SWNOVELS Chapter Chapter Forty-Eight - Ashley's P.O.V
Just thinking about being Luna of such an immense pack had my heart swelling with immense pride. I was no longer the mate less, and nightmare filled Beta but a fierce Luna with three of the strongest Alpha mates in werewolf history. Allowing our wolves to get to know the familiar scent of one another and possibly forge new alliances and find possible mates within the newly merged pack made me giddy with genuine happiness.
Time seemed to drag on slowly as we organised the other recently amalgamated packs attendance under the guise of a pack merging party, I didn't know how they were going to feel about me having three fated mates which was making me kind of nervous to be honest. Not that I thought they wouldn't be accepting, as they had already embraced me as their Luna along with the twins as their Alpha's.
There were conspiratorial whispers far and wide about how strong of a pack we were, having three fierce rulers instead of two. Not going to lie, the eager whispers made my heart sore with absolute pride. Had I known years ago why I had not been given a mate at the age of eighteen I would not have been the fierce leader I was today. The struggles and considerable hardships had molded me into what I was today and I wouldn't change a thing about my past because of it.
Most mornings I still woke up and pinched myself when I rolled over in bed to find not one but three handsome mates beside me. How I got this lucky was something I attempted not to dwell on because I could not think of a sole reason why. Instead, I embraced it and sincerely thanked the moon goddess nightly for her abundant blessings in my life.
I'm not going to lie, though; it hasn't been smooth sailing, far from it. While Rayne and Kane have begrudgingly allowed Zac to share my bed and time, I still catch them from time to time with murderous expressions on their faces when they think I am not looking. I honestly can't blame them though; it was a massive shock to all of us when we discovered that I was Zac's second chance mate. It was kind of comical because I also caught them joking around with Zac, gradually letting their guards down and getting to know him.
Since the first night the four of us shared a bed, the considerable tension seemed to be slipping away from the twins, our routine syncing with one another as we spent our days with pack business, training recruits and patrolling our vast territory. Even though we rule the pack all four of us are very much involved with the day to day running and essential protection of it.
Not a single sole besides our immediate family and closest friends knew about Zac and I being mates, but I dare say some of them have a sneaking suspicion about our complex relationship. I don't miss the way some of the elder's inhale sharply when I am around them. Naturally pondering why I smell not only like Rayne and Kane but also Zac.
The full moon couldn't come fast enough, the sooner our relationship was made public the better. Concealing secrets from our pack is not something I ever saw myself doing but with the sheer size and the territory that went along with it, I naturally wanted to be the one who addressed the pack as one. I didn't want to rely on chinese whispers when it came to something so significant.
The night of the official ceremony finally arrived, and I was a bundle of nerves. Almost the entire amalgamated pack had arrived this morning, leaving only a skeleton crew to oversee security of our lands. While everyone was buzzing around, excitement permeating the air I was still in my room staring at the dress hanging on the back of my dresser contemplating how the pack would receive the news. "Stop stressing" Zac whispered as he entered the room, instantly winding his arms tightly around my waist. "The pack cherishes you and even though our relationship is unheard of no one thought anything of you being the first female Beta nor being the first Luna to be mated to twins."
Sighing wistfully I merely nodded and gently placed a chaste kiss on Zacs sweet lips "Where are Rayne and Kane." They should be here by now getting ready with us I thought with a sigh. "We are here sweetheart" Rayne called out as he crossed the bedroom towards Zac and I wearing a weary look as he took in the sight of Zac's strong arms wrapped tightly around my waist.
"Stop Rayne" I say almost exasperated, rolling my eyes at his evident annoyance. "Not tonight please, we have to present a united front and we need to faithfully portray solidarity with Zac, not have everyone notice the rift between the three of you" I make a point of looking between Rayne and Kane as the latter enters through the door, raising his hands in mock surrender with genuine humour dancing in his beautiful chocolate eyes.
"I'm sorry" Rayne rushes out as he halts before me, gently hauling me out of Zacs embrace. These men will be the death of me I swear. Rayne proceeds to kiss me sweetly on the lips before I feel another set of strong hands on me, leaving goosebumps in their wake. Breaking the kiss on a content sigh I look up into Raynes gorgeous eyes and can't help but sigh again at the look of pure love on his face when he looks back at me. The moment is promptly broken when I hear a cough from behind me and then I am gently tugged away from Raynes embrace and into the waiting arms of Kane.
No matter how many times I ask myself how I got so damn lucky to have these extraordinary men in my life, I can never come up with a plausible answer. I guess I will just have to learn to live with the fact that the moon goddess had chosen to bless me for some unknown reason. Not that I wasn't grateful. Because I most definitely was.
"Time to get ready guys," I whisper earnestly to no one in particular after being thoroughly kissed by Kane. "Don't be nervous babe" Zac replies, gently prying me from Kane's warm embrace. Grabbing my chin firmly in his large, calloused hand he tilts my face so that I am looking directly into his beautiful ocean blue eyes. "You have nothing to worry about, the pack loves you Ash. We love you. Nothing is going to change. Ever." "What he said" Rayne chimes in a little gruffly from where he is standing behind Zac. Tears start to pool in my eyes at the authentic love that is radiating from Kane, Rayne and Zac. My mates.
