Adelie
~Two months later~
^âWe wonât be late!â Maeve insisted, securing a blue clip in my braided crown.^
^Fala was there too, fussing over her teal dress. It was a bit too large, but sheâd managed to make it work with some cleverly hidden safety pins.^
^âBesides,â she said, smoothing her dress and turning to me, âitâs fashionable for women to be late.â^
^I rolled my eyes. âThat might be fine if I wasnât getting married in five minutes.â^
^She approached me, chuckling. âNo one will mind if youâre a bit late. Itâs your day. I canât wait to see my brotherâs face when he thinks youâve stood him up!â Maeve joined in her laughter, and I stood up, causing her to shriek.^
^âIâm not finished!â she protested.^
^âIt looks good,â I assured her. âWe need to go.â^
^âBut itâs not perfect. Sit back down,â she commanded, and I complied.^
^She spent another ten minutes on my hair before we finally began our walk to the packâs center. Kairos, growing impatient, reached out to me through our mind link.^
^Getting cold feet or just being fashionably late? he asked, making me smirk.^
^Are you scared Iâll leave you at the altar? I teased.^
^If you do, I swear Iâll chase you to the ends of the earth, he replied, completely serious.^
^Thatâs tempting. Maybe I should try it?^
^Iâll be waiting for you at the altar, in the black tux.^
^And Iâll be in white, I responded, cutting off the link as we arrived.^
^The area was beautifully decorated with flowers and vines. It was so dreamlike, I barely recognized it. Archibald approached me. âReady?â he asked, offering his hand.^
^Our pack had formed an alliance with Archibaldâs. Kairos was now training both packs, including the women from Archibaldâs. They were training harder and more frequently than our pack, but they were slowly adapting to Kairosâ rigorous regimen.^
^Over the past month, Iâd grown closer to Archibald. It felt right to have him walk me down the aisle.^
^***^
^As Adelie walked down the aisle, Kairos couldnât tear his gaze away. She was in a flowing white dress, looking as she did the first time he saw her. He couldnât shake the thought that sheâd done it on purpose. When she smirked, he knew she had.^
^This was why they loved each other. They noticed the little things and teased each other about them. ^
^Sure, they had their fights over trivial matters and got angry with each other. But they knew it wouldnât tear them apart. It only made their love stronger, reminding them that they didnât have to agree on everything. They completed each other.^
^Adelie had breathed life back into the Night Walkers pack. Sheâd brought Kairos back to life. Before he met the nymph in the forest, heâd lost hope. Sheâd seemed so small and fragile then. Heâd wanted to protect her, to be her knight in shining armor. He hadnât realized she didnât need protecting. But he was always there for her, just in case.^
^Adelie had never believed in second chances or a life of freedom. Sheâd lived in the shadows, small and insignificant. But now, she was stronger than ever.^
^He was a beautiful storm, and she was the calming rain that followed. He was thunder, and she had lightning in her veins. He was logical, and she was mystical. He challenged her, and she inspired him. They made each otherâs darkness less dark. Their love was a beautiful adventure.^
^And every night for the rest of their lives, they went to bed whispering three words to each other...^