Freebie Shorts #8 (A Demigod Shifter Wedding)
(Warning: This story takes place in the skipped time period between the final chapter of An Alpha for the Demigod and the Epilogue of the same book. *Appeared in Stormy Glenn's Summer ManLove Competition*)
A Demigod's Shifter Wedding
Chapter One
Lykos
“Just remember sweetness, this was your idea.”
Declan turns to me and says, “I’m aware of that love, but I didn’t think my mother would go overboard with the arrangements.”
“Well, you are the first of her sons to get married. Of course, she’s going to go overboard. Everything must be perfect. I’m just glad my mother won’t be back from her cruise until the day before the ceremony. Could you imagine if those two were planning this thing together?”
He shudders. “Ugh, I don’t even want to think about it. Maybe we should elope.”
“And have your mother and mine rain hellfire down upon our heads? No thanks. Those two are scarier than my uncles when angry. Which is saying something considering my uncles are who they are.”
He rubs his hands over his face and says, “I can’t believe I agreed to this. Have you seen the setup outside? It’s beyond extravagant.”
I move behind him and begin massaging his shoulders. “I know sweetness. I’ve seen it.”
“I only wanted something small, you know? Family and friends; but I’m pretty sure my dad sent word to everyone he knows. Last I checked, we had two outside packs attending, plus some unaffiliated paranormals up north, and an entire coven! Fates, thinking about it makes my head spin.”
Leaning in, I run my nose along his neck and whisper, “You know, we can have an intimate ceremony now then give your mom the extravagant ceremony she’s planned later. Or, I can find a way to take your mind off things for a while.”
He gives me his best puppy dog look and says, “Is there a third option?”
“Oh, so he wants to have the cake and eat it too?”
I pull him in for a heated kiss and whisper, “I’m sure we can work something out.”
Taking his hand, I lead him into the bedroom and push him onto the bed. “How long has it been since we’ve done this sweetness?”
His gaze turns smoldering as he says, “Six hours, twenty-two minutes, and forty-six seconds. Not that I was counting.”
Biting back a laugh I say, “Of course not.”
Suddenly, there’s a vicious tapping on our bedroom window. Groaning, I look over and see Declan’s mom waving, trying to get our attention. Sighing I say, “Sweetness, your mom really needs to learn a thing or two about boundaries.”
“I know. On the bright side, at least she didn’t walk in on us this time.”
“Ugh. Don’t remind me.”
He flashes me a wicked grin and says, “Still don’t want to elope?”
“Don’t tempt me. This ceremony gets any crazier and I might risk the wrath of both our mothers.”
“Think we should see what my mother wants?”
“I suppose so.”
I look over at the window where his mother is still waving and point towards the living room, she gives me a thumbs up and disappears. It’s like the woman has a sixth sense for when we’re about to have sex or something. Lately, she’s been popping up at the most inopportune times and most of the time it’s for something involving the wedding that could’ve waited. I never thought agreeing to marry Declan would be so much of a headache. We’re already mated and that’s enough for me but I think my Alpha lover wants to be tied together in every way possible. Truth be told, I don’t mind the idea of marrying him. It just means we’re bonded together in more ways than one. Still, I wonder what his reaction will be when I tell him I plan to hyphenate our last names. Hehe, I can almost picture the look on his face. Man, it’s going to be priceless. Hmm…that reminds me, how should I hyphenate our names? He’s technically the Alpha so my name would go first however, I think it would roll off the tongue better if his were first. Decisions, decisions. Fuck it, I’ll flip a coin. Heads, his name goes first; tails, my name goes first.
As I make my way into the living room I take a quarter from my pocket and toss it into the air. “Damn, it’s tails.”
Declan comes up behind me and says, “What’s tails?”
I look over my shoulder at him and say, “I flipped a coin to see whose last name would go first. Heads for yours, tails for mine. It landed on tails. After we’re married our last names will be Cassidy-Devine.”
