Greyson - Part 2: An Alpha Billionaire Shifter Romance (The Silver Moon Pack) (3 page)

Riding a wave of emotions, Juno felt like she was going to throw up, even as she took a huge gulp of the whiskey Charlotte handed her. Looking in the mirror, she swore she didn’t even recognize herself as she stood there in the gown Greyson’s mother had worn on her wedding day.

It was a beautiful pale pink gown of flowing silk chiffon with white lace flowers over the top of it. Nothing over-the-top, but gorgeous nonetheless in its ethereal elegance. The neckline plunged into a deep V but was balanced with enough lace at her shoulders, and though the waist was cinched in, the light and airy fabric simply flowed over her hips without being too full nor too tight.

“I don’t think I can do this.”
Juno was trying not to panic and failing miserably—and she was still pissed off and frustrated that she had no choice whatsoever.

She’d always thought that when she got married, she’d be deliriously happy, and it’d be to someone she was head over heels, crazy in love with. Most importantly, she’d have her family there with her. Her dad and mom would walk her down the aisle, and her sister would be her maid of honor.

Instead, she was getting married to someone she still barely knew, and though she certainly liked Greyson and was developing real feelings for him, it pissed her off to no end that she was being railroaded into this marriage. She swore he must not understand the consequences of marrying her, especially when she was responsible for the death of three men. And she may have killed them in self-defense, but it would still rain a world of trouble on him, when there was a good chance he’d eventually be alpha of his pack, even if he liked to argue otherwise. She’d seen the respect and reverence the other pack members showed him, and though she might not know a whole lot, to her it felt like his pack viewed him as the next alpha.

Charlotte and her sister, Jules, gave her sympathetic looks, as their friend, Willow, did her best to calm her down. “I’ve known Greyson all my life—we all have—and believe me when I tell you, you couldn’t ask for a better mate. And talk about hitting the jackpot—he’s sexy, smart, and could be alpha if he wanted it. There isn’t a woman in this town who didn’t hope at one time or another that she’d be the one to get mated to him.”

“I met him for the first time just days ago
. Days that can be counted on a single hand.
And now I’m getting married to him. Don’t get me wrong…I know he’s an amazing guy. But I wasn’t exactly given a whole lot of choice when it comes to this marriage—and this is the twenty-first century. I’m supposed to meet someone, date awhile, fall in love...” She was freaking out. She knew that. But she might as well get it out of her system now, behind closed doors, instead of losing it in front of everyone when they were expecting her to say her vows.

“Honey…those bears want blood. We get that you’re scared, but trust us…it could be a whole lot worse. You’re ending up with a great man.” Charlotte gave her hand a reassuring squeeze. “So…what do you say we get you married? You look absolutely stunning, and you’ll knock him on his ass.”

“It’s not like I have much of a choice.” Juno took the bouquet of wild flowers they handed her and somehow managed a smile. “I’m sorry if I seem ungrateful. I honestly appreciate Greyson doing this to keep me safe. I’m just trying to wrap my head around it all. And I can’t thank all of you enough for everything you’ve done tonight.”

Charlotte’s kind smile lit up her gold eyes. “In just a few minutes, you’ll be part of the pack. We’re here for you if you need anything at all.”

Cullen was waiting for her when she exited the room where she’d been getting ready. “You look beautiful, darling. I don’t suppose I could have the honor of walking you down the aisle? I know it should be your father, but given the circumstances…”

“I’d like nothing more.” She slipped her hand around his offered arm as the crowd immediately parted for them. A quiet fell on the room as they walked down the aisle of parted people, and there…directly ahead of her…was Greyson, in a crisp white shirt, dark jeans, and a jacket, looking heart-stoppingly gorgeous as he locked eyes with hers.

She couldn’t believe she was actually doing this. But her frustration and anger turned to nervous fear as she took one step after the other toward the man she was about to marry. Cullen kissed her cheek and gave her a comforting smile as he took her hand and gave it to Greyson.

She was panicking, even as Greyson tried to reassure her, leaning in and whispering in her ear, his breath a warm tickle on her skin. “It’ll be okay, love… You look beautiful.”

She couldn’t even find the words to thank him for his compliment, as her nerves sent her whole body shaking. She was freaking out on the inside, but this was happening whether she wanted it to or not, so she better buck up, and deal with it. She’d dealt with far worse, and if Greyson wanted to marry her and the consequences be damned, then at the very least, he wouldn’t be able to say she didn’t warn him.

Before she could fret any further, they turned to face Cullen, who, it turned out, was also the one marrying them. He spoke a few words about marriage and the pack, though Juno barely heard any of it past the pounding of her heart.