Reaching out towards them I grab the three of them, roughly squishing them to my body, breathing deeply in the familiar scent of each of them until my nerves have calmed down. "Kitten please stop rubbing on me or we won't make it to the ceremony," Rayne says in a chocked-out plea. "No, don't stop. The ceremony can wait," Callie screams hysterically from within me, always the hussy. "We need mates. All three of them," She purrs."Right now".
"Let me guess, Callie is just as excited as Callan and wants to skip the ceremony" Zac enquires, trailing his hands seductively down my spine until he is cupping my ass cheeks and eagerly pressing his hard length into my core. "Callan" Callie yells, as if he could somehow hear her."I need you. I need you too Hunter and Jax," she bellows with a needy whine. Forcing myself to step away from the three most important people in my life and focus, I breathe a shaky sigh "Time to get ready guys. It's show time."
The ceremony was held just on dusk with my father escorting me proudly down the aisle. Thousands of twinkling fairy lights shone from the towering trees and brilliantly illuminated the back garden in soft, romantic lighting. Gripping my father's arm tightly I carefully took in a shuddering breath when Rayne, Kane and Zac came into view at the end of the rolled out crimson carpet. I could hear hushed whispers from both sides of the congregation, all sitting in white seats covered in silver silk to match my silver floor-length gown.
I hadn't wanted a traditional white wedding gown, so I had opted for a backless silver silk slip dress that hugged my body tightly with simple makeup and minimal jewelry. The silver colour of the dress matched my long, silver hair and made my lilac-coloured eyes stand out. With matching heels on, I was almost the same height as my mates. My stunning bouquet was made up of wildflowers that Zac, Rayne and Kane had delightfully surprised me with earlier today. They were simple but stunning, most of them in lovely shades of purple and blue that somehow matched my eyes and set off the colour of my dress. They were perfect, and the gesture had had joyful tears rolling down my face, threatening to ruin my makeup when they presented them to me.
The closer I got to the end of the aisle I couldn't help the tears that sprang naturally from my eyes once more. They gradually made their way down my face, no doubt ruining my makeup, at the sight of my mates wearing matching black tuxedos with silver ties. They were beyond handsome, snatching my breath. Judging by all the love struck faces I passed in the crowd, I was not the only one who thought so. Lucky for them I was not generally a jealous person, it made me proud to be their mate. The one who got to spend the rest of my life with them. Still, it did not stop Callie from snarling inside of me, eyeing up every female and male that looked longingly at our mates. She was cursing every single one of them and shouting all the ways she would make them regret ever laying eyes on them. Her fierce ramblings had me chuckling to myself as I sincerely thanked the gods that I was the one in control and not her. It would have been a bloodbath otherwise.
Stopping beside my mates at the end of the aisle, I released my fathers arm so that he could stand off to the side of the recently erected platform. As the pack priest began to speak, all eyes were directed on us, no doubt curious at Zac's position beside Rayne and Kane. "Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today in the sight of the moon goddess and in the face of this company of witnesses to join together these men, Alpha Kane Smith, Alpha Rayne Smith, Alpha Zac McMillan and Luna Ashley Miller in holy matrimony." The crowd gasped audibly at the priests' words and out of the corner of my eye I could see my father making subtle hand gestures for the crowd to remain quiet until the end of the ceremony, thankful that there were no more interruptions.
When it was time for the exchange of wedding bands, I produced the three simple solid gold bands that I had specially made for my mates with an intricate platinum gold wolf inlayed on each of them with the inscription of 'Always' on the inside. I nervously slipped the rings on each of their wedding fingers and couldn't help but sob when I noticed a single tear sliding down Zacs face. He still couldn't believe his extraordinary luck that the moon goddess had made us second chance mates and I was determined to make sure that he would always feel like he belonged with us. With me. Always.
When it was time for my mates to place the wedding band on my ring finger, I gasped when all three of them produced ring boxes from inside their jacket pockets and knelt before me on one knee, making me ugly cry tears of joy at the sight before me. Rayne was the first to open the lid of his ring box, and I was genuinely shocked to see a similar ring to what I had designed with a stunning black wolf on it. As he slipped it gently on my ring finger he stood up and placed a tender kiss on my lips "I love you Ashley," he murmured tenderly before taking a step back so that Zac could place his ring on my finger.
Zac's ring was virtually identical to the one Rayne had placed on my finger expect it had a sandy coloured wolf on it. I knew what the third ring would be, tears pooling in my eyes as I looked down at my left hand which now had three stunning wolves on it to represent each of my mates. I couldn't hold back the sobs that wracked my body.
By the time we got to the I do part of the ceremony the pack went wild, cheering and clapping as we all kissed and embraced one another. It was at that moment that I realised that the pack saw the superior strength in having not one but three alphas to lead them. Three unbelievably strong wolves to not only lead the biggest pack in the world but to also protect them and our territory.
The after party was a blur of sincere congratulations with immense joy filling the air as we all prepared for our run together in the woods in our wolf form. "Thank You" I said via mind link to my mates as we raced carefreely through the forest, playfully nipping at each other's heels and howling every so often to the moon. It felt right to be worshiping the moon goddess for all the blessings she had lavishly bestowed upon me. "What for" Rayne and Kane said as one while Zac kept pace with me on my left, the twins on my right. Placing a protective barrier around me. "For loving me," I reply simply. I had no other words; I didn't know how I would ever tell these three georgous men enough just how much they meant to me and how much I truly loved and adored them. They were my everything. My world. They were the sun, the moon and the stars in my life. My reason for breathing. My reason for existing. They were my everything. Always.