Page 89 of Mated To The King's Gamma
Kyson goes quiet, and we all stare at Clarice as she tries to soothe him. Kyson glances at me and chews his lip.
“Go get him then, Daddio, the more the merrier. Besides the last thing I need right now is a cyclone tearing up my wedding,” Liam laughs. Kyson rushes over, plucks him from her, and rocks him. Kyzel settles, and we all release a breath of relief as Kyson steps back in line beside me when he stops.
His gaze locks on the front row.
And when I follow it, I see why.
Two empty seats.
One with a nameplate etched in silver: Claire.
The other: Valor. Liam also notices Kyson’s stare turns to his side to look.
Liam stops breathing.
He doesn’t say anything. Doesn’t cry. Just stares.
And for a moment, he’s not the executioner. Not the madman. Not the monster.
He’s just a man.
A father. A widower.
I grip his shoulder hard when the music changes.
We all turn. Abbie, and Tandi walk out first in black gowns, each with a matching sash that has me squinting to figure out the pattern when Azalea walks out next. Liam is holding his breath, and I don’t hear him release it until he lays eyes on Dustin behind her.
And he’s wearing a bloody vest.
White shirt, crisp beige trousers, and that custom-made vest, which is a perfect replica of Liam’s infamous apron. It is floral, faintly red-tinged, and has subtle bloodstains stitched into the fabric like art.
Liam chokes.
“Are you okay?” I murmur.
He nods, barely.
“He wore it,” he whispers. “He hates that thing.”
“He does, but it shows he loves you more,” I nudge him, yet he only has eyes for Dustin.
When Dustin reaches the altar, he looks Liam in the eyes and says, “I figured if I can’t stop you from killing people in that thing, I might as well make it look good.”
“I am so fucking you in my apron tonight,” Liam growls when the officiant clears his throat. Dustin smirks, taking Liam’s hands when the celebrant starts speaking.
Epilogue
SIX MONTHS LATER
A great deal has changed in the last six months. We moved to the Landeena Kingdom, which is now the Valkyrie Kingdom. It took a lot of work to get the place the way Azalea and the king wanted it. This was Azalea’s fresh start, and mine.
It feels like home here, and we have settled comfortably into our new normal. I eventually took Liam’s advice and started counseling two weeks after moving here with Clarice.
Azalea and I also started being tutored by the king three days a week, Gannon and Cedric the other two days and all three are patient teachers. It feels very freeing not having to ask what words mean or what this says. Our reading and math were caught up quickly, it helped that both of us had a huge desire to learn and I needed to for Tyson.
Liam and Dustin also started training me in all things Lycan, though it is hard to focus on anything with Liam constantly goofing around but I was relieved when the sire bond broke. Tyson was also tested, and we found out he has some genetic werewolf disorder similar to what humans call autism. They say he may never shift, and developmentally, he is delayed. Yet finally we have answers, and he is making milestones, slower but still any pace is better than staying in one place. He is now toilet-trained and also attending speech classes. He can now say a range of words, though putting them into sentences, he struggles with, but I know he will get there soon enough.
So, for the most part, everything is going great. Well, except watching Gannon become frustrated as he realizes he put the headboard on back to front and has to pull the entire thing apart again.
