Chapter 40: Chapter 40

And here it is. The epilogue and final chapter of The Wolf of Penshaw Lake.

I hope you will all stick around to read my next story, The Hunt for Josephina.

-H x

“Will you just take a god damn breath,” Josie sighed as she fanned my face with her hands.

“I honestly don’t think I can,” I squeaked. “I’m so nervous,” I added, running my sweaty palms down the length of my dress.

I had wanted some semblance of a wedding dress, even though the commitment ceremony I was about to attend was not a legal wedding but rather a binding of two souls. Once committed, lycan mates almost never split, even when one side was human. The certainty of lifelong partnership, love and togetherness was something rather beautiful to me, and yet it still seemed awfully strange to know that I would never be with anybody else for the rest of my life. That was completely certain, engrained in complete truth and sealed with the mate bond.

The dress I had chosen was perfect for our outdoor, back garden ceremony. It was a long, A-line gown with tulle fabric and flowered lace patterning running across the bodice and down the skirt. An off the shoulder cut, it was loose, flowing and almost seemed to dance around my legs when I moved. It was so beautiful I felt like it needed to be placed on a mannequin and simply stared at for the rest of its life. I certainly didn’t feel like I was doing it any justice.

“Just stop fidgeting with the dress before I tie your hands up,” Josie growled in my ear as she placed the hundredth pin into my hair. I still winced occasionally when I thought about what Dan did to my hair, but it was growing again and the jagged strips of hair were almost unnoticeable. Still, I implored the girls to find me some light extensions; just for the day. I wanted to feel like myself again, and I knew I wouldn’t until I could feel hair once again cascading down my back.

“Sorry, I’m nervous,” I admitted.

“I’ve got just the thing,” came a voice from the door.

Turning around carefully, as to not stand on the end of my dress before I donned my heels, I was shocked to see Kate standing in a floor length teal dress, holding two glasses of champagne.

“You’re here?” I squealed.

“Did you really thing I was going to miss the commitment ceremony of a century? Honey, you must be mad!”

I quickly jogged towards her and threw my arms around her, so grateful that she was able to make it. After mating with Will, Kate had moved up to Scotland to his pack where she was happily settled. Still, she missed us as much as we missed her, it was the never the same without the four of us.

“I’m so happy we’re all back together,” Dee smiled, holding up a glass of champagne, “You girls are my whole life and I couldn’t imagine ever being apart from any of you. Heidi, you’ve been through so much and I’m so proud of you,” She paused to wipe away a tear that had formed in the corner of her eye, “-and I’m so stupidly happy that I get to spend this day with you, oh god my makeup,” She spluttered, “Quick, cheers!”

“Cheers,” I held up my glass and clinked it against the others. “I love you girls and if I wasn’t committing to Mason, I’d be committing to you all. You didn’t have to accept me as your own, or support me in the million ways that you have. I was a strange human girl invading your pack and your trio, yet you just immediately treated me like a sister and I will always be grateful to you for that. You put your lives in danger for me, I can never repay you.”

“Don’t cry!” Josie squealed, “I’ve just spent two hours on your makeup,” She added, ending the soppy moment we were currently having.

I took a few sips of my drink and turned back around to the mirror, aside from slightly misty eyes, my makeup was still intact. A knock on the open door was accompanied by my mum who threw her hands over her mouth with shock.

“Oh my god you look so gorgeous!” She cried, waving her hands over her face to stop from crying.

“Thankyou mum, but don’t cry, we’ve all just had a soppy moment, any more and my makeup will not handle it!” I joked.

“They’re ready outside, waiting for you. Are you ready?” She asked.

I nodded, “Yeah, I am.”

I placed my feet into my heels, taking a few steps to get used to them before stepping out of the room, flanked by my best friends and linked my arm through my mum’s who sent a reassuring, confident smile in my direction. I could hear a light classic melody floating through the air as I walked through the house, towards the dining room and the wide open patio doors that would lead out into the garden.

“Wait here,” mum told me. I frowned at her but she just smiled. “Let the girls go first, then you walk behind. Mason can wait a little longer,” She added with a wink. “Besides, you wanted a wedding right?”

I grinned at her and nodded at the girls who stepped into single file to walk down the aisle. I leaned my head around the door to try and get a glimpse of the atmosphere, and more importantly, Mason, but I couldn’t see anything. Mason hadn’t seen me since last night, another little human tradition I had sprung upon on him. Although he grumbled and complained, he obliged and so this would be the first time seeing each other dressed for the occasion.

