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Chapter 288
Chapter 288
-Ava’s POV-
“I now pronounce you-
“Wait! Hold on, hold on,” Isabella suddenly cut in, making the priest stop mid–sentence.
Beside me, Grayson let out a deep sigh, the kind that sounded like he was reevaluating every decision that had led him to this moment. I could practically feel the frustration radiating off him, but he kept his face impassive.
Barely.
Rickon, standing opposite Isabella, grinned widely, clearly delighted by whatever nonsense was about to come out of her mouth.
“Bels,” I muttered under my breath, already exasperated.
“What?” she whispered back before turning dramatically to the priest. “I just realized something very important.”
The priest, an older man who looked like he had officiated one too many weddings in his lifetime, let out a very slow, very tired sigh. “What is it now?”
Rickon leaned in eagerly. “Yes, what is it, my love?”
Grayson made a strangled noise beside me, his jaw tightening. He looked like he was seconds away from throwing both Rickon and Isabella off the altar.
Isabella beamed at Rickon before turning back to the priest. “I think we need more dramatic vows. Ours were too normal.”
I closed my eyes.
Rickon gasped in fake shock, “You’re right. What were we thinking? A once–in–a–lifetime moment and we didn’t make it absolutely ridiculous?”
The priest looked up at the heavens like he was seeking divine patience.
Meanwhile, the guests were shifting in their seats, some looking highly entertained, others very much not.
“You already said your vows twice,” I muttered, rubbing my temples. “The one from the first wedding and the one you just tortured us with. And now you want to add more?”
Isabella shot me a look, “The first wedding doesn’t count, and you rushed us just now. What if generations from now, people look back and say, wow, their wedding was boring?”
“Who the hell is going to look back?!” I snapped, then exhaled, trying to reel in my patience.
The priest pinched the bridge of his nose but, to his credit, did not scold them, “Would you like to rewrite your vows right now?”
Isabella tapped her chin thoughtfully, “No, that’s too much work. I’ll just add an extra bit.”
“Oh, excellent,” Rickon said, straightening, “Then me too.”
Grayson’s voice came then, low and filled with barely restrained anger. “No one is rewriting or saying any vows again.”
He turned his attention to the priest. “Finish it.”
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Chapter 288
Isabella snorted, then reached into the top of her dress, pulling out a folded bill. She handed it to Rickon, who grinned, pocketing it smoothly. “Told you he would snap in less than five minutes”
I stared at them, “You were betting on this?”
Rickon waggled his brows, “Oh, come on, Ava. You should’ve bet against us. Would’ve made a nice little profit.”
Unbelievable.
The priest sighed but mercifully continued, not even bothering to scold them anymore. He simply cleared his throat and spoke the words that sealed them together.
“I now pronounce you both husband and wife.”
Rickon didn’t waste a single second. He grabbed Isabella and dipped her low, kissing her so dramatically that some guests clapped, while others just looked done.
I rolled my eyes and stepped closer to Grayson, who looked like he was holding onto his last shred of patience.
“Close your eyes,” I whispered, “I have a surprise for you.”
Grayson turned to me, the irritation in his eyes fading the second he met mine. His brows lifted slightly, but he didn’t hesitate. He simply exhaled and closed his eyes, trusting me completely.
My heart swelled.
My wolf stirred beneath my skin, her anticipation mixing with mine, the primal bond we had both been craving for too long surging forward.
I pushed up onto my toes, still barely reaching him even in my heels, and wrapped my arms around him. My lips brushed against his neck, and I heard him take in a sharp breath.
His grip on me tightened.
My wolf growled low in approval, and my fangs lengthened in response to the moment, to him.
“I really do love you, Grayson Blackwood,” I whispered against his skin.
Then, without hesitation, I sank my teeth into him.
A rush of warmth and power surged between us, so strong that I gasped against him.
For a moment, there was silence–then an eruption of energy, something raw and unbreakable snapping into place.
Our bond.
It was instant. Overwhelming.
