HIS MATCH

05.

Feelings.

River.

"So are you ready?" I asked Riley as I walked into his room, heels clicking on the floor. "Kind of, I'm not sure about tie or bow tie?." He replied struggling with both until I took them both away and faced him directly. "Nervous?" I questioned and he nodded furiously making me chuckle, he wasn't the only one nervous though, I kept seeing white threads every few moments, I dared not touch them because fate threads revealed a lot that I wanted to keep hidden, not only was my future on the cards, Riley and anyone attending the engagement ceremony, and above all, I was nervous because at the back of my mind, I knew something bad would happen. I just hoped we could survive it.

"We are both nervous, but there is nothing to worry about, if she doesn't notice or in the least look your way, then have fun with someone else, I am, even though it might just end badly." I comforted my brother, but most of it was for me, I needed to hear that too. "Youre right, we got ourselves into this, might aswell have fun before we crash and burn." He cheered up making both of us laugh. "Great, now wear the black bow tie, a blood red jacket deserves that." I advised as I left him to go get my phone. "One thing though, who in the world are you dressing up for?" Riley teased as he followed me out of his room. "I have a right to love myself, in stilettos Riley." I retorted as he offered his arm to help me get down the stairs.

"So on a scale of I don't know, nine to a fifteen, how do you think people will react to us?" I questioned Riley and he chuckled before looking at me with that mischievous boy grin. "Twenty." He blurted out and I'm sure I squealed somewhere in there before grinning. "My love." He offered, opening the door and I got in. "Hurry, or we'll miss the good parts." I whined making him roll his eyes. "Honey, don't kill the aesthetic." He shot back as we drove off toward pack grounds where we had just created the magical fantasy Kara had wanted for her engagement, in a much, much better way. "This is it." Riley whispered as he parked and most of the guests were arriving. "Now or never." I replied squeezing his hand in mine before he got out of the car and opened the door for me.

We made our way to the brightly lit pathway where everyone would be walking down to get a picture taken then to find their table, I stood by with Riley, as everyone quietened down and they looked at us. "I take my twenty back." He whispered in my head as we walked down the path with everyone's eyes on us, because behind us and in front of us lycans had gone silent, the head warrior family, the beta family and the alphas had all turned to see why, I smirked when Zaya couldn't take her eyes off Riley, she wouldn't play hard to get now. "You've got a lot of lycans hard now, I can smell arousal everywhere." Riley mumbled as we came to the end of the path and proceeded to find our table. "I can't help it, chokers love me." I cheekily replied as we walked to a two seater table. "Riley, River, over here." Zaya called out but after how her father had accused Riley, we wouldn't be that easy, so I held my brother in place, and conveyed my refusal.

"You look ravishing." Kirk muttered as he walked up to us looking very well cleaned up. "Thank you." Riley replied with a snicker. "Thanks Kirk." I smacked Riley afterward. "Can I?" He offered to draw out my seat and I nodded as Riley took the other seat, Kirk had to drag another seat to sit beside me making Riley chuckle, but not for long because the pack warrior's daughter Zaya came to him, first time for everything. "Play even harder to get." I told Riley in his mind as they left to talk. "So, you got all dolled up for me." Kirk mumbled shyly and I snickered. "Boy please, this is for me." I retorted as the ceremony was announced to start, Kirk was a good guy, a great conversationalist  I couldn't lie about that, but he wasn't my guy.

First was Kara to walk out on to the stage, everyone waited for Julian to show, and for more minutes he didn't, until his father stood up to assure us that he would be right out. "You alright, need more wine?" Kirk asked and as his hand touched mine, fate unraveled, I saw his past, present and future, and another thing that was about to happen that would change tonight for him. "River, —River, River are you okay?" He shook me back to reality as the vision vanished. I breathed in deep then smiled. "He's going to be just right." I whispered toward him. "What, you're disoriented, your eyes did the whole white thing, creepy as hell, are you okay?" He frantically asserted and I calmed him down. "Im fine Kirk, and you'll be great." I stated just as the man he was meant to be with showed up.

"Hey Chad." I greeted one of the local witches I knew and when he turned to reply me, that instant connection, that bond, I felt it through my magic as Kirk stood up, to meet his mate. "Fate has a funny way of doing things." I joked as I stood up to leave, I was happy for Kirk, they deserved each other. "Leaving already?" I knew that voice, knew it all too well. "Julian." I whispered turning back to face him. "Shouldn't you be up there?" I questioned and he shook his head in refusal. "Im sort of a runaway groom." He replied making me smile and worry about what this meant for him. "Are you really here?" I asked tears burning my eyes and he nodded. "I can't live without you River, I tried doing it and I couldn't, I've hurt you so much by keeping what we have in the dark, I should've been proud to be loved by someone as beautiful and as magical as you, I know I don't deserve you but I'm not the better man, I won't leave you alone,  I can't damn near get hard if it's not you, so I won't let you go, I refuse to follow everyone's wishes whilst killing my own dreams, you're my mate River—." He finally said the words, finally accepted what I knew he felt, we were bonded.

Everyone around us gasped as he confessed, it also raised questions as to why he was being engaged to Kara when I was his mate, lycans above all valued their bonds. "Julian, Julian get back here this instant!" Alpha Khan yelled in fury but Julian placed his warm hand on my cheek. "Focus on me, this is our moment, and I've waited to do this, since the day I met you, I love you, and will you give me a chance to be your mate, no secret dates, no lies." He asserted as each of his words made my tears fall. "Julian." I sniffled out. "Don't reject me." He quivered and with one leap of faith I leaned up and held him by his hair and kissed him, that's when I finally felt it, the complete bond, everything faded away, nothing existed, it was just us, his eyes burned a molten gold and I knew mine were the same. "Mate." A more dominant voice spoke, his inner lycan, that's what sealed our fate, as we kissed again.

When the high finally wore off fairy lights sparked all around us. "Your magic, it still amazes me." He joked making me chuckle. "I love you too." I replied with all my heart, just as alpha Khan's wrath reached us and  we both turned to see him. "So, this is why you were obsessed with him." He accused as he stalked closer with gleaming golden eyes. Julian put me behind him ready to face his father for me. "How quaint." He mocked as everyone starred on in shock until someone else screamed, Kara by the stage. "Rogues!" Another lycan yelled and thats when we all sensed them, they had us surrounded, I knew something bad would happen.

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Saint_Jay