Chapter 314 - 48: The night we Begin

By the time the last guests finally departed, it was well past midnight, and the estate had changed completely.

A few hours ago, the courtyard had been alive with music, voices, laughter, and enough people to make Dane forget that he generally preferred the quiet. Now, most of the lights were turned low. The musicians had packed up, the tables were being cleared, and the staff moved quietly through the shadows, collecting abandoned glasses and folding away chairs.

Dane stood at the top of the main staircase, watching Destiny say goodbye to her parents. Marcus pulled her into a long embrace and whispered something Dane couldn’t quite hear over the distance.

Destiny laughed softly against her father’s shoulder before stepping back, but Dane’s eyes stayed glued to her. She was still wearing her ceremony dress, though its pristine neatness had dissolved hours ago. Her hair had loosened during the reception, with soft strands resting against her cheeks, framing the silver Luna collar still fast around her neck.

She looked tired—happy, but utterly exhausted.

When she finally walked toward him, she slipped her hand into his without a word.

"You survived," Dane said.

She glanced at him, her lips twitching. "Barely."

He couldn’t help but smile. "Your family isn’t much easier than mine."

She gave him an incredulous look. "Your uncle spent twenty minutes explaining to me why the wine selection was politically disappointing."

"Seth?"

"Who else?"

Dane laughed under his breath as they turned to start up the stairs together.

For the first time all day, nobody stopped them. No elder needed a quiet word, no pack leader asked for a photograph, no guard brought news of the border, and no one was bringing up Vance.

It was just the two of them.

Halfway up, Destiny paused, pulling him to a halt. Dane looked back at her.

"What?"

She looked down at their joined hands, her voice quiet. "Is it strange for you?"

"What is?"

"Being married."

Dane considered the question for a moment. "Ask me tomorrow."

She laughed, the sound light in the quiet stairwell. "That’s not an answer."

"Look, today I’ve been called Alpha, accused of starting a territorial war, threatened by Vance, questioned by the High Council, and forced to dance in front of two hundred people."

She raised an eyebrow, a sudden gleam of amusement in her eyes. "You danced?"

"Apparently."

"You were terrible."

"You weren’t even watching," he countered.

"I definitely was."

Dane shook his head, smiling as he pulled her gently up the remaining steps.

"Then you already know."

Her laughter followed them down the quiet hallway, cutting through the heavy silence of the night.

When they finally reached their bedroom, Destiny stood in the doorway for a beat, neither of them moving to go inside just yet.

The room was warm, filled with the soft orange glow of the fireplace someone had lit before they came up.

Destiny looked around, taking in the environment. "They put flowers everywhere."

"I didn’t order that," Dane offered.

"I know."

She walked inside, her fingers lightly brushing one of the small arrangements sitting on the dresser, before she turned back to face him.

"So..."

"So."

"Are we supposed to say something?"

Dane leaned back against the closed door. "I have no idea."

Her mouth twitched into a reluctant smile. "Good. I was worried I was the only one clueless."

That broke whatever residual tension had settled between them.

Dane crossed the room and stopped right in front of her, the silence stretching out comfortably until his fingers found the clasp of the silver collar around her neck.

"Still wearing this?"

She let out a soft sigh. "I honestly forgot about it."

He carefully undid the clasp, letting the heavy metal come away from her skin so she could rub the faint red mark it had left behind.

"Better?"

"Much."

Dane set the collar down on the dresser, but when he turned back, she was watching him intently.

"What?"

"Nothing."

"Destiny."

She smiled fully then. "I’m just looking at my husband."

The word landed differently in the quiet room.

Husband.

Dane reached for her hand, pulling her a little closer. "I’m still getting used to that."

"So am I."

The kiss was slow and unhurried. There was no audience this time, no elders watching from the front row, and no polite applause waiting at the end—just her hands sliding around his shoulders and his settling against the curve of her waist.

When they finally pulled apart, she rested her forehead against his chest, her breath warm against his shirt.

"Today was a lot," she whispered.

"It was."

"Are you happy?"

Dane looked down at her, the answer effortless. "Yes."

She smiled against his chest, whispering a quiet, "Good," before he leaned down to kiss the top of her head.

"We should probably sleep."

She looked up at him, eyes dark and teasing. "Probably."

Neither of them moved an inch, and Dane couldn’t help but laugh.

"You’re not making this easy."

"You could always stop talking."

"That’s true."

She kissed him again, and the rest of the night belonged entirely to them.

There was no ceremony left to perform, no one left to impress, and no guards standing outside their door. There was only the quiet discovery of being husband and wife away from the eyes of the world.

Much later, a soft rain began to tap against the window glass.

