(Nine Months Later) (Cassie POV) I sat next to Aaron in the front row of chairs, as we eagerly waited for the bride to make her entrance. The wedding ceremony had been set up outside, against a beautiful backdrop of trees, lilies, and roses. As we waited for the wedding to start, Aaron rubbed his thumb lovingly across the sapphire wedding ring on my left hand, while his other hand rubbed my lower thigh. When the wind blew my hair out of place, Aaron gently tucked one of the strands behind my ear and kissed me ever so sweetly. Aaron and I have now been married for six months. We made good on (almost) all of the promises that we made to each other that first night – I planned our first date and he planned both a formal proposal and our wedding. For our first date, I decided to take him to an amusement park in human territory. I have never had so much fun or laughed so hard. We rode roller coasters; we ate hot dogs and cotton candy; we made funny faces at each other in the fun house;
**** Author Note…… I was originally going to end the book at the Josephine’s Wedding chapter, but I decided I wasn’t ready to let Cassie and Aaron go just yet. Plus, I can’t leave Jason hanging. Get ready for part 2 of this very bumpy ride. Part 2 will focus a lot more on Jason, but we are far from done with Cassie and Aaron.**** (Jason POV) Does the Moon Goddess hate me? I am definitely starting to think so. I am currently standing at Alpha Blake and Josephine’s wedding reception, staring at my beautiful second-chance mate. Unfortunately, I can tell from the look on her face that my mate is shocked, scared, and slightly offended by our pairing. And I can’t honestly blame her. As my wolf continues to go crazy in my head –-begging and pleading with me to not to mess up another mating— I can’t help but think of all of the events that led us here. Just to recap: I met my first mate at a wedding dress boutique while she was trying on wedding dresses. When I met her, I wrong
(Aaron POV)Well, isn’t this interesting. Jason has a second chance mate.Cassie and I had been talking to some of the other couples by the bar when Josephine tossed her bouquet and Jason shouted “mate.” What a fascinating scene it soon became.“Oh no! Aaron, do you think it is Candy or Maggie? Can you tell?” Cassie whispered to me.I thought for a moment, taking in the scene. “I’m not sure. Both Candy and Maggie look pretty freaked out.” Then I started to laugh. I couldn’t help it.Cassie gave me a side-eye look. “Why are you laughing?” she asked.“Because whether his mate is Candy or Maggie, it could not have happened to a better wolf,” I replied, taking a sip of my champagne. “Karma really is a b---ch, and the Moon Goddess clearly has a sense of humor.”“Candy and Maggie are my friends, Aaron,” Cassie gently chastised me.“Yes, and when we get a chance, we can send our condolences. But I don’t think you need to worry; it’s going to be next to impossible for Jason to win
(Candy POV) The Moon Goddess either has a cruel sense of humor, or she has a blind spot when it comes to Jason Baxter. Either way, her near-perfect batting average for pairing mates seems to be slipping. To be fair, had you told me a year ago that Jason Baxter was my mate, I would have been thrilled. I might have even gotten on a table and performed a happy dance. After all, I had had a secret crush on Jason since I first moved to this part of the country. I knew he was a womanizer, but in every picture I saw of him, there was something in his eyes that spoke to me and my wolf. Because of some of the things that happened to me at my original pack –and at some of the other places I’ve lived since leaving there-- I learned early on how important it is to do your research before moving somewhere. In my case, I found that it was especially important to know the names of all the packs within a 4-hour radius, as well as the names of their alphas, betas, gammas, and heirs. I also nee
(Jason POV)The dance floor is filling with happy couples, but Candy and I continue to be frozen in place, staring at one another. Even from here, I can see the wheels in her brain spinning. I can only pray to the Moon Goddess that at least a few of Candy’s thoughts are positive ones.Out of the corner of my eye, I notice Aaron and Cassie head to the floor and begin to dance. For a moment, my wolf urges me to take my eyes off of Candy and watch the two of them.“What they have, Jason, is what we can and should have with Candy,” my wolf tells me.“Is it too late? Will she forgive me?” I ask my wolf.“It is never too late when it comes to love,” he replies.Wow. Who knew my wolf was such a romantic. Heck, who knew my wolf could say more than two sentences to me without calling me a moron.As I continue to watch Aaron twirl Cassie around, my heart fills with longing, but also hope. Maybe, even with all the mistakes that I have made in the past, I can finally get this one right.
(Jason POV)My heart drops when I see that Candy is no longer standing there. Where did she go?I follow her scent to the parking lot, where I see her walking to her car.“Candy!!!” I shout.I see her hesitate, but she doesn’t turn around.“Candy!!!” I yell out again, hurrying as quickly as I can to catch her.She still doesn’t turn around, but at least she isn’t getting into her car. Finally, I reach her. “Candy!” I say in a softer voice. I reach out and grab her gently on her arm, and I feel powerful sparks shoot through me.“Go away, Jason,” she says softly, still not turning around.“Candy, please,” I beg. My heart is pounding inside of my chest. I can already feel the power of the connection between us. My wolf is right; I cannot let her go. “Candy….”*****(Candy POV)As soon as I heard Jason call my name, the single tear running down my cheek became a river of tears. Everything in me wants to turn around and face him, but I do not want Jason to see me crying. Instead,
(Aaron POV) After almost three years of planning, rescheduling, and planning again, my father and Josephine are finally married. All things considered, I think today’s event went perfectly. The ceremony was beautiful, the dinner was delicious, we made some good connections with wedding guests from other packs, and we even got some free entertainment in the form of Jason finding his second-chance mate. Once my father and Josephine said their good-byes to the guests, and once Cassie’s family turned in for the night, I was ready to do the same. I swept my beautiful bride off of her feet and I started to carry her, giggling, back to the packhouse and to our room. Unfortunately, just before I made it out of the reception area, Jason came running in. “Aaron!!! Aaron, where is Josephine?” he asked me. “She’s with my father.” “Where?” I looked at him annoyed. “Jason, it’s their wedding night. Where do you think they are?” “I need to find Josephine,” Jason responded frantically.
***TRIGGER WARNING*** I promised that the next few chapters would introduce some humor, and it is definitely coming in healthy doses! However, this chapter will also touch on unwed mothers and suicide, which is a necessary part of the story. I have flagged the section of the chapter that deals with this; please feel free to read the first part of this chapter (the Granny Apple section) and then skip the rest. ****** (Candy POV) My grandmother – Granny Apple—is here. I am relieved and happy. She always seems to know when I need her. When everything happened at my original pack, she was the only person in my family who trusted and supported me. To this day, I think that she is the only person in my family who even cares to know that I am alive and well. Granny Apple is a force of nature. She is 79 years old, going on 19. She married my grandfather at age 18, and went on to have nine children including my father before she turned 27. All nine of her children were boys, meanin