Moonsong (33 page)

Chapter Thirty

Scarlett regained her good spirits in the excitement of getting Millie ready for the upcoming ceremony, producing yet another white dress; though that one was a great deal more elaborate than the simple dresses she’d been given before. Not quite as formal as a traditional wedding gown, the hem came to just below her knees but the fabric was embroidered with delicate little rosebuds in white silk ribbon at the neck and hemlines. A full length cape made Amelia feel a little like she was dressed for a costume party, but she couldn’t deny it offered welcome warmth against the chill of the late November air.

Finally Scarlett stepped back to survey her handiwork. “Beautiful,” she smiled, her face beaming with happiness.

“Thanks,” Amelia smiled back. “I’m not forbidden from checking myself out in the mirror, am I?” she teased, turning to catch sight of herself in the mirror.

“No, but ah… there is one more requirement once we leave this room.”

Amelia groaned from where she stood admiring the effect of the white roses Scarlett had bound up into her hair with ribbons. “What is it? I have to wear garlic to chase off ghosts? Or speak in pig Latin?”

“Oh stop,” she pushed lightly against Millie’s shoulder. “No one can lay eyes upon you except for your handmaiden… that’s me in case you hadn’t guessed. Not until after the ceremony is completed, not even Cutter.”

“You’re kidding? Then how am I going to attend if no one can get a look at me?”

“With this.” Scarlett produced a heavily embroidered veil and slipped it over Amelia’s head. The ends nearly reached the ground, completely engulfing her and obscuring her vision.

“Um… how am I supposed to make it out there? I can barely see through this thing,” Millie protested, only able to make out indistinct shapes.

“I know; I’ll have to guide you. I’m sorry, I know it’s inconvenient and probably a little uncomfortable…”

“It’s not uncomfortable, but I mean, you spent all that time arranging my hair and no one will even get to see it,” she frowned beneath the veil.

“Oh they’ll get to see it; this is just until after the choosing.”

“How am I supposed to choose when I can’t see my hand in front of my face?” Millie waggled her veil covered fingers in demonstration. “What if I choose the wrong person?” she laughed before sobering.
Holy crap could that really happen?
And would they hold her to it?

“Don’t worry; I’m sure you’ll be fine. Cutter will be the only one standing up there beside you. Well, except for Briar,” Scarlett chuckled, affixing the veil with pins so it wouldn’t slide around and muss her hair. “There now, I think we’re all set. Are you ready?”

Are you ready…
the words echoed in her memory, calling to mind the dream she’d had, was she ready? “I feel like the bride of the mummy or something, but yeah, let’s go,” Amelia nodded, reaching out for Scarlett’s shoulder to help guide her out of the room.

“At least you’ll have some interesting stories for your children someday.”

“You said a mouthful.”

* * *

After a great deal of stumbling through the underbrush, Millie sensed they were getting closer to the gathering place, recognizing the tang of smoke in the air. As they stepped into the clearing, a cheer rose as Scarlett led her into the circle where Briar and Cutter stood waiting. At least she assumed it was them, the stupid veil kept getting in her way.

Scarlett helped uncover one of Amelia’s arms enough to free her hand and placed it in Cutter’s, who clasped and raised it. Briar began to wrap a golden cord starting with Cutter’s forearm, winding around their joined hands and ending up Amelia’s forearm.

“I bind your destinies together as I bind your hands. From this day forward you are one flesh, one spirit; your hearts beat as one in this life and in the next. May the Gods bless this union, and may you multiply for the greater glory of the pack.”

“For the greater glory of the pack!” came the enthusiastic cheer from behind them, accompanied by a few animated whoops of joy.

Millie could feel light hands at the veil, removing the pins and then it was lifted free in a whisper of silk. She blinked at the light, eyes immediately seeking and finding Cutter’s beloved face next to hers, his face split with a broad grin.