He raises an eyebrow at me. “You want to hyphenate our names?”
I fold my arms. “Yes, I do. We’re equals in this relationship, aren’t we?”
He nods. “Of course we are.”
“Then we’re hyphenating. I just get the feeling that if I drop my last name everyone is going to think I’m your bitch and that shit is not happening.”
He laughs and says, “Babe, you’re nobody’s bitch. Too much of a badass.”
I step into his personal space and wrap my arms around his waist. Waggling my eyebrows I say, “My badassery can’t be tamed.”
He lets out this adorable little snort as he shakes his head while trying not to laugh. “Nope, it sure can’t.”
His mom clears her throat and says, “Sorry to interrupt you two but we have a situation on our hands.”
Declan turns to face her and says, “What situation?”
She sighs. “It’s a disaster. The flowers that were delivered aren’t the ones I ordered. The shaman who was supposed to officiate was in a car accident two states over and can’t make it. Half the glassware arrived broken, we don’t have enough chairs, and to top it all off your father invited people I wasn’t aware of so I didn’t order enough food to feed everyone.”
She collapses in one of the chairs and says, “I’m sorry. I wanted you two to have the perfect wedding but now it’s ruined.”
I crouch in front of her and say, “Don’t you worry about a thing. We can fix it.”
She wipes away a tear and says, “How? It’s a disaster!”
I pat her knee and smile, “We call in the cavalry.”
Opening the mind link between us, I reach out to Declan and send him a message.
What do you say sweetness? Shall we go all out? I’ve got my uncles on telepathic speed dial. We’ll have the biggest wedding this side of the millennia eh?
Let’s do this shit.
I knew you’d say that.
Well, I can’t let my mother’s hard work go to waste. Not when she put her heart and soul into it. It may not be what I had in mind but it doesn’t matter. As long as I get to call you my husband at the end of the day I’m happy to comply with whatever my mother has planned.
Well then, let’s get this party started.
Chapter Two
Declan
I’m really starting to think we should’ve just eloped. I love my mom to death and I’d do anything to make her happy even if it means going through with this god awful extravaganza of a wedding. However, I believe calling in Lykos’ family might’ve been a bad idea. Things started off well and good but after three days of them all being in the same area everything has started to fall apart.
First, Poseidon tripped over a chair and dumped a bucket of ice all over Zeus. Zeus retaliated by dunking Poseidon in the bowl of cake batter. Hades sat in a lawn chair and watched the ensuing debacle with an umbrella cocktail in his hand. Well, until Zeus and Poseidon decided to team up and Hades got the short end of the stick when they decided to dump the living lobsters my mom ordered for the reception dinner all over him. I have this gut feeling that the three of them are going to take their pranks too far and do more harm than good.
Suddenly, I hear an ungodly yowl and look towards the sound. Lykos has Zeus, Hades, and Poseidon in front of him and they all look like they’ve been struck by lightning.
His gaze turns menacing as he says, “Alright you three idiots. Stop fighting! You’re here to help with the wedding preparations not destroy them. Do I need to remind you what happened the last time you three went on a rampage in the same place? Dinosaurs went extinct! The humans think it was a meteor but we all know it was you three bozos! Now clean up your act or so help me, I’ll disown all of you.”
Lykos storms off muttering something that sounds like, “Damn imbeciles, older than I am and still act like a bunch of children when they get together. Sometimes, I can’t believe we’re related.”
My mother comes out of nowhere and says, “What are you doing? Go get dressed! People will be arriving soon.”
“Mom, isn’t it a little early for that? The ceremony won’t start for a few more hours.”
She gives me her signature ‘mom’ look and says, “Don’t argue with me. Go get ready and don’t you dare try to sneak in a quickie with Lykos either. Save it for after the wedding.”
I roll my eyes and say, “Yes master, I mean mother.”
She smacks me upside the head and says, “Don’t be a dick.”
I stare at her wide-eyed.
