The Silent Alpha

***Natalia***

My heart flutters as I wait for my cue to walk down the aisle, knowing that in a few short minutes, I will officially be Zane’s wife.

"Talia," Gwen murmurs, carrying a small gift box in her hands.

"Vanessa had this delivered for you.Toran says she couldn’t make it, but she wanted you to know that she’s happy for you."

I take the box from her hand, and stare at it for a moment, not knowing how to feel about her absence.I had thought long and hard about sending an invitation to my sister and finally decided I would leave the choice up to her.

There is a small note attached to the box and I read it to myself.

https://https://https://https://novelebook.com/the-silent-alpha-bd2029.htmll

To my dear sister, I know it is not much, but I hope you and your daughter love it as much as you and I did.

With love, Nessa.

Untie the ribbon and remove the lid, tears filling my eyes as I look inside.

"What is it?" Gwen asks, pulling a handkerchief from her dress pocket.I pull out the small music box with two little cats sitting on the lid and crank the knob until the song, "Memories," begins to play and I watch the little cats dance around the lid through my tears.

"When I was little, my mother had this exact music box.She would play it for us to go to sleep every night," I smile as I wipe my tears.

"She used to tell us a story of the two little cats on the lid," I giggle.

"They were sisters named Natalia and Vanessa and they loved each other very much." I stare at the box in disbelief.

"It broke years ago.The music wouldn’t play anymore and I was devastated because I had always dreamt of playing it for my own children." I shake my head as I wipe my tears.

"I can’t believe she found it."

"That’s a lovely gift," Gwen murmurs, helping me to carefully wipe my tears.

"But now we must keep you sane for your wedding." nod at her and fight to compose myself, carefully putting the music box back in its box and powdering my face.

"Okay, my lovely," Gwen sighs, cradling little Quoia in her arms and grabbing a small basket of flower petals.

My beautiful Maid of Honor wears a forest green dress with a flowing skirt to accentuate her cute baby bump, and her fiery red hair is tamed within a romantic braid and flowers.

"Are you ready, Talia?" She asks and I give her a bright smile.

"You look beautiful. He is so lucky to have you," she smiles in return.

"Dakota, are you ready?" she giggles at the dancing pup.

He grins back at her, holding up an empty pillow in his hand.

"Kota, where are the rings?" Gwen asks in restrained panic.

"They kept falling off when I danced," Kota explains as he breaks into a silly dance.

"So! put them in my socks," he grins, Gwen and I both sighing in relief as he rolls his pants up past his ankles where two lumps stick out from his socks.

"Okay, but you need to put them on the pillow so you can give them to Daddy," Gwen chuckles, getting into position to make her entrance.

"Good luck," she whispers as she steps out from behind the curtain with Sequoia in her arms.

Oohs and awws erupt from the crowd as Gwen walks down the aisle with my baby, sprinkling little petals on the floor as she makes her way to the altar to join the rest of the bridal party.

"Okay, you’re next," I tell the pup, Kota very excitedly breaking out into another dance.

do I look?" I ask, stepping back

flowers decorating the

look like a princess,

handsome prince?" I ask, the

howls, the music

Kota, time to go," I instruct him and he hurriedly gets

him to put the rings back on the pillow.I pull the curtain back enough to watch as Kota skips down the aisle, the crowd

Kota breaks into a } full sprint,

My handsome .

kisses his forehead, a million butterflies fluttering in my belly at the beauty of their

whispers something in Kota’s ear and the little boy pulls up his pants to grab the two rings from

as Kota proudly hands the rings to

changes tempo and the guests all begin to rise from

and Devina purrs happily as I pull

I care to see is Zane’s as I

face, and I see trails of tears glistening on

look up at the night sky, a million stars watching over me as I walk

Gwen, Celina, Nikki, and Nadia stand in as my bridesmaids and to Zane's right, stands Agnes as his

in the center of the altar, smiling from ear to ear at me and

front row, Rionna and Toran smile proudly at me, Rionna holding Sequoia in her

off the altar and holds out his hand to me to help me

our fingers, and I gently wipe the

whisper, Zane’s lips

my hand to his lips and kissing my knuckles.He leads me to the center of the altar, where Aurora awaits to officiate our union.I hardly hear a word she says as I gaze back at my mate and the cool sensation of the

from Aurora and slide it onto Zane’s finger, my

State of California and by our dear Moon Goddess, I now pronounce you, husband and wife," Aurora proclaims, the crowd

you may now kiss your

first time as wolf and wife before our pack, His soothing scent

curls on my lips as I pull away, and Aurora takes Kota by the

Zane, who gets down on his knees to

whispers, Dakota grinning back

cupping Zane’s face in

y-you something okay?" Zane asks,

haven’t been part of y-your life for very long, but finding y-you in that bush w-was the

too.I-I p-promise that y-you'll always be

murmurs, wrapping his arms around the crying

daddy, K-Kota, and I'll do my best to be y-your superhero. I-I love y-you

nod his head as he cries and I struggle to hold back my own tears as my

years of being on our own, Kota and I have a wonderful husband and father, and

takes out a handkerchief and very carefully wipes away my tears

lifts Kota in his arms and helps wipe away

and gentlemen," Aurora announces to the

the first time, Zane and Natalia Ramos and their children,

***Zane***

meet in wolf form as newlyweds so Talia and I are led away to separate tents set up in the adjacent woods for a private

sprinting back and forth in the depths of my mind with excitement

still? \snap asI undo my bowtie and

yips, running yet another lap

excitement, he

I scold the wolf to calm down

command of my body, my bones cracking

I sit back to let my wolf

the opposite end of the clearing, Devina’s gray wolf steps out of her tent, her

the center of the clearing, sitting on her hind legs and patiently