Broken Mate, Fixed By Fate

04 ~ Fairy tale dress and a broken vow

He sits on the edge of the bed and rubs his face with his palms. “Sorry, Maeve…I got carried away for a second there, but…it’s not the right time yet. I need to be sure I can really provide for you… for us… before we do this.”

“Oh…” the heat of the moment is quickly passing and I grab the blanket to wrap it around myself, my cheeks burning with embarrassment.

“Maeve, please understand…I really want you… tonight is proof of that—I almost lost control! But we’re so close to the finish line now to be throwing away all our plans just like that. We’re not quite there yet but we’re close enough to make our dreams real. We just have to wait a few more months and I’ll be a warrior by then. I’ll make sure to pass the tests with flying colors so I will get a high rank and we won’t have to worry about money ever again!” He kisses me gently and looks me in the eye, until I smile shyly back at him. “And then it will be your turn to make your dreams come true.”

Beautiful words, wonderful promises…

And of course I believed him. The Moon Goddess herself blessed this union with her approval, right?

Which is why the news of him coming home after just four months, two months earlier than expected, brought me such happiness…until I was told that he came back with a chosen mate, marked and pregnant with his pup.

What happened prior…

Thanks to Luna Marie's recommendations during the event at Michigan, our dress shop suddenly became very busy as new clients started pouring in.

After a little bit, my sister had to hire several more seamstresses to assist me because it had become impossible to accept more and deliver in time with limited hands.

With Jack having a part time job, it was no longer necessary for me to send him a monthly allowance, so I was finally able to put some money in my savings account.

But the best thing was, because of all the new rich clients, there were all sorts of lovely deadstock fabric that remained from the rich clients’ dresses so I carefully selected those I really liked and I started to sew my very own wedding gown!

Nobody said it has to be the traditional kind.

I keep the dress in my room, under lock and key so no one would see it…well, until it is ready, of course.

It is my most ambitious project yet. A pure white gown that under the right light, would shimmer and change hues, fairy tale like in its iridescence!

I can’t wait to see Jack’s face when he finally sees it! Which reminds me, I need to make sure to finish it in time before he returns from the training camp. Which meant…

I sigh. No rest for the wicked.

I will just have to finish my work at the dress shop during the day and focus on my wedding gown at night.

Oh, but I have been so busy at work and in sewing my gown that I barely have time to call Jack lately. I guess with the camp training and his part-time job, he was just as exhausted as I am at night so our calls became less and less frequent but it doesn’t bother me because I trust him. And I believe the mate bond holds true.

It’s one of the downsides of having a thriving career, I guess…

Oh, but soon, it will be over! All these sacrifices will bear fruit and I will finally be able to pursue my dreams of producing my own line of clothing, and building a family with my mate! A couple of hours of power nap should be enough for me. Mothers with newborn babies thrive on less than that for years. It’s just a few more months—I can do this!

Halfway through the gown and I am seriously having doubts about my resilience. I must have caught some sort of stomach bug or I need to get checked for an ulcer or something because I have been feeling horrible, sometimes to the point of throwing up from the pain. They pass after a few minutes but the horrid feeling remains long enough to bother me.

My sister tells me it’s probably because I haven’t been eating or sleeping well. She starts to watch me like a hawk to make sure I eat my food on time and that I eat enough. She also lightens up my workload and forbids me from taking on extra work. Of course, she doesn’t know about the wedding gown I have been secretly sewing by hand in my room. It takes me longer without the machine but every stitch is made stronger by my hopes and the intricate designs woven prettier by my daydreams.

I wonder how many pups we will have? I’d like one of both, a mini me and a Jack Jr.. That would be so cute! But of course, in the end, it doesn’t matter. We will love our pups equally and unconditionally.

The pains finally stopped one day, after a particularly nasty one that kept me in bed the whole day, during which I had to take painkillers, which didn’t really work. But then the pain disappeared the next day and never came back so I thought the good food and extra hours of sleep finally did their job.

Luckily, I am able to continue sewing my gown in peace and before long, it is done!

I have finished my wedding dress!

And just in time because my sister is planning on changing the mannequin’s dress on the shop’s window soon. So even though I’m dead tired from staying up all night just to finish it, I rush to the shop before everyone else so I can personally put it on display for everyone to see as soon as they come in.

As fortune would have it, it is a beautiful morning, with clear blue skies and soon, the sun will be just at the right angle to make the dress shine and shimmer like a fairy queen’s gown.

I am just finishing the floral arrangements that I imagine goes well with the gown when my sister comes into the shop, gaping in wonder at my masterpiece.

“Oh, my word!”

“Do you like it?” I ask excitedly, even though I am almost swaying from lack of sleep. From the reflection of the glass window, even I can tell I look like hell, with my pale skin and dark bags under my eyes, which are sort of bloodshot at the moment as I try to stay awake.

“When did you—How did you even..?”

“Do you like it?” I ask again.

“Oh, Maeve, you have outdone yourself!” Lila gasps. “It’s the most beautiful gown I’ve ever seen in my entire life!”

“It better be!” I tell her proudly. “It’s going to be my wedding dress, you know.”

She turns to me, stunned. “Your wedding dress? When—?”

I shrug, still smiling as I put the bouquet of red tulips on the mannequin’s hands. “Oh, we have no date yet, but Jack will be returning home in a couple of months and then we will decide… so I figured, it’s better to have the gown ready, just in case. One less thing to worry about.”

“My goodness… What a lucky man Jack Marsh is. I hope he realizes what a rare treasure he has in you, dearest.” My sister is staring at the dress but she seems more resigned than sincere when she says this.

It makes me sad that she doesn’t like my mate but I’m too happy today to let anything dampen my mood so I just ignore it. Action speaks louder than words, anyway. She’ll come around when Jack and I finally make things happen.

The other seamstresses finally arrive at the shop and everyone gushes over how beautiful the gown is, especially now that the light is hitting it right.

The praises and compliments alone, from my co-workers and clients alike, are enough to hit me like dopamine and keep me standing with a beatific smile on my face, even though I’m half-asleep on my feet. My beautiful wedding dress is now the talk of our small town.

I am very proud of myself. It’s all worth it!

Finally, I was just about to finally go to my room and rest for a couple of hours, but then Jack’s brother Jayden comes rushing into the shop and goes straight to Lila, his expression somber.

My sister gasps in horror before stepping away from Jayden as if burned so I walk back into the shop, my bliss quickly being replaced by worry.

Is Jack all right? Has he been hurt during training? Oh, heavens…he can’t be dead! But why did Lila react like that?

I hurry back down the stairs. “Jayden? What is it? What’s going on?”