Captive: Hopeless

Chapter 30 - The Wedding

Kay helped Claudia with the last hook on her dress and smoothed the material down. Was it her imagination, or did the werewolf seem nervous?

No, the slight trembling of her fingers, her breathing, and her heartbeat betrayed her. And she kept fidgeting with her dress. Before today, Kay would have bet real money that Claudia didn't twitch.

Her casual inclusion in this wedding as the chief bridesmaid was a shock and caused a scandal in all the major papers. More than that, Kay expected Shaney, Claudia's best friend and her wedding planner, to be furious at being rudely upstaged.

Instead, she turned out to be the sassy, warm, and friendly type and a calm hub in the midst of a storm. Sass seemed to be a werewolf thing, just like a little bitchiness appeared to be a vampire thing. The wolf adopted her with as much ease as Claudia, and it was the last thing she expected.

Even though the wolves' delight in the outrage was almost unholy, not one wedding reservation was canceled, and interest increased the number of guests from five hundred to nearly eight hundred.

Darius' choice to give the world what they expected by having the wedding in a cathedral seemed an odd choice to Kay, but then again, with human origins, it wasn't so strange. Seedlings were half-human, and even newborns had human DNA. 

But she suspected it had something more to do with fitting into the circles they moved within. They disguised themselves so well that no one suspected them, and this might be just another mask. It wasn't something she was comfortable asking, either. 

***

Shane took it all in her stride, grinning with satisfaction. Organizing the society wedding of the year was a feather in her cap, but it was also the most expensive wedding of the decade.

Seven different catering companies had to handle the food services. The cost of the cake was higher than a brand-new sports car, and the price of the bride's dress was three times that.

Kay's matching bridesmaid's dress had to be created at short notice and cost a small fortune, but Marcus and Darius happily agreed to anything Claudia and Adrian wanted. Shockingly, the men had ideas of their own to add to the spectacle.

These immortals had impeccable taste, and this was a wedding fit for royalty because they were royalty.

***

Adrian and the other three women entered the room dressed in near identical dresses, yet each dress reflected something of its owner.

Adrian walked up to her daughter with pride in her expression and smiled fondly. Their eyes met as they had a private conversation, and whatever she said worked like magic, settling Claudia into calm and serenity.

Their hands clasped together briefly, tears glinting in their eyes, and Adrian stepped aside, allowing the others to speak to the child they helped raise.

Claudia nodded at her mother as she shared a moment with each of her "stepmothers."

"Time to do the doing," Adrian said.

"I guess we're doing this," Claudia said with a smile, and they smirked back at her.

***

Shane picked up the wedding train and carefully handed it to Kay, showing her how to hold it so it would not wrinkle and ruin the effect of that stunning dress.

"You ready for this?" Darcy asked unexpectedly, and Kay frowned.

"No, yes, maybe," she said steadily, and they chuckled.