Page 28 of Knot Your Bridezilla (High Fructose Corn Syrup Verse #2)

AVRIL

“Right, I don’t want anyone to be surprised, so I’ve called this quick family meeting. There’s just a slight change to the wedding plans, and I wanted to let you all know.” I folded my hands so no one could see that they were shaking slightly. Damn nerves.

I’d called every single one of my fathers and half my brothers to the living room.

Getting all my brothers together was kind of like herding cats; they were always at the gym or trying to get laid, or getting mixed up in an anti-terrorist conspiracy or something.

Figured I could talk to my mothers later, after I’d gotten the conversation with the dramatic males of the family out of the way.

I waited till they all settled down, as much as my family could settle and be counted on to pay attention. Pa Nix was on the edge of his seat, like he was ready to go to war for his kid. My older brother Gunnar looked like he was on the verge of taking a nap on the sofa.

“You really don’t need to call us all together because you changed the venue or something, we can just roll with it, Sis.

” Titus was scrolling on his phone, not even looking at me.

He’d been occasionally smiling with literal hearts in his eyes as he was texting, so obviously the hunt for his pack mates had gone well. Which was good for him.

Though if he really knew what was good for him, he would pay attention to the wedding details so that everything went according to plan.

God help me, if my wedding went to shit because my brother couldn’t keep his dick in his pants for five damn minutes, and let me iron out logistics, his head would be on a fucking plate, served with the wedding cake.

“Let’s get one thing straight, I would never change the venue.

I’ve had the Crystal Chateau reserved for years.

” Honestly, I’d reserved it for longer than I’d even known my ex.

It wasn’t a big deal or anything, but I had a working relationship with Terry, the owner.

Honestly, unless the venue was literally on fire, the wedding was happening there.

No questions about it. “No, but I thought I should mention that I’m making a slight change with the groom.

Don’t want anyone to misunderstand when you see my new fiancé at the altar. ”

That apparently was news enough that Titus actually looked away from his phone; his jaw dropped in shock.

He wasn’t the only one. It went so quiet in the room that one could hear an ant fart.

The silence was too good to be true—and it didn’t last long as all my dads and some of my brothers all started talking at once.

“What the fuck did that little shit do to my baby girl?”

“How dare he break my little girl’s heart.”

“I’m going to kill him.”

“No, I’m going to kill him; you’re going to wait in line and kill him after—”

“No, you aren’t going to kill him.” I interrupted—I had to nip this in the bud.

“No one is going to kill him.” I glared at Papa Diesel like I was reprimanding a toddler and not a fully grown alpha with military training.

But if he wanted me to treat him like an adult, then he could, you know, start acting like a fucking adult.

“My life isn’t in danger; no one in the family is going to retaliate or say a single damn thing to the Kingston-Storm pack.

This sort of thing happens all the time when couples find out that they just aren’t compatible.

Luckily I found a replacement for the situation, so the wedding will still go off without a hitch. ”

“Avril, you aren’t serious about this…” Mag-dad tried.

“Oh, I am serious. I am dead serious.”

“Sweetheart, I know that you’ve planned and invested a lot in this wedding…

” Pa Nix was holding his hands up, like he was defusing a bomb.

All of them were acting ridiculous. This wasn’t even a big deal.

“But this isn’t the sort of thing you can just rush into.

All of us would understand if you needed to reschedule the wedding.

It’s not worth marrying the wrong person. ”

“I don’t want to reschedule. Everything is perfect. ”

“But Avril, sweetheart…”

“NO.”

I might not be an alpha, but I could glare with every ounce of my anger and annoyance brimming right under the surface.

I might not have an aura, but I was going to make them all feel it and understand.

“I have been dieting and planning and saving for this day for years. It’s happening.

My new fiancé is lovely, and you will accept him.

And even if you don’t, no one is going to say a word.

Not one word about it until after the wedding. Do you understand that?”

If I hadn’t been so furious at all of them, if I had gotten a chance to see this situation from a distance, maybe I would have thought that it was kinda funny watching all these highly trained and muscular alphas all cowering in their boots at the threats of little old me.

Father frowned, grabbing my chin and staring into my eyes. “Do you love this man? This new one? You aren’t just marrying him because you want the wedding to go on?”

“Yes. I love him. David… I promise I’m not just marrying him because I want to get married…

” It was hard to explain everything that had been going on for the past few months after keeping it all to myself.

It was like I was a completely new woman from who I was when I walked in on my ex cheating on me.

“I feel like he is the man I should have married from the beginning. I didn’t even know what I wanted in a partner until I experienced it with him. ”

I guess that something in my rambling, emotional nonsense resonated with my dads, because the tension in the room faded.

“So to be clear, this man—he treats you right?” There was an edge to Father’s voice. It was more than obvious that if I said anything other than the affirmative, he was going to use his spy network to find out where David lived and make him pay. No one disrespected Ragnar Stryker’s children.

I nodded.

David treated me far better than my ex ever had. Not that I was going to say that in front of my fathers. I wasn’t about to have them start a riot and damage their longstanding friendship with the Kingston-Storm pack because of my greasy worm of an ex.

“Hey sis,” Gunnar piped up after his nap time. “Since he treats you so right and all, you won’t mind if we all do another interview on him and check?”

I rolled my eyes. “Yeah, go for it.”

This interview idea was stupid.

I don’t know how it all started, but apparently now it was a new tradition for everyone in the family to gang up and interview potential scent matches and fiancés.

I’m used to my dads being overprotective—but I swear some of my brothers are just doing it to get in my business.

They are sticking their noses where they don’t belong more than they are helping anything.

I don’t know; maybe I would have needed a family intervention with my partner if I’d gotten engaged to that one guy who literally had an arrest warrant…

But I had nothing to hide with David. He’d be fine, no matter what my dads or any of my crazy brothers threw at him.

Anyway, I’d already promised Chloe that I’d help her get her revenge for when our brothers helped to interview her alphas.

Just wait until the next of my brothers meets their own sweet and unsuspecting little omega.

Payback was a bitch.