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They had gotten hair products from God knows where – probably Carter – and have spent the morning trying to make his hair “look more presentable”. Which is how he found himself sat in front of a mirror with too many hands in his hair, listening to his friends bicker. They were in one of the spare bedrooms at the pack house getting ready for his wedding. His wedding. Gordo still couldn’t believe it.

He had already changed into his suit. It was a standard black suit with a white dress shirt underneath. Gordo had decided to forgo a tie, not wanting to feel too stuffy for what was already going to be an overwhelming day for him. Ox had joined them briefly to help with Gordo’s cuff links, before giving him a sympathetic smile and going back downstairs to help the others set up.

From where he was sitting, he could see Tanner in the reflection from the mirror. He was lounging across the bed watching the three of them, an amused expression on his face. There was a champagne flute in his hand that he had been steadily sipping from since this had began. Chris had joked that they needed mimosas to drink while they were getting ready, and Rico liked the idea so much he made it happen. So mimosas it was.

Gordo thought the three of them were being ridiculous but he let it happen because he loved them very much.

“I’m glad you’re enjoying this,” Gordo deadpanned to Tanner’s reflection. The man just raised his drink to him in a mock cheers.

“And… done! What do you think, Gordo?”

He focused back on himself in the mirror and saw that his hair looked… the exact same as it had before. He had started growing it out recently and it currently hung almost to his shoulders, the tips slightly curling at the ends. It was nowhere near as long as his brother used to have his, but it was a length he was comfortable with. From where he had brushed the hair back and away from his face, Gordo could see that Rico and Chris had added a bit of gel to make sure it stayed in place.

The two of them were looking at him expectantly from where they stood behind him.

Gordo gave them a small smile. “It looks good.”

They beamed before high-fiving each other.

“Alright, boss,” Rico said, clapping his hands together once. “Our work here is done. Go get your man.”

With one last smile from Chris, a shoulder squeeze from Tanner as he walked by, and a wink from Rico, the three men left him alone. When the door closed behind them, Gordo let out a breath he hadn’t realized he had been holding in. He stood from the chair and gave himself a final once over in the mirror. It had been a long time since he had worn anything this nice and he was surprised to find that he looked good. Considering that most of his wardrobe consisted of jeans and work shirts, he wasn’t used to wearing clothes that were more tailored for his body.

He grabbed his mostly untouched glass from the table next to him and drained the drink in one go. “Okay. Let’s do this,” he said to the quiet room before leaving.

Walking down the hallway, Gordo could hear distant sounds coming from the main floor. The pack should be almost done with the preparations downstairs. It had been decided that the wedding would happen in the backyard of the Bennett house. The ceremony would be small with only the pack members in attendance. Even though the whole town knew everything now, Gordo only wanted his family here, and Mark agreed with him.

As he neared the door that belonged to Mark’s old bedroom, Gordo was met with yelling and laughter. The closed door muffled the sounds, but he could make out Carter’s and Joe’s voices from inside the room.

He knocked on the door and, after a moment, it opened a crack and Carter’s head poked out. Carter looked him over from head to toe before nodding. “Wow,” he drew out the word. “Looking good, Gordo. I don’t think I’ve ever seen you dressed this nice before.”

“And you probably won’t again,” Gordo replied dryly. “Let me in.”

Carter’s eyes widened, looking scandalized at what Gordo had said. “Are you crazy? You can’t come in here!”

“Why not?”

“Because!” Carter exclaimed like it was obvious. “Mark can’t see you. It’s bad luck to see the bride before the wedding.”

“Excuse me?”

Mark laughed from within the room before Gordo could say more. “Let him in, Carter. You guys go and help the others finish up downstairs.”

The door opened wider and Joe and Kelly exited, dragging their brother with them as they passed by Gordo. “He’s all yours,” Joe called over his shoulder as the three of them descended the stairs.

After making sure that everyone had left, Gordo entered the bedroom and closed the door, leaning his back against it. Mark was standing at the mirror and turned around to face him when he came in. Like Gordo, Mark wore a nice suit, but where his was black, Mark’s was a dark navy blue instead. The colour complemented the icy blue of his eyes perfectly. He had decided against a tie as well and the top button of his white dress shirt was undone so that the raven on his throat could be seen in its entirety. Gordo drank in the sight of him, appreciating the view, and from Mark’s expression, it looked like he was doing the same.

