Chapter 264
Chapter 264: Ayla
It was the day of the solstice. Time seemed to be moving at a sprint. Hurtling me towards this life– changing event. It should have been overwhelming, but it wasn’t. The closer it came to time the more ready Theo and I felt. Dasha was practically buzzing in my head. Ever since I had agreed to go through with the reconstitution, she had been more present than she had been in years.
Theo said Kieran had been the same. It was like they knew we had been converging on this moment. It made me feel closer to Theo than I had since we marked each other. I was excited to experience that sensation again tonight.
We were in a room on the main floor of the pack house, just off the lobby area, getting ready. Luna Grace had insisted on bringing in people to do our hair and makeup. I chose to keep. my appearance as simple as possible but was still pleased with how elegant the artists had made me look.
I looked around the room and smiled. There were so many women that I loved and who loved and supported me. Mina, Annabelle, Emma, Luna Grace. Even Ma and Kylee. Theo and the other men had gotten dressed in the room next door and were now joining us before Sister Mona and Sister Julianna joined us.
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“While we have all of you here,” I said, getting everyone’s attention, “Theo and I wanted to do something for all of your to show you how much we appreciate the support you all have given us. We know the last few months haven’t been easy for any of us. And we just want you all to know how
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much we love and value all of you.”
Theo and I handed out gift boxes to everyone except Alpha Torin. His I held onto. We watched as everyone opened their gifts. Each one had been especially chosen and personally curated by Theo and I. It was worth all the effort to see their faces.
“Alpha Torin,” I said, trying to swallow the lump in my throat, “you have meant so much to everyone. Our pack couldn’t have asked for a better leader all of these years. I hope this helps to always remind you of that.”
I presented the box to him. He took it curiously. He pulled away the wrapping with strong hands that I was still so amazed were completely healed.
“Is this?” he asked quietly.
“It took some late nights, but Ayla was determined to finish it for tonight,” Theo said, rubbing my back.
“Oh,” Luna Grace covered her mouth as she fought back tears. “You’ve finished his memoir.”
“We had an agreement,” I teased.
Alpha Torin scooped me up in one of his big bear hugs that I loved so much. “Thank you,” he spoke in my ear.
“It was an honor,” I replied.
He set me down and there were a few more exchanges of hugs and some tears of joy. We were settling down when the sisters came in.
“Are the new Alpha and Luna ready?” Sister Mona said with a
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bright smile.
“As we’ll ever be,” I said.
“Alright, the rest of you can head out to your places by the platform,” Sister Julianna directed. “Sister Mona will bring these two out.”
Everyone left the room, giving us final words of encouragement as they went.
“You both remember what you will be doing?” Sister Mona asked.
“Yes, we’ve got it down,” Theo said.
“Good,” she said. “But remember, I will be right there with you if you need me.”
“Of course,” I replied.
“I’m going to give you two some privacy,” she told us as she squeezed our hands. “There are big changes coming your way. Take a few moments together.”
-She closed the door behind her and I turned to Theo with a
deep breath. Before I could even say anything, he was kissing me. I melted into him as I relished the tingles that still erupted through me at his touch. The taste of him felt like a lifeline. It was seared into the core of my being.
Sooner than I would have liked, he pulled out of the kiss, but his hands stayed, cupping my face as I looked up at him.
“I love you, Ayla,” he said reverently. “More than anything.”
“I love you, too,” I replied breathlessly. I saw so much in his
eye’s. I felt so much flowing between our bond. “Are you nervous?”
He chuckled. “Terrified,” he replied. “But in a good way.”
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“You’re not worried about doing this, are you? Because it’s a little late now,” I teased.
“I will always worry about making a mistake,” he explained. “But all I need is you. With you by my side, I know we will do what is right.”
I smiled. “You know I feel the same, right?” He shook his head with a disbelieving grin. “I know we had a rough start, Theo. I know we both made mistakes in the beginning. But I think you still carry yours more heavily than you should. But I’m so proud of who you are. I’m proud of how far you have come. There is a reason we were fated for each other, Theo. And I am beyond grateful that we were. Because I couldn’t imagine agreeing to do this with anyone else in the world.”
His lips were on mine once more. We held on tightly as the kiss deepened, taking my breath away. It was a knock on the door that brought us back to earth. Sister Mona opened the .door as Theo was smoothing my hair and I straightened his
tie.
“It’s time.” © 2024 Nôv/el/Dram/a.Org.
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