LAST CHAPTER

Chapter Quote:
"I believe the answer that will not get me in trouble with you is: the happiest day of my life. Or something along those lines."
~Nightshade, Andrea Cremer
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Chapter 64

Arya

Six months later...

"There," I said, fluffing out Lily's dress so that it fanned out across the floor. "You're ready."

Lily turned around a little bit each direction to check herself out in the mirror. It was ivory in color with chiffon underneath and a thin lace overlay with the lace getting thicker at the top. There were Swarovski crystals placed sporadically over the dress to add some bling besides the belt. Her hair had been curled and then put up in a half up-do.

"You're look beautiful," Elsa said in awe. "Caleb is going to lose it when he sees you in this."

She and Anna wore matching purple bridesmaid dresses with Swarovski crystals forming a floral design on opposing sides of the torso. The two had decided to do hairstyles similar to Lily's. Josilyn had too, being the third bridesmaid, but she was currently checking on the guys to make sure they were all ready to go.

"He's going to cry, I know it," Anna declared. Lily smiled but something was off, I could sense it.

"Girls, why don't you go see if the boys are ready?" I suggested casually so they wouldn't realize something was wrong. Thankfully I pulled it off and they scurried away to find their boyfriends. In most cases, they would've picked up on what I was doing but I was pretty sure that their excitement over today overwhelmed everything else. I faced Lily and said, "Let's put on your jewelry and do one last check to make sure you have everything."

Lily stepped over to the dresser in her room with me on her heels. She put on her veil with my help.

"Where did you find this?" Lily inquired, fiddling with the lace on it.

"You know that old rhyme: something old, something new, something borrowed something blue?" I replied.

"Yes, what about it?"

"This was my veil on my wedding day."

Her eyes widened. "Don't you want Elsa or Anna or Ember to wear it when they get married?"

"I did, but then Elsa is the one who suggested it and I've got other ideas for their weddings. I'm a mother. I've thought about this a lot. Do you have something old?"

"This bracelet. I got it for when my parents... when Michael and Elaine got remarried. It was before Caleb arrived. But afterwards, I asked Elaine if I could wear it at my wedding and she said yes. It was in the safe when our compound blew up which is the only reason it's still here."

"She may not be here in person, but she's here in spirit, and she's with you in that bracelet when you walk down the aisle. Do you have something blue?"

"My garter is blue."

"And do you have something new?"

"The dress is new."

"No, no, no, you're only going to wear that once. Here, an early gift from me and Ren." I handed her the present. She opened it to find the diamond, tear-drop necklace with matching earrings.

"Arya-"

I held up my hand to stop her. "Look at the inside of the diamond."

"What does it mean?" she asked, staring at the glittering piece of jewelry.

"It's our family coat of arms. A wolf against a mountain. The wolf to represent what we are, the mountain as a symbol of what our last name means, which is French for a stony outcropping. The motto is 'Pack, Loyalty, Strength.' Our unofficial motto is 'The strength of the wolf is in the pack. The strength of the pack is in the wolf.' But that was too long to put on the coat of arms. I wanted to use 'Hear Us Howl' but Ren knew I was only using that because I was on a Game of Thrones binge at the time. Do you like it?"

Lily nodded, tears forming in her eyes. I hurriedly placed my hands on her shoulders, asking her what was wrong. She laughed humorlessly and said, "I'm sorry. I... Is it stupid of me to be upset that I don't have my dad to walk me down the aisle? And that I don't have my mom to walk me down in place of him? My whole family is dead..."

"Oh sweetie," I said softly, pulling her into a hug. She gripped me tightly, trying hard not to sob but failing miserably. She'd been so strong this entire time that I'd forgotten that she was only twenty-two. She was young. Most people her age would have just now graduated college. She had just fought a war that had nearly killed her husband and beta. In the midst of setting up the wedding and getting the pack settled after the war, I'd forgotten to check on those who were leading it. Even as an alpha myself, I sometimes forgot that we had emotions. I sometimes forgot that we couldn't always compartmentalize our emotions forever. It seemed for Lily, that the dam in her had broken and all the emotions she'd been hiding the past few months had finally crashed down on her.

"Your family isn't dead, Lily. You still have one member left who I think you need to speak to," I said gently. "Let me call them in here."