“Was that it, are we mated now?” she whispered out of the corner of her mouth. Cutter’s response was to pull her close and deliver a melting kiss that turned her bones to water, leaving her clinging to him to keep upright amid cheers from the crowd.

“
Now
we’re mated,” he grinned widely. Turning, he lifted their joined hands to the crowd that continued to clap and cheer, and the drums picked up their beat again.

* * *

Instead of a formal receiving line, Amelia and Cutter were instantly surrounded by pack members, eager to shake hands, give pats on backs and offer a kiss of congratulations.

“You look… beyond radiant. In fact, I can’t even think of a word to cover it and that’s saying something.” Chase approached Millie the instant Cutter was distracted by Briar.

Millie gave him a warm smile, pleased that there was little residual awkwardness between them after everything they’d been through. It helped that Chase was seldom serious when she talked to him; if he was bitter about the way that things had worked out, he kept it to himself. “Thank you, I feel… beyond happy, beyond bliss, beyond words,” she laughed.

“Well, it looks good on you, Cutter’s a lucky man. Still… you get tired of the old geezer, or he does anything… and I mean
anything
you don’t like, you come and see me, okay, Millie?” The look he gave her implied he was entirely serious behind his light tone.

“That’s sweet of you to offer, Chase, but I think we’ll be fine.” Millie reached up to pat his shoulder, not wanting to give even the illusion that he should wait around for her. He needed to move on and find someone truly meant for him.

“Yeah okay,” he returned equably enough. “Don’t look now, but I think someone else wants to steal your attention.” Chase placed a chaste kiss on her forehead, and then he was gone, melting into the crowd.

“To the happy couple.”

Millie turned around to see the delegate from the Seattle pack at her elbow, raising his drink to her in a salute. “Oh… Mr. ah…” She realized she had no clue what his name was, if she’d ever even heard it in Adele’s office that day he’d come to… what did he call it? Open negotiations for her? Was he there to get that earnest money back?

“Jaeger,” he supplied his name with a smile that revealed a row of very white, even teeth. “I came to offer the congratulations of the Bryn Mawr pack. Alphonse sends his felicitations as well.” He leaned in and laid a kiss to first one cheek and then the other.

“That’s very thoughtful of you to come all this way.” Millie’s smile was still a little strained; the man made her uneasy. Probably because the last time she’d seen him he’d been putting a down payment on her for Alphonse, who apparently didn’t like to do much travel of his own.

“Not at all, I welcome the chance to see history in the making, Little Mother,” he offered his smile again. She was reminded that Jaeger and his Seattle pack didn’t see her as an actual person, only the personification of the prophecy they were so eager to get a piece of. How was she supposed to know if they didn’t still have designs on her? After all, she might be mated to Cutter, but she hadn’t borne him a child yet; that was the only thing that would meet the terms of the prophecy and stop the avarice towards her.

“Please, call me Millie,” she insisted, hating the title that made her feel little better than a brood mare.

Jaeger looked aghast at the mere suggestion. “Perhaps Miss LaRoche, or should I say Cutter? I assume you will be taking your mate’s name?”

“I… hadn’t really thought all that much about it.” A tiny pucker of worry appeared on Amelia’s forehead.

Cutter appeared at her side, a pleasant smile on his face, but Millie knew him well enough to know he was coiled tight in anticipation of possible conflict. “Hadn’t thought much about what, darlin’?” he asked, wrapping his arm possessively around her waist and drawing her close to his side.

“Taking your name now that you’ve mated,” Mr. Jaeger supplied. If he was aware of Cutter’s wariness, he gave no sign of it.

“Of course she will. We honor tradition in this pack,” Cutter answered immediately, dropping a private wink to Amelia to soften some of the sting of his reply.

