My Fated Mate Can Have Her

Chapter 342: Promises

Violet

When we left Shadowpine behind, I did not look back.

My work had been completed for now.

I had made a few more changes in the patrols and other leading positions. And I had made sure Marcus knew what was needed. Sera would come to enforce this soon, and I would be back in the following year to ensure things were running properly.

A new Alpha will be chosen for Shadowpine, but it would be someone from Nal’s capital. No one in that pack deserved that position or was even fit for it.

Rowan had been unusually quiet on our way back.

But he would constantly hold me, and the shocking highlight of it had been him literally clinging to me even while we were in the capital and under the stares of the other wolves.

It had been a bit embarrassing, but so endearing that I had been so caught off guard. Anyone would be shocked to see a Supreme Alpha not ashamed to act so touchy around his mate.

But I very much liked it when he held my hand, and he did that more often. His fingers would always find mine if we were together while walking, his thumb would press against my knuckles when we sat together, and his palm would settle on the small of my back whenever we passed through doorways.

It was as if he was reassuring himself that I was here.

Weeks passed by in a blur of travel and preparation for the strange, unfamiliar feeling of building a life rather than surviving one.

Shortly after we returned to Silverwood, the wedding planning began almost immediately.

I should have pressed for more details about the proceedings because, to my shock, I realised just how grand the union of a Supreme Alpha and Luna was.

I had never seen a celebration so extravagant in my entire life.

The ceremony itself had been intimate. It had been held at the temple, with the noble houses, his close aides, and the families of every Alpha from Silverwood’s packs.

A few representatives from other territories had come too, including a few from Fresna.

Elise had been present for the ceremony, but it saddened me that she wasn’t mentally present. It had hurt more that she had been fine the day before, however, I had made sure my wolf kept her company.

She was oddly soothed around Zephyr, and her mental bouts weren’t as intense whenever my wolf was near her.

And I had let Zephyr accompany her when the attendants had escorted her back to her room.

She would not be able to attend the celebration due to the noise.

As for Rowan.

He looked at me like the world had narrowed down to a single point, and I was standing at the centre of it. His green eyes had been bright and unguarded, and when he took my hands in his, his fingers had trembled.

I loved him so fiercely in that moment that my heart hurt.

And shortly after solidifying the union, the celebration had begun.

What Rowan had described as "modest festivities" turned out to involve the whole capital. As much as I would have wanted something small, my status would not have allowed that, and that was besides the fact that everyone wanted to see the Lycan who had now become their ruler.

There had been a parade through parts of the capital. Rowan and I had been on a boat that had made its way through all the river routes in the capital. Wolves cheered and tossed all sorts of flowers from balconies and bridges. The white-barked trees had been strung with lanterns, and the rivers running through the city caught their light, turning the water into a ribbon of gold that evening.

It had been overwhelming. Beautiful, but overwhelming.

[ - ]

The carriage trembled as it moved, my head resting against Rowan’s shoulder as my fingers laced with his. My body was heavy with the pleasant exhaustion of someone who had spent an entire day being celebrated, and the gentle rocking of the carriage was lulling me toward sleep.

He hadn’t wanted us to go in our wolf forms, and he also hadn’t wanted me to open my eyes by mistake, or even feel our surroundings from the direct rush of air while riding.

A surprise, he called it.

"Don’t use your senses," he had told me when we climbed in, a playful gleam in his eyes that immediately made me suspicious.

"Why?"

"Because I asked you nicely." He had smiled. "Please."

I had narrowed my eyes at him, but I had complied. My syzygy rested quietly in my chest, pulled inward, leaving me with nothing but my ordinary senses and the steady pulse of the bond between us.

We had been travelling for quite a while.

The noise of the celebration had faded long ago, replaced by the creak of wheels, the steady steps of the large lizards, and the whisper of wind through trees. The air had changed, too. Warmer, softer, and carrying a scent that tugged at a corner of my memory.

I turned my head to look up at Rowan.

He was already looking at me.

His eyes were gentle, his smile making them crinkle at the corners with a quiet happiness that made my chest fill with warmth. His thumb traced lazy circles against my knuckles.

I felt heat creep up my neck, and I looked away, still unable to hold his gaze for long when he looked at me like that.

His other arm tightened around me, and he planted a kiss on my head.

"We’re almost there," he murmured.

I smiled. "Where is ’there’?"

"You’ll see."

The carriage slowed right on time, and I paused, surprised at the coincidence of it all.

This smell...

My heart quickened despite my efforts to remain calm. Rowan released my hand and pushed the door open to climb out first. I heard his boots hit soft ground, and then his hand appeared in the doorway, offered to me.

I took it and stepped out.

The rushed breeze of the night air hit me first, carrying that familiar fragrance that made my breath catch with a gentle realisation.

The willows surrounded us.

Those beautiful, dropping leaves swayed gently before us, and I knew at that moment that the familiar air had been the path we had taken during our travel to his territory.

My eyes widened as that pink luminescence started its nightly transformation, rippling through the hanging leaves in soft, pulsing waves. The glow spread from tree to tree, and the entire grove basked in a gentle, rose-coloured light that painted everything in shades of warmth and wonder.

"Rowan..."