Gordo could feel the dopey smile on his face. From his spot against the door, he quietly said, “Hi.”

“Hey,” Mark said back, just as quiet.

Gordo cleared his throat. “You clean up good, Bennett.”

Mark snorted. “You’re not so bad yourself.”

They stayed like that for a few more moments, not speaking, just breathing together in the silence of the room. Eventually, Mark nodded towards the bed and the two of them sat on the edge of it, bodies facing each other.

“Do you want to go first?” Mark asked.

They had decided that they were going to exchange their vows privately before the ceremony. It felt right for this moment to be shared between just the two of them. And Gordo was glad. If he had to be this open with his emotions in front of so many people, he would probably throw up.

Reaching into the inner pocket of his suit, Gordo pulled out a piece of paper that he had kept there. He looked at the shaky words on the page that he had written by hand before crumpling the paper into a ball and throwing it over his shoulder. None of what he wrote seemed right. He shuffled closer, their knees brushing against each other, and looked directly into Mark’s eyes when he spoke.

“I love you,” he began because it seemed like the best place to start. “I know I don’t say it a lot, but I do. And I know I’m not the best with words, so you better appreciate this, dammit.” They both chuckled at that. “I haven’t made it easy to love me. But you never gave up on me, no matter how many times I tried to push you away, how many times I told you I didn’t care. You were always there. My shadow. My protector, keeping me safe from the bad guys. You’ve changed my life, changed me, for the better.” Gordo’s hand came up to cup Mark’s cheek and Mark turned his face to press a kiss to his palm. “Thank you for loving me. I promise I’ll keep trying to be the kind of man that deserves it.”

They were silent, letting the words hang between them. Mark leaned forward, resting his forehead against Gordo’s, and they just breathed together. Gordo’s hand was now linked with Mark’s and they rested on Mark’s lap. The other man was running his thumb along Gordo’s knuckles absentmindedly.

“Gordo,” Mark eventually said, leaning back far enough to be able to see him. “From the moment we met, I knew who you were going to be to me. You were dirt and leaves and rain. You were my mate. All I wanted was to just be by your side. And that was taken from us, by others and from ourselves as well. But we’ve found our way back to each other. Right here, right now, we are choosing each other. We’ve been to hell and back, have lost so much, but we’re still here. Together. You thanked me for loving you? Gordo, I would go through it all again if it meant I still ended up here, with you. I never stopped loving you, even when we were apart. So Gordo, thank you for allowing me the chance to love you. It’s the most important thing I’ll ever do.”

Mark’s eyes were wet by the time he finished speaking, and Gordo could feel his own burning with unshed tears. He scrubbed his hand over his face, trying to get rid of them, before leaning forward to give Mark a kiss. But a finger to his lips stopped him.

“Save it for the altar,” Mark said, giving Gordo that smile he adored so much. And just like that, the heaviness from their vows was gone.

Gordo laughed. “Really?”

“Hey, have to save something for the wedding.” Mark stood from the bed, faced Gordo, and held out his hand. “What do you say? Want to get married?”

Taking his hand, Gordo did the only thing he could do. He followed Mark towards their future.

Elizabeth, Ox, and Joe were waiting for them when they got downstairs. They stood by the back door, speaking quietly, and looked at the two of them when they entered the room.

“There they are,” Elizabeth said. She wore a flowing green dress and her hair was clipped back from her face. She looked beautiful. “Are you two ready?”

Gordo squeezed Mark’s hand. “As we’ll ever be.”

“I’ll let them know,” Joe said. He pressed a quick kiss to Ox’s cheek. “You’re going to do great,” he told Ox quietly before slipping out the door. Curtains covered the door, preventing Gordo from seeing outside, but he could hear the sound of chatter in the backyard.

Reluctantly, they let go of each others hand before standing with the others; Mark next to Elizabeth and Gordo next to Ox. They were the ones Mark and Gordo had chosen to walk them down the aisle.

Elizabeth held out her arm and Mark looped his through. He gave Gordo another smile. “See you soon.” And then the two of them were out the door.

It was just Ox and him left.

“Ready?” Ox asked.

“I feel like I’m going to be sick.”

“You having second thoughts?”

And Gordo said, “Never.”

Ox smiled. Like Elizabeth, he held out his arm, and like Mark, Gordo took it. “Let’s go.”

