Chapter 422

Nathan

The festival was in full swing, and I could feel the excitement in the air as I set out to put together the wedding plans with Levi and Cade.

The decision had been made: Olivia and I were going to get married tonight, surrounded by the magic of the festival and our entire pack. It was a crazy idea, but it somehow felt right. And I couldn’t be happier; and so, with a newfound sense of purpose, I started gathering the necessary pieces for our impromptu wedding.

First on the list was the band. There was already a band playing for the festival; it was a local group that was popular in town, and they played beautifully. I approached them, quietly offering them a bigger paycheck in exchange for playing music for the ceremony, and they graciously accepted without batting an eye.

With the music taken care of, next on the list was the photographer. Fortunately, the photographer who had done our photoshoot before was still milling around the festival with her camera. After a bit of haggling, we finally came to an agreement; she would photograph everything from the ceremony to the posed photos, for a fee of course.

I was just walking away from the photographer’s stall and typing out a text to Levi to see how the other preparations were going, when I heard my name being called.

“Nathan!”

I turned toward the source of the voice; it was Kylie, our wedding planner. She had come quickly after I had texted her, still dressed in her warm clothes for the festival.

“Kylie,” I said, picking up my pace to meet her halfway. “You got my text.”

She nodded, and there was a cheeky grin on her face. “I can’t say planning something last-minute like this is a first,” she said, keeping her voice low so as not to be overheard by the oblivious festival goers, “but it sure is exciting.”

“So you’re in?” I asked.

“Duh,” she said, her grin widening.

“Alright,” I said with a relieved nod. “We’ve got to decorate the gazebo. It’s not snowing, even though Olivia really hoped for that, so—”

“Don’t worry,” Kylie interrupted. “I’ll make it feel wintery and perfect. What about the reception?”

At the mention of the reception, I couldn’t help but frown. With all of the frantic preparations, the reception had taken the back burner. I wanted everything to be perfect, but there just wasn’t enough time, and I still wasn’t in my suit.

“I know that look,” Kylie said with a chuckle. “Don’t worry. You said you’ve got those decorations still in the Council building storage, right?”

I nodded, and Kylie let out a soft sigh of relief. “Good,” she said. “During the ceremony, I’ll get set up in there. It might not be perfect, but it’ll be something. And what about food for the reception?”

With wide eyes like a deer in headlights, I went to open my mouth to respond; but before I could, a familiar voice sounded from behind me, taking me by surprise.

“We’ve got it handled.”

Both Kylie and I spun around to see James and Petunia, the bakery owners, standing there. My eyes widened slightly as I realized that they had likely heard everything.

“James, Petunia, I—” I began, but I was cut off with a wave of Petunia’s hand.

“Nathan, you and Olivia have helped our bakery lately,” she said. “It’s the least we can do to provide some cupcakes and pastries.”

“And lucky for you, the liquor store owner owes me a favor,” James added with a wink. “Your guests won’t go thirsty tonight.”

Kylie, excited as ever, clapped her hands together with an even wider grin than before. “Oh, I love the idea of sweets and champagne,” she said. “Can you add lots of powdered sugar? We’re going for a ‘first snow’ theme to make up for the, well, lack of… snow.”

Petunia chuckled. “Don’t worry,” she said. “Everything will be perfect.”

I felt taken aback by this sudden kindness. “Wow,” I breathed. “Um… Thank you. All of you. Really.”

James, however, waved his hand dismissively. “It’s nothing,” he said. “It’s the least we could do in return for that free photoshoot earlier.”

I smiled in relief, shaking their hands and thanking them profusely. As I watched them all go in opposite directions to get ready, I took one last glance over at the gazebo, where Levi and Cade were already setting up chairs and garlands. Curious festival goers were starting to stare, wondering what was going on, but it wasn’t time for the announcement yet.

After all, Cade had been right; I couldn’t wear a flannel and jeans to my own wedding. I wouldn’t even dream of it.

With everything in place, I slipped away from the bustling preparations and made my way to my office. It was time to get dressed for the occasion.

As I stepped into my quiet office, I took a deep breath. I couldn’t believe it; I was finally marrying my fated mate, the love of my life. My heart swelled with joy, and I couldn’t stop smiling as I put on my suit, straightening my tie one last time in the mirror.

“So this is it,” my wolf said, his voice echoing in my mind. “Finally marrying our fated mate.”

I chuckled. “After all these years,” I said. “And to think I wanted this since I first laid eyes on her.”

“No more waiting, Nathan.”

Taking one more deep breath, I knew that my wolf was right; this was it. It was time to make the announcement. It was time to marry my best friend in the entire world, and I couldn’t have been happier.

I stepped out of my office and made my way to the gazebo. The garlands had been hung, chairs had been set up, and Kylie had put her finishing touches on everything.

Fairy lights were strung all around the gazebo, and the chairs were decorated with sheer drapes of white fabric. A white carpet, taken from the decorations stored in the Council building, had been rolled out down the aisle. Kylia had even sprinkled white flower petals everywhere to make it look like it had snowed, which she had stolen from the floral arrangements hanging around the festival.

It was perfect. Really, truly perfect. Minus the real snow, of course.

All around me, the festival goers were enjoying their evening, unaware of the surprise that awaited them. Some of them had begun to gather, peering at me curiously as I made my way up the aisle in my suit.

Then, clearing my throat, I took the microphone and called for everyone’s attention, causing nearby conversations to cease as curious faces turned toward me.

“Ladies and gentlemen, may I have your attention, please!” I announced, my voice carrying over the crowd. “I have a very special announcement to make.”

Whispers and murmurs spread through the gathering, as people wondered what could be so important.

“You are all invited to a very special event,” I continued, my heart racing as I spoke. “A surprise wedding, which will be held tonight, right here, in just a few minutes!”

Gasps and surprised exclamations rippled through the crowd as they exchanged excited glances, trying to guess who the lucky couple might be. But I think they already knew.

And then, there was the moment that we had all been waiting for.

Olivia.

She was coming toward the gazebo, her wedding dress ethereal in the soft festival lights. The crowd fell silent, captivated by her beauty.

And I was utterly dumbfounded, as though this was all a dream, as I watched my beautiful bride-to-be come into view.