Hunting Midnight

Chapter Fourteen: A Midnight Wedding

    I stand in the living room with Ruhn and a few other pack members, my mouth open in shock as Chief Gavriel drops the bomb on us that we need to get married immediately.
    "I need to marry Ruhn... tonight?" I ask, my jaw dropped.
    "Yes," Chief Gavriel nods. "We still haven't found the location of the wolf hunters' compound and it's clear they are bringing war to our land." He looks between me and Ruhn with fire in his eyes. "Since you two will be leading us in the fight, we need to have your pack at its full strength which won't happen until you're officially married."
    Ruhn puts his arm around my waist and locks eyes with me, assessing how I'm taking the news. I give him a small nod, letting him know that I'm okay with the idea.
    "We're ready, Chief," Ruhn says after taking a deep breath. "The ceremony will happen tonight."

    Butterflies flood my stomach as I rush into Rhun and mine's room to get ready, panic and stress taking full control of my system. Ruhn walks in right behind me, stopping at staring at me while I pace back and forth, simply watching. "I know it's only five days earlier than the original wedding date, but I want to make sure you're okay with this."
    "I don't mind," I reply, still pacing back and forth, thinking. "I just wish we had more time to prepare."
    "Do you want me to talk to the Chief?" Ruhn asks, gesturing back downstairs. "I could–"
    "No, no," I say, shaking my head quickly. "We'll get married tonight. It's best for the pack."
    Ruhn nods, rubbing the back of his neck before walking over to me and lifting his right hand and running his fingers along my lips. "I've wanted to marry you since the moment I recognized you as my mate."
    "How come you never told me that?" I ask, finally standing still and finding comfort under his gaze.
    "Not all mates agree to marry and stay together," Ruhn says. "I wanted to give you more time to get to know me, especially since you hated me when we first met."
    I crack a smile. "Well, I don't hate you anymore."
    Ruhn leans down to kiss me, but a knock on the door pulls us apart. "Come in," Ruhn calls out.
    The door opens slowly, and Marta pokes her head in the room. "Um... Kenna..." She says slowly, a grimace on her face and a large tote-bag at her side. "After you arrived yesterday, my friends and I found the old Luna's wedding dress in one of the closets..." Marta opens the door wider and holds up an old, flamboyant wedding dress. "Ruhn gave us permission to make alterations so you could wear it."
    "I thought you'd like a real wedding dress for tonight, since you didn't have one made yet," Ruhn says, his face reddening slightly. "I just didn't know it looked like... that."
    "It's great," I say, taking the dress from Marta and examining it closely. "It just needs a little... love."
    "I'll, uh," Ruhn looks between Marta, me, and the wedding dress awkwardly. "I'll leave you to get dressed. Once you're ready, Marta will walk you down to the ceremonial cave where we'll be... married."
    Ruhn stares at me for a long moment, the burning intensity sending heat to my own cheeks. With a nod, he walks out of the room, closing the door behind him.
    "Here," Marta says as I untie my boots. "Try on the dress and let's see if it fits."
    I head into the bathroom and change into the wedding dress. When I come out, Marta gasps with delight. "Oh, you are the most beautiful bride I have ever seen! Ruhn won't be able to take his eyes off of you. Well... after we fix those sleeves."
    I nod, looking down at the large puff-sleeves with a grin. "It already fits me perfectly. Can we just change the length of the dress a little? Maybe remove the bow in the front here and fix the sleeves?"
    "Absolutely," Marta nods, a huge grin on her face as she drops her tote-bag on the ground and pulls out a pair of scissors.

    We work for hours on the dress, even bringing in Anna to help do my hair as Marta alters the dress, taking off only a few inches to make it just barely brush the ground. Then she takes a few pieces of her own scrap fabric and makes the sleeves out of a thin, gorgeous lace, removing the bow on the front of the dress and lowering the neckline. After Anna finishes my hair– dividing my red hair into multiple small braids along the side of my head into one large braid in the back– and she does my makeup. Then I put on the wedding dress and a custom veil Marta made for me– a sparkling white floor-length veil with golden moon patterns– and look at myself in the mirror, giving Marta and Anna a twirl before putting on a pair of white heels from my closet.
    "No!" Marta exclaims, knocking the shoes out of my hand.    
    "What's wrong with them?" I ask, eyeing the shoes that land with a clatter on the ground.
    "Here," Marta says, reaching inside her tote-bag and pulling out her own pair of shoes. "Try these on– they belonged to the old Luna."
    My eyes widen at the shoes, made entirely of... glass? Marta bends down and helps me guide my feet into the cool glass which feels surprisingly like silk against my feet. They're a perfect fit, and, as I rotate my ankle to examine the shoes, the light hits the edges, cascading off in iridescent shatters.