Chapter 54

The reception was incredible. My lungs burned from dancing and it wasn’t even dark yet. The freedom of knowing everything was good and going to be okay unlocked a part of me I thought was gone, and I wanted fun.

Ocean and Trinity found me after the ceremony, and they’d pulled me away from Ellie on the floor so we could dance together. I couldn’t wait for us to do more ball gown bowling and dinners where we could talk for hours. All the things I missed when I was away, and while I was with Beau too, because I’d done those things less while he was around.

Ocean checked her phone and froze. “Shit.”

“You okay?”

She smiled tightly. “I need to go. I’ll call you guys soon.”

“O, wait,” Rin said. “Give us something, please. Because you’re kind of freaking us out.”

Ocean worried her lower lip between her teeth. “I’m getting married.”

“What?” Rin and I spoke at the same time.

“When?” I asked.

Trinity followed up. “To who?”

Our friend stared at us and shook her head. “I have no idea.”

Then she turned and left, nearly sprinting for the main house and leaving us both there in shock.

“What the fuck?” I asked.

“What the fuck indeed. There were a lot of things I guessed might come out of her mouth, and that was not it.”

A phone rang, and Trinity pulled her phone out of her cleavage before I could even ask who it was. “Hello?” She paused. “No, I can’t—hold on.” Rin rolled her eyes as she pressed the phone to her shoulder. “I have to take this. I’ll be back, though.”

“I need a break anyway.” I made my way over to my pack at our table. They all saw me coming, and I might have moved my hips a bit more just to feel the way they watched. “Hi.”

“Ocean okay?” Vaughn asked.

I had no idea how to answer that, but I wasn’t going to say anything until we knew what the hell was going on. “Yeah. I think so. We’re not really sure yet. But maybe?”

“That was… not an answer at all,” Hawk laughed.

“No, but it’s all I’ve got at the moment.” I grabbed a glass of water, downing it in one go.

“Thirsty?”

“Dancing is thirsty work. You all should try it. Are you going to dance with me?”

“Hell yes,” Cade said, eyes full of fire. “We will.”

Vaughn leaned closer. “But first, want to take a walk on the beach with us?”

I eyed him warily. “If I say yes, am I about to get chased and wet? Cause I’m not sure I’m done with the party yet, so any ‘let’s get dirty on the beach’ ideas might have to wait.”

Joel came around the table to me. “No getting dirty on the beach. Right now, anyway. The sunset is beautiful, and we just want a second with you.”

It was beautiful. Fiery and neon. Clarity Coast had shown up for Ellie’s wedding in her best colors. “I won’t say no to that.”

With his hand on the small of my back, Joel guided me out of the tent. Immediately everything was quieter, the music and conversation fading into the background and the soft rhythm of waves taking over. The temperature was milder in the breeze. Everything was perfect. We walked to the beach, passing the magnolia trees that were no longer blooming.

I paused at the edge of the sand in my heels.

“Leave them here. We’ll come back for them.”

Sand between my toes sounded great right about now, so I left my shoes on the grass, stretched out my hand, and laced my fingers with Vaughn’s.

Closing my eyes, I inhaled the ocean air, sinking into that low, settling feeling I had when I was near the water. It was always there, even when I didn’t look for it, but there were moments I felt it.

The ocean had always been my home. But now it was my second home. Because home was them. My pack. The men around me who’d already proven they would show up for me every time, no matter what.

Heat warmed my back and a kiss dropped on the top of my head. “What are you thinking about, baby girl?”

“Nothing.” I smiled. “Everything.”

Surrounded on three sides by them, I could stay here forever, looking out at the infinite water.

Vaughn looked over. “You really love the ocean. I didn’t realize how much.”

“I can’t explain it.”

“You don’t have to,” Cade murmured.

“I know it’s just—it’s always been there. No matter what is happening, it stays the same. It’s always wild, always dangerous, always… endless. Always exactly what it is, despite everyone trying to tame it or use it or change it. It’s just there. And it didn’t matter where I was, it always felt like home. Until you.”

Happy tears smudged the sky into a watercolor of nothing but light.

“You know,” Vaughn said, “if we’d scented you on the street, or at a party, we would have done things differently.”

I was about to ask how when Joel spoke low in my ear. “We would have courted you. We would have shown you who we were and what we wanted.”

“We would have made plans and spoken to your family.” That was Rowan.

Cade stepped closer in front of me. “And we would have declared our intentions.”

To my right, Hawk stepped around where I could see him. “We have no regrets about any of it,” he said. “The way we came together was meant to be, and I wouldn’t change a second.”

“But?” I looked at each of them.

“But we want you to have everything, Isolde,” Vaughn whispered. “Everything you might have had or could ever want. Every detail and every tradition.”

Cade reached into the inner pocket of his tuxedo and took a step backward, sinking down onto the sand. On one knee. “Cade what⁠—”

He held a small box, and there was no mistaking what it was. Every one of their bonds surged with love at my recognition. The rest of them began to kneel, and I shook my head. “If all of you kneel I’ll never get through this.” My voice already shook.

“You asked us, and we said yes,” Joel said. “And even though you’re already ours, and we’re already yours, we want to ask.”

Rowan reached for my hand. I let him take it as Cade opened the box. Green. A gold band curled around an emerald with color so rich you could get lost in it. Simple and beautiful.

“Isolde Penelope Allen,” Rowan said, taking the ring out of the box. “Will you be our Omega?”

The tears came so fast I could barely see, my chest bursting with both my happiness and theirs. “Yes. Of course I will.”

He slid the ring on my finger and stood, bringing my lips to his. I couldn’t kiss them fast enough. All of them. Addicted to this feeling of joy. I ended up held by Cade, trying to clear my skin of tears. “I’ve already cried so much today. I need to stop.” Then I laughed. “I knew when you told me you wanted a walk on the beach it wasn’t just that.”

“Couldn’t ruin the surprise.” Cade kissed my cheek. “We love you.”

“I love you so much it hurts,” I told them, looking down at the ring. It sparkled in the last rays of light. “This is beautiful. How on earth did you get one that fits this well?”

“We measured your finger while you were passed out during the heat.” Hawk grinned.

“Sneaky.”

He bowed, proud of himself.

I couldn’t stop smiling and held out the ring. “I love this. It’s beautiful. But I hope you know I didn’t need this. I wasn’t expecting it.”

“We know, but we wanted to,” Cade said. “Better get used to it, because I’m not done giving you more than you ask for.”

“Including dancing,” Hawk said. “Let’s go dance with our Omega.”

“One more minute,” I said, looking back at the ocean and the final moments of sunset. The way it flared before disappearing. One last hurrah. They gathered around me, enjoying the view.

Someone took my hand. Joel. “More than anything,” he said, lifting my hand and kissing my new ring, “This is a reminder.”

“Of what?”

They didn’t have to say the words. If their love were an ocean, I would drown in it. I couldn’t feel the edges. There were none. It stole my breath.

“A reminder of what?”

Joel smiled, and my pack stepped in, wrapping me in more than just their arms. “That the ocean isn’t the only thing that’s endless.”

They held me until we could see the stars, and even then it was hard to leave. But when they pulled me onto the dance floor, twirling me until I was drunk and dizzy, it felt right. Everything felt right with them.

Swaying in slow a dance with Hawk, my head on his chest, feeling the rumble of his purr, I closed my eyes. They were mine, and I was the happiest I’d ever been.