They stepped outside and Gordo was finally able to see what the pack had done. Rows of chairs had been set up in the backyard and decorated with white fabric. Flowers from Elizabeth’s garden had been attached to the fabric to give it a more natural look. The chairs had been placed on either side of their makeshift aisle, and situated at the end was the altar. It was a simple structure, about the size and shape of a large doorway. It too had been decorated with the garden flowers, the green and yellow blooms vibrant. And stood under that archway was Mark.

Even though he had just seen him, the image of Mark waiting for him, waiting to marry him, still took his breath away. His body was relaxed, his smile wide, his gaze never leaving Gordo. The greens, reds, and oranges of the changing leaves from the forest trees behind him acted as a beautiful backdrop.

Gordo only started moving when Ox did, seemingly forgetting how his legs worked. But he trusted his friend to get him where he needed to go. Someone had brought the record player outside and it played soft music throughout the yard, though Gordo could barely hear it over the sound of his heart.

They walked down the aisle, passing their friends, their family, their pack. Gordo looked at all of them in turn. Bambi holding Joshua, Jessie and Dominique pressed close, hands clasped, Robbie resting his head on Kelly’s shoulder. He could see the big smiles from Rico, Chris, and Tanner and he could feel the waves of green that poured from Elizabeth and Joe and Carter and Gavin. He loved them all so much.

Eventually they reached the altar. Ox released Gordo’s arm and brought his hands up to cup his face. He leaned down and pressed a kiss to Gordo’s forehead before he turned and did the same thing with Mark. Ox gave them both a smile and went to stand beneath the archway. Though he was not actually ordained, he would be the one officiating the wedding. They wouldn’t be married legally, just in the eyes of their pack which was the most important to them. Maybe they would do a quick city hall wedding one day, but for now they were fine with this.

Ox looked at the faces before him and took in a deep breath, the forest around him feeling like it was breathing in time with him. And then he began to speak.

“A wise man once told me that everything comes back to choice. And though he is no longer here, his words hold true. Mark and Gordo, you are about to make the most important of choices. Even though you have already done so, in the form of bite mark and raven and wolf statue, you have decided to choose each other again. To show both the world and yourselves that no matter what, you will always choose each other.

“From the moment I met the both of you, I knew that you would be important in my life. But I never could have imagined in what ways. Watching your story play out, though frustrating at times, has been a pleasure. You have had your ups and downs, your challenges, but you have come out the other end stronger from it. Everything has lead up to this moment. And it is my immense privilege both as your Alpha and friend to be a part of it. May we have the rings?”

Rico stood from his chair, bringing Joshua with him, and walked his son towards them. In the hand that was not holding his fathers, Joshua held a small velvet pouch. When they reached the three of them, Ox knelt down and took the pouch from Joshua before giving him a loud kiss on his forehead.

“Thank you,” Ox said to him. In response, Joshua just giggled and touched Ox’s cheek with his tiny hand. The happy sound swept over the pack as Rico brought him back to their seats. Standing, Ox opened the pouch and emptied the contents into his palm.

They were two rings. One was the ring that Mark had given Gordo almost one month ago and the other was a near identical copy of it. Gordo had learned after the proposal that the rings had been designed and crafted by an artist friend of Elizabeth’s that lived a few towns over. Mark had worked with her to create both rings even though he wouldn’t be wearing one. Jewelry wasn’t exactly compatible with werewolves when they needed to shift. So he would wear it for the ceremony and afterwards it would be displayed next to his stone wolf that was in their bedroom. Gordo hadn’t told Mark yet, but he had been looking into a way to replicate the magic he had accidentally done when he gave him the raven on his neck. It would essentially be a magical tattoo on his finger that would resemble the ring instead.

Ox handed them each a ring before facing Gordo.

“Gordo. Do you take Mark to be your husband? To love, cherish, and protect him? To stand by his side until your body returns to the earth and your spirit returns to the stars?”

Staring into Mark’s eyes, Gordo said, “I do.”

He rested Mark’s left hand on his stump and used his own hand to slide the ring onto his finger. Like his own, it was a perfect fit. He gave Mark’s hand a squeeze before releasing it.

Ox turned to face Mark and repeated the same words to him.

“Mark. Do you take Gordo to be your husband? To love, cherish, and protect him? To stand by his side until your body returns to the earth and your spirit returns to the stars?”

Eyes never leaving Gordo’s, Mark Bennett said, “I do.”

He held Gordo’s hand like it was something precious and slid the ring onto his finger.