Dane woke sometime after two and found Destiny lying beside him, wide awake. She had slipped on one of his shirts with the sleeves pushed up past her wrists, her hair spread wildly across the pillow as she stared into the embers of the dying fire.

He watched her quietly for a moment.

"You okay?"

She turned her head to meet his gaze. "Yeah."

"Tired?"

"A little."

Dane smiled. "Me too."

She rolled onto her side to face him, and for a long time, they simply looked at each other in the dim light.

That was when it hit him.

He knew how Destiny fought, he knew how quickly she could read a room, and he knew how fiercely she protected her parents. He knew what Vance had stolen from her, but he didn’t actually know her. Not the real details.

She frowned slightly as his gaze lingered.

"What?"

"I’m thinking."

"That’s dangerous."

He laughed softly. "I realize I don’t actually know anything about you."

She looked genuinely surprised. "Of course you do."

"I know what happened to you," Dane clarified. "That’s not the same thing."

She grew quiet, processing that.

Dane reached beneath the blanket and found her hand, squeezing her fingers gently.

"What did you want before all of this? Before Vance, before running... before me?"

She thought about it, her eyes drifting away.

"I don’t remember."

"That’s not true."

She smiled faintly. "You’ve become very annoying."

"I’ll survive. Tell me."

She sighed, looking toward the dark window pane.

"I wanted a normal life."

"What’s normal?"

"I don’t know."

"Try."

She paused for another moment.

"A small house. Small enough that I could clean the whole thing myself."

Dane raised an eyebrow. "You hate cleaning."

"How do you know that?"

"You complained for twenty minutes straight when Sonia asked you to help in the kitchen."

"That was completely different," she protested.

"How?"

"She made me peel potatoes."

Dane burst out laughing, and she pushed lightly at his shoulder.

"Stop it."

"I’m sorry," he said, not sounding sorry at all.

"You aren’t."

"Not even a little bit."

She smiled, and Dane squeezed her hand again.

"What else?"

She hesitated before continuing.

"I wanted to live somewhere flat."

Dane blinked. "Flat?"

"Completely flat."

"That’s your grand dream?"

"One of them."

She smiled up at the ceiling.

"Every single place we’ve ever lived had mountains or steep hills because Marcus always chose terrain that was difficult to reach for safety. I hated it."

Dane looked around their bedroom high up in the fortress.

"We’re literally surrounded by mountains."

"I know."

"That’s unfortunate."

She laughed softly.

"I also wanted a dog."

Dane stared at her.

"A dog? Destiny, we’re wolves."

"That’s not the same thing at all."

"Explain the difference."

"I want a stupid dog. A golden retriever."

"Why?" he asked, genuinely amused.

"Because they don’t care about pack politics or territorial lines," she said, shifting closer so her shoulder brushed his. "They just want food, affection, and somewhere warm to sleep."

"Sounds lazy."

"Exactly."

"We’ll get one," Dane said comfortably.

Her expression shifted, her eyes searching his.

"You don’t have to say that just to make me feel better."

"I’m not saying it because I have to. When all of this is over, we’ll go somewhere flat."

She watched him carefully.

"And the dog?"

"Apparently, I’m buying a very stupid golden retriever."

Her smile broadened.

"A very stupid one."

The room settled back into a quiet warmth.

After a moment, she nudged him gently.

"What about you?"

"What about me?"

"What did you want before you became Alpha?"

Dane hadn’t expected the question, and he found himself staring up at the ceiling beams as he searched for an honest answer.

"I wanted to leave."

Her eyes softened.

"Where?"

"I didn’t know. I just wanted to go because everyone had already decided who and what I was supposed to be. My father wanted an Alpha, the elders wanted an Alpha, and the pack needed one. I never really had the luxury of asking myself what I wanted."

"And now?"

Dane turned his head to look at her.

"Now I want a wife who steals my shirts."

She smiled, her thumb tracing the back of his hand.

"That’s all?"

"And a dog, apparently."

She laughed softly, a low sound that vibrated between them, and Dane pulled her against his chest.

Her head settled naturally over his heart, her fingers resting light against his ribs.

"You’re strange," she murmured.

"So are you."

"I think that’s why this works."

"Maybe."

She closed her eyes, her breathing steadying as a few quiet minutes slipped past.

Then, just before sleep finally took her, she whispered into the dark, "Goodnight, husband."

Dane smiled into her hair, holding her tight.

"Goodnight, wife."

For the first time in a long time, he didn’t think about Vance, the Council, or the delicate peace along their borders.

He simply held his wife while the rain washed over the world outside, knowing that whatever tomorrow brought, she was right here.