Filed to story: The Billionaire Alpha’s Contract Lover by Caesar Erickson
Luckily, I’d already thought about this.
Now I just needed Harper to be so consumed by her mating ceremony preparations that she believed me.
“I lost weight for your mating ceremony.”
Harper frowned. “You’re practically skin and bones, love. Why are you still losing weight?!”
I opened my mo uth to brush her off and tell her that I had stopped, but I was saved by one of the girls in the shop coming over and ushering us toward the makeup counter to decide on our look for the day-of.
After we finished at the dress shop and getting dresses and makeup decided on, the three of us went to the hotel for a final meeting with the mating ceremony coordinator. Since Harper wasn’t officially part of Damian’s pack until after they were mated, she hadn’t wanted to have their ceremony at his pack center. A hotel was neutral territory and it would make Harper feel more comfortable.
“Let me take you both out to dinner when I get off work.” Damian kissed Harper’s cheek as we exited the hotel.
“I’d love that, babe,” Harper replied, standing on her tiptoes to return his kiss.
When Harper and I returned to the house, Harper started fussing around with packing. Damian had bought a house for he and Harper to live in after they were mated. It was on his pack’s land, so that they would be closer to his family, and they would have help with their pups once they started their family.
“I’m so glad you’re staying here,” Harper said as she packed. “Buying this house was the first thing I ever really accomplished, and I don’t like the idea of a stranger living here.”
Just another reason she was going to be devastated when I was gone.
I nodded with a smile, not able or wanting to verbalize how I was feeling right now.
“I’m going to leave a few things here, though. For when I stay over for girls’ nights,” Harper said, going through some of her pajamas and setting them aside.
I didn’t say anything. I couldn’t.
Better to change the subject. “I have a wedding gift for you.”
“Oh?!”
“Wait a minute,” I said, then went to my bedroom. I opened the drawer, took out a debit card, and handed it to her.
“This is a dowry that I saved for you.”
Harper took the card and looked back and forth between it and me, a confused expression on her face.
“But… what do you mean? Why?”
“I know Damian’s family said they didn’t need one, since they know your history. I just… I want to make sure you start off on the right foot with them, that they don’t hold it against you later.”
It was an old-fashioned practice, but wolf shifters typically received dowries when someone from outside of their pack married into their pack. Essentially, packs cared for their packmates. Everything from child care to school to food to medical. Anything that was needed, if you were part of a close-knit pack that abided by the “old ways” like Damian’s did, it was tradition for the she-wolf’s family to give a gift to help with the cost of anything needed for her or future pups.
Was the money actually needed? Nah. It was more a gesture of goodwill between the packs.
Over the years, I’d divided my salary into several parts-one for Griffon, one for Harper, and the other for living expenses.
I wasn’t a lot, but if something didn’t go smoothly for Harper fter marriage, having some extra money on hand could give her peace of mind. Because if Damian and Harper split up, the pack would return the dowry to Harper, per pack law.
Harper was more than a little shocked when Taya handed her a debit card.
She didn’t think there was anything left after Taya paid Griffon back.
He ll, she’d thought about how she could help Taya out with expenses…not the other way around. So this? This was surprising to say the least.
No wonder Taya was so thin. She’d been scrimping and saving to not only pay Griffon back, but to do this.
Harper touched Taya’s cheek and shook her head. “Taya… You didn’t have to do this for me.”
Taya smiled gently and said, “I wanted to.”
Harper shook her head again and pressed the debit card back into Taya’s hand. “I can’t take this. I’m older than you; I’m basically your older sister. Only older sisters prepare dowry for younger sisters if their parents aren’t around. Besides, since you aren’t a shifter, it’s not your responsibility.”
“Harper-”
‘Uh-uh. You need to keep this for yourself. Without a pack to rely on, I worry about you.”
Seeing that Taya was upset, Harper hurried forward to stop her from leaving the room, but Taya pushed her away.
Harper sighed helplessly. “Why are you so dam n stubborn?”
“You’ve cared for me since I was young, since I didn’t have a wolf to rely on. I’ve never been able to do anything for you. I’ve always been the poor little human who couldn’t fend for little herself.” Taya paused. “Just think of it as a gift from your sister. A thank-you for everything you’ve done for me.”