Ox smiled. “As Alpha of this pack, I now pronounce you Mr. and Mr. Bennett. You may now kiss your husband.”

The words had barely left Ox’s mouth before Mark and Gordo practically threw themselves at each other. Gordo’s hand reached up to cup Mark’s jaw while his arm hooked around his neck to pull him downward. At the same time, Mark’s hands latched on to Gordo’s waist to bring him closer. Their lips met in the middle for a kiss full of love, happiness, and joy. The sounds of clapping and cheering from their family filled the backyard, making it seem like there was twice as many people.

Gordo felt Mark’s hands shift on his body. One moved to his lower back and the other snaked its way up to rest between his shoulder blades. He only had one moment to question it before he was falling backwards as Mark dipped him. Gordo’s arms scrambled around Mark’s neck, but he was safety held in his arms, never at risk of actually falling. The cheers got louder and Gordo heard someone even let out a wolf whistle.

Their kiss dissolved into laughter and soon they were just smiling against each others mouths. Mark’s eyes crinkled at the corners, his expression so full of delight. Gordo hoped that his own face reflected the same.

Mark brought them both upright again and grasped Gordo’s hand in his. He led Gordo back down the aisle, past the smiling faces of their family, but stopped about halfway. Confused, he turned to look at Mark. It looked like he had just gotten an idea, and by his expression, Gordo could tell he wasn’t going to like it.

“Mark, what-” was all Gordo was able to get out before Mark scooped him up into his arms and held him in a bridal carry. The pack laughed at the action and Gordo heard a cackle that sounded like it came from Carter. But despite this, he found himself laughing too.

His husband just smiled at him before carrying him back to the house.

---

After the ceremony, tables had been brought outside and the chairs had been rearranged so they could all enjoy dinner together. It was a Sunday, which already meant there was going to be a lot of food, but there was even more due to the wedding. The entire pack had pitched in to help with the cooking, baking, and taste testing, of course, and the result was loads of delicious foods. Gordo tried to sample as much as he could, but there was too much.

The pack had wanted to do speeches. Gordo vehemently told them that was not going to happen. So instead they told stories. Stories about Mark and Gordo together, stories about both of them individually. Rico, Chris, and Tanner shared stories of stupid things the four of them had done when they were younger that had everyone at the table laughing. Carter and Kelly and Joe told them about times when Mark was practically a second father to them when they lived in Caswell. Elizabeth brought up embarrassing moments from when she, Gordo, and Mark were all kids. It was nice, seeing their lives told from the perspectives of others.

And all the while, Mark and Gordo sat close together as they listened, as they laughed, as they lived in this wonderful moment. Mark’s hand never left its spot on Gordo’s leg beneath the table. His grip would tighten when the stories became melancholic but he would always relax when Gordo laid his head against his shoulder.

So they ate and shared memories and drank entirely too much champagne until the sun had almost completely set. The trees around them had been decorated with string lights which bathed the backyard in a warm glow. Eventually, the group had moved away from the table to go to the open space beneath the lights. Someone had swapped out the record player for actual speakers so the music was easier to control. A slow song that Gordo had never heard before started to play.

And Mark Bennett stood in front of him wearing the softest expression he had ever seen him make.

“Dance with me?” Mark asked him, holding out his hand towards Gordo.

“You know I don’t dance,” Gordo replied, but as he said the words, he was reminded of a moment from what felt like a lifetime ago. He remembered a much younger Mark dressed nicely with a bright red tie sweating buckets as he tried to ask an oblivious Gordo if he wanted to dance. He never got to properly finish asking him then, but he was able to now. And who was Gordo to say no? “Fine. One dance.”

Mark’s answering smile instantly made his decision worth it.

Calling it dancing was being generous. Gordo’s arms were around Mark’s neck while his arms were around Gordo’s waist, the two of them pressed close together. They gently swayed from side to side in time with the music. In his peripheral vision, Gordo could see the rest of their pack watching them from where they stood surrounding the two men. The woman in the song was singing about how loving you was the best thing she’ll ever do and Gordo found himself agreeing with her.

The entire time they danced they never looked away from one another. “I love you,” Gordo whispered like it was a secret.

“I love you, too,” Mark whispered back, much the same.

Gordo wished he could show this to his younger self. To show him that he had a family again, that he was happy again, was loved again. That all the shit in his life was worth it if it meant he ended up here. Like Mark had said, he would do it all again if this was where it led him.

