CHAPTER 47: 47. FLOWER THROW AND A SURPRISE ANNOUNCMENT

AT THE SAME TIME

MICHAEL

The temple doors burst open as soon as the final bell rang, and suddenly the solemn divine silence shattered into pure noise, laughter, chatter, the rustle of silk and the clink of goblets. Someone, probably Charlie, yelled.

"MAKE WAY FOR THE NEWLYWEDS!" He yelled as though we were storming a battlefield.

Zavier groaned softly.

"He’s already drunk, isn’t he?"Zavier said."I never thought I see saint omega drink."

"It’s been ten minutes." I said, deadpan. "That’s a new record."

Lady Aeryn only laughed as she slipped her arm through her husband’s.

"Let him enjoy himself. It’s not every day he gets to survive one of your court ceremonies without fainting."She said.

Kael nodded solemnly.

"I still can’t believe the Goddess let him speak during the vows."He said.

"She didn’t." Rose muttered, walking by with a tray of wine. "He just did."

Charlie turned from across the courtyard, already holding two flutes of champagne.

"You’re welcome for the entertainment, by the way!"He said.

I caught one of the flower petals that had drifted loose from the garlands, pale moonlilies, glowing faintly and, without thinking, flicked it toward him. It hit him square in the forehead. Charlie froze mid sentence, blinking as it slid down his nose. Then his cheeks turned crimson.

"Did you just, did you throw a flower at me?"He asked.

Zavier’s mouth twitched.

"He did."He said.

"Oh, it’s on, Luna boy!" Charlie snatched a whole handful of petals from a passing tray and flung them back.

Half of them missed me completely and landed in Zavier’s hair. Zavier didn’t move. He just gave me a look that look that meant, you started this, fix it. I tried not to laugh and failed miserably.

"You look lovely, Your Grace." I said, brushing petals off his shoulder. "Very festive."

He arched an eyebrow.

"Festive?"He asked.

"Positively radiant." Lady Aeryn added with a smirk.

Kael grunted.

"My son, the flower crown."Kael said.

That sent everyone into laughter. Even Zavier broke, shaking his head, lips curving despite his best effort to appear dignified. Charlie preened, smug.

"There! That’s what you get for pelting me during sacred vows."Charlie said.

I crossed my arms.

"You heckled during sacred vows."I asked.

"Tomato, tomahto." He said.

Rose passed by again, muttering under her breath.

"It’s like herding toddlers with magic licenses."She said.

Zavier finally leaned in, voice low against my ear.

"You realize you just declared a flower war at our own wedding?"Zavoer asked.

"Maybe." I said innocently.

He hummed, eyes glinting.

"Then I suppose we’ll need to settle this... privately."He said.

Charlie, unfortunately, heard that.

"Oh, ew! Save the flirting for after dessert!"Charlie groaned.

"Jealous?" I called, grinning.

He spluttered.

"Of you two? Please. I’m too gorgeous for emotional commitment."He said.

"Sure." Rose said dryly. "Tell that to the beta from the southern court who’s been staring at you since the ceremony started."

Charlie froze again, color blooming across his face like wildfire.

"He what no he’s not-"Charlie begun arguing.

"Oh, he is." I said, grinning wider, catching another petal and tossing it at him like punctuation. "Right between the eyes again."

Zavier chuckled under his breath.

"Cruel, love."Zavier grinned.

"Justice." I said, pretending to adjust my new ring.

The courtyard erupted into another round of laughter and cheers as the musicians began to play, a low, rhythmic melody that promised the feast and dancing were just beginning. Zavier turned toward me fully, his hand slipping to the small of my back.

"Come on, Luna. Before Charlie starts a duel with his admirer."Zavier said.

"Wouldn’t miss that for the world." I said, and let him lead me toward the grand hall glowing with candlelight and celebration.

The music shifted again, soft strings, something elegant enough to make even the drunkest noble pause and sigh. I still had petals tangled in my hair when Rose handed me the bouquet I’d carried down the aisle.

"Tradition." She said, grinning like a fox. "You’re supposed to toss it."

"Oh, right." I said, turning toward the crowd gathering near the fountain.

A dozen nobles omegas and betas bothwere already elbowing each other for position, eyes glittering with ambition. Zavier leaned close, voice low.

"Careful, love. You might start a diplomatic incident."Zavier smirked.

"That’s the plan." I murmured, and raised the bouquet.

Everyone tensed. The music swelled. And then, instead of tossing it backward, I pivoted sharply and hurled it straight at Charlie. It hit him square in the chest. For one heartbeat, the courtyard went completely silent. Charlie blinked down at the flowers, stunned.

"Wait wait why me?!"Charlie screamed.

I grinned wickedly.

"Because you’re next, obviously."I said.

The entire courtyard exploded in laughter and applause.

"He caught it! The Goddess has chosen!"Someone shouted.

Charlie turned crimson from ear to ear.

"I I didn’t catch it, he attacked me with it!"Charlie argued.

"Same thing." Rose said cheerfully. "That’s divine will, darling."

