Page 26 of Alpha’s One-Night Stand (Shifters of Clarion #3)

I got the story from Mom sometime after everything happened. She sat me down and told me that when I was a little girl, there were members of the Table in town, looking for me. At the same time that she found out about them, Nana had passed. Since she hadn’t told me yet, she decided to assume her identity instead.

“It was never supposed to last as long as it did,” Mom told me as we sat and drank tea in the student lounge. “I thought I could just wait them out. And when they moved on, I could let you know what happened . . . but you were so young. I didn’t know how to tell you in a way that you could understand.”

And so Mom went on assuming Nana’s identity, believing that I would eventually go on with my life. No one came looking for us, and she thought I’d be safe.

Until the day I found my mother’s graduation papers.

At first, she tried to discourage me with all her platitudes on how Moonhelm was too strange a place, but when she saw how determined I was to go there to find her, she decided to let me go, thinking that everything about her had been wiped away, anyway. She expected me to come home in a few weeks, and that would be that.

Then Cole showed up at our house. Somehow, despite her best efforts, he kidnapped her as part of his grand plan. How he figured out who she really was, that part will probably stay a mystery forever.

I’ve been thinking about her story all day today. And now, in a few hours, I’ll officially be Chad’s Luna under the eyes of the Moon Goddess. God, what a weird statement to make.

Mom sacrificed a lot to protect us. I wonder if I’ll do the same when Chad and I have children. Puppies? Whichever.

I look at myself in the mirror. My wedding dress is long and white and silky. It clings to my hips, making me look more hourglass-like than usual. I love it for its simplicity. The thin straps over my shoulders leave something to be desired, though. It’s been a few months since Chad first marked me and the wound still kind of shows.

“Hey, hey!” The door opens, and Saffron appears, her long bright-red satin bridesmaid dress swishing as she rushes in. “Just had a peek out into the crowd. Guess who’s here.”

“Who?”

“The Alpha King and his Luna! Can you believe it? We’ve got real royalty in the house.”

My face flushes as I look back into the mirror. “Oh . . . Oh, do I look okay?” I fuss with my hair, which is up and looks like a amethyst waterfall with all the ringlets falling around my neck.

“You look amazing!” She takes me by the shoulders. We both look at ourselves in the mirror, and all the jitters go away. We do look pretty damn good.

“One of these days,” she says, “the roles will be reversed. When I find my neutral, that is.”

“I look forward to it.”

The door opens again, and it’s Mom. She stands there for a moment, her eyes watery as she looks at my dress. “Oh,” she says. “You are so beautiful.”

“Mom, no. Don’t start. If you get going, I’m going to ruin my makeup!”

“I’m sorry,” she says with a smile. “Turning off the faucet. You about ready?”

I look at Saffron, who takes my hand and squeezes it for encouragement. “As I’ll ever be.”

We walk out of the building and out to the clearing behind us. The moon is high above us as all the members of our packs surround us, leaving a path for me to follow. Chad is standing at an altar with Dean Fowler, waiting to preside over our marriage.

My mother takes my hand and smiles down at me. “Let’s get you to your Alpha.”

We walk down the aisle, surrounded by the smiling faces of people I’ve never met before but I guess are a part of my new pack. I can’t wait to meet them all.

I get to the altar, and Chad takes my hands. He looks down at me, a smile playing at the corners of his mouth. “You are so beautiful,” he whispers. “My Luna. Forever.”

“Forever,” I whisper back to him.

Did you like this book? Then you’ll LOVE Alpha King’s Captive :

Only my fated mates’ touch can satisfy my raging hunger... and, as Alpha King, I will claim her at any cost. Our bodies ignite under the Blood Moon, but as she survives another attack, the question lingers: Is she more than human?

Turn the page for a special preview.