"IT IS TIME!" An enthusiastic Mario shouted from the door, getting attention from Maddox, groomsmen, and all the stylists in the room.
Mario ran from the room where Tatiana and the bridesmaids were to inform the guys they should move.
There were people in charge of the groom's entourage, but as the main event organizer, designer, and stylist, Mario came in person to do the final checks before people stepped out.
The ceremony included Maddox going to the podium where he will wait for Tatiana, and between Maddox and Tatiana reaching there, all groomsmen and bridesmaids will walk on the aisle that was covered with flower petals.
They planned paths, so groomsmen and bridesmaids don't meet until the final moment.
They will take separate side exits and come from around the packhouse, and then pass through the tunnel made of green foliage and white flowers that matched the overall décor and seamlessly blend into the surroundings while providing secrecy so that no one sees the wedding party until they step onto the terrace that overlooks the garden.
Maddox took a few deep breaths and checked himself in the mirror. He was about to move to the door when Mario stepped in front of him.
Maddox gritted his teeth while Mario was patting his lapels, and he endured when Mario's hands ran over his biceps, lingering there more than necessary and giving him a squeeze. Did Mario make a whinnying sound?
Mario didn't like that his muse (aka Tatiana) found a man who muddled her to the point of rushing with this wedding. Didn't they meet less than two months ago? But Mario couldn't deny that Maddox looked good. His ripped body was the cause of many wet dreams, Mario's included. And the best thing about Maddox was that he had a bunch of friends whose physique was equally impressive.
Mario could do fittings for these guys all day and not get bored of it.
Maddox chanted internally to stay calm. If he bites the head of the skinny human, Tatiana won't approve.
Maddox knew that Tatiana was relying on Mario, and she had a special place in her heart for that human. Mario was competent as an assistant, but he was too much into touching and Maddox hoped that Mario was not so handsy with Tatiana. This was important to Tatiana, so Maddox didn't want to make a scene, but he took a mental note to explain to the human that no one touches an Alpha or his Luna. No one!
Since Damon was next to Maddox, Mario approached him next, ready to adjust the suit jacket and the necktie, and Mario's hands froze an inch from Damon's chest when Damon growled at him.
Mario swallowed hard and retracted his hands. Even as a human, his instincts screamed that if he got too close to Damon, it won't end well. And he was not wrong.
Mario made a circle around Damon and nodded how everything was fine before moving to his next victim… cough-cough… the next groomsman.
"Why are you letting him touch you like that?" Damon grumbled at Maddox.
Maddox made a dejected face. "Tanya likes the guy. If I end him now, it will spoil the party."
"The more she likes him, the more you have reasons to end him. Besides, we can stash the body, and say he was unwell and went to rest. With so many guests, Tanya won't have time to check on him until the party is over. We can make it so that no one ever finds the body."
Maddox had to agree that Damon had a point. But what will happen after the party? Tatiana will definitely suspect him. What if Tatiana doesn't forgive him? Maddox needed to think about this.
When Mario returned to the room where Tatiana was with her bridesmaids and stylists, Tatiana was hyper from excitement. Mario offered her a drink, but she waved him away.
Tatiana wanted to keep her head clear. Drinking can come later when the ceremony is completed.
Tatiana's parents were there. Her father had a stern expression, but his eyes were full of pride, while Tatiana's mother was tearing up.
For the Wilkow parents, this was more than just Tatiana being a Luna of a pack. They arrived that afternoon to hear that Lidia and Daria had found their mates. They were happy that their daughters found their fated mates and things went smoothly, upset about this timing right before the ceremony where Tatiana needed them, and shocked how it all happened so suddenly.
For twenty years, all five of their daughters were unmated, and within two months, four out of five were mated. It was a sudden change they needed to adapt to, mainly because all four daughters found their mates in the US, which meant that the whole Ocean will separate them. Will they be able to see each other for the holidays? It didn't look like it.
'CLAP-CLAP!'
Mario clapped loudly, ending all chatter and making everyone focus on him.
He turned to Tatiana. "Do you have something old?"
"My earrings," Tatiana's mother responded.
"Something new?" Mario asked, and then he bobbed his head. "Dress and shoes are new. Something borrowed?"
"My garter," Varya said.
Mario nodded in approval and then asked his last question. "Something blue?"
"Lingerie," Tatiana responded with a straight face while gesturing at herself, indicating that she was wearing it.
"OK! The bride is ready!" Mario announced and looked at Tatiana with tears in his eyes. "You are getting married."
"Yes," Tatiana confirmed. "And thanks to you, it will all be perfect."
Mario wiped the tears and made a face. "Instead of thanks, you can give me a raise."
Tatiana rolled her eyes. She was already paying him a small fortune!
Without waiting for Tatiana's response, Mario called the bridesmaids to line up, and he arranged them in the order they should walk out while doing final checks on their hair, makeup, dresses, and shoes. Everything needed to be perfect!
Tatiana smiled at her assistant gratefully. Mario was loud and a handful, but she could always rely on him to get the job done.
"Miss Cornelia," Mario called impatiently to the bridesmaid who was still getting ready.
Cornelia was in front of a mirror with a makeup stylist who was fervently working on her neck to conceal James' mark.
Humans didn't understand why Cornelia was set on hiding her tattoo; it looked cool. However, Cornelia thought about it and decided to cover it up. After all, if James was down there mingling with females as an unmated prince of the Red Moon pack, Cornelia had no intention of going there as someone who was claimed.
"Does she know what she is doing?" Maya asked Talia in a whisper.
Every she-wolf carried her mark with pride, and there was no reason to cover it up, but then there was Talia with a lot of concealer over Damon's mark, and Maya realized that she had asked the wrong person. Or maybe the right one.
"She is fighting for her mate," Talia responded.
In a way, Talia admired Cornelia. Cornelia was a witch, who didn't know much about this realm, humans, or werewolves, and she risked a lot by coming here.
If Cornelia uses her powers, she will expose herself as a witch, and if she doesn't use her powers, she will appear to be a weak human regardless of the weight that the title of special advisor to Alpha Natalia carried. No matter how it went, Cornelia was at a disadvantage, yet she still came here to fight for her mate. How could Talia not admire this tenacious witch?