He leaned up and softly kissed Mark before hiding his face in the crook of his neck. And that is the way they stayed until the song finished and a more upbeat one started to play.

Gordo barely had enough time to lean back from his spot in Mark’s neck before the pack was upon them. They were pulled away from each other and Gordo found himself being passed from person to person as they all wanted a chance to dance with him.

Chris and Tanner were the ones that got him first. They each linked an arm with him and began to wildly spin him around. Their laughter was contagious and soon Gordo was laughing too. He could see Rico and Bambi dancing nearby, Joshua held between them. The child would giggle loudly whenever his parents bounced him. With one final spin, his friends let him go and he stumbled into the arms of the next person waiting for him – Dominique. She smiled and took his hand in hers, leading him through steps of a dance he didn’t know but still tried to do anyway. He raised their hands up to spin her once, the bottom of her dress spinning out around her prettily. She gave him a peck on the cheek before letting herself be whisked away by Jessie.

He only got one moment to himself before he was surrounded by Bennett’s. Carter and Kelly and Joe engulfed him in a hug. There were hands in his hair, on his shoulders, on his arms, wherever the three of them could reach. And together they swayed back and forth. Gordo could barely breathe and he didn’t know if it was from the tight grip they had on him or the love he could feel pouring out from them. Eventually, they released him and he could take a proper breath. Kelly and Carter went to go find their mates and Gordo expected Joe to do the same, but he stayed by his side.

Together, they watched the others dance. Gordo could see that Mark was getting the same treatment as him. He was currently twirling Elizabeth, and when he caught Gordo’s eye over her shoulder, Mark sent him a wink and a cheeky smile. Despite himself, Gordo gave a goofy looking smile back.

“Marriage has made you soft,” Joe teased from his spot beside him.

Gordo immediately scowled at him. “Say that again and I’ll light your ass on fire.”

Joe grinned. “There he is.”

Their laughter rang out around them and Gordo realized with an ache in his chest how much Joe looked like Thomas in that moment. He had the same wide smile and the same bright eyes, and Gordo had to look away.

“Yeah, yeah.” His voice was thick when he finally responded. “Go find Ox. I’m sure he wants to dance with you.”

Joe didn’t comment on the change of topic. He just gave his shoulder a squeeze and said, “Sure, Gordo” before going to find Ox.

Gordo remained where he was and allowed himself to bask in the happiness around him.

---

When the moon was high in the night sky, they ran. It wasn’t a full moon, it wouldn’t be for a few more weeks, but they still wanted to run anyway. So outfits were shed by the wolves and the human members of the pack changed into more comfortable clothes and off they went. They jumped over rocks and ducked beneath low hanging branches. Wolves crashed through the underbrush as they chased each other. And they howled.

They howled songs of family and joy and love that could be heard throughout the forest.

Eventually they stopped in one of the many clearings in the forest, the moon overheard illuminating the area. There was a mass of fur laying in the middle of the clearing that Gordo knew was Carter, Kelly, and Joe. They had been play fighting before and now they were laying on one another in a pile. Off to the side sat Elizabeth and Ox, both of them watching the others around them. Next to them were Rico, Bambi, and Joshua. Rico was on his back and his son was grabbing fistfuls of his fur to try and climb over him like he was a makeshift playground.

Gavin and Robbie had just returned and Gordo could see what looked to be a rabbit held in his brothers mouth. The two of them went over to Ox to show what they had caught. Jessie and Dominique had left a while ago to go on a walk, and if Gordo listened carefully he could hear the distant sounds of Chris and Tanner chasing each other through the forest. Whenever they ran like that, Jessie always referred to it as ‘doing their zoomies’. The wolves didn’t find it funny. Gordo thought it was hilarious.

A content sigh from his left had Gordo looking beside him. He and Mark were sitting on the grass away from everyone else. Mark was curled around him with his head next to Gordo’s thigh and his tail resting on his lap. Gordo leaned his back against Mark’s side and was stroking his hand through the fur between Mark’s ears. He had given Gordo his ring before he shifted and he wore it on his thumb. The bands were shining in the moonlight.

“You can go and join the others, if you want,” Gordo told him. Mark had barely left his side after he shifted, even when they were all running.

But the wolf simply curled around him tighter and got comfortable, a clear sign that he wasn’t going anywhere anytime soon. Seeing that he wasn’t leaving, Gordo relaxed against his husband and closed his eyes.