Handing her bouquet over to Charlotte, who luckily was close by, Juno turned back to Greyson, who took both her hands in his, his gaze intense, forcing her to focus on him. And just like that, her heart slowed just enough that she could hear his words over her deafening pulse.

“Juno, I pledge to you my love and my protection, for you already have my heart and my soul. I’ll lay down my life to keep you from harm, for I am yours just as you are mine, in this lifetime and all those to come.” Turning to Ryder, Greyson took a ring and slipped it onto her finger.

Fucking hell…she couldn’t believe she was doing this. Taking a deep breath, she did her best to come up with something that resembled his vows, since the chances of repeating his word for word were slim to none, and wouldn’t suit her situation anyway. “Greyson, I pledge you my honesty and my love, even if it’s still new and fragile. I worry that by marrying me, you’ve only made your life more dangerous, but you have my word that I’d lay down my life to keep you from harm, for I am yours just as you’re mine, in this lifetime and all those to follow.”

Ryder offered her the ring, which she took and slipped onto Greyson’s finger.

“Now to seal your vows in blood.” Cullen gave them both a smile and then pulled out a sharp blade. “Your hands.”

Her eyes went wide as she started to panic once more with the uncertainty of what was to come, but Greyson made a reassuring sound, nodding to her as he held her palm out to Cullen. Cullen ran the sharp blade ever so lightly over her palm, just enough to draw forth a stinging line of red blood. He then repeated it with Greyson’s palm before their hands were pressed together in a joining of body and blood.

“I pronounce you husband and wife, and would also like to welcome you, Juno, into our pack. You may now seal this union with a kiss.”

With their hands still linked, Greyson cupped her face with his free hand and covered her mouth in a hungry kiss as the assembled crowd cheered and her heart hammered away, still freaking out on the inside.

Had she really just gotten married?

With his head still bent to hers, Greyson pressed his lips to her forehead. “Don’t look so panicked, love. I promise to do right by you.”

“I know you will.” And it was the truth. Greyson was an honorable guy, but she still had issues with being forced to get married, even if her life depended on it and he’d threatened to marry her with or without her consent. “But…I swear, Greyson, I don’t think you realize what you’ve gotten yourself into.”

“I like trouble, June bug…and you’re well worth any trouble that gets sent our way. So if you think I’m going to regret marrying you, you can guess again.” He claimed her mouth in a kiss that left her head spinning and her body more than willing to comply with whatever it was he wanted. “You’re mine, just as I’m yours. And whatever comes our way, we’ll face it together.”

All she could do was nod, and hope he didn’t end up hating her.

Kiernan approached them. Even though he hadn’t been Greyson’s best man, he’d also been close by, clearly showing his support of the marriage to the rest of the pack. He gave Greyson a hearty hug, before giving Juno one that was far more gentle, a genuine smile gracing his face and lighting his blue eyes from within. “My sincerest congratulations on your wedding. Juno, welcome to the pack, and more importantly, to our family.”

She wasn’t sure what sort of problems had existed between Greyson and Kiernan in the past, but she was happy to see that, whatever it was, they’d set it aside—at least for now.

Once he’d gone, Greyson leaned in and kissed her cheek, his words but a whisper. “Well, he couldn’t be happier.”

She immediately understood why, not needing Greyson to explain that his marriage to her—to a
duine
—was essentially a strike against him if he wanted to be alpha, making it all the more likely that Greyson wouldn’t challenge Kiernan for head of the pack. “You should have found someone from the pack to marry. I’m sorry I’ve ruined your chance for being alpha.”

“I’m married to the only person I’d ever want to be married to, June bug.” He said it with such conviction, she couldn’t help but fall in love with him just a little more.

Of course, no wedding would be complete without a feast—and this was no different, except that it truly was sumptuous and generous. Good thing too, given that shifters seemed to have a ravenous appetite—not that there was a single salad to be seen. But for Juno, the best part of the festivities was the massive bonfire, which seemed to soothe her jagged nerves.

Everyone ate and drank, and milled about the fire, as one pack member after the other came by to congratulate them on their wedding and welcome her to the pack. With each pack member, Greyson gave her a quick rundown, no more than a whisper in her ear, his body teasingly brushing against hers as he leaned in.

What Juno found most interesting was the amount of respect each pack member showed Greyson. She hadn’t given the pack hierarchy much thought, but it was clearly visible, even if some of the shifters seemed uncertain about her, no doubt because she was an outsider and a
duine
at that.

