Page 72 of The Right to Bear Claws
"I was hoping you would," she said, leaning into his warmth. "I could feel you looking for me."
"What's got you out here by yourself the night before our ceremony? Second thoughts?"
"Just the opposite." She turned to smile at him, violet eyes bright with unshed tears of happiness. "I was thinking about how far we've both come from that first night when you found me here. How different everything is now."
"Better different?"
"Impossibly better different." She gestured toward the town lights twinkling through the trees. "Six weeks ago, I was a lost soul running from nightmares I didn't understand. Now I have a home, a family, a purpose, and a mate who makes me feel like the luckiest woman alive."
"I'm the lucky one," Elias said, threading their fingers together. "You could have ended up anywhere when your car broke down. But somehow fate dropped you right into my arms."
"Do you think it was fate? Or just random chance that happened to work out perfectly?"
"Does it matter? We found each other, we chose each other, and tomorrow we're making it official in front of everyone we love." He pressed a kiss to her temple. "That's what counts."
They sat in comfortable silence for several minutes, listening to the gentle lap of water against the dock and the distant sounds of the town settling into evening quiet.
"I did one final dreamwalk tonight," Kaia said eventually. "Through the collective unconscious, making sure there weren't any lingering traces of Tobias's influence."
"Find anything concerning?"
"Just the opposite. The dreams are bright, Elias. Full of hope and joy and plans for the future. Children playing in gardens that don't exist yet, couples growing old together, adventures that haven't been dreamed up yet." Her voice grew wondering. "It's like the whole town is dreaming forward, imagining all the beautiful possibilities ahead of us."
"Including ours?"
"Especially ours." She turned to meet his eyes, her expression radiant with certainty. "I saw glimpses of our future, and it's everything I never dared to hope for. A house full of laughter, children with your eyes and stubborn streak, decades of quiet mornings and shared adventures."
"Sounds perfect to me."
"It will be." She stood, pulling him up with her. "But right now, I should probably get some sleep before the biggest day of my life. Twyla threatened to use fae magic on my under-eye circles if I show up looking tired tomorrow."
"Can't have that," Elias agreed solemnly. "Though you'd be beautiful even with raccoon eyes."
"Flatterer." But she was smiling as she said it, the kind of smile that made his bear more than content.
As they walked back toward town hand in hand, Elias marveled at how complete his world felt. Tomorrow they would stand before their community and make promises that would bind them together for all eternity.
The mating ceremony would make it official, but this—this quiet moment of perfect happiness—was what he would remember forever.
37
KAIA
The Council Glade at sunset looked like something out of a dream.
Kaia stood at the forest path's edge, her heart hammering as she took in the magical transformation the town had wrought overnight. Strings of warm golden lights wound through the ancient trees, creating a canopy of stars that rivaled the real ones beginning to emerge in the deepening sky. White roses and autumn leaves formed elegant arrangements between the wooden benches arranged in gentle circles around the ceremonial stone, and the air hummed with protective magic that made her skin tingle.
"Oh, honey," Miriam whispered beside her, dabbing at her eyes with a delicate handkerchief. "You look absolutely radiant."
"I feel like I'm going to throw up," Kaia admitted, smoothing her hands over the flowing white dress Twyla had somehow procured in forty-eight hours. The gown was perfect—simple but elegant, with delicate silver embroidery that caught the light and a neckline that showed off the Vane family pendant resting against her throat.
"That's perfectly normal, dear. I felt the same way when I married Henry." Miriam adjusted the crown of white roses and baby's breath in Kaia's hair with gentle fingers. "The butterflies will disappear the moment you see Elias waiting for you."
"Speaking of which," Twyla appeared through the trees with typical fae grace, her wheat-colored hair adorned with tiny lights that sparkled when she moved. "It's time. Everyone's seated, the Council elders are in position, and your groom looks like he might pace a hole in the ground if we keep him waiting much longer."
Kaia took a shaky breath, accepting the bouquet of white roses and evergreen that Twyla pressed into her hands. "I can't believe this is really happening."
"Believe it, sugar. You're about to marry the love of your life in front of everyone who cares about you." Twyla's smile was radiant. "Now come on, let's get you mated properly."
