[Rock]Ewan twined his fingers with Ivy’s and took a slow breath while looking at us. He didn’t hold his grandfather’s death against me. Instead, it seemed to make him more interested in supporting me and getting to know Carmen and me more.“No troll can live without their mate to stabilize and ground them. No wolf is fully soothed without the bond of their mate. For beings who have mates, this bond is one of the most important of all. It is a bond that is formed through the moon goddess, the bond of love, and the bond of fate.” Ewan said, his voice carrying throughout the clearing.I let go of Carmen’s hand and reached out to Ewan. He placed a stone in my hand. I held it in my palm and Carmen put her hand over it. I pushed my magic into it, softening the stone until the pressure from her hand started flattening it. She gently pressed down until the stone was just a thin sliver between our skins.“We offer this stone as a symbol of the bond between Rock and Carmen. It will remind them they are always together in spirit and that their love is unbreakable. Take care of each other, always,” Ewan said.“It is werewolf tradition to either recite vows with your Alpha or to create your own vows. Carmen and Rock have elected to recite their own vows,” Ivy added before she and Ewan stepped back.Carmen smiled up at me. “From the moment I found you, I knew I wanted to keep you, Rock. We’ve faced a lot of obstacles. Our lives were a mix of comfortable and terribly difficult. Our faith in the goddess and each other guided us through. If this last year has shown us anything, it’s that we never know what could happen. I think that will make us cherish every moment we have together in the future. A future I look forward to spending with you. You are everything I ever wanted in my mate, my husband, and my partner.”The stone hardened, her vow sealed in it. I could almost feel her conviction in the stone. As far as I knew, that didn’t happen in other troll weddings, but we didn’t make vows to each other.“I didn’t know what the goddess planned for me before I came of age. Meeting you changed everything about what I thought and felt. No one ever touched me the way you did, not just outside, but inside. I never loved like I loved you. Since meeting you, I’ve learned more about myself than I ever thought possible. You gave me things no one else could. I can’t imagine spending my life with anyone else. No matter what, I will always protect you, Carmen. I will always save you. I will never stop until I have you in my arms again,” I told her.The stone continued to harden, locking in my vow. Carmen’s eyes sparkled with unshed tears as she smiled at me. The bond between us felt stronger than ever before, and I knew nothing could ever break it.Ewan and Ivy removed our hands from the stone carefully. Carmen slipped her fingers between mine and grinned. It wasn’t much longer to the part I knew she was waiting for.They waved the ring bearer over and he brought the rings to us. I gave Carmen the ring for my finger. It was a human tradition, but one we wanted to keep. Both rings were gold, with no iron and no silver included.We slid the ring onto each other’s fingers. I knew this would make other humans understand what our relationship was. It was a sign of our bond that was more commonly accepted and widely acknowledged.Ewan and Ivy stepped forward again. They covered our hands with their own. People considered it a blessing to have a fae royal oversee their wedding. I hoped it was enough to see us through anything that could happen in the future.“Rock and Carmen, by the blessing of the moon goddess, in the eyes of the fae and human law, I pronounce you husband and wife,” Ivy proclaimed.I bent down, and Carmen reached out, putting her thumbs on either side of my tusks. I wrapped my hands around her waist and pulled her close. When our lips finally met, it was like it created a new sort of magic. I knew it was just a ceremony, but it felt like it was special in a totally different way than anything else.Carmen rubbed her body against me, and I growled with desire. She growled back, making me pull her even closer and pick her up off the ground. My little mate was perfection and her little growl was adorable. I never wanted to share her with anyone ever again.When we pulled apart, I didn’t let her go. Instead, I shifted how I held her and carried her back down the aisle. According to troll tradition, the guests would follow us to a feast. My mother was quite rich. She and my brothers had pitched in some money, along with Carmen’s mother and brother. It was a tradition for both of our families to provide the feast. The larger the feast was, the more luck was brought to the family.Everyone followed to the area where the tables sat. I took Carmen to our table. Our immediate families joined us. Goran and Haldor congratulated me. Beth and Mike both hugged and kissed Carmen. The babies had all been handed off to nannies. All the babies would be taken care of by nannies the pack brought.The other kids sat with their parents. The staff started bringing out food until the tables were barely standing under the weight of it. It shocked a lot of the attendees. The trolls were impressed, and so were the werewolves.As we ate and drank, I couldn’t keep my eyes off Carmen. She was the most beautiful thing in the world to me. Her laughter was infectious, and I laughed along with her. We talked and joked around with each other, enjoying each other’s company.Alcohol was flowing freely. One of my rogue employees told me about adding silver to alcohol to make it affect werewolves. We made sure that any werewolf who wanted it got the silver alcohol. There was dancing and singing, and even some games that involved feats of strength. I watched with pride as Carmen took part in some of them, her determination and spirit never wavering.Eventually, they sent the smaller children to bed, and the activity level increased even more. Rhett took Dolly home, and then came back. He was really enjoying himself and was flirting pretty hard with Rani, the werehyena.She was hitting the wine a lot harder than I thought she would. Gemma and Ashley were pretty drunk by the end of the night, too. The three of them were trouble still. Roald and I watched them with smiles as they danced around and challenged trolls to arm wrestling contests.