“Congratulations to the two of you.” The shifter standing before them gave a bow of his head as Greyson introduced her to his uncle, Maxwell Tollund. “I do hope this means that you’ll be staying in Wild Creek now that you’re married, Greyson. Maybe start a family—and think about becoming alpha of the pack.”

Bloody hell, they already had her popping out a litter of pups
.

“You know there are others who are up for the position, though I appreciate your support.” There was now an underlying tension in Greyson that had Juno reaching over to link her hand with his, despite the sting on her palm and her earlier frustrations with him. They were now a team, and had to be there for each other, even if there might be times when they were at odds.

“That may very well be the case, but you’re family—and it’s what your mother and father would have wanted.” He gave Greyson a shake of his head, clearly frustrated. “And you know I’m not the only one who wants you to step up as alpha.”

“That may very well be the case, but I’d prefer to focus my attention on other things at the moment.” Greyson ignored his uncle’s mumbled complaints, and waited for him to wander away, before bringing her hand to his lips, and kissing the cut on her palm. “How are you holding up, love?”

“Better than I’d expected, I suppose.” And it was true. Because with her marriage to Greyson over and done with—and no longer up for debate—she not only felt safer, but she also felt bonded to him in a way she hadn’t expected. Speaking those vows, and knowing that he was now her husband, changed something, not just between them, but how she felt about him. She might still be frustrated, but something deep inside her now felt connected to him in a way she hadn’t anticipated.

“Juno…I know this hasn’t been easy on you—and I know you’re angry with me for forcing you into this. But I swear, you’re my everything.” As they stood there by the glow and heat of the bonfire, Greyson wrapped his arms around her and held her close.

His words had the remainder of her anger and frustration melting away as she held onto him. “I’m not angry. At least, not anymore, though I am worried that I’ve irreparably screwed up your life.”

“You’ve done nothing of the sort. If anything, you’ve finally given me direction and purpose.” As if to make his point, he tilted her chin up and stole a kiss, his lips warm and demanding on hers. Her body immediately reacted to his touch as if already recognizing him as her lover, and the mere thought of him now sent a primal hunger surging through her core. “I’m desperate to get you back home, June bug. Do you think anyone would notice if we were to sneak out of here?”

“Do you really think they won’t?” Yet before they could debate their escape any further, a hush fell over the crowd, and she swore she could hear a rumble of growls as a huge man approached them.

Greyson immediately tucked her behind him and shifted to face him, even as Ryder, Kiernan, and Cullen closed ranks to protect her. “Sawyer…what the fuck are you doing here?”

Sawyer
…one of the bears.

Greyson’s adrenaline coursed through his veins, stoking the energy he’d need for a quick shift. It was a ballsy move for Sawyer to walk into a pack of wolves—and furthermore, Greyson wanted to know what the fuck had happened with the wolves who were supposed to be guarding their borders.

“I’m here to offer you my congratulations, and to bring your bride a gift.” Sawyer took a step closer and put down the small wooden chest he was carrying as if in offering, before taking a step back. “Got to say, though…I hadn’t expected you to actually get hitched just to save her.”

“She’s my mate—and Atticus was still the one in the wrong for attacking her, as were those other two bears who attacked her just last night. So though I appreciate your gift and your congratulations, I’ll also remind you to keep the peace. I won’t tolerate her being attacked again. Our pack has no problem with your clan. But that will rapidly change if you or yours come after one of ours.” Greyson took a step forward to ensure Sawyer understood and knew he wouldn’t be backing down. “And make no mistake, Juno is one of the pack now.”

“I can see that.” Sawyer’s gaze drifted in Juno’s direction, where she was surrounded and protected by his friends and family. “Like I said before, we’d like to respect the peace we’ve managed to keep here in Wild Creek, but one of ours is still dead, and we all know she had something to do with it—especially after what happened last night.”

“If anyone’s at fault, it’s Atticus. He brought this on himself—and if that other bear hadn’t attacked her last night, then she wouldn’t have had to taze him.” There was no real proof that it’d played out any different to that, and a Taser could sure as hell deliver a jolt powerful enough to explain what happened. “You need to go—and for everyone involved, I suggest you lay this issue to rest.”

“Would you be laying it to rest if it was your son, your brother, your pack?” Sawyer gave his head a shake. “You know I’m in a difficult situation.”

“I know you are, but Atticus ending up dead has nothing to do with my wife nor my pack. His family needs to understand that—and if they want answers, then they should look at the type of person Atticus was. Juno’s protected now—and this argument is
not
worth the blood that’ll be spilt, especially when we’ve had nearly two decades of peace between our people.” That bloodshed was what had killed his parents, and he’d be damned if he’d lose anyone else he loved.