Harper still didn’t agree. Taya’s life was already difficult enough, and she wasn’t sure how things would go now that she didn’t have Griffon taking care of her and now that Harper was moving. How could she ever accept Taya’s money when she didn’t know what was going to happen to her?
But…what she could do right now was just take the card, don’t spend anything, and give it back to her later. Maybe when Taya got married. Taya would be happy, and they wouldn’t fight. Plus, one good dowry deserved another, right? Or something like that.
After packing some more of Harper’s belongings, they lay in Harper’s room on the bed.
Just like when they were younger, applying face masks and hout the future.
Harper talked to Taya about getting mated, told her that breaking up with Griffon was good for her because a man of his status would never marry someone without a wolf. An Alpha like him needed a Luna, and unfortunately, no matter how much Taya wished for it, she couldn’t be that for him.
“There are some humans around here, you know. Or at least men without wolves who were born into shifter families. You should find a nice guy at some of the human bars. It’ll be too hard for you to mate a shifter. There are too many expectations regarding mating and pups.”
She also mentioned that no matter what happened to either of them, they would always have this house to come back to. Harper didn’t plan on selling it. The orphan in her would never NOT let her have a backup in case things went wrong.
With this house, they would always have security.
I sat in bed, agreeing with everything Harper said. I didn’t dare let her notice anything unusual.
I simply hugged her, feeling at peace and enjoying this moment with her.
Life might not have always given me the best, but it gave me Harper, my chosen sister. I could di e knowing at least I’d had this.
I slept peacefully with Harper in my arms, just like when we were children.
This was the most calmly I had slept in the past few days. The time pa*sed too quickly. In the blink of an eye, it was the day of Harper’s mating ceremony.
I was a little reluctant to let Harper go, but I had to. Damian was Harper’s future. Damian’s pack and the family they would create together. Oh, how I wished I could be part of it, to see their pups, to be their auntie and play with them.
But that wasn’t in the cards for me. I had no room being selfish about Harper when I wasn’t even going to be here.
So I plastered on a smile and was as happy as I could be getting ready for the ceremony.
After the makeup artist finished doing our makeup, a photographer came to the house, took a ton of photos, and recorded a video of Damian coming to pick up Harper.
After barging into the room with the wolves who were going to stand beside him at the mating ceremony, Damian excitedly carried Harper outside.
I followed behind with a smile, holding Harper’s dress as best I could so it wouldn’t trail on the ground behind them.
The mating ceremony was at the hotel first, to be followed by a huge banquet.
One of the things I loved seeing was how clearly Damian placed great importance on Harper. It was evident by the glow on his face, the way he looked at her, the way he held her arm and wrapped his hand around her waist.
Part of me was jealous she had someone like him, but the bigger part of me was so happy he loved her so much, so relieved that she would have him to take care of her and help her through losing me.
Harper had no relatives; there was only me. And here at the ceremony, the only other person here as Harper’s “family” was the orphanage’s director.
Yet the hotel was full of guests, all of whom were relatives of Damian.
The main theme of the ceremony was romance under the starry sky. Twinkle lights were strung over the ceiling, creating a tapestry of stars above everyone.
It couldn’t h ave been more perfect for a pair of wolf shifters.
Harper’s whi te ceremony gown almost glittered under the faux night sky. She looked absolutely radiant from head to toe standing at one end of the stage. The starlights shone on her from a distance as if she were bright and dazzling in the Milky
Way.
When she crossed the stage and placed her hand in Damian’s, tears filled my eyes.
From this moment on, Harper would start a new life, and I would no longer have any regrets about leaving her behind.
Just as Damian was about to put the diamond ring on Harper’s finger, a voice interrupted them.
“Why didn’t you invite me to such a grand wedding?”
New Book: Veiled Desires of the Alpha King Novel
Dayson was the alpha of the largest pack in North America. Powerful figures from other packs sought to offer gorgeous girls as potential mates for Dayson. He steadfastly rejected these advances, he was not a pawn to be manipulated. But eventually there came a mysterious girl he could hardly say No. Who was she?