Lily nodded and sat down in her chair again, trying to regain her composure as I made a frantic phone call. Thankfully they picked up, I explained I needed them to come down ASAP without alerting to the pack something was wrong, and they were knocking on our door in less than a minute.

"Everything okay?" Spencer asked, poking his head in with his eyes shut. "I don't want to open them without permission."

"Don't worry, we're all dressed. And it's only bad luck for the groom to see the bride before they wed," I told him. With that he opened his eyes and stepped in, shutting the door. His eyes went to Lily and his expression contorted into one of worry.

"Hey, what's wrong?" He asked, rushing over and kneeling in front of her.

"It's stupid," she said, wiping a tear away.

"It's not stupid," I consoled. "She's upset because Michael or Elaine isn't here to walk her down the aisle."

Spencer took Lily's hands in his. "Just because they're not here doesn't mean they're not here at all. They live on through us. They'll be walking down that aisle with you in spirit."

"I'll be walking down by myself though," she pointed out with a sad smile.

"What if I walked you down the aisle?" Spencer suddenly suggested, perking up.

"But you need to walk Elsa down the aisle," she remarked.

"I'm supposed to but we can change things up. And I know she wouldn't mind giving up walking with me down the aisle to give you someone to walk you. Let me talk to her. Arya can help fix your makeup while I get her over here."

Lily laughed at that, appearing to gather her composure. As Spencer made the phone call to get Elsa over here, I helped fix Lily's makeup. There wasn't much to fix since the makeup artist had done an incredible job with making sure it would be waterproof since we all knew there was going to be crying at the wedding.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Elsa piped up from the doorway. Spencer took her to the side and conversed with her quietly. Lily might've been distracted but my hearing was still fully intact and I couldn't help but overhear some of the things being said.

"Lily's upset that Michael and Elaine aren't here to walk her down the aisle. Since I'm the closest thing she has to direct family and since I'm their biological son, would you be okay if I walked her down the aisle instead of you?"

"Oh my god, of course I'm okay with that! Is that why she's been crying?"

"Yeah."

"Oh if I'd known beforehand that it'd been bothering her, I would've suggested this earlier on. No, no, no, I don't mind you walking her down the aisle at all. I'll tell Caleb, Dom, Hunter, Josie, and Anna what's going on so they're not confused."

"Thank you, sweetie," Spencer said, kissing her on the head. "I'll see you soon, okay?"

"Of course." Elsa headed over to Lily and gave her a massive hug.

"I'm sorry I'm taking Spencer away from you," Lily told her.

"Don't be sorry! I'm all for this!"

"But you two need to practice for when you two walk down the aisle," Lily joked. Spencer and Elsa both blushed.

"We're not even engaged so I think we have a while," Elsa laughed. "But hey, we'll be walking together after you two are wed so we'll get a little practice."

"Thank you. For everything. I'm so glad you're my beta."

"I'm glad you're my alpha. Now I better run to let the others know about our plan."

"I'll go with you. I think my time here is done. We'll see you soon," I said. My daughter and I left the room, hurrying down the hall where the ceremony was going to take place. Hunter, Caleb, Anna, Josilyn, and Ren were chatting outside. It was obvious that they were aware something was wrong.

"Is Lily okay?" Caleb asked immediately. "Where's Spencer?"

"Everything is sorted. Don't worry about it. Spencer is walking her down the aisle," Elsa said.

"Then who's escorting you?"

"No one."

"I'll escort you," Dom offered.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, I'll escort the twins down," he said.

"Then it's settled. Ren, we should go take our seats. The ceremony is about to begin and Spencer is going to be here any moment with Lily so Caleb, you need to get to the altar," I warned. My son took a deep breath and with an excited grin, practically ran to the altar.

"If he gets any more excited, he's going to explode," Hunter commented.

"It's a big day for him," Josilyn remarked. "He has every right to be!"

"I didn't say he didn't. I'm just saying there's not going to be a wedding if he explodes from happiness before he even marries her."

"Speaking of..." Anna interrupted, pointing down the hallway. Spencer and Lily were walking arm in arm down the hallway.

"Ren," I said, nudging him to follow me. My husband stared for a few moments more before finally listening to my tugging on his sleeve. We strolled down the white aisle, the only color in the building being from the purple flowers and purple dome above. We took our seats at the front. Caleb was rocking back and forth on his feet, causing me to think that Hunter was right about Caleb exploding from happiness.

