-made wedding dress, and all the trimmings of a grand affair all ready.
The bride and groom weren’t fussy about the details, as long it ended with them married by the end of the day. However, there was one thing the bride wouldn’t budge on: the venue. Their parents wanted the entire wedding to take place in The Enclave for safety reasons. But Astrid refused because she knew that she wouldn’t be able to invite any non-Lycans or non-members of the clan to the wedding.
After much fighting, they relented, and with several protection spells cast by the groom’s great-aunt and a solid security plan, they were able to have the wedding at a beautiful glass-covered rooftop garden in Brooklyn. While Deedee served as maid of honor, the three bridesmaids consisted of Astrid’s closest friends from The Vixen Den. Petal, Fantasy, and Coco looked stunning in their custom-made bridesmaid dresses as they walked down the aisle. Mr. G, on the other hand, sat on the bride’s side, looking thoroughly pleased with himself, perhaps satisfied with the thought that those two crazy kids wouldn’t have gotten here without him.
The rest of the guests consisted of family, including all of the bride and groom’s siblings, plus those they considered family, even if not by blood.
The ceremony wasn’t too long, no need for pomp and fuss; after all, they knew that they were mates and that was all they needed. Plus, after the stress of the wedding, Astrid said she needed as much party time as possible, even if she couldn’t have any alcohol.
The snow fell outside, but it was toasty warm inside the glass conservatory. Zac knew that the snow would always remind him of Astrid, of her wearing that ridiculous robe when they saw each other that night at The Vixen and the first time they made love in that cabin. It seemed fitting that they would be married under the snow, too.
He surveyed the space, impressed at how quickly it had been transformed from the ceremony to reception area. Round tables with stunning floral and crystal centerpieces replaced the rows of chairs and the aisle. Fairy lights twinkled overhead. A quartet played in the corner. Elegantly-dressed waiters made sure the champagne was overflowing.
“You did a great job, Mom,” he said as he approached Cady. He leaned down and kissed her on the cheek. “Not that I ever doubted you.” Only the great Cady Vrost could pull off such a feat.
“It was a team effort,” she assured her son.
“And you did a great job keeping the peace between the bride and the mother of the bride, too.”
Cady chuckled. “Now that, I’d like to take credit for.”
“Or an award.” He shook his head. “Those two. They’re so alike they can’t even see it.”
Astrid and Meredith had clashed over just about every detail of the wedding, and of course, he had to hear his fiancée complain nearly every day. He wondered if Daric had the patient of a saint or if he somehow had a secret magic spell that helped him cope with the two women in his life.
“Where is your bride, by the way?” Cady asked. “Oh, there she is.”
Zac looked around. Astrid was in the middle of the dance floor, waltzing with her new father-in-law. She looked absolutely radiant as Nick spun her around, giggling as he twirled her a few more times than necessary.
“I think I’ll go dance with my wife,” he said. The word made a warm feeling buzz through him. Wife. Astrid was his wife.
“Yes, please,” Cady said. “And make sure you send your father my way. He still owes me a dance.”
He made his way through the crowd, gently nudging people aside as he was in a hurry to get to Astrid. “Excuse me.” One particular gentleman didn’t seem to want to budge from his spot. “Excuse me,” he repeated.
The hulk of a man in his way turned around. Zac’s wolf raised its hackles, sensing the other man’s agitation. Or rather, his wolf’s agitation. It felt like a tightly reined beast, wanting to get out. He also seemed familiar, but he was sure he would have remembered him if they had met before. For one thing, this man was built like a Mac truck, but also, his hair was pure silver, but his face was youthful; looked like he was only in his mid-thirties at the most. “Do I know you?”
Cobalt blue eyes stared back at him with a fiery glare. “No, you don’t,” he said before turning around and walking away.
Zac would have called one of the members of the security team, but the man headed straight for the stairwell exit. Strange. Maybe he was from Astrid’s side, one of her Lycan cousins from West Virginia perhaps. Shaking the thoughts out of his head, he strode to his wife. He tapped his father on the shoulder.
“May I cut in?”
Nick’s face broke into a smile. “Of course.” He gave his son a clap on the arm. “I’ll go look for your mother. She’s probably annoyed that I haven’t danced with her yet.” He gave Astrid a kiss on the cheek before walking away.
