#(gol)

Golden light poured through the tall windows while merry laughter echoed through the empty hallways of the Forest House. One of the many doors opened and you rushed out from the library with a bright smile on your lips and cheeks dusted with pink. You looked over your shoulder, screamed playfully and ran as fast as you could. Just seconds later, Eris appeared on the threshold with a wolfish grin, his amber eyes shining. He scanned the hallway and then dashed after your skirts, disappearing around the corner, keeping an equal distance - not too close to catch you, but not too far in case you stumbled or got into danger. You headed for the main staircase leading down to the foyer, but before you could reach it, strong arms wrapped around your waist, sweeping you up. In the blink of an eye, you found yourself in an empty, dark alcove, your back pressed against the wall.

"Gotcha," Eris softly cooed, his warm breath fanning over your face. The smell of smoky whiskey and sweet apples roasted on fire hit your nose and you almost moaned. It became your most favorite scent. Embracing you tightly, he buried nose in your hair and breathed you in, slowly and deeply. The bond between you two hummed with satisfaction. Lately, your husband did this quite often. Ever since you almost died in his arms, Eris touched you more than he used to, as if he needed to make sure you were there, still alive. You couldn't blame him for that.

Suddenly, his embrace tightened, his lips hovering an inch from your throat. After lightly pecking your sensitive skin, he straightened up. His gaze again carried that strange hollowness and sadness, the pain so sharp you could almost feel it too. There was no doubt where his mind had wandered. You stood on your tiptoes, lovingly cupping his handsome face.

"Eris?" you called him softly, pouring love into the bond. The corners of his mouth curled into a relieved but somehow lonely smile. His warm hand covered yours and he pressed a kiss into your palm. He hesitated there, eyelashes casting shadows on his high cheekbones, connecting those few pale freckles he had, resembling star constellations you had read about together moments ago.

He watched you out of the corner of his eye. "Let's get married," he mumbled into your palm so quietly you hardly heard him.

Your eyebrows shot up in surprise and you chuckled. "Aren't we already wed?"

His throaty growl vibrated in your hand. "You are my wife. Don't even think otherwise. But.. ," he paused, sighing heavily, "the wedding ceremony I gave you before, it wasn't good enough. That was just a show for the outsiders. This time, I would like it to be real, intimate and ours, with only those closest to us. Something you will remember for the rest of your life. I want to see that lovely smile of yours every time you think of it."

"I want to claim you as my mate.. officially.." he added more quietly, his voice hoarse and cheeks turning rose pink. There was more behind those words, yet it was rare for him to voice any of his most secret desires aloud and so strongly. As a High Lord, he was powerful and decisive; nobody could doubt that he meant what he said, that it was his will he voiced. However, in private, he would tease, he could even be quite intense and show you what he wanted, but it felt like something stopped him from speaking about the deepest desires of his heart.

"If that's something you want, then I want it too."

You were already happy enough. Through this marriage, you gained more than you ever anticipated. Your husband taught you how to be yourself, how to speak for yourself. He gave you strength, power and freedom to do and go wherever you wanted, daily reminding you that the things that had been beaten into you in the court of nightmares didn't apply in his court. Not for you, for sure. You didn't have to be an obedient wife, a puppet on strings for him to bend you to his will. Eris encouraged you to retort and stand up to him when you disagreed, to make your own decisions. He gave you everything and was willing to risk his life for you, and you wanted nothing more than to return the favor. With him, you lived the life you used to only dream about. You truly loved and were loved.

And so you again stood next to him at the altar under the golden light of the setting sun. The chapel was decorated in shiny colors of autumn, warm and so silent, with only three guests who gathered here to celebrate your mating ceremony. Eris didn't lie when he said he wanted to give you an unforgivable wedding. There was no way you would forget his expression as he watched you slowly approaching him. When Killian led you down the aisle, it felt like stepping into a magical fairy tale with a golden-red prince waiting for you. Powers swirled in his amber irises as he waited for you, all the emotions turning them into molten fire, bright and beautiful. You had a hard time containing your happy tears and your husband, surprisingly, wasn't any different. With a big smile, Killian hugged you whispering thanks on behalf of his brother, handed your hand to him and joined your friends Ellen and Irene seated in the first row. Your husband didn't waste any time and pulled you into his arms, inhaling you.

"You are the most beautiful creature who ever walked this world," he whispered only for you to hear. It made you chuckle shyly, but thanks to him, you really felt like someone special. The dress he had made for this occasion was exquisite. Cream-colored satin with golden embroidery hugged your upper body like another layer of skin, smoothly transitioning into a rich skirt with a long train that pooled around your legs and cascaded down the stairs. However, Eris himself looked otherworldly, too. His clothes matched yours. His trousers were of the same cream color while his carmine coat's embroidery perfectly matched yours, depicting flowers and leaves dancing in the breeze.

You weren't bold enough to praise his look aloud yet, but you sent it down the bond. Eris laughed wetly at that. It took him a few moments until he composed himself and let you go. Together you stepped to the altar where the smiling priestess waited for you. Last time you stood in this place, you were trembling, imprisoned in your own head. You were so scared that you couldn't even look at the groom properly, getting only a glimpse of him when he ordered you to look up. You still remembered everything you felt that fateful day, from the amazement at his appearance that fascinated and terrified you at the same time, to the fear of the upcoming future. If only you knew that the day would mark the start of great changes in your life. Everything that happened since your first wedding felt like a dream, sometimes bad, but the good moments easily outweighed it. With love, you gazed into the beautiful amber eyes of the male who so drastically changed your life, committing this moment to your memory.

