Page 71 of Whisker me Away
The ring slid onto her finger like it had been made for her, which knowing Kieran's attention to detail, it probably had been. When he kissed her, it was with the kind of desperate relief that suggested he'd been more nervous about her answer than his confident proposal had indicated.
"I love you," she whispered against his mouth. "I love you so much it sometimes scares me."
"Good," he said with satisfaction. "Because I plan to spend the rest of my life making sure you never regret saying yes."
They sat by the lake until the moon reached its peak, talking about wedding plans and honeymoon destinations and the lifethey were going to build together in the town they'd helped save. But underneath all the practical planning was something deeper, something that felt like a future she'd never dared imagine.
"So," Kieran said eventually, "ready to go tell Maeve she was right about me proposing?"
"Ready to go tell everyone," Freya replied, admiring the way her ring caught the moonlight. "Ready to start planning the rest of our lives."
39
FREYA
One year after the night they'd saved Hollow Oak from ancient evil, Freya stood in her childhood bedroom adjusting the simple circlet of wildflowers that crowned her copper hair, marveling at how perfectly everything had fallen into place. Outside her window, the forest hummed with celebration as the entire community gathered for what had become both a wedding and a harvest festival, marking not just their personal commitment but the anniversary of their town's salvation.
"Stop fidgeting," Maizy commanded from her perch on the bed. "You look absolutely perfect, and you know it."
"I'm not fidgeting, I'm making final adjustments," Freya protested, though her hands did seem to be moving restlessly around the neckline of her dress. "There's a difference."
"Uh-huh. Tell that to the flowers you've been rearranging for the past ten minutes."
Freya looked down at the wildflower crown that had somehow become completely disheveled during her supposed "adjustments" and sighed. "I'm nervous. Sue me."
"Why? You're already mated to the man. This is just making it official for the human side."
"Because..." Freya paused, trying to articulate feelings that seemed too big for words. "Because it feels like the ending of one story and the beginning of another. Like we're stepping into something permanent and wonderful and slightly terrifying."
"That's exactly what you're doing," Maizy said gently, moving to help rearrange the flower crown with practiced efficiency. "And it's going to be beautiful."
The dress had been her grandmother's, altered to fit Freya's smaller frame but retaining the elegant simplicity that had made it perfect for a woodland ceremony. Cream-colored silk flowed to her ankles with sleeves that caught at her wrists, while the bodice was embroidered with botanical designs that seemed to shift and shimmer in the autumn light. Around her throat lay her grandmother's silver pendant, its protective runes now joined by the engagement ring Kieran had given her, both pieces humming with magic that felt like blessings from past and future.
"There," Maizy said, stepping back to admire her handiwork. "Perfect. You look like a forest goddess getting married in her natural habitat."
"I look like myself," Freya replied, studying her reflection in the antique mirror. "Just... more so, somehow."
"That's what love does. It doesn't change who you are, it helps you become more yourself." Maizy's smile was soft with affection. "Are you ready?"
"Ready."
The walk from cottage to grove felt like floating, with autumn sunlight filtering through trees that had grown stronger and more beautiful since their near-destruction. Every step carried the scent of woodsmoke and apple cider, of celebration andcommunity and the kind of happiness that came from surviving impossible odds together.
The Sacred Grove had been transformed into something from a fairy tale. Chairs arranged in concentric circles around the ancient ritual stones created an intimate amphitheater, while garlands of autumn flowers draped between the oak trees cast everything in golden light. At the center of it all stood Kieran, and the sight of him made Freya's breath catch in her throat.
He wore a dark suit that brought out the amber flecks in his eyes, his sun-streaked hair styled but still showing traces of the unruly waves she loved to run her fingers through. But it was his expression that made her heart stutter - nervous anticipation mixed with such profound love that she could feel it across the grove like warmth from a fire.
Miriam stood ready to perform the ceremony, her eyes bright with joy. The entire community had gathered to witness their union, faces beaming with the kind of happiness that came from celebrating people they genuinely cared about.
"Breathe," Maizy whispered as they reached the grove's edge. "Just breathe and remember that he loves you exactly as you are."
Freya took a deep breath and stepped into the sacred space, feeling every pair of eyes follow her progress toward the man who'd become her entire world. But Kieran's gaze was the only one that mattered, as he tracked her movement with an intensity that made everything else fade into background noise.
"You're beautiful," he said when she reached his side, his voice rough with emotion. "Absolutely gorgeous."
"You clean up pretty well yourself," she replied, her own voice shaky with tears she was determined not to shed until the appropriate moment.
Miriam cleared her throat. "Shall we begin?" Kieran had asked her personally to officiate the wedding, and Freya was surprised at how well she was holding it together, given how much she had teared up when he had asked.
