Ivan's Queen
Chapter 17 - A Royal Affair

Wednesday 16th October.

I smile softly as my mom fixes my veil to make sure it’s perfect. When she’s satisfied, she meets my eyes before pulling me in for a tight hug. I relax in her comforting embrace and start to feel very emotional…again.

“You look beautiful, honey.” She whispers as she presses a firm kiss to my forehead.

“Thanks, mom.” I smile and squeeze her hand.

Nova steps inside the room with my bouquet of flowers that Ivan had chosen. It’s autumn themed like our wedding and I love it. He had picked peach and lemon colored roses with dahlias, orchids, berries and autumnal leaves. There’s also another rose which is a dark, reddish brown. All in all, it looks perfect!

Dad walks in right after but halts at the sight of me. His eyes widen before they soften with emotion and his