It was with that thought that he realized that he did indeed love Juno, despite having just met her days ago, almost as if his soul and heart had recognized her from a thousand other lifetimes together. And though he knew it was still different for her, he could already see her coming around, their bond growing stronger with each moment that passed.

“I’m trying to avoid the bloodshed just as much as you are, Greyson. And believe me when I tell you this is larger than any of us.” Sawyer let out a weary sigh, and tilted his head toward the chest. “If you could make sure your dear lady gets that, I’d appreciate it. It’s important. And again, my sincerest congratulations.”

Sawyer turned to go, only to find the wolf pack had formed a wall around them. But Greyson gave them a shake of his head, and on his command, the pack fell to the side to allow Sawyer passage.

With Sawyer gone, Greyson turned around to pull Juno into his arms as his family shifted to the side. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah…” She murmured her thanks to everyone, before turning back to Greyson. “Do you think they’ll ever let it go?”

“Atticus’s family is still mourning him, which means tempers are up. But maybe with time things will die down now that we’re married.” At least he fucking well hoped so, because if they continued to be a threat to Juno, Greyson would take each and every one of them out. “At the very least, they know now that they can’t come after you without inciting a whole lot of trouble.”

Ryder tilted his head toward the chest. “So what do you think that’s about?”

“He said it was for Juno, but…” Greyson went over to the small wooden box, flicked the metal latch, and tossed the lid back. “I don’t fucking get it.”

There were a variety of items, but as a whole, none of it made any sense. Greyson pulled out a sheaf of yellowed pages bound with a strap of leather, along with a wolf pelt, a fine bottle of whiskey, and a sapphire ring. At least the pelt didn’t belong to a shifter, since that would cause a whole other world of problems. Cullen and Kiernan stepped to his side, though his dad was the one who took the pages from him.

With a tilt of his head, Greyson motioned toward the pages, the words written in a language he didn’t understand. “Do you have any clue as to the meaning of all these items?”

“If I had to guess, the pages came from a journal and this is just a select portion. No clue on the rest or why Sawyer would want Juno to have all of it.” Cullen shifted to face Juno. “How about you…do you recognize any of it?”

Juno took a closer look and nodded. “I’ve never seen those particular pages—but I recognize the handwriting. It’s my great-uncle’s. The pelt is also, I’m sorry to say. As for the rest, I’m not exactly sure.”

“Then these are probably things that were stolen from your cabin when the bears tore through it.” Annoyed, Greyson stuffed everything back into the chest. At least this likely meant that Sawyer hadn’t had anything to do with the break-in, if he was returning some of the things that were taken.

Juno stepped to his side as he wrapped his arms around her, his anger melting away as she became his sole focus. “It’s already starting, Greyson. They’re not going to leave this alone, and marrying me is only going to drag you and the pack into my mess.”

“They will leave it alone—or there’ll be hell to pay, and they know it.” Greyson cupped her cheek, hating that she was stressed out when this should be a happy occasion—not that it’d been an ideal day from the start.

And yet, looking at her, knowing she was now his wife, his mate, had his heart thundering inside his chest. She was just so fucking beautiful, especially as the flames from the fire cast her skin in gold, making her look ethereal. He was one hell of a lucky man, even with all the problems that surrounded them. Because now that the pack knew he was back, he and Juno might have to deal with far more complicated problems than just a bunch of pissed-off bear shifters. “Let’s get home. There’s one last thing that needs to get done for this marriage to be official, and I plan on making sure the matter’s taken care of in a most thorough manner.”

“You do realize that I don’t have your stamina, right?” She tilted her head up at him, her blue eyes darkening in the night. “Just a little ole human here…”

“I promise to take it easy on you, June bug.” He stole another kiss, and tried to set her at ease, knowing this was still new territory for her, and it couldn’t be easy. “You have my word… I’ll not only keep you safe, but I swear to do all I can to make you happy.”

“You’re awfully sweet—even if you can be a royal pain in the ass.” She gave him a hesitant smile, even as she let out a long sigh and looked away from him. “I’m just sorry for landing such a mess on your doorstep. I’m sure you were expecting a nice peaceful life in the mountains, and instead I’ve brought you nothing but trouble.”

“I like trouble, June bug…especially when it comes in the form of a lilac-haired pixie.” He brushed a stray lock from her face and then tipped her chin up to kiss her lips, before they finally made their escape to howls and cheers.