The piano started playing a romantic melody and the doors opened, revealing Dom with Anna and Elsa on his arms. They walked down the aisle together, separating at the altar. Hunter and Josilyn weren't far behind.

The piano then started playing 'Here Comes the Bride' and everyone in the audience, Guardians and Searchers, stood up. Spencer and Lily walked onto the scene. Lily was beaming from ear to ear, the smile matched by her brother. I glanced over at Caleb. Having seen Lily, he had stopped all fidgeting. He had tears in his eyes already as he watched her glide up to him. Once they were at the altar, Spencer kissed Lily on the top of her head and took his side by Caleb as his Best Man.

Ren slipped his hand into mine. I looked over at him, expecting to see him crying but to my surprise, he was blurry to me. I realized I'd started crying and this was before the vows had even begun.

Babatunde was the officiant. He beamed at the two alphas in front of him as he went through the monologue. When it was time for the vows, Caleb started them off.

"I'll never forget the first thing that ever came out of your mouth was 'What is that wretched smell?' For all of you who weren't there, she was talking about me," Caleb said with a grin, causing the audience to laugh. "You were sassy, confident, and smart, and I knew I was in trouble from the moment I saw you. Little did I know that I was slowly falling in love with you more and more every day. I almost went back home to my family, and as much as I couldn't stand the thought of leaving Spencer, Callie, Michael, and Elaine, it was the thought of leaving you that was unbearable, especially after I found out you felt the same way. We've been through hell and back together, but I wouldn't have wanted to endure it with anyone else but you by my side. You're my light, my love, my mate, and for some unfathomable reason, you agreed to be my wife. I'm not perfect. I'm stubborn, I can be a complete idiot, but I'm also madly in love with you. Thank you for everything you have done for me, thank you for everything you've done for my family, and thank you for choosing to spend your life with me. You deserve the world and more, and I hope I give you the life you want and the life you deserve."

Lily wiped away a tear from her face. "Caleb Laroche, you were right about a lot of things. You're stubborn, you can be a complete idiot, but at the end of the day, you're my stubborn idiot. The day you almost left to go back to your pack, I was to the point of asking to go along with you because I couldn't bear the thought of you not being around anymore. I had always believed that I would never find a mate because I had a problem of trusting people after losing my mother and after what I went through with my father. You broke down those walls and I let you in. It was the best choice I ever made. I don't know what I would do without you know because although we are strong apart, we are unstoppable together. I will always remember those nights where we would sneak out and sit at the edge of the cliff, staring up at the stars, running through the woods around our hotel to freak out some hotel guests that had been getting on our nerves. In hindsight, we probably shouldn't have done that, and it reminds me that neither of us are perfect. But we are, however, perfect for each other. A few months ago, you said we were home. But I don't see Estes Park as home," Lily admitted. Caleb cocked his head in confusion. "I didn't consider Canada home either. You're my home. Wherever you are, that's where home is for me."

"Caleb Laroche, do you take Lily Carter to be your lawfully wedded wife?" Babatunde asked.

"I do," Caleb answered instantly, slipping the ring on her finger.

"And do you, Lily Carter, take Caleb Laroche to be your lawfully wedded husband?"

"I do," she said, a grin spreading across her face, slipping his ring onto his finger.

"It is my honor and privilege to pronounce you husband and wife. You may now kiss the bride," Babatunde announced. Caleb lifted the veil away from Lily's face and to our surprise, it was she who pulled his face to hers. He wrapped his arms around her waist and bent her over. The kids were all cheering. I'm pretty sure I heard Riley or Dmitri shout "Show her who's the alpha!"

They turned to the crowd and lifted their joined hands together, only causing the crowd to cheer even louder. They walked down the aisle towards the door to lead everyone to the reception. Elsa and Spencer followed behind them, barely taking their eyes off each other. How they didn't crash into anything or anyone, I have no idea. Anna and Dom were next, then Hunter and Josilyn. Ren and I began the procession of guests out of the hall. We walked downstairs to the reception area. The white columns were lit up by purple lighting. The flower arrangements in the middle of the tables had large white lilies. The tables were set with purple napkins and cards for where everyone was supposed to sit. Ren and I were at the head table with Caleb and Lily, sitting on Caleb's side with Hunter and Josilyn while Spencer, Elsa, Anna, and Dom sat on Lily's side. The rest of our pack and the Searchers took their seats at their assigned tables.

