Some might say pulling off an entire wedding in two weeks was impossible, but not for the combined forces of the New York Lycan clan and their allies. In that short time, they had a judge, caterers, flowers, a cake, a custom-made wedding dress, and all the trimmings of a grand affair all ready.

The bride and groom weren’t fussy about the details, as long it ended with them married by the end of the day. However, there was one thing the bride wouldn’t budge on: the venue. Their parents wanted the entire wedding to take place in The Enclave for safety reasons. But Astrid refused because she knew that she wouldn’t be able to invite any non-Lycans or non-members of the clan to the wedding.

After much fighting, they relented, and with several protection spells cast by the groom’s great-aunt and a solid security plan, they were able to have the wedding at a beautiful glass-covered rooftop garden in Brooklyn. While Deedee served as maid of honor, the three bridesmaids consisted of Astrid’s closest friends from The Vixen Den. Petal, Fantasy, and Coco looked stunning in their custom-made bridesmaid dresses as they walked down the aisle. Mr. G, on the other hand, sat on the bride’s side, looking thoroughly pleased with himself, perhaps satisfied with the thought that those two crazy kids wouldn’t have gotten here without him.

The rest of the guests consisted of family, including all of the bride and groom’s siblings, plus those they considered family, even if not by blood.

The ceremony wasn’t too long, no need for pomp and fuss; after all, they knew that they were mates and that was all they needed. Plus, after the stress of the wedding, Astrid said she needed as much party time as possible, even if she couldn’t have any alcohol.

The snow fell outside, but it was toasty warm inside the glass conservatory. Zac knew that the snow would always remind him of Astrid, of her wearing that ridiculous robe when they saw each other that night at The Vixen and the first time they made love in that cabin. It seemed fitting that they would be married under the snow, too.

He surveyed the space, impressed at how quickly it had been transformed from the ceremony to reception area. Round tables with stunning floral and crystal centerpieces replaced the rows of chairs and the aisle. Fairy lights twinkled overhead. A quartet played in the corner. Elegantly-dressed waiters made sure the champagne was overflowing.

“You did a great job, Mom,” he said as he approached Cady. He leaned down and kissed her on the cheek. “Not that I ever doubted you.” Only the great Cady Vrost could pull off such a feat.

“It was a team effort,” she assured her son.

“And you did a great job keeping the peace between the bride and the mother of the bride, too.”

Cady chuckled. “Now that, I’d like to take credit for.”

“Or an award.” He shook his head. “Those two. They’re so alike they can’t even see it.”

Astrid and Meredith had clashed over just about every detail of the wedding, and of course, he had to hear his fiancée complain nearly every day. He wondered if Daric had the patient of a saint or if he somehow had a secret magic spell that helped him cope with the two women in his life.

“Where is your bride, by the way?” Cady asked. “Oh, there she is.”

Zac looked around. Astrid was in the middle of the dance floor, waltzing with her new father-in-law. She looked absolutely radiant as Nick spun her around, giggling as he twirled her a few more times than necessary.

“I think I’ll go dance with my wife,” he said. The word made a warm feeling buzz through him. Wife. Astrid was his wife.

“Yes, please,” Cady said. “And make sure you send your father my way. He still owes me a dance.”

He made his way through the crowd, gently nudging people aside as he was in a hurry to get to Astrid. “Excuse me.” One particular gentleman didn’t seem to want to budge from his spot. “Excuse me,” he repeated.

The hulk of a man in his way turned around. Zac’s wolf raised its hackles, sensing the other man’s agitation. Or rather, his wolf’s agitation. It felt like a tightly reined beast, wanting to get out. He also seemed familiar, but he was sure he would have remembered him if they had met before. For one thing, this man was built like a Mac truck, but also, his hair was pure silver, but his face was youthful; looked like he was only in his mid-thirties at the most. “Do I know you?”

Cobalt blue eyes stared back at him with a fiery glare. “No, you don’t,” he said before turning around and walking away.

Zac would have called one of the members of the security team, but the man headed straight for the stairwell exit. Strange. Maybe he was from Astrid’s side, one of her Lycan cousins from West Virginia perhaps. Shaking the thoughts out of his head, he strode to his wife. He tapped his father on the shoulder.

“May I cut in?”

Nick’s face broke into a smile. “Of course.” He gave his son a clap on the arm. “I’ll go look for your mother. She’s probably annoyed that I haven’t danced with her yet.” He gave Astrid a kiss on the cheek before walking away.

Astrid’s mouth curled into a sly smile. “Now I know where you get your dance moves from.”

He took her hand, then placed his other palm on her waist. “I’ll have you know, Garret said I was a much better dancing partner than my dad.”

“Garret said—you’re joking right?”

“Joking? My great-grandfather was serious about dancing. And Garret was a great practice partner,” he said.

“Better than me?” she asked.

“Well, he was very graceful and—Ow!” That earned him a playful slap on the shoulder. “Well, I can tell you one thing. You look much better in that dress.”

She smirked. “Flattery will get you everywhere, Mr. Vrost.”

“I hope it does, Mrs. Vrost.” He pulled her close and leaned down close to her ear. “I have to say though, this is my third favorite outfit you’ve ever worn.”

“Third?” she asked. “This is a Hannah Taylor Muccino Bridal original. Hannah herself worked day and night to get it ready and it’s not even your second favorite?”

“Well, my second favorite outfit is that robe you were wearing that night at The Vixen Den.”

“That one?” She laughed. “Even my mother said I looked like a stripper. What’s the first favorite outfit?”

“That dress you wore at the ball.” He brushed his mouth lightly against the shell of her ear, which made her shiver. “That was the dress you wore to Hannah’s wedding, right? If I had seen you then, I wouldn’t have said no if you asked me to dance.”

“You wouldn’t have?”

“No. And I probably would have asked you to dance first. Then taken you home and had my way with you.”

She gasped when his licked at the spot behind her ear. “Would it be bad if we had a quickie in the bathroom?”

“Definitely,” he replied, giving her a wicked smile. “And probably frowned upon. And we can’t leave until the guests have had their fun.”

Her lips curled down into a pout. “Fine.”

He gave her a quick kiss on the lips, twirled her, then pulled her back to his chest. “I love you, Astrid,” he said in the slightest whisper.

She pulled back from him and blinked, then looked around them.

“What is it?”

“I don’t know …” A furrow appeared between her brows. “I just thought someone was watching…” She shook her head. “Nothing. Nothing at all.” Sliding her hands upward, she cradled his face in her soft palms. “I love you, too.”

There would be challenges ahead, not just for them, but for all of their loved ones. He knew he would fight hard and do his damnedest to make sure they would prevail over their enemies and protect Astrid, their pup, and the entire clan.

But for now, as they danced under the fairy lights and snow continued to whirl outside, he focused on his wife, holding her close and enjoying this moment.