I felt everything–all of him. His emotions poured into me, the sheer intensity of them nearly stealing my breath. The weight of his love, the possessiveness, the fierce protectiveness, and something deep, something even he rarely let show— vulnerability.
And I knew he felt me, too.
Grayson shuddered, his arms tightening around me like he never wanted to let go. His breath was ragged against my hair, his heartbeat thundering against mine.
For the first time, there were no walls between us.
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Chapter 288
Just us
1 pulled back slightly, my lips brushing against the mark I had just placed on his neck.
His eyes snapped open, wild and dark with emotion. His hands framed my face, and in that moment, the world didn’t exist.
Nothing else mattered.
“Ava,” He rasped.
1 smiled, breathless. “I know”
Then he kissed me.
And this kiss–this wasn’t just any kiss. This was everything
It was fire and storm, devotion and desperation, a claim and a surrender all in one.
The guests cheered, but it was distant, a murmur against the roar of our bond settling into place, stronger than anything I had ever imagined.
Grayson pulled back slightly, his forehead resting against mine.
“You’re mine now,” He murmured, his voice rough, like he was still coming down from the rush of it all.
I grinned, “I always was
His eyes softened in a way only I ever got to see.
Then, from the side, Rickon clapped obnoxiously loud, “That was way more dramatic than ours.”
Isabella snorted, “Damn. I should’ve bitten you.”
Grayson groaned and turned toward them, his irritation returning full force. “I swear-”
But I just laughed, threading my fingers through his.
Because, as chaotic as this wedding was, it was ours.
And I wouldn’t change a single thing.
The wedding carried on, flowing into the reception with an energy that was both celebratory and–unsurprisingly–chaotic. Even after everything, some small, restless part of me kept waiting for something dramatic to happen. Maybe an enemy attack. Maybe an unexpected betrayal. Maybe some long–lost threat from the past coming back to ruin the day.
It was ridiculous.
Grayson had even teased me about it last night when I double–checked the guest list, making sure it was only werewolves
this time.
“You’re expecting something to go wrong,” He had said, watching me with amusement as I read over the security details for the third time.
1 had been expecting something. And yet… nothing.
Just laughter, music, the clinking of glasses. The scent of fresh roses mixed with the warm night air, the sound of Isabella
Chapter 288
cackling somewhere in the crowd.
For once, nothing was wrong.
And maybe that was why I had gotten the sudden idea to mark Grayson then and these men sender and the was real. That nothing was going to ruin today,
Now, as I stood by the drinks table, watching everything unfold, I let out a show beeath forcing my bed this happiness, this calm–was real.
“You’re thinking too hard,” Isabella’s voice piped up beside me
I turned to her, watching as she swirled the wine in her glass like the was some solustrant uhlom a absolute menace she was.
“Am I?” I asked dryly.
She nodded, throwing back her drink before setting the glass down and printing at me how to lock bado mating for something to explode. You’re waiting for an enemy to crash through the doors and make this baro te Admit it.”
I exhaled through my nose. “Maybe.”
Isabella sighed, “Nothing terrible is going to happen. It’s really over
I hesitated before nodding. “I know.”
She smiled but didn’t say anything. Not yet.
For once, Isabella wasn’t trying to be funny.
Instead, she just reached out and gave my hand a light squeeze before nudging me and muzning fouve come really for you know.”
Her words caught me off guard.
I blinked at her, my chest tightening slightly.
I looked across the room, my eyes automatically finding Grayson. He was sitting with Maria, and she was laughing att something–something that, judging by his expression, he found at least mildly annoying
But there was lightness in his eyes.
Something warm. Something content.
I smiled, “We all have.”
Isabella hummed in agreement.
For a while, we just stood there, both of us watching everything–the people we cared about, the life we had built, the moments that, for so long, felt impossible.
Then, after a beat of silence, Isabella suddenly smirked.
“So,” she said, stretching out the word. “About that small country-”
I groaned, laughing as I nudged her shoulder, “Shut up, Isabella.”
She grinned wider, nudging me back, “I love you too, Ava.”
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