Astrid’s mouth curled into a sly smile. “Now I know where you get your dance m
oves from.”
He took her hand, then placed his other palm on her waist. “I’ll have you know, Garret said I was a much better dancing partner than my dad.”
“Garret said—you’re joking right?”
“Joking? My great-grandfather was serious about dancing. And Garret was a great practice partner,” he said.
“Better than me?” she asked.
“Well, he was very graceful and—Ow!” That earned him a playful slap on the shoulder. “Well, I can tell you one thing. You look much better in that dress.”
She smirked. “Flattery will get you everywhere, Mr. Vrost.”
“I hope it does, Mrs. Vrost.” He pulled her close and leaned down close to her ear. “I have to say though, this is my third favorite outfit you’ve ever worn.”
“Third?” she asked. “This is a Hannah Taylor Muccino Bridal original. Hannah herself worked day and night to get it ready and it’s not even your second favorite?”
“Well, my second favorite outfit is that robe you were wearing that night at The Vixen Den.”
“That one?” She laughed. “Even my mother said I looked like a stripper. What’s the first favorite outfit?”
“That dress you wore at the ball.” He brushed his mouth lightly against the shell of her ear, which made her shiver. “That was the dress you wore to Hannah’s wedding, right? If I had seen you then, I wouldn’t have said no if you asked me to dance.”
“You wouldn’t have?”
“No. And I probably would have asked you to dance first. Then taken you home and had my way with you.”
She gasped when his licked at the spot behind her ear. “Would it be bad if we had a quickie in the bathroom?”
“Definitely,” he replied, giving her a wicked smile. “And probably frowned upon. And we can’t leave until the guests have had their fun.”
Her lips curled down into a pout. “Fine.”
He gave her a quick kiss on the lips, twirled her, then pulled her back to his chest. “I love you, Astrid,” he said in the slightest whisper.
She pulled back from him and blinked, then looked around them.
“What is it?”
“I don’t know …” A furrow appeared between her brows. “I just thought someone was watching…” She shook her head. “Nothing. Nothing at all.” Sliding her hands upward, she cradled his face in her soft palms. “I love you, too.”
There would be challenges ahead, not just for them, but for all of their loved ones. He knew he would fight hard and do his damnedest to make sure they would prevail over their enemies and protect Astrid, their pup, and the entire clan.
But for now, as they danced under the fairy lights and snow continued to whirl outside, he focused on his wife, holding her close and enjoying this moment.
* * *
Dear Reader,
I hope you enjoyed Astrid and Zac’s happy ever after.
I have some extra HOT bonus scenes for you - just join my newsletter to get access.
Writing this book has been truly awesome. Like coming home after a long absence.
But, this is only the beginning.
The mages are back.
The stakes are higher.
And it’s time for the Lycans to fight back.
Next up …
Adrianna Anderson must claim her title of Alpha
And bring her clan together
To thwart the mages
However, when a mysterious wolf comes to her aid
She needs to decide
Is he friend or foe?
And will she give in to the consuming attraction between them?
Find out in
Claiming the Alpha
Pre-order now.
Releases March 20, 2019
Get a reminder by joining my newsletter or my Facebook group.
I can’t wait to share her story with you.
All the best,
Alicia
Other books by Alicia Montgomery
Paranormal Series:
The True Mates Series
Fated Mates
Blood Moon
Romancing the Alpha
Witch’s Mate
Taming the Beast
Tempted by the Wolf
The Lone Wolf Defenders Series:
Killian’s Secret
Loving Quinn
All for Connor
The True Mates Standalone Novels
Holly Jolly Lycan Christmas
A Mate for Jackson: Bad Alpha Dads
The Blackstone Mountain Series
The Blackstone Dragon Heir
The Blackstone Bad Dragon
The Blackstone Bear
The Blackstone Wolf
The Blackstone Lion
The Blackstone She-Wolf
The Blackstone She-Bear
The Blackstone She-Dragon
Contemporary Series:
The Billionaire Heirs
Seducing the Billionaire’s Daughter
Surrendering to the Billionaire’s Son
The Combustion Series
Take Me There
Hearts on Fire
All of Me
Their Game
Let the Games Begin
The Game is On
End Game
A Twist of Fate: True Mates Generations Book 1 Page 20