Brecc inhaled slowly. He pushed the tension out of his system with each exhale. “That’s why I have you. I solve problems. I fight. You handle emotions.”
Eros nodded and met his gaze. “One of these days you’ll have to handle emotions as well, Brecc. It won’t be something I can always do for you.”
Brecc didn’t do emotions. He did the job. He was an Alpha who took care of his people. Emotions took up too much time and they didn’t always end up being easily explained. Someone always got hurt. He preferred to handle logical problems, including war, than deal with emotions.
He took the glass of wine Eros offered him. “I’ll deal with it when the time comes. For now, let’s focus on finding the matchmaker.”
Eros whipped his head around, looking through the crowd. “She’s here?”
“Yes. She returned a week ago to attend Alyx and Bella’s wedding.” Brecc glanced at the tribes and packs from other parts of Aurora dressed in their finest. All had come to watch the king marry a human. But it wasn’t the fact she was human anyone found interesting, it was their way of showing respect for the new queen that brought them to the wedding.
The large ballroom in the palace, normally used for massive tribe meetings, held chairs and flowers of the palest blue. The palace was so crowded, Brecc and Eros chose to stand by one of the walls instead of taking their assigned seats.
The ripple of voices quieted until there was silence in the hall. Then, a lone figure appeared at the back of the hall entrance. Brecc’s heart flip flopped. He fought hard to push his wolf under control. The animal yanked and pushed for release from his skin cage.
“Who is that?” He didn’t realize how rough his voice had gotten until some of the guests turned to frown at him.
“I don’t know, but she’s having a strange effect on me,” Eros whispered.
Brecc gripped his best friend’s shoulder. “Could she be? Do you think?”
The closer the woman got to the front of the hall, the harder it became to stand still. She swept her gaze around the crowd. Her dark chocolate skin was covered in a pale blue dress that did nothing to hide the voluptuous curves underneath. Her curly hair had been pulled back and tied in a low ponytail leaving the long strands hanging low on her back. She smiled softly and continued her examination of the guests until her eyes locked on him. The pasted-on smile slid off her face, and he sensed the shudder going down her spine.
Eros let out a harsh breath next to him. “Brecc? Did you feel that?”
“Yes. She is the one.” He gulped at the dryness in his throat. His muscles ached liked he’d been in battle and shifted to heal.
“She’s human. I know she’s human.”
Brecc continued staring at her, his gaze never leaving her face. She stopped at the front of the hall and faced the row of petals she’d walked on. Then, as if drawn by his gaze, she glanced at him and Eros. There was no soft smile or flirty gaze. She just stared.
He wondered if she could feel their connection.
SIX
Charlotte tried to keep her composure, but it was damn hard. The place was filled with giants. If a fight broke out, she’d be shit out of luck. Nowhere to go but to the ground and crawl her way out. Not a single person in that place was ugly. Male or female. It was weird as hell.
Then there were the two guys off to the side. They both wore the same brown outfits that looked like a suit but cut differently. The necklines were straight and they fit the men like they’d been made for them. What the hell did she know? They probably were.
She gulped and glanced at Bella who stood at the end of the hall. Music drifted softly and everyone stood. Bella smiled at Alyx, who took his place to Charlotte’s left. Alyx’s parents stood next to him. Not the usual earthly tradition, but she guessed it was something new here to have a wedding.
The two men continued to stare at her. She was fascinated by how good looking they were but in such a different way. Their skin was pale with blue eyes that sizzled the longer they stared at her. Each boasted white hair, one longer than the other.
She didn’t know what animal they were, but she was so curious. The one with the longer hair looked angry, like he didn’t like something about her. He played a staring match with her for what felt like forever and when she couldn’t take it anymore, she winked and blew him a kiss.
Take that! The look on his face: priceless. There was shock and confusion in his eyes. She could swear she heard a growl sound from across the room. She couldn’t tell what the other guy was saying to him, but she wished he would stop frowning at her.
The wedding passed in a blur. The entire thing went off without a hitch. She felt like she’d been in a trance for most of it, her attention focused on the two men. Gerri played the minister role, knowing exactly how to perform an earthly wedding.