We ate a delicious, three course meal that consisted of beef carpaccio or tuna tartare for the appetizer, your choice of filet mignon, chicken, or salmon for the main, and of course, cake for dessert. They had three cakes of the same design, each one a different flavor: vanilla, chocolate, and red velvet. I went for chocolate, Ren for vanilla.

After dessert, the DJ came out and the music began for them to have their first dance. They danced to 'You and Me' by Lifehouse. Then there was the father-daughter dance which Lily pulled Ren onto the dance floor for. I could sense how honored my husband felt by her choosing to do so. Caleb came over to me and pulled me on the dance floor with him to dance to 'Everlasting Love' by Natalie Cole.

"So, did you enjoy the wedding?" he asked.

"It was beautiful. You two had me in tears during your vows," I admitted. "I'm so proud of you, Caleb. You know that, right?"

"I do now. With everything going, I don't think I ever properly thank you and dad for everything you've done for me and Lily. You two didn't have to give us the South Compound or give us half the pack so we could have a bigger one."

"I couldn't lose you again. You're my son. And now I have another daughter, one day I'll have three more sons and another daughter on top of that."

"Where are you and dad going to move to? And the rest of the adults?"

"We were thinking just down in Glen Haven. Since my parents' and their pack are gone, I've inherited that compound. That's most likely where we'll go but we have some redecorating to do. Why?"

"I want to be near my mom again," he confessed.

"No matter where you are, if you need me, I'm just a phone call away."

"I love you, mom."

"I love you too."

The song finished and we all took a bow. Lily shouted, "Who wants the bouquet?"

Quite a few girls from the pack scrambled behind her as Lily turned around. She acted like she was about to toss it into the air when she suddenly turned back around and ran to give it to me. I glanced up at Ren only to find he wasn't there. Instead he was on his knee, smiling up at me.

"Arya Laroche, would you give me the honor of remarrying you?" he asked.

"Of course!" I exclaimed through my tears. He stood up and kissed me as everyone applauded.

"Let's party!" Someone shouted. The DJ took the cue and started playing 'Sugar' by Maroon 5. I faced the dance floor to see Caleb sidling over to Lily. Elsa and Anna were pulling Spencer and Dom with them. I saw Ember and Noah already dancing (and making out). Hunter and Josilyn danced alongside Caleb and Lily.

Ren wrapped his arms around my waist and rested his head on my shoulder. The two of us contentedly watched our pack. For the first time in a long time, no one was worrying about anything. Our entire pack may not have been here to celebrate, but that was okay. We would see them again one day. For now, I lived in the moment and watched all my kids jump up and down, singing along to the music and living their lives like they should've been able to before.

"So what now?" Ren asked.

"What do you mean?" I replied, turning my head to look at him.

"Well, Caleb's married, Hunter's getting married soon too. Lord knows it's not going to be long before the girls are married too. What do you say we live a little too?"

"What are you thinking?"

"Well besides running off to Vegas to renew our vows, I was thinking just the two of us heading to Cancun and having a second honeymoon."

"Just promise me one thing."

"Anything."

"No more kids," I laughed. "Last time we were on a honeymoon, it resulted in Hunter."

"God, no. No more kids. The ones we have are going to put me in my early grave," he joked. A dark mirth filled his eyes, one I hadn't seen in a long time. It was the mischievous Ren that hadn't appeared since before half our pack had been murdered. I could practically see the gears in his head turning before he said, "We might not be twenty anymore, but I say we have some fun of our own tonight. What do you think?"

I gave him a brief kiss, breaking it off and gently nipping his lower lip. I heard my husband growl. With a playful smirk, I said, "Does that answer your question?"

"How long is this wedding?" he whispered against my ear. I giggled, feeling like the young, rebellious girl I was when I first met him.

"Much longer than you're willing to wait," I told him.

He sighed. "I can wait. I'll wait forever with you."

"You're my forever, Ren Laroche."

"And you're mine, Arya Laroche."
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IT'S OVER :O But don't worry. There's going to be a sequel because I can't leave them just yet... Reviews would be lovely!