Chapter Eight: Wedding Prep
{ Vale }I took a deep breath and stood in the foyer looking down at Jessa.
She smiled up at me and then began pushing me toward the front door. "Go."
"Are you sure...I feel like I'm just abandoning you." I sounded off with full concern.
It had been more than two months since Jessa started with me.
In her time acting as my Assistant she had secured not only everything for the fall festival but she had written up a contract that the town committee agreed on. The contract states that so long as we could do the festivals the exact same each time over the course of the next five years then we'd be able to go ahead and without committee input. Of course if we wanted to change something we'd have to meet with them about it first.
We'd also had a formal banquet for my pack guard. Had a charity to raise funds to renovate the parks in the town, and begun the blue prints to open up a youth center for kids ages 8-17 where they could play games, get after school help, and join weekend activities that involved volunteering.
She was now working on how to raise money for the Senior Center...as our older pack members need extra care with live in nursing and medical staff.
But I couldn't help her on this one, as it was officially time for me to leave For Nico's wedding and I had been putting off going for as long as I was able to.
I sighed, "You promise you will call me if you need me...I'll be back over here in a hearbeat Pinky."
She smiled but placed her hands on her hips, "Listen here Monkey, I've got this, so stop procrastinating and go already."
I bent down and actually pulled her into a hug, "Thanks Pinky...I couldn't do this without you."
"Quit squeezing me to death and go already...The wedding has to have a best man." She sounded as she hugged me back, we pulled apart and she looked at me. "I promise I'll call you if I need you...pinky promise."
I chuckled as she held out her tiny pinky finger, I wrapped my own pinky finger around hers. "See ya later."
"Be careful." She replied from the door frame as she waved me off.
And with that I finally left.
_____
"Fucking took you long enough Bro." Nico said before pulling me into a rib crushing hug. "We told you to come at the beginning of the month."
I shook my head, "Couldn't be avoided...Alpha duties." I lied.
In truth I was getting Jessa ready for everything, I was having her shadow me in every single thing before I shadowed her to make sure she could hold her own while I was away, Plus if I was being honest with myself, for the first time ever I was actually having fun...I was happy, and I knew it was all because of Jessa.
She made my life so much easier just by assisting me in various tasks, that I was able to actually have time for myself...and the fact that she and I had become fast friends really helped things.
I was suppose to come at the beginning of the month but found it hard to leave until it was the weekend of the wedding, and the only reason I even came out now was because tonight was the rehearsal.
"Leave your shit there, someone will bring it in for you...The girls are going to flip when they see you're finally here, Shelby has been talking so much shit since you haven't come...said I should've picked a different best man." Nico filled me in.
I shrugged "If it's better for the wedding I would've understood."
He gave me a deadpan expression, "you're my best friend and brother...that wasn't even an option."
I smiled and clapped his back as he walked us inside, of course I was greeted with more hugs, first from Lydia and then from my sister Evie and brother in law Titus, Then came Victor with his future daughter in law Claire.
After I pulled out of Claire's hug She smacked my arm. "How dare you make us wait on you Vale...This is my wedding not yours you asshole."
I laughed, because everyone always comments on how sweet and demure Nico's Mate is...but here she was cussing me out.
"I'd apologize but I feel like you wouldn't care either way...I'm here now because I love you both and want to be here for you...now what can I help with?" I asked her.
Her glare softened and she smirked. "Shelby's in the library on the phone with the caterers, you have to check with her."
I saluted her jokingly as I turned to find the elusive Shelby Hawthorn.
With every step I took toward the library it was as if every footfall was heavier, more pronounced, and my wolf suddenly woke up. My breathing seemed more labored, I didn't know what was happening and I tried my damnedest to appear normal so as not to worry anyone.
But as I took the final step and entered the library everything stopped as I looked in and saw her.
I just stood there and gazed at her on the opposite end of the library, she stared back at me in wonder and I somehow moved onward toward her.
'Mate.'
My heart began to beat rapidly.
"H-hey..." I got out as I reached her.
She wasn't much shorter than me but she still had to look up to look into my eyes, if I turned my head down ever so slightly though, my mouth would perfectly touch hers as I was mere inches away from her now...face to face.
"Hi." She sounded breathlessly as she smiled "I'm Shelby."
"Holy shit,-" I shook my head and smiled at how dumb I sounded, "I'm Vale...and looks like we're mates."
"Mates..." She smiled a little, pulling her jacket closed just a little tighter. "I always wondered who you'd be...kinda took you forever to come around."
I shrugged trying my best to appear as cool as possible, "I've always sorta done things my own way."
She nodded, Her gorgeous face now filled with a sad smile and she sighed. "Why couldn't I have met you a few months earlier Vale?"
I watched as her eyes filled with sadness, tears now brimming her eyes.
"You're married?" I asked, of course I had always suspected my Mate would belong to someone else since it had taken so long to find her.
She shook her head.
I looked at her, she really was beautiful.
"I don't see any ring, so I'm gonna go out on a limb here and assume you're not engaged or anything...wait, you into girls?"
"No," She gave a small wet chuckle as her tears fell now, she wiped at her face, "none of that."
I sighed, "Well I wish you would tell me what's wrong..." I said as I stepped forward a little. it seemed impossible but there was still some distance between us and my wolf wanted to be as close to her as possible. to touch her...our Mate. I just wanted to reach out and caress her face...just touch her so she could ease my wolf and reaffirm she's real. "I can't be a good mate to you if you won't let me in."
"You don't want me as a mate." She countered with a shake of her head and a small step back away from me.
I was confused, "Just tell me what's going on and whatever it is I'm sure we can work through it together...-"
"We would never be like most couples...I guarantee people will talk."
"No two mates couples are alike ya know?" I said softly. "And people already talk."
She looked up at me, Her gorgeous face crumbled, "I'm pregnant."
YOU ARE READING
My Mate's Joy
WerewolfWhen you find your mate you know from that day forward you will always do everything in your power to protect them, keep them happy, and give them just about anything that they ask for. But what happens when your mate asks you for the impossible, ca...