“Ash misses them,” he said quietly.“They miss her, too. Thank you for bringing her to help with Gemma.”“I didn’t know him well, but I know what it is like to lose your mate after you’ve met and marked them. The goddess doesn’t always give a second chance, but it’s more likely for ranked and ranked blood wolves.”“Is that supposed to be comforting? None of us want her to forget Austin,” I growled.“She won’t I didn’t forget Anna. Ashley will never replace her or what I had with her. My love for Ashley is completely different. It is a totally new love that is special in its own way. It might be a while before Gemma is ready for it, but the goddess will do what’s best for her,” Roald answered.I couldn’t imagine loving anyone other than Carmen, but trolls didn’t have second chances. We were a one-and-done deal. Whatever happened, we’d support Gemma in the future.Carmen and Ashley came over and pulled us onto the dancefloor. Gemma pulled Forrest and Pyla out. They started collecting even more people until almost everyone was there. Their energy was undeniable. Trolls weren’t really dancers, but we did our best and tried not to step on anyone soft.As the night wore on, the music got louder and the dancing got wilder. Carmen’s laughter echoed through the clearing, and I couldn’t resist pulling her close for a kiss. She tasted like wine and happiness, and I felt a surge of desire wash over me.“Let’s go somewhere quiet,” I whispered in her ear. She nodded, her eyes bright with mischief. We slipped away from the crowd, hands intertwined, and walked to a secluded spot near a river.I pulled Carmen into my arms, kissing her deeply. My hands roamed over her body, feeling the curves and contours of her figure. She moaned softly, pressing herself against me.With relief, I found she wasn’t wearing any sort of complicated underwear. I pulled them off and slipped them into my pocket. She probably didn’t want me tossing them somewhere.Pulling back, I scooped her up and carried her to the water’s edge. I laid her on the soft grass, and she pulled me on top of her. Her legs wrapped around my waist, drawing me in. Her soft gasps and moans egged me on. I explored her body, claiming it as my own.“Wait, I’m going to stain my dress,” Carmen murmured but then pulled me in to kiss her again.I chuckled against her lips. “We’ll take it to some fae I know who are very good at getting stains out of clothing. Don’t worry, Carmen.”She moaned and pulled me tighter against her. I pushed into her completely, feeling the soft heat of her body. Remembering the first time I was with her, I leaned in next to her ear.“Tell me what I want to hear, my little wolf ѕlut,” I whispered, making her shiver.“Please, I need you, Alpha,” she whimpered.“Please what?”“Please fill me up. I need you so bad.”“Good girl,” I growled, biting down on her shoulder. I pumped my hips, sharing her pleasure. Carmen panted into my ear. Her whole body trembled, and she pulled me closer and closer.The grunts and groans of our lovemaking echoed in the night, mixing with the sound of the river. They mingled with the chirps and croaks of crickets and frogs. The sound of the distant music kept other revelers from hearing our desperate passion.My body shuddered with the effort to keep myself from exploding into her right away. I wanted to savor this feeling. Every first with Carmen was worth cherishing, even if I was dominating her a little instead of making this a sweet lovemaking session. I couldn’t resist when we were out in nature, though.I pushed in and out of her slick heat, forcing myself to hold back. Her legs tightened around me, pulling me in as close as she could. She nibbled on my collarbone, and I groaned against the sensation.“I’m getting close, Alpha,” she moaned.“Not yet. Wait for me,” I ordered.Carmen whimpered. I could feel the light squeezes as she fought against her orgasm. Closing my eyes, I enjoyed the feeling of the fluttering inside of her. There was a tight squeeze, and I stopped to slap her ass.She moaned, and there was another squeeze. I picked up my pace just a little. I knew Carmen. Even if she wanted to hold back, she couldn’t for very long.“Please, Alpha. Please let me come.”“Not yet, my greedy wolf ѕlut.”I could feel her muscles moving around my shaft. Carmen’s hips flexed up, and her head dropped back. She was being so obedient. The sensation of control over the woman I loved made my heart pound.“Now, Carmen.”She sсreamed, her whole body quivering. Her body clamped down around me, and I lost all control. I emptied myself into her, gasping as I felt the warmth spread through my body.I wrapped my arms around Carmen but worked to keep my full weight off of her. That was almost perfect. There were so many more things I wanted to do with her, but I wanted to get her back to our cabin first. The last thing we needed was the werewolf guests hearing her calling me Alpha and that getting back to Trent.After a little rest, I got up, put my diсk away, and picked her up to carry her to our cabin. Carmen snuggled against me. I couldn’t imagine anything more perfect. My wife, in my arms, letting me care for her. It wasn’t the future I’d imagined back when I used to daydream about my future mate, but it was one I was grateful for, nonetheless. It was everything I never dreamed I could have because it was like an impossible fantasy.