Chapter 140: Before The Ceremony

Selene’s POV

There it was. The ceremony. The inauguration. The wedding.

Everything was so perfectly organised that I could barely believe it had been pulled off by a territory that was only just finding its footing again. The level of coordination, the attention to detail ... it was almost dizzying.

This was the second time I had been adorned like this. The first had been during my baby shower at Winterwood. Now I was at Icefang, about to marry William Steelborn so that peace could finally reign across the whole of Morvaine.

I had agreed to do it. I had always been a sacrificial person ... it was woven into who I was ... but my heart would always belong to Lucian. I loved him so much, and I would always love him. That was what I told myself as I sat in the chair while one lady wolf worked on my makeup and another arranged my hair.

I had to act normal. I didn’t know what lay ahead of this marriage, but I had to carry myself like a strong person ... and I felt I had earned the right to be called one by now. I had endured so much to reach this point.

"Is this makeup texture okay, Luna?" the makeup artist asked, calling me Luna when I was still unmarried.

"It’s okay, but I’m not your Luna for another hour or two," I said to her.

"You are, ma’am. You are," she replied, her voice soft but sure. "Icefang is about to have a new dawn because of you. We had been forgotten, neglected, abandoned for years. We have been in hiding. Your presence changes all of that."

So they had been here all along. Breeding, living, surviving ... all while the rest of Morvaine believed them to be extinct. They had been underground, waiting for the right moment, and now that moment had arrived.

"I’m happy you’ll all finally get to live like every other wolf," I said quietly.

She finished my makeup and the other lady finished with my hair. It was she who brought out the dress ... a sky blue gown. I froze the moment I saw it.

William had surprised me. How could he have known?

"How did William know I love this colour? Who gave you this dress?" I asked.

"The Alpha brought it himself," she said with a small smile. "He specifically said, ’Selene would love this dress.’"

I couldn’t reject it. I had no choice but to wear it, and honestly, I didn’t want to refuse.

I slipped into it and stood before the mirror. I could recognise myself ... a woman who was equal parts grit and love. I decided that was the best combination any wolf could carry into a marriage like this.

"Please, I have one request, Luna," the makeup artist said.

"What is it?"

"My pups would like to meet you. I told them the queen was coming."

The moment I heard pups, I melted. "Aww, bring them! That’s so sweet," I said, already smiling.

"Come on now," she called toward the door.

Two little pups came barrelling in ... a boy and a girl, one looking about two years old and the other about three. They ran straight at me and wrapped their tiny arms around my legs. The little girl, the younger one, held out a petal toward me with both hands.

"This is for you, my queen," she said.

My heart nearly cracked wide open.

"You’re both so adorable. I love you," I said, stooping down to pull them both into a hug.

I hadn’t even known she had pups.

"Would they walk with me down the aisle?" I asked her. "If you don’t mind."

"It would be such an honour, Luna," she replied, pressing a hand to her chest.

When it was time, I walked out with the two of them to wait in the antechamber before the ceremony began.

I stepped through the door ... and stopped dead.

My parents. And Astrid.

"Mom? Dad?" The words barely made it out of my mouth. It had been over a year.

"Selene, we came to congratulate you on becoming Luna," my father said.

Then it clicked. William had sent invitations to everyone in Winterwood and Bloodmoon.

Astrid stepped toward me. "You look beautiful today, sister. Congratulations."

I smiled. It was the only thing I could offer her.

I didn’t act like I was overjoyed to see them ... because I wasn’t. They looked exactly the same as the last time I had seen them at the Festival of Arts and Music. No remorse on their faces. No acknowledgement of all the time and distance that had grown between us. Just the same composed expressions, as if everything had always been perfectly fine.

"We also want to appreciate you for what you did to cancel the hunger that threatened all of Morvaine," Astrid continued. "Your invention opened a door for all of us."

"Of course," I said, waving it off. "It was nothing."

My mother, Lyra, reached out and touched my arm. "She has always been the science guru," she said, smiling at the other two.

The three of them laughed.

I stood still and waited for it to pass.

"Do you have someone to walk you down the aisle?" my father asked.

I had arrived at Icefang completely alone, not knowing my left from my right. But I was not about to let the man who had been absent from my life for years escort me down the aisle at the most vulnerable moment I had faced in a long time.

"That’s already sorted, Dad. Don’t worry," I said.

The three of them drifted outside, and I exhaled.

Then someone called my name from behind me.

"Selene."

I turned around. I knew that voice.

I could not believe my eyes.

It was Cipher.

"Mr. Cipher!" I screamed, jumping on him. He caught me fast and held me steady, making sure my dress stayed in one piece.

"How are you, Selene? How have you been?" His voice was just as deep as it had been when he used to teach me.

"I’m good, it’s been ... it’s been ..." I couldn’t finish the sentence. The tears came before the words could.

"Yes," he said simply, holding me. "I missed you too. I told myself that nothing would make me miss your wedding. Nothing." He pulled back just enough to look at me. "Daughter."

"Being your protégée is the best thing that has ever happened to me," I said, smiling through wet eyes. My makeup was definitely ruined. I didn’t care.

"And now you are an inventor," he said, pride rich in his voice. "All those days and nights in the library finally paid off. I am so proud of you, daughter."

"Thank you, sir," I whispered.

There was no one else I could have asked. There was no one else in that room who deserved to stand beside me in that moment more than him.

"Sir, would you do me the honour of walking me down the aisle?"

He raised an eyebrow. "I saw your father just a moment ago."

"You came first," I told him.

He searched my face, then nodded.

Some wounds take a long time to heal. Others never do ... they simply become scars, quiet and settled until the wrong touch reignites them all over again. My parents and my sister were that kind of wound. I had forgiven them. But I hadn’t healed. And I refused to stand at an altar pretending otherwise.

A male wolf appeared at the door.

"It’s time, Luna. You’re about to get married."

I straightened my dress, took Cipher’s arm, and held the little petal the girl pup had pressed into my palm.

Ready as I would ever be.