She raises an eyebrow at me and says, “What? Don’t look at me like that. Go get dressed.”
To avoid being smacked again, I head for my parents’ house to get ready. My mom insisted on Lykos and I being separated. She’s all about tradition. Hopefully, I can find something to do to pass the time. Heh, maybe I’ll play cards with my little sister. I’ll cheat her out of all her candy bars. Is that evil? It is, isn’t it? Too bad. I’m going to get those candy bars.
Four Hours Later….
My sister is pissed at me. I beat her at cards and stole all her candy bars. She’s not happy about losing. She’s sitting across from me in her pink dress with her arms folded. Her expression is like an angry pouty face. It’s cute but funny at the same time. My dad walks in the front door dressed in a tux and says, “Did you cheat your sister out of her candy bars again?”
“Maybe.”
“That’s just messed up son, taking candy from a ten year old.”
Shrugging I say, “I’m saving her from cavities.”
He nods slowly and says skeptically, “Sure you are. Anyways, your mom told me to come get you. Everyone has arrived.”
“So it’s time then?”
“It is.”
I stand and stretch, letting my muscles pop after sitting for so long. “Well, let’s go then.”
Lykos and I plan to walk down the aisle together so when I get close to the tent where everyone is waiting I stop and wait. My dad and sister go on ahead to take their seats. Lykos is walking towards me from the direction of our house where he’d been sent to change into his own tux.
When he reaches my side he takes my hand in his and says, “You look delicious in a tux sweetness.”
Smiling I say, “Yeah? So do you.”
He kisses the back of my hand and says, “You ready to do this?”
“I was born ready.”
He flashes me a wicked grin and says, “What was it you said earlier? Oh yeah, let’s do this shit.”
Letting out a bark of laughter I say, “Yeah, let’s do this shit.”
I squeeze his hand and we walk side by side towards the tent. My mother has outdone herself. Everything is done in shades of blue and white; silk and lace. The entire place looks stunning. As we step onto the platform at the end of the aisle I realize who our officiant is.
I look at Lykos with a wide-eyed expression and whisper, “Seriously? Zeus is our officiant? Is he even qualified?”
Zeus leans in and says, “I got certified for the occasion. Don’t worry you’re in good hands.”
Sweet mother of mercy, kill me now.
Lykos barks out a laugh but covers it with a cough. I must’ve projected that last thought. Oops.
He smiles at me and says, “It’ll be fine sweetness.”
“I hope so.”
Zeus clears his throat and begins his spiel, “We are gathered here today to celebrate the union of these two men. I’m skipping over the ‘speak now, hold your peace’ part because these two are already bonded and this ceremony is really just a formality. So, let’s get right to it. Do you Declan Devine take Lykos Cassidy to be your lawfully wedded husband, in sickness and in health, for better and for worse, for as long as you both shall live?”
“I do.”
Zeus turns to Lykos and says, “And do you Lykos Cassidy take Declan Devine to be your lawfully wedded husband, in sickness and in health, for better and for worse, for as long as you both shall live?”
Lykos nods and says, “I do.”
My best friend hands me Lykos’ ring and Poseidon hands Lykos mine. I slip the ring onto Lykos’ finger and he does the same to mine. After we’ve exchanged rings Zeus says, “Join hands please.”
I take Lykos’ hands in mine as Zeus begins tying our hands together with a red rope. “This rope symbolizes the string of fate that ties you together. May your bond remain strong and unbreakable; may you always remain united as one; may your love conquer all who would oppose you; and may you also have many happy years to share. With this, I bind you together for eternity as husband and husband. Alpha and Alpha Mate. You may kiss.”
Leaning in, I press my lips against Lykos’ to the sound of loud cheering from our family, friends, and allies.
The kiss quickly becomes heated but since I’d rather not give everyone here a show, I pull away.
Lykos flashes me a wicked grin and says, “You’re stuck with me now sweetness.”
I grin and say, “I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
The End