It didn’t take long for Greyson to get them back home, though they were still staying at his parents’ place instead of his cabin. “I promise to take you away on a real honeymoon as soon as things settle down a bit.”

And then, because he only planned on getting married once in his life, he scooped her up in his arms. She laughed in surprise and wrapped her arms around his neck, as he carried her over the threshold into what would be their home together. “There you go, Mrs. Moore. Welcome home.”

“Mrs. Moore…that might take some getting used to.” She shook her head and gave him a curious smile.

He set her down on her feet, though he held onto her, not ready to let her go. “Well, you’ll have plenty of time to get used to it. And now that we’re married, we can take our time getting to know each other better—and maybe even fall in love.”

At least he hoped she would, since he was already a goner.

“I have no doubt I will, Greyson. It’s not as if I don’t like you. It’s just the circumstances that have made me act crazy. And I might know a hell of a lot more about you now than I did just days ago, but it’s still hard to
really
know someone without time on your side.” She was right, of course, and time was definitely the one thing they’d been lacking.

“You can ask me anything, Juno. And you have my word that I’ll always be honest with you.” He knew this was still hard on her, especially when she didn’t have the conviction of being someone’s fated mate. “Is there anything in particular you’d like to know?”

“Probably a ton of stuff, though I suppose there are just two things I’m curious about to start with. The rings…how did you get them on such short notice?” She looked down at her wedding band, when he took her hand in his and brought it to his lips.

“They were my mother’s and father’s. They’d have wanted us to have them—just like she’d want you to have this.” Greyson pulled the engagement ring out of his pocket, and slipped the antique diamond ring onto her finger. “Sort of the wrong way around, I guess, since I never did get to properly ask you to marry me.”

“Properly? You mean without threats?” She shook her head with a laugh. “You really do have a charming way about you.”

“Charming, huh?” Pulling her to him, he caught her mouth in a hungry kiss, nuzzling her when he managed to break away. “I guess I can live with that. So…what was the second thing you wanted to know?”

She bit her lip, her gaze taking him in. “Is it horrible that I want to see you shift? Each time it’s happened, it was either too dark to see anything—or I was so freaked out by everything else that was going on that I missed it.”

“I’m happy to shift for you, June bug.” Even though he was worried it would only freak her out again. He shrugged out of his jacket, and undid the buttons of his shirt, before stripping out of his jeans and anything else that remained, as the energy inside him started to build.

“Wait…once you shift…you’ll know who I am, right? And do you think like a wolf or will you still think like a human?” After all she’d been through, he knew she was likely worried that he’d hurt her—and that she might, in turn, accidentally hurt him. And he hated that she had to worry about any of it.

“I’ll
always
know who you are, love. I do still think like a human, although things tend to feel more…primal. The urge to hunt, fight...
fuck
…become stronger and tend to linger even after I shift back.” Which meant there’d be little hope of not ravishing her once he changed back to his human form. He’d been desperate to get his hands on her since he last fucked her over twenty-four hours earlier—which felt like a damned eternity.

“Wait. But you wouldn’t…not when you’re still a wolf…’cause that’s just way too freaky.” She shook her head and cringed. “Sorry.”

“No, love. It’d be different if you were also a shifter, since it’s tradition to consummate the marriage while in wolf form, but…” He wrapped an arm around her waist, and pulled her close, her curves pressing against his naked body, his cock hard and aching to sink into her. “This is fine too, isn’t it?”

“Yeah…more than fine.” She reached between them and stroked him, running her fingers along his hard length with her eyes locked on his. “This is just so crazy, Greyson…I still can’t believe we’re actually married. I don’t even know if I can wrap my head around it all just yet.”

“It’ll take time to get used to it—but I can think of plenty of ways to get comfortable with each other. And now? We have all the time in the world.” Especially since there was no dissolving a shifter wedding after a year and a day.

There was never any need to, since shifters usually only married their mates. And if they weren’t with their mate, then they either didn’t get married, or went into it knowing there was no way to fully dissolve the marriage after that year was up, even if they could choose to simply separate. Yet he suspected that Juno wouldn’t be happy to know that the option to get divorced wasn’t available, especially when he’d practically dragged her down the aisle to get married.

Taking a step back, she loosened the lacing on her dress and slipped it down off her shoulders. Stepping out of it and kicking off her heels, she carefully set it aside, before reaching behind her to undo her bra, adding it to the pile along with her lace panties. Standing before him naked, she stepped back to his side and stroked his cock once more as she raked her teeth over the pulse in his neck. “Shift for me?”

“Gladly, love.”