Page 70 of Her Eternal Mate

Upon my arrival, they all burst forth into a loud cheer, clapping and hooting. I raised my hand slowly in the air, letting them know that their celebration was warranted and appreciated.

“Here’s one for the King!” Vincent shouted, giving me a bottle of beer and putting his arm around me. “He may not sit on a throne, but he’s royally saved us time and time again! To Will! The Grimm King!”

One more round of loud applause and cheer erupted at the end of Vincent’s toast, and people, including me, drank heartily from their bottles, mugs, and steins. Alexis stood by my side all this while emanating an aura of satisfaction and joy.

I turned to her, knowing that all eyes were on me. People wanted me to make a toast. Some wanted to know what the future had in store for us. But I was not concerned with such matters for now.

I slowly got down to my knee, holding Alexis’s hand both for support and for the sentiment I was about to extend to her.

“My love, we have been engaged for a while now, and not a day goes by that I haven’t wondered when we’ll get married and truly start our life together. I believe that the time has come. If you are ready, I am ready to marry you among these fine people,” I said.

There was a stark hushed silence in the crowd as I uttered those words. A few women gasped from behind me. I only had eyes for Alexis and was anticipating what she would say.

Her face brimmed into a beautiful smile as she nodded and said, “I’d love to marry you, Will Grimm.”

And for the umpteenth time that night, the crowd once again burst into cheer and applause. A few enterprising teens and kids from the pack decided that it’d be a good time for fireworks. They lit up the sky with their colorful display of fireworks.

I helped myself off my knee and came face to face with Alexis. She was jovial beyond words. I hugged her, holding her close to me, and felt the warmth and comfort seep into my body as I realized that, yes, it was finally time for both of us to start the next great chapter of our mutual lives.

Chapter 33

Alexis

White had never been my color.

It felt like a canvas, something too bland that would get dirtied at the slightest show of carelessness. Back when I was a kid, and my parents were still alive, mom used to make sure that I wore dark colors—brown, black, deep blue—so that whenever I went and played in the mud, it wouldn’t show as much. That habit solidified when I became an adult, thus leading to the belief that white was not and had never been my color.

As I stood there admiring my reflection in the bedroom mirror, I saw how thoroughly mistaken I had been and how much I had missed out on. This white wedding dress, ever so carefully tailored by the finest seamstresses of the pack, looked perfect on me. It was long, slender, and hugged me tightly at my waist and bosom. Paired with the veil, I looked like a princess straight out of an old Germanic fable. A few of the girls of the pack had helped me with the makeup. Some of the boys had gone down to the town and picked up a nice bouquet for me to hold. Will, who had disappeared last night, stating that seeing the bride before the wedding was bad luck, had gifted me these wonderful crystalline heels.

If only my mother and father were here. Mother would dote on me. Father would walk me down the aisle. They’d both cry tears of happiness in front of the progression as Will, and I kissed. It was the only thing that was lacking on this otherwise perfect day.

The air inside my bedroom felt stuffy. I looked around, acknowledging that this was very well the last time I was going to call this place my bedroom. Will and I had planned that we’d move away and then we’d live together somewhere else. This meant that Will would have to leave his home, and I’d have to leave my parent’s home.

Dressed in my wedding dress, wearing my heels, and holding the flowers, I walked around the house I’d grown up in, looking at the walls, the old décor my parents had put in place, and the rustic furniture. It made my heart feel heavy, knowing that this was goodbye.

There was a knock on the door. That was strange. I hadn’t been expecting anyone. The venue for the wedding was within the Grimm Abode. Vince, Maliha, and a couple of the younger pack members had gotten together and had gone crazy with the wedding preparations. Flowers, arches, a whole stage, and ornate chairs covered in white, flowy ribbons decorated the aisle and the entire venue. Balloons were hanging in the backdrop. That was only what I’d seen earlier this morning when I’d snuck out of the house to catch sight of the preparations. I was completely unaware of how far the preparations had come since then.

The knock resounded again.

“Who is it?” I asked, trying to get a hold of myself. It was only the biggest day of my life. The least I could ask for was some peace and quiet before the event.

“It’s Morgan.”

Morgan? Now what could he be doing outside my house at this hour?

I opened the door, hurriedly adjusting the bust of my dress. I didn’t know whether it was intentional on behalf of the seamstresses or just how the dress accentuated my figure, but there was quite a lot of cleavage that the open front showed. Cleavage that I wasn’t comfortable showing to Morgan, who was my dad’s age.

“Hey there, Alexis,” Morgan said, modestly looking down, holding his hat in his hands. Presumably, like the rest of the men, he was wearing a black tuxedo. “God, you look beautiful. I remember it like it was yesterday when your father used to take you out to the park and play with you. He was my friend, you know. Your father. We went to the same school, married at the same time, and so on.”

“Wow, Morgan, I didn’t know that,” I said, stepping aside so he could come in.

“Well, that’s on me. I should have kept more in touch with you after your parents died. It was a weakness on my part, and I regret it. But I would like to make reparations if that’s even possible,” Morgan said, shifting his feet on the floor, looking a little embarrassed.

“What are you talking about?” I asked apprehensively.

“Alexis, I would like to walk you down the aisle if that’s okay,” Morgan said, his voice breaking a little.

“Oh, Morgan,” I said, letting go of my dress and hugging him tightly. “I would love that.”