Stronger

Today I had to make my gown and start preparing food. Everything was to be made from scratch. We had a lot to do.

Grayson had spent the past couple of days organizing the guest list as I didn’t know any of his allies.

It was not easy or dreamy as it had appeared but it was all happening so quickly. We were prepping and none of the actual celebration had started yet.

On Friday I was going to be cleansed. I had to bathe in moon pool, and then spend the day having oils rubbed into my skin and runes scribed on my back.

Here in the Northern Ecl*pse pack, it was custom for the bride to get a tattoo before the wedding. I would have the symbol of the pack inscribed on my sternum. Grayson had one too but he got it when he became Alpha.

It was a moon in front of a pine and paw marks below it. I wasn’t too excited about that but it was a duty of mine.

Grayson would spend the same day in solitude. He would train, meditate, and pray. He wasn’t allowed to look or talk to

anyone.

That night I would go to the forests to find him and our wolves would be with each other.

Right now though I was with Amaria and Elizabeth making my dress.

It was a simple gown to humble me before my mate. It was strapless with two inches at the top of my back and flowed

from there.

“The color is perfect my dear,” Amaria smiled at me.

I began cutting down the fabric to the design Elizabeth had drawn out for me. Two simple rectangle like bits.

I was thankful that binding dresses were not supposed to be extravagant. The only tricky part here was the train that flowed from behind me. I was born of alpha blood so I had a long train. It was to stretch six feet behind me.

“Okay so now it’s basically a six–foot–long U,” Elizabeth explained, drawing out the back of the dress.

It was cut again and we marked for the hem. I know it’s morning and tedious when it’s not your gown but when it is every stitch, cut, hem, mark, they all electrify you.

The three of us began hemming the gown and talking to one another. It had to be hand sewn so my hard work went.

into it.

“Are you nervous?” Amaria looked over to me.

“A little,” I blushed. “It would be easier if there wasn’t any space between us if I knew him like no one else but he gave me the trust I needed. I feel like this will help him trust me,”

“He trusts you,” Elizabeth leaned forward and placed a hand on my knee.

“How do you know?”

“He has told you more than anyone else, I never thought he would admit you scared him. I have known him a long time and you are…the only one who he bends for,” She intently used each word as if she still couldn’t believe it.

“He trusts his people. This makes you his,” Amaria finished to ease my many many thought.

After Sunday we would be bound. I would feel him every second of every day. I would know his thoughts and fears. He would know my desire for him and my hesitancy to give in to it. His mind would be alight with everything I had kept inside and mine would be swamped with everything I had been begging to know.

Elizabeth showed me how to put an eyelet in on the top of the dress which seemed easy enough. Thumifully it was

I wish I had known how to do all of this so I didn’t feel so clueless.

Then I had to sew it all together. This part I had to do on my own. This was my dress to be bound to Grayson in. This was for me to give to him.

Traditionally the night we are bound we would…but I don’t think either of us is ready for that level of intimacy

The other women left me to sew and I hummed to myself old songs from my childhood that my mother hummer when she worked.

The one thing I was not embarrassed by or ashamed of was wanting to wait to sleep with him. I would be his wife, but I did not know him as I should to bare myself to him. Giving yourself at that level can make someone feel like they have to give everything. We needed more time for that.

I brought my gown together over the next two hours. I had to use an invisible stitch to make it look as good as possible. That was no bother. Elizabeth had made me a strand for the inches at the back to hold me up all night.

I could only see him when the sun goes down that whole morning I would spend getting ready having my hair done, my face cleaned, and my legs and arms massaged,

Again most of this was to prepare me to be with him. I would take the pampering and keep my intentions a secret.

That is private and no one needs to know.

When I had finished my dress Amaria and Elizabeth came back. This time though all of the women of the pack came along. I would show them the dress and they would give approval.

“You have done so well,” Amaria ran her fingers through my hair as she commended me.

“Thanks, mom,” I replied. It was odd calling a woman who didn’t birth me mom but Amaria deserved it. She had been there for me through this whole journey.

Then we began making food today we were making the bread for the feasts. The one the pack had on Friday, then the one where I served everyone on Saturday, and then the biggest one where Grayson and I would bind.

Euch feast the food got more and more decadent. Normal bread for the first feast, then a sourdough, and finally the brend I made, a rosemary bread that would be slow–baked.

We were spread around my kitchen and dining room around 30 women making bread for my day. Most of the women of the pack had to leave to finish the day’s chores, take care of the pups, or guard the

border.

“I cannot wait for the final feast. The food will last us hours. We are supposed to fast all day for it. That is also why the second feast is smaller and more intimate,” Charlotte exclaimed to me.

“Your dress is going to be amazing, and the white dress for the second feast I have to see that before dinner,” Ella demanded beside me.

For the second feast on Saturday night everyone would dress in white for the moon. I was going to wear a white lace dress that Elizabeth and Amaria had given me as a gift earlier in the week.

“First let’s finish the bread,” I nodded to them and we laughed.

The women shattered and kneaded the bread and after a while, we had finished and the bread was left to rise before it was baked.

“Come on,” I giddily ran upstairs with them like children.

I grabbed the dress from my closet and quickly put it on so we made it to dinner on time.

It had a vintage style lace, with long sleeves that flowed. It had a skirt that went down just below my knees, and it laced up in the back. I think I’ll put my hair up that night, my mom will be here to help me and Cea.

I changed into a simple tie skirt and a t–shirt. The fabric they made here could be gauzy or it could be as thick as cotton. I found that I loved both feelings as the more you wore them the softer they got. It was a hot night tonight though so the fabric was the tinner kind.

I sat down after grabbing ribs and potatoes.

My kind of food finally!

“Anna! You would think we have starved you!” Amária teased me as I ferociously dig into the meat.

“I have missed food like this,” I gave my answer, quickly devouring my food in a beastly manner.

“I can see why,” Grayson blurted through a mouthful of thick greasy meat.

I didn’t attempt to hide my small laughter at his stuffed face. From what I had seen over the weeks he was an endless pit for food but tonight he surpassed even my expectations of him. I feared some of our warriors would go hungry.

He ate more than five full plates of ribs where I only had three. When he went back again and again I thought he might be nervously eating.

Were you nervous about our binding to? Scared to face my family, my allies, worried about what they’ll say to you? You have agreed to face them and fight them knowing they will not go easy.

“Grayson slow down!” I chastised him, leaning back in my chair grinning.

“I haven’t eaten all day I’ve spent the day training,” He grunted at me before gulping a big breath and drowning in

nore meat.

“Training?” I smirked to myself feeling a little proud. I knew he wasn’t as confident as he had seemed about my family.

“I’m going to take on four full blooded alpha males at once, I’m no idiot I need to prepare.” He challenged me looking

over his shoulder.

“Wow, you actually seem scared,” I giggled, leaning towards him on my hand.

“No I don’t,” he insisted.

“Oh I should call them and tell them how terrified they’ve made my big bad wolf,” I goaded as I stood and stretched. my arms and hands.

“No you won’t,” he tried to appear unphased but I saw him twitch a little.

“Good night Grayson,” I leaned down to his ear and sauntered towards our house ready for bed.

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