GIANNA
I gasped when I walked into the banquet hall. âMom! This all looks so amazing!â
Mom blushed beside me. âOh, itâs nothing, darling! You know how I love to throw a party,â she said breezily, waving her hands in the air.
I laughed and rolled my eyes. I looked around the hall, taking it all in. It was everything I had ever dreamed of and more! It was like I was living a real-life fairytale.
The tables had white linen cloths on them; each table had a vase of baby-pink roses. At the top of the hall was the head table, decorated in gold and silver, the colors for a royal wedding, of course.
A mixture of white and baby-pink climbing roses covered the walls and beams. There was a dance floor in the middle, with room for the live band to set up.
The best part, and by far my favorite part, was the brilliant white orbs of light my mother had floating in the air, something she had taught me to do when I was only a little girl.
Tears welled up in my eyes. My day was finally here! Two months of planning, and it was finally happening.
âItâs so beautiful, Mom! Thank you so much!â I hugged her tightly.
âItâs my pleasure, darling. Iâm so glad you like it.â She hugged me back.
I stood in my room and looked myself over in the mirror, almost not believing that the girl looking back at me was, well, me.
My hair had been curled and styled into an elegant upstyle with a curl framing my face on either side. I fidgeted nervously with my dress; it was breathtakingly beautiful.
It had been especially made for me by a young girl from Kolâs pack. He had mentioned to me about an aspiring designer in his pack in passing when calling out who he had invited.
I smiled fondly, remembering her squeals of delight when I asked her to design my dress. She must have been no older than sixteen. She was so nervous. I could tell this meant a great deal to her.
Every werewolf news outlet in the world would be tuning in, and I was going to make sure I told them who designed my dress, a young girl from my mateâs pack. An Amelia Yard original.
Made of a beautiful white satin material, it was a floor-length mermaid tail off-the-shoulder design. I stroked it absentmindedly, soaking it all in.
A soft knock on the door snapped me back to reality. âGia? Are you ready?â Diego called through the door. I couldnât believe this was happening!
DIEGO
My mouth fell when I saw her, my baby sister. She looked so beautiful.
âGia! You look amazing!â
She blushed. I knew she was so nervous about her day. Mom had gone all out to make it special.
Traditionally, fathers were supposed to walk their daughters down the aisle, but Father had to perform the ceremony, so I got to be the one to do it.
I felt both proud and sad for my sister, sad because she was my baby sister, and now she was all grown up, and proud because, well, she was all grown up!
Kol and I had our moments, sure. I still thought he was a punk, but there was no denying he made my sister incredibly happy, and that made me happy, so I was happy for her.
âAre you ready?â I said, taking her hand and squeezing it gently.
âYes,â she whispered. I saw both fear and excitement in her eyes.
âCome on, letâs go.â I led the way as we walked down the aisle arm in arm. I saw the punkâs eyes light up when he saw her. Nothing but love and admiration.
I growled internally. Sure, I didnât really like him, but he adored her; everyone could see that.
We reached Dad and Kol. I shook Kolâs hand, kissed my sister on the cheek, and handed her over.
I turned to walk to my seat, and I got this weird tugging feeling in my navel, like my body wanted me to go somewhere. I fought it down and took my seat beside my mother.
She reached out for my hand, tears streaming down her face. I gave her a peck on the cheek. âYou okay, Mom?â
âOh yes, darling.â She nodded, dabbing her eyes with a tissue. âIâm just so happy; she can finally be free. They just love each other so much.â
Tears were flowing at this point; she was close to howling if she wasnât careful. I chuckled softly and turned back to watch my sister become a woman.
RAPHAEL
I sat at the head table with my wife and sons and watched with pride as my daughter had her first dance as a married woman.
I had heard whispers that Kolâs pack was starting to question his leadership, so I insisted to Frieda that we invite his entire pack to the wedding. Gianna had beamed when we told her.
Kol had looked shocked. I chuckled softly, sipping my wine. I didnât think heâd ever get used to having the king as a father-in-law.
I had been firm in my insistence that his pack feel welcome on my grounds; he was, after all, marrying my daughter.
She would become their leader with him, the alpha mate a step down in ranking for her, Iâll be honest, but she was happy to do so.
Seeing her happy made my wife and me happy. I stood up and clinked my glass gently with a spoon to get everyoneâs attention. Everyone turned to face me.
âWelcome, everyone! I know speeches were done earlier at dinner, but I would just like to say seeing my daughter and my son-in-law happy makes my wife and me incredibly happy.
âI would like to welcome you all to my home, and I hope you all have a wonderful night. To Kol and Gianna!â
âTo Kol and Gianna!â Echoes rang across the hall as everyone raised their glasses and drank.
âYouâre just a softy underneath, arenât you?â my wife giggled in my ear. ~How much did she have to drink?~
I watched her sip on her wine and reach for another from the waiter.
~I need to cut this woman off before she starts with her magic display. When sheâs sober, itâs a spectacle, but Iâm not so sure about when sheâs drunk.~
âDarling?â I whispered. She turned to face me, her cheeks flushed from wine.
âYes, my love?â she said, slightly hiccupping. Her eyes were crossing.
I clasped her hand. âLetâs go for a walk, honey,â I said, leading her out of the hall before she blew something up accidently.