Wild at Heart

“Alright boys! That’s a wrap for tonight!” Nick waved his hand in the air.

“We still have stuff to do.” Jake whined.

“Then you are free to stay here to do it, but I am taking my mate home to do other things, which I’m sure Daniel and Alex are going to want to do as well.” Nick stated. I felt my cheeks redden in a blush.

“Don’t worry, State Farm, you can stay with me!” Alan slapped his hand on Jake’s back.

“State Farm?” I questioned.

“Yeah, your little joke stuck.” Alan said with a chuckle. “We’ll have this place looking just like your dream, Daniel, don’t worry!”

“I have all the faith in the world that you will only screw it up a little.” Daniel responded.

“Hey! I’m an excellent interior designer!” Alan retorted.

“Maybe we should call Sophia. Get a woman’s touch.” Jake suggested, but I growled as soon as I heard her name. Nick took my hand and pulled me away.

“Goodnight boys!” He called as he practically dragged me out of the firehall. I thought we were going to his car, but he pulled me off into the alley beside the hall and pushed me against the brick wall of the firehall.

“What are you—” I began to ask, but Nick’s lips collided with mine and it instantly shut me up. “Doing?” I finished when he pulled back.

“Thank you.” He said as he brushed my bangs from my eyes.

“For what?” I asked.

“You gave them a fantastic gift.” He said. “And me.”

“I haven’t needed that house for a long time.” I whispered. “I don’t know why I was holding onto it for so long.” But I did know. I was scared. I was terrified of the commitment I was making to Nick. I had this whole house I could run away to, and I have. For months after my miscarriage I used my house as a way out of dealing with issues I didn’t have the courage to face. But I realized I don’t need anything but Nick to help me face anything that comes my way. “I only need you.” Nick’s lips crashed into mine again and I gladly returned his passion. I wrapped my arms around his neck as his hands pulled at the buttons on my jeans.

“Goodnight, Nick!” Daniel’s voice called. “Goodnight, Emma!” Dammit. I bit my lip as Nick leaned his head into my shoulder.

“Perhaps we should finish this at home.” He muttered in my ear.

“Yeah, maybe.” I agreed.

I rolled over in bed and wrapped my arm around Nick’s chest. He returned the embrace by wrapping his arm around my back.

“Good morning, little wolf.” He muttered before kissing the top of my head.

“Good morning.” I said in a yawn. He left me exhausted after last night. “Happy wedding day.”

“Don’t remind me.”

“Aren’t you happy?” I asked.

“I’m beyond happy for them and I’m beyond happy to get this done and over.” I couldn’t help but chuckle at his pain. This wedding planning has taken up more time from Nick than running his pack did. I knew he was excited for his Beta, but he was even more excited that he didn’t have to do more wedding planning.

“We have a lot to do today, don’t we?” I asked.

“Yes, we do.”

“Better get started.” I said as I sat up only to make Nick groan miserably. I went to the bathroom to curl my hair slightly, just enough for a beachy wave look. I dressed in my usual jeans and t-shirt, but I took my dress with me to the firehall to change once we were closer to the event time. Nick drove us to the firehall, and the Omegas were already being bossed around by their Beta. “Ready?” I asked with a grin.

“As I’ll ever be.” Nick responded. We walked in, only to immediately step back as two Omegas carrying a wedding cake almost ran us over.

“Will you be careful with that!” Daniel yelled to the two cake-holders. “Oh, my Moon Goddess! That doesn’t go there!” He yelled to two more Omegas trying to hang lights on the ceiling.

“Bridezilla.” I muttered.

“Daniel!” Nick called to him.

“Oh, thank the dear sweet Moon Goddess, you’re here!” Daniel rushed over to us. “Emma, Alex has been looking for you.” He informed me. “Nick, help. These wolves are warriors, not decorators.”

“And I’m supposed to help with that?” Nick asked.

“Daniel, why don’t I call Chloe?” I suggested. “She loves this kind of stuff.”

“Yes, please.”

“Okay, I’ll get right on it. Where’s Alex?”

“In the kitchen.” I nodded and left my mate with his Bridezilla-Beta. I texted a quick SOS to Chloe and she responded almost immediately. Crisis number one, taken care of.

“Hey.” I waved to Alex and he smiled at me. “You nervous?” I asked.

“More than I thought I would be.” He admitted.

“It’ll be fine.” I assured him.

“Emma?” I leaned against the counter across from him. “I wish Emmett was here.” I felt my heart shatter at his words.

“He would have loved to be here, Alex.” I didn’t have to lie to him, I knew with all my heart that if Emmett were alive, this is where he would be. “He would be really proud of you, too, you know?” I leaned over and grabbed his hand. “He wanted this for you. He wanted you to be happy with Daniel.”

“I know.” Alex was staring down at our hands interlocked. “He was going to be my best man. He would have been standing beside me today.”

“I’m sorry he’s not here.”

“You don’t have to apologize, Emma, it’s not your fault.” Emmett said the same thing when Octavia took me to that dreamland of the dead. “Will you stand with me?” He asked as he finally raised his eyes to mine. “Will you be my best man? Lady? Wolf?” He chuckled nervously.

“I’d be honored to.” I responded as I squeezed his hand gently. He pulled my arm and pulled me into a warm hug.

“Thank you.” He whispered into my hair.

“I should go rescue Nick.” I muttered.

“I’m sure Daniel has his head spinning.” Alex agreed as he let me go. We both walked out of the kitchen, glad to see Chloe was with Daniel and he looked much more relaxed than when we first saw him.

“You two, go get dressed, I will take care of everything.” Chloe ushered Daniel and Alex both away.

“Aren’t you a lifesaver?” I joked.

“Yes!” Nick exclaimed. “Yes, she is!” We laughed.

“You look beautiful.” I told her. She was wearing the baby blue knee-length dress she picked out when we went shopping.

“Thank you, Emma.” She caressed my shoulder tenderly. “Now it’s time for you two to get dressed. Guests will be arriving soon.”

“Okay, okay.” I surrendered to her and walked towards the back of the hall with Nick. “It’s going to be a good day today.” I said.

“Yes, it will, little wolf.”

I dressed myself into my red dress I bought with Chloe. The plunging neckline was similar to the emerald dress I wore to the Mating Ritual. The dress hit the floor before I put my black heals on. The slit on the left side of the dress went to my upper thigh and it made me feel much less claustrophobic in all the fabric. The thin strap around the back of my neck held my breasts up higher than they usually laid. I knocked on the door lightly before peaking my head in on Alex.

“Are you ready?” I asked. He nodded.

“Yeah, almost.” I could see a fresh layer of sweat across his forehead and I held back a chuckle. He was so nervous that it was actually cute.

“Come here.” I told him. He walked to me and I reached up to his crooked tie. I shifted it to the center and tightened it up. “You’re going to be fine.” I assured him.

“I’m ready.” He said. I nodded and linked my arm in his. We stood on the left side of the firehall and waited for Nick and Daniel to come out of their room on the right side. And when they did, I thought I was going to have to hold Alex up from falling over. The moment the music started, Nick and Daniel started towards us and I ushered Alex towards the middle to meet them. Nick stepped back behind Daniel and I stepped back behind Alex, leaving the couple in the middle by themselves. Josephine stood behind the two, ready to unite them as a mated pair. I locked eyes with Nick across the room from me and couldn’t help but smile. He couldn’t take his eyes off me and I couldn’t be happier. But in a split second, from one of the happiest moments of my life to complete disaster. An explosion went off behind me and sent me flying to the floor. What the hell just happened?