Her grin widened.
"That"s funny," her gaze left her brother and locked with Jensen"s, "because this is exactly how I imagined it."
When they reached the altar, Rhys hugged her tight and then handed her over to Jensen. The two men shook hands, and Elizabeth"s eyes welled at the sight.
The rest of the wedding was a blur for her. She was too caught up in the perfection of the moment, of having her family there to see this wonderful event. And she was especially lost in Jensen. The man of her dreams. Her werewolf mate.
When the ceremony was done, they mingled with their guests. A buffet was set up along the bar and Jed served drinks.
Jensen talked easily with her brothers. Friends chatted and ate and drank. And again, Elizabeth feared she might cry.
Jensen glanced at her from across the room, obviously sensing her emotions. He excused himself to join her.
"Are you okay?" he asked.
She nodded, smiling through her tears. "Just being a ridiculously happy and hormonal, pregnant bride."
He chuckled and looped an arm around her to pull her close.
"You go right ahead," he told her, kissing her gently.
Just as their kiss would have deepened, someone cleared his throat as a cue.
They turned to see Brian standing there, smiling. Jill stood at his side, looking embarra.s.sed, and Elizabeth knew it hadn"t been her idea to speak to them at that very moment.
"Sorry to interrupt," Brian said, looking anything but sorry, and Elizabeth was quickly learning that Jensen"s best friend was a big tease. "We just wanted to congratulate you both. We are so happy for you."
Jensen released her to hug his old friends.
Then Brian hugged Elizabeth. Jill followed.
"You are just what Jensen needed," Jill said as she squeezed her, and again, tears filled Elizabeth"s eyes.
Jill"s words meant so much. Jensen"s friends had accepted her.
When they parted, Jensen tugged her back against his side, his large body feeling so right against hers.
Music began to play, and Brian asked Jill to dance. They excused themselves to head to the dance floor that Christian had set up near the altar.
Jensen used the moment alone to steal another kiss.
"Excuse me, kids."
Elizabeth blinked away from Jensen, slightly dazed by the kiss. Then she realized who stood in front of her.
"Dr. Fowler!"
The older man, in his usual tweed suit, nodded to her. "Congratulations, Elizabeth."
She stepped forward and hugged Dr. Fowler, pleased to see him. Then she introduced Jensen to her mentor.
"I"m sorry I haven"t been in touch," Dr. Fowler said. "I was in Europe for several weeks, working with a group of," he dropped his voice slightly, "weresheep."
Jensen made a noise, and Elizabeth knew he was trying to contain a chuckle. The variety of were-creatures still surprised and amused him.
"But I did get the chance to study your serum." The older man gave them a distinctly disappointed look. "And I hate to tell you this, Elizabeth. But as far as I could see, the only cell transformation I saw would only manage to change your pheromones so that you are no longer threatening to other animals."
Elizabeth stared at him for a moment. "You mean, I"ve just managed to get other animals to like me?"
Dr. Fowler nodded.
Both Jensen and Elizabeth were silent for a moment. Then Jensen started laughing.
Dr. Fowler looked confused.
"That"s actually a good thing," Jensen explained. "Because I"m a veterinarian and I happen to want to keep on being one."
Dr. Fowler still looked confused, but nodded. "Well-good, then."
But Elizabeth couldn"t share Jensen"s happiness quite yet. "Did the changes in pheromones also allow Jensen and me to mate?"
She hated that that might be the case. It somehow made her feel like their love had been manufactured.
Dr. Fowler shook his head. "No. Jensen is your true mate, that"s very clear. It"s rare, but there are reported cases of humans and werewolves being natural mates. That is the case here."
Elizabeth smiled, feeling even luckier for finding this wonderful man. She kissed Jensen on the cheek.
The doctor talked for a while longer, then the older man left to speak with Elizabeth"s brothers.
When Elizabeth looked at Jensen, he was grinning.
"What?" she asked, smiling back.
"This is a great day. I have the love of my life, my soul mate, a baby on the way, and I"m going to be the best d.a.m.ned vet in the county. Once you give me some of your serum."
Her smile slipped slightly. "And you are a wolf."
He considered that for a moment, then shrugged. "I can definitely think of worse things. And by being a wolf, I have you. For a long, long time."
"Forever," she vowed. They kissed.
"I love you," he said against her lips, and she was enveloped in his pa.s.sion.
For the first time, Elizabeth was glad she was a werewolf. Nothing beat an alpha male as a mate.
Copyright 2007 by Kathy Love.
end.