Page 112 of Holly Jolly Heat
"So today, I promise you this, I promise to keep making you laugh when you're spiraling. To defend you the way you've defended me. To support your dreams and celebrate your victories. To be patient when you're scared and steady when you're overwhelmed. To make our home cozy and warm and full of love. To be your alpha, your mate, your pack." I took a breath. "I promise to love you forever, Michelle Rodriguez. In all the ways you deserve to be loved. Starting right now."
She was crying, silent tears streaming down her face, and through the bond I felt her overwhelming emotion.
"Ro," Bill prompted. "Your vows."
Ro stepped forward, taking Michelle's hands when I released them.
"Michelle," he said, his voice quiet but intense. "I've been getting to know you for six months. Through emails and video calls and every professional interaction. I watched you fight for your clients with fierce dedication. I learned how you built something incredible from nothing. And I watched you hide behind walls because you were scared of losing control."
He smiled slightly.
"The moment we met at Pike Place Market, I knew those walls were coming down. Maybe not immediately. Maybe not easily. But inevitably. Because you can't hide from fate." He squeezed her hand. "You've taught me that vulnerability isn't weakness. That letting someone in doesn't mean losing yourself. That pack can make you stronger instead of diminishing you."
Through the bond, I felt Michelle's gratitude flowing toward Ro.
"So I promise you this, I promise to see you clearly. All of you. The brilliant manager and the scared omega and everythingin between. To capture your truth through my camera and reflect it back to you. To be the observer who reminds you of your own strength when you forget. To challenge you when you're hiding and celebrate you when you're brave. To be your alpha, your mate, your pack." He met her eyes. "I promise to love you with clear eyes and an open heart, Michelle. Forever."
She was sobbing now, and Dex stepped forward with tissues before returning to position.
"Dex," Bill said. "Your vows."
Dex took Michelle's non-tissue filled hand, his large frame somehow gentle despite his size.
"Michelle," he rumbled. "I'm not good with words. I'm good with protection. With security. With making sure threats can't reach the people I love." He paused. "But you don't need protection from physical threats. You need someone who sees your fear and stands beside you anyway. Someone who understands that the bravest thing you can do is keep moving forward when you're terrified."
Through the bond, I felt Michelle's emotion intensify.
"You've shown me what real strength looks like. Not the ability to fight. The ability to be vulnerable. To admit you're scared and do it anyway. To stand your ground when everything says run." He squeezed her hand. "So I promise you this, I promise to be your anchor. To keep you grounded when you spiral. To monitor threats you can't see. To protect your heart the way I protect your life. To be steady when everything's chaos. To be your alpha, your mate, your pack."
He met her eyes with absolute seriousness.
"I promise to protect you, Michelle. Not from challenges, you don't need that. From the voice that says you're not enough. From the fear that says you have to be perfect. From anything that tries to make you smaller. I promise to help you stay big. Forever."
Michelle was openly crying now, and through the bond I felt her love for all of us, overwhelming and absolute.
"Michelle," Bill said gently. "Your vows."
She took a shaky breath, wiping her eyes, trying to compose herself.
"I had beautiful vows written," she started, her voice thick with emotion. "Perfectly structured. Professionally appropriate. The kind of vows that could be quoted in wedding magazines." She laughed slightly. "And I'm throwing them all out. Because you all just said the most beautiful things I've ever heard and I can't follow that with prepared remarks."
Through the bond, I felt her decision to be completely authentic.
"Lucas, Ro, Dex," she said, looking at each of us. "Two weeks ago, I was convinced that a pack would destroy everything I'd built. That loving you meant losing myself. That I had to choose between career and happiness because having both was impossible."
She squeezed our hands.
"You proved me wrong. Every day. Every moment. Every time I tried to run and you followed. Every time I spiraled and you steadied me. Every time I was scared and you were patient. You showed me that pack doesn't diminish me, it completes me."
Her voice grew stronger.
"So I promise all of you this, I promise to stop running. To trust instead of control. To be vulnerable instead of perfect. To let you see all of me, the workaholic manager and the terrified omega and everything in between." She smiled through tears. "I promise to defend you the way you've defended me. To fight for us the way you've fought for me. To keep choosing bravery over fear."
Through the bond, her love flooded toward us.
"I promise to be your omega, your mate, your pack. To build a life with you that's both professional and personal, structured and spontaneous, planned and surprising. To love you with everything I am. Forever."
The room was silent except for sniffling from the guests, and probably from the seventy-five thousand viewers watching online, not that we had the volume on.