The music suddenly changed and I could hear the scraping of chairs across the grass and the muttering of guests that had stood. It was time. I took a long, deep breath and began my walk towards the rest of my life. Nervously, I gripped onto my mum’s arm, terrified that I was going to fall in the heels I had mistakenly chosen to wear.

“Don’t let me fall,” I whispered as quietly as I could to her, as we rounded the corner and finally, I could see him.

Standing at the end of a makeshift aisle, beneath a beautiful, flower-adorned, ivory-painted wooden arch, stood a man dressed in a black suit, hands clasped in front of him, staring in my direction. I parted my lips to breathe in, suddenly all too aware that I had been holding my breath. Mason looked incredible, so ethereally beautiful that I could feel some of my anxious thoughts pressing against a barrier in my brain.

“Not today,” I thought to myself, as we began the slow walk down the aisle, “Today is a good day.”

The guests were sat in rows of four, on ivory, wooden chairs with the backs decorated with pastel pink and lavender flowers. Across the grass lay a long, white walkway adorned with white and pink confetti, courtesy of the flower girls. Ahead of me, stood Josie, Dee and Kate on one side, with Mason, Isaac, Kai and Eric on the other. I smiled as I realised that Mason would have no-one other than his best friends by his side, just as I would never pick anybody else other than those three girls stood by the altar.

The music reached a crescendo and began to fade as I noticed I was right by Mason’s side. I turned to give mum a hug and felt her arms squeeze me just a little too tight as she handed my hand over to Mason to take. I gripped his hand for dear life as he brought me to stand in front of him.

“I love you,” he whispered. “You look so beautiful.”

“I love you too,” I replied.

Mason’s father walked from his position next to his mother to stand between us.

“We come together to celebrate a rather special commitment ceremony. Both a wolf ceremony and a human wedding, this will certainly go down in our pack’s history as one of the most memorable and wonderful days to remember. My son, you are filled with courage, strength and a wisdom beyond your years. You have become an Alpha any father would be proud of and I stand before you today at your commitment ceremony to tell you that our ancestors are looking down at you and their hearts are filled with pride.”

I could Mason squeeze my hand as he took in the praise from his father. He bowed his head low in respect before returning his gaze. “Thankyou Alpha,” He responded.

Andrew then turned his attention to me, a soft smile upon his face. “Heidi, you have endured more than anyone should. You have been given fight after fight and yet you stand strong and tall in the face of it all. I could think of no-one other than you who should be standing beside my son today. You are full of kindness, resilience and I wish for that twinkle in your eyes to never be dimmed.”

I could feel my heart swell with love as I felt myself truly accepted by the pack. I bowed my head down low, “Thankyou, father.”

I looked up to see Andrew a little taken aback, his eyes misted with unshed tears. I knew my words had made him incredibly happy, to now have two daughters instead of one.

“To bond these two in everlasting commitment, I ask my son to place a mark on the neck of his chosen beloved. If the mark takes, we celebrate a new pairing in the eyes of our ancestors and all those wolves before us. Mason, Heidi are you ready?”

I remember talking this moment over with Mason and slightly freaking out. A bite? On my neck? Forever? No chance. But he explained the meaning behind it, the link to his animal soul, and the scar would serve as a protector, warding off any other unmated wolves. It took some time, but finally I came around. I realised that there wasn’t much I wouldn’t do for this man who had saved my life in more ways than one, who had risked the lives of his pack, and treated me like one of his own.

“Heidi?”

I could hear his gentle voice poking me out of my thoughts. I shook my head slightly and looked up at him, a small smile gracing my face.

“Yes I’m ready.”

Mason leaned down, gently kissing my neck before I could his teeth elongate into sharpened canines. As gently as he could, yet applying some decent force, he sank his teeth down into my neck. Unaware of how strange the sensation would feel, I gasped outwardly, grasping ahold of his upper arms tightly in my fists. Yet, suddenly it was all over and I could feel a wetness across my neck that I instinctively knew was blood. Out of the corner of my eye, someone passed Mason a handkerchief which he used to quickly dab up any blood that was on my neck and shoulder.

A few tense moments occurred as the whole party waited to see if the mark would ‘take’. I looked at Mason who gave me a reassuring smile, he looked at my neck once more and broke out into a grin. He turned me to his father, who also glanced down at my neck.

“The mark has taken,” He announced proudly, “You have your official Luna of Penshaw Lake Pack!”

Mason took hold of my face and pressed his lips passionately against my own as the guests around us stood and began to cheer. In that moment, the noise from the guests was drowned out by the love that was shared between us and nobody or nothing else mattered aside from the man who was currently kissing me like his life depended on it.

“You’re mine forever,” he mumbled against my lips.

“You promise?”

“I promise.”

THE END!

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