Stronger by Ang Chris

Chapter 30

Today I had to make my gown and start preparing food. Everything was to be made from scratch. We had a lot to do.

Grayson had spent the past couple of days organizing the guest list as I didn’t know any of his allies.

It was not easy or dreamy as it had appeared but it was all happening so quickly. We were prepping and none of the actual celebration had started yet.

On Friday I was going to be cleansed. I had to bathe in moon pool, and then spend the day having oils rubbed into my skin and runes scribed on my back.

Here in the Northern Ecl*pse pack, it was custom for the bride to get a tattoo before the wedding. I would have the symbol of the pack inscribed on my sternum. Grayson had one too but he got it when he became Alpha.

It was a moon in front of a pine and paw marks below it. I wasn’t too excited about that but it was a duty of mine.

Grayson would spend the same day in solitude. He would train, meditate, and pray. He wasn’t allowed to look or talk to

anyone.

That night I would go to the forests to find him and our wolves would be with each other.

Right now though I was with Amaria and Elizabeth making my dress.

It was a simple gown to humble me before my mate. It was strapless with two inches at the top of my back and flowed

from there.

“The color is perfect my dear,” Amaria smiled at me.

I began cutting down the fabric to the design Elizabeth had drawn out for me. Two simple rectangle like bits.

I was thankful that binding dresses were not supposed to be extravagant. The only tricky part here was the train that flowed from behind me. I was born of alpha blood so I had a long train. It was to stretch six feet behind me.

“Okay so now it’s basically a six–foot–long U,” Elizabeth explained, drawing out the back of the dress.

It was cut again and we marked for the hem. I know it’s morning and tedious when it’s not your gown but when it is every stitch, cut, hem, mark, they all electrify you.

The three of us began hemming the gown and talking to one another. It had to be hand sewn so my hard work went.

into it.

“Are you nervous?” Amaria looked over to me.

be easier if there wasn’t any space between us if I knew him like no one else but he gave me the trust I needed. I feel like this will help

leaned forward and placed a hand

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do you know?”

thought he would admit you scared him. I have known him a long time and you are…the only

makes you his,” Amaria finished to

him every second of every day. I would know his thoughts and fears. He would know my desire for him and my hesitancy to give in to it. His mind would be alight with everything I had kept

the top of

to do all of this so I

do on my own. This was my dress to be bound to Grayson in. This was for me to give

think either of us is ready for that level of

sew and I hummed to myself old songs from

wife, but I did not know him as I should to bare myself to

the next two hours. I had to use an invisible stitch to make it look as good as possible. That was no bother. Elizabeth had made me a strand for the inches at

that whole morning I would spend getting ready having my hair done, my

this was to prepare me to be with him. I would

is private and no one needs to know.

my dress Amaria and Elizabeth came back. This time though all of the women of the pack came along. I would show them the

done so well,” Amaria ran her fingers through my hair as she

mom,” I replied. It was odd calling a woman who didn’t birth me mom but Amaria deserved it. She had been there for me through

one the pack had on Friday, then the one where I served everyone on Saturday, and then the biggest one where Grayson and I would bind.

decadent. Normal bread for the first feast, then a sourdough, and finally the

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room around 30 women making bread for my day. Most of the women of the pack had to leave to finish the day’s chores, take care of the pups, or guard the border.

the final feast. The food will last us hours. We are supposed to fast all day for it. That is also

white dress for the second feast

night everyone would dress in white for the moon. I was going to wear

the bread,” I nodded to

and after a while, we had finished and the

giddily ran upstairs

put it on so we

flowed. It had a skirt that went down just below my knees, and it laced up in the back. I think I’ll put my hair up that night, my mom will be here to help me

changed into a simple tie skirt and a t–shirt. The fabric they made here could be gauzy or it could be as thick as cotton. I found that I loved both feelings as the more

grabbing ribs and

kind of

you!” Amária teased me