But the laughter faded slightly when everyone noticed three pairs of eyes focused on Charlie three tall, distinctly Alpha figures from different royal houses. Each looked like they’d just realized something monumental. One of them, a dark haired Alpha from the Southern Dominion, murmured.

"Seems the Goddess approves."He said.

Another, from the Western Keep, smirked.

"He does have good aim."Another added.

And the third, Zavier’s cousin, apparently just crossed his arms.

"I was going to wait until the solstice."He said.

Charlie looked between them, completely frozen.

"Wait. Hold on. No one move. Are you all are you plotting something?!"Charlie asked.

Kael chuckled from beside his wife.

"Looks like our friend just started a bidding war."Kael said.

Lady Aeryn hid her smile behind her hand.

"At least it will keep the courts busy for a seasn."She said.

Rose laughed so hard she nearly dropped her tray.

"Oh, Charlie, you’re doomed."She added/

Charlie threw the bouquet back at me missed by a mile.

"I hate all of you!"He screamed.

I dodged easily, laughing so hard my stomach hurt.

"You look adorable when you’re flustered!"I said.

Zavier’s arm slid around my waist, his voice a quiet purr against my ear.

"You realize you just sparked three royal proposals and a possible alliance treaty?"He asked.

I tilted my head back to look at him, smiling.

"Multitasking."I said.

He kissed the corner of my mouth.

"Remind me never to underestimate you again."Zavier said.

Behind us, Charlie was still arguing with the three Alphas, red faced and cornered near the fountain while nobles whispered gleefully.

"I AM NOT MARRYING ANY OF YOU!" He yelled, voice cracking.

"Not yet." One of them said smoothly.

The courtyard howled with laughter. I leaned against Zavier, tears in my eyes from laughing too hard.

"This is officially the best wedding ever."I said.

He smiled, eyes soft as he pressed a kiss to my temple.

"Agreed."He said.

Charlie was turning ten shades of mortified near the fountain, swatting at would-be suitors while three very deliberate alphas Terrence, Xavier, and Zavier closed ranks like a living wall. I blinked. The air changed, you can feel it when an alpha decides to make a scene. The chatter dipped a degree, then went absolute hush as Terrence stepped forward first, storm gray eyes glinting.

"Alright." He rumbled, voice like a warning drum. "This ends now."

The three nobles near Charlie flinched as if someone had thrown ice at them. One, the dark-haired Southern alpha, put on a smile that didn’t reach his eyes.

"Excuse me?" He said, smooth as oil. "We only meant to-"

Terrence’s grin was all teeth.

"You meant to put our friend on a leash and parade him in three different courts." He said.

"Wrong move."

Xavier moved next, the tension in him all coiled precision. He slipped easily into the space beside Terrence, hand resting on the pommel of his ceremonial blade more as punctuation than threat.

"Observe protocol." He said coldly, eyes sweeping over the would-be suitors. "Attend the formal introductions, or be escorted politely off the grounds."

One of the suitors opened his mouth, probably to conjure some noble insult and closed it when Xavier’s gaze sliced through him. The man looked suddenly very small, like a puppet whose strings had been snapped. Zavier, always the slow burn, reached out and curled his fingers possessively into my waist, as if ownership could be a weatherproof jacket. He didn’t need to shout. His voice when it arrived was low, measured, and entirely capable of making people reconsider their life choices.

"Gentlemen." Zavier said. "Charlie is not prize livestock. If you want courtship, you do it with honor. If you want to grope at a wedding this is not the place for your theatrics. Leave. Now."

A ripple of whispers moved through the crowd like wind through silk. The three foreign suitors exchanged glances, suddenly very aware of the whole courtyard watching them Lady Aeryn with one eyebrow arched, Kael watching like a judge, Rose delighted and loudly nosing into plotlines, and Selene doing that thin lipped thing she does when she’s cataloguing people for future use. The Southern alpha swallowed.

"Very well,." He said stiffly, but before he could back away, one of the other nobles dizzied by the idea of losing face tried a last ditch charm.

"You’re-" He started, and then Terrence stepped forward two strides and put a hand flat on his chest. It wasn’t rough, it was an unambiguous hold.

"You’re close enough to smell what he had for breakfast. Go away."He said.

Laughter exploded this time half relief, half delighted at the bluntness. The would be suitors beat a dignified retreat, tails between metaphorical legs. The crowd relaxed like a held breath finally released. Charlie sagged in the middle of the fountain, dramatically clutching a napkin to his chest as if his heart had become an actual drum.

"I am not being auctioned off, okay?!"Charlie said.

"Of course not." Xavier said. "We merely wished to remind those present that good manners are a prerequisite for royal favors."

Charlie glared at us like we’d arranged the whole thing for sport and maybe we had. That drew laughter, except for Zavier’s parents, who were watching with opaque interest, and the Moon Goddess, who was leaning on her elbow on the balcony above and literally chuckling at the spectacle. It was fun and I was kind off glad to see them caring about Charlie, but little did I knew things soon were going to change for worse.