Page 174 of Savage Reign

“As ready as I ever will be.”

She smiled tightly. I didn’t think she would relax until the day was over.

“Okay.” She looked away from me and spoke into her headphones. “Cue the music.”

The familiar tunes of “The Luckiest”by Ben Folds came on instead of the traditional “Wedding March.”

Rachel let out a small gasp. Her grip on my arm tightened just marginally.

“Are you ready?” she asked me.

I nodded. I couldn’t speak. Angie said something else, and then the doors opened. My heart nearly dropped at the sight of all the people in attendance. All the people I didn’t know.

“Rachel?” I said softly.

“Yes?”

“Will you hold on tight to me until we get there?”

“Of course,” she answered, with no hesitation.

I smiled a little and began to walk down the aisle. I tried to ignore all the strange faces of people looking at us, offering artificial smiles and hidden sinister stares. I knew this wedding wasn’t exactly a normal one. I would have preferred something much more intimate, but this was about putting on a show for the brothers’ men. And later, they would make the announcement about taking over Stocken Isle.

It would be a show of strength and ensure their men stayed loyal, no matter what.

I blinked, my eyes straying off to the side. They stayed focused on a rough-looking man with short blond hair shaved near his scalp. He was as wide as Silas and nearly as tall as Maverick. I didn’t know why I couldn’t look away from him until he flashed me a smile.

He had Silas’ smile.

So this man was related to my men?

The elusive cousin, Finley?

On one side of him was an older man who looked just like him. I assumed this was his dad.

The uncle looked as I had expected the mob boss of Las Vegas to look. Mean and greedy.

I hated the way his eyes glinted as he took me in.

I looked at the person on the other side of Finley. A small woman with dark, almost black hair, tan skin, and big brown eyes. She was tucked close to Finley’s side. She seemed almost skittish. I offered a slight smile when our eyes met, not knowing why I suddenly felt like protecting the woman with everything that I could.

Perhaps because she reminded me of how I had looked while still living under my father’s thumb, only… meeker.

We walked further up the aisle, and I finally bravely looked up front.

My breath caught at the sight of them.

Tears welled in my eyes.

They were in identical black suits. Black shirts. A red tie stood out against the black, as well as the red rose that was pinned near each lapel. Maverick stood next to the priest, and he was looking at me with what could only be described as possessiveness. His eyes tracked my every movement as though he feared I might disappear on him. I wanted to yell that I wasn’t going anywhere.

I slowly walked over to them, my eyes moving over to Killian.

His dark brown eyes shone in satisfaction at the sight of me, like he had been waiting for this day his whole life. What a whimsical thought. He wasn’t smiling, but then, I hadn’t expected him to. He looked… perfect.

He was perfect.

Silas stood at the end by Killian, and my easygoing man, for once, didn’t look so easygoing. He looked serious and so devastatingly handsome, my heart hurt just looking at him.

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