*ONE MONTH LATER*
Sunlight poured through the windows like liquid gold. Not a cloud dared mar the sky on the day I would officially become Luna.
"Hold still," Mother commanded, her fingers working miracles with store-bought lace and borrowed pearls. "There. Look."
The mirror reflected someone I didn't recognize. The dress transformed me—layers of white silk that caught light like spider webs at dawn, delicate beading that turned with every breath.
Not just a she-wolf. Something otherworldly. Something that might step from moonlight and mist.
My fingers found the mate mark on my neck. The raised scar tissue where Gabriel's teeth had claimed me sent heat cascading through my entire body.
‘I can feel your mood,’ Gabriel's voice bloomed in my mind. ‘Should I come?’
‘Stay where you are.’ I traced the mark again, letting him feel it through our bond. ‘But if you want to experience what I'm experiencing…’
His groan echoed through the link. ‘You're my woman. My Luna. My mate. In minutes, we confirm it before the entire pack.’
‘I can't wait.’
‘Neither can I.’
The door burst open. Lily stood frozen, mouth falling open.
"Time to go," Mother said, squeezing my hand once before slipping past Lily. "I'll take my place."
She disappeared down the hallway, leaving Lily and me alone.
"Holy shit, Katherine. You look like you walked out of a fairy tale." She circled me, examining every angle. "This is almost criminal. The poor wolves won't know what hit them!"
"It's just a dress."
"That's like saying the ocean is just water." She flopped onto the sofa. "Speaking of wolves, I visited the training grounds this morning. Sweet Jesus, the testosterone. The muscles. The barely controlled sexual energy…"
"Lily—"
"I'm moving here!" She announced it like she was declaring war. "This place is a fountain of untapped potential that everyone's ignoring."
"They're waiting for mates. It's how wolves work."
"Waiting is overrated. Living is better." She waggled her eyebrows. "Besides, someone mentioned there's plenty of sex happening. Just not the claiming kind."
"You're impossible…"
"I'm practical." She stood, smoothing her dress. "Now, I'm going to take my seat before all the good viewing spots are taken. Your Alpha awaits."
She kissed my cheek and vanished through the door, leaving me alone for one breathless moment.
I stepped into the hallway, white silk trailing behind me. Three steps. My heel caught the hem. The world tilted—
Strong hands caught my waist, steadying me before I could fall.
"Still need a bodyguard, I see." Nate's voice carried familiar sarcasm.
"You're still protecting me."
"Gabriel's orders." He released me, stepping back to proper distance. "Though honestly, I resisted. The nanny role lost its charm."
I smiled. This was the Nate from before—sharp-tongued, challenging, but without the dangerous undercurrent.
"Your friendship with Gabriel is healing. I'm so glad."
"We're managing." He straightened his formal jacket. "He actually suggested something. Since your father—the former Beta—can't be here, I could escort you. The current Beta, loyal to his Alpha and Luna."
He executed a formal bow, perfectly proper.
Tears burned my eyes.
"Hey." Concern flickered across his face. "If you don't want—"
"I do." The words tumbled out. "Yesterday I told Gabriel how I wished my father could walk me down the aisle. A respected Beta, not dying in exile. Having you do it—it's perfect. Symbolic."
Nate offered his arm. "Then let's not keep your Alpha waiting."
* * *
The pack gathering space overflowed. Every wolf had come—warriors still bearing battle scars, elders in their finest clothes, pups fidgeting in uncomfortable formal wear. My mother stood in the front row, tears already streaming.
She'd done it. Everything she'd sacrificed, every lesson she'd forced on me—it had led here.
But every other face blurred into the background.
Gabriel stood at the altar in black formal wear that emphasized every line of power in his body. When he saw me, his composure cracked. A single tear traced down his cheek.
Nate delivered me to Gabriel's side, placing my hand in his before stepping back to his Beta position.
‘I've never seen anything more beautiful,’ Gabriel's voice filled my mind.
‘Flatterer.’
‘Truth-teller.’ His thumb stroked my palm. ‘Ready?’
‘I'd do this every day if I could.’
‘Then let's do it, my Luna Katherine.’
‘My Alpha Gabriel.’
The Elder performing the ceremony began speaking, but the words washed over me like distant music. All that mattered was Gabriel's hand in mine, his eyes holding mine, the bond between us humming with completion.
"Do you, Katherine Winters, accept Gabriel Cross as your mate, your Alpha, your bonded partner in this life and all that follow?"
"I do."
"Do you, Gabriel Cross, accept Katherine Winters as your mate, your Luna, your bonded partner in this life and all that follow?"
"I do."
"Then before this pack, under the moon's blessing, I declare you bonded."
Gabriel's mouth found mine before the Elder finished speaking. The kiss was possession and promise, claiming and surrender. The pack erupted in howls of celebration.
When we finally broke apart, Gabriel's forehead pressed to mine.
"Mine," he breathed.
"Mine," I said back.
And I meant it. Whatever had come before, whatever complicated emotions had tangled through our journey here—in this moment, I was completely his.
My mother sobbed with joy, Lily whooped inappropriately and somewhere in the crowd, Nate watched with an expression I didn't try to read.
This was my happy ending.
My mother was saved from exile. My mate was claiming me before our pack. My future was spreading bright and certain.
I'd won everything I was supposed to want.
Gabriel pulled me against him as the celebration exploded around us. Music started. Wine flowed. The pack celebrated their Luna.
"No regrets?" Gabriel murmured against my ear.
"None," I said, and made it true through force of will.
This was happiness. This was home. This was the life my father's death had paid for, my mother's tears had purchased, my performance had earned.
Gabriel spun me into the first dance, and I let myself disappear into the role completely. The perfect Luna. The devoted mate. The happy ending everyone needed me to be.
The mask had become my face.
And maybe that was enough.
THE END