Thanks to him, you found your first friends. This male handed you the key to the library to learn whatever you wanted. He danced with you, made you a queen to his Court and got you help when you got poisoned, guarding you until you woke up again. He allowed you into his world, sharing his secret place with you and introducing you to the lovely creatures that were like family to him - naturally, they were in the chapel too, sitting in a row and quietly watching the ceremony. When you got kidnapped, Eris did impossible to find you and get you back home. He risked his life and even fought his own brother, getting badly injured in the process. Your husband listened to you closely, allowing you to make decisions and solve the problems of his Court, accepting you as an equal. And finally, your mate saved you from a certain death.

You owed him so much, yet the only things he really wanted from you in return were acceptance and love - things you would gladly give him even without this ceremony. However, he wanted to add yet another nice memory to your collection, so he prepared all of this. It was beyond you how you could ever think badly of him and you felt ashamed because of it. Despite his hard exterior, Eris had a heart of gold and you couldn't wish for a better husband and mate.

While the priestess spoke about the Mother and the gift of finding a mate, you poured all your feelings and gratitude into the bond. You wanted your mate to know how much he meant to you and how much you loved him. For a moment, Eris looked baffled, his eyes wide, but then his expression softened and he opened his side of the bond a bit, sending his feelings out. You saw yourself through his eyes briefly and it took your breath away. What he saw resembled you, but the person looked so different at the same time. What he saw was a strong, beautiful female, something you'd never describe yourself as. Tears rolled down your cheeks and you longed to embrace him, to get lost in his arms and scent. You had to force yourself to stay still.

However, your husband again surprised you by doing something unexpected. Ignoring the priestess, he wrapped his arms around your waist and lifted you up. He snuggled into the crook of your neck, his big, warm hand spread across your back between shoulder blades. Using all your strength, you held him firmly, not wanting to ever be separated from him again. A small, silent sob shook his broad shoulders and the hot tears fell on your collarbone, rolling down your chest. Thanks to the bond, you knew that those were tears of happiness and you smiled. Today, you learned yet another thing about your husband. At least you weren't the only one who cried. Your fingers entwined with his soft hair, lovingly massaging his scalp in a soothing way.

A soft sniffle came from the bench for guests, followed by a low clearing of a throat. Apparently, all your guests cried along with you, small noises coming even from the row of smokehounds. Hearing it, Eris wetly chuckled but didn't lift his head. He stayed like that for the rest of the ceremony until the priestess, who was trying really hard to contain her tears, asked you to say your vows, a bit different from your first ceremony.

Eris was the first one. He set you on your feet and gazing into your eyes with forehead pressed against yours, vowed to love you and protect you for the rest of his life, making sure you would never miss anything. It was a regular vow for this occasion that wasn't hard to learn because it spoke of the desires of your heart, an instinct that naturally came with the bond. However, Eris wasn't done yet.

"I promise to never keep anything from you again," he added in a deep voice that lightly trembled with emotion. "I won't allow anything or anyone to separate us or stand between us. And.. if something happens to you, I swear to follow you wherever you go. I will never leave you alone again, neither in life nor in death." Hearing those words, a strange sensation tingled down your spine, leaving a trail of warmth. If you hadn't been crying already, this would definitely have broken you. He didn't want to talk much about what immediately preceded your near-death experience except to apologize, but, apparently, it had bothered him this entire time.

This moment was so romantic and heartbreaking and.. short-lived. A loud sob came from the bench of guests and all eyes turned that way. Killian, that huge male, sat slumped, hugging himself with one arm, the other hand squeezed into a fist and pressed against his mouth to stifle sobbing, but it was too late. He cried like a baby, big tears rolling down his cheeks, his eyes red and puffy, long snot hanging from his nose. It would have been comical if he didn't look so pitiful. Eris frowned at his younger brother, quietly ordering him to stop, which made poor Killian cry even more. Irene next to him, soothingly rubbed his back and offered him a spare handkerchief.

"I thought I would never witness the day my brother willingly fully opens up and gives himself to someone," he sobbed and blew his nose. He tried to say it quietly, unfortunately, thanks to his rambunctious voice, everyone heard him. The chapel was so quiet for a moment that you could hear a needle drop, then everyone burst into laughter. Even the hounds joined you. Still laughing merrily, Eris picked you up in a bridal style and held you against his chest. The bond on his side fully opened, letting all feelings reach you. He really meant it when he said no more secrets and you felt even his pain and suffering beneath thick layer of love and happiness.

Masterlist | Divider & Header by @cillmequick 😘

All parts will have their own individual warnings please read before you proceed.

Trailer | Playlist

Part 1 - Friday Nights

Part 2 - Raw Knuckles

Part 3 - Sweet & Kind

Part 4 - Needed You

Part 5 - Burn The World

Part 6 - Two Weeks

Part 7 - Soft & Secure

Part 8 -Safe Inside

Part 9 - Baby Steps

Part 10 - Muddling Through

Part 11 - Honest

Part 12 - Crawling Back to you

Part 13 - Unsteady

Part 14 - Family Matters 🔥Part One - Bristol 🔥Part Two - London

Part 15 - Safe Hands

Part 16 - Old Habits

Part 17 - TBC

Part 18 - Healing

Part 19 - Two Souls

Meet Cassie Here!

Double Trouble - my wonderful wifey & I were plotting and created an AU where our main characters are twins. Completely different universes but linked by their unhinged bond 🤭 @cillmequick created the mood board. You can find Bella's story here - by the wonderful Alex 💜

Moodboard - Nice To Each Other

Cassie's Instagram

Sean's Instagram

Cassie Leaves Sean Love Notes

Moodboard - Family Matters

Postcards From Morocco

Moodboard - Be By You

Tagging a few people who might be interested

@zablife @kmc1989 @duckybird101 @lovemissyhoneybee @wonderlanddreamer @theshelbyclan @murderousginger @darklydeliciousdesires @already-broken144 @theshelbyslimited