Amelia’s mouth dropped open to respond to that bit of high handedness, but it snapped shut again before she said a single thing. He could posture all he wanted in front of people in public, at the end of the day the only person who was going to make a decision like that was her, and deep down she was sure Cutter knew that and respected it.
Pretty sure anyway…

“That is reassuring to hear, of course,” Jaeger nodded his approval. “Alphonse would be pleased if you would spare him some time to discuss the accord between our packs. At your convenience of course,” he inclined his head.

“Well, have him give me a call in a couple of weeks and we’ll see if we can’t work something out. Before that and I’ll be a little… occupied,” Cutter gave Millie a smoldering look.

“Yes, well… of course,” Mr. Jaeger cleared his throat uncomfortably. “I’ll be off now; I merely wanted to convey our congratulations. We look forward to seeing the prophecy fulfilled. Perhaps we can… solidify our association with your pack.”

“That guy gives me the creeps,” Millie shuddered as soon as he was out of earshot. At least she thought he was out of earshot, she was still a little fuzzy on how good their enhanced senses were.

“Don’t worry, sweetheart, he’s only a pencil pusher. It’s Alphonse who’s the tricky one to deal with. He’s sharp as a tack and his temper is just as prickly. But we’re in a position of strength, I can handle them.”

“I know you can, James,” she smiled, leaning her head against his chest. Amelia usually only called him James in the bedroom, and Cutter’s low growl of desire rumbled through his chest as he tilted her lips up to claim them in a passionate kiss.

Chapter Thirty-One

“So, technically you’re kind of like a bigamist right now, aren’t you?” Amelia grinned, pulling a sheet of cookies out of the oven and setting them down on a pot holder to cool on the counter before popping another tray into the oven.

“Well, technically no, in the eyes of the law I’m still married to Celia and you and I are just living in sin,” Cutter grinned back, kissing the top of her ear and stealing a hot cookie.

“Careful, you’ll burn yourself.”

“It’s worth it.”

“See, I told you this was a good idea. There’s nothing like fresh baked cookies to make a house a home, my mother used to say.” The kitchen was a bit old fashioned, but infinitely more convenient than the tiny cooking space in his cabin. Cutter promised her some conveniences soon, most importantly a dishwasher, which she eagerly looked forward to.

“You make this house a home,” he smiled; coming up behind to wrap his arms around her and pull her close.

Amelia loved the old Cutter house, the historical touches and heirlooms making her feel closer to a family she’d never had the chance to know. He was her family now, along with Chase and Scarlett and the extended family of the pack, and she was working on building a life for herself in Cutter’s Folly.

Leaning back against his broad chest, she brought a chocolate chip up to his lips and offered it to him. “How long until the divorce goes through?” she asked, kissing the rough underside of his unshaven jaw. His face clouded a little and his hold tightened subconsciously around her.

“Warwick said at least another couple of months. If we could just find her and get her to sign the papers we’d be done with it much sooner. But as is, we have to give her time to contest the proceedings, that’s what is holding it up. Does it bother you much, my still being married to her?” Cutter asked, voice dropping as he nuzzled into her hair.

“Not too much, no. We’re already joined together where it counts and in the eyes of the pack. I guess it’s silly, I’d just like it to be legal and done with.”

“I don’t think it’s silly at all, I want you to bear my name.”

“Who says I’m going to change my name?” she teased, taking pity on him before he had a chance to get too riled up. “Relax, I was only kidding. Of course I’ll take your name. I’d hate to confuse the kids, and I hate the way those hyphenated names look,” she made a face.

Chuckling, he let go of her and swiped another cookie. “That reminds me, I’ll be out in the shop if you need me, darlin’.”

“You’ve been spending an awful lot of time out there, why won’t you let me see what you’re working on?” Amelia turned to wave her spatula at him.

“Christmas is coming,” was all he would say; a sparkle in his eye. A knock at the door sounded and he lost his playful grin, moving to answer it. With a sigh Amelia set down her spatula and took off the oven mitt. It was probably another delivery; they’d been coming steadily all week with all the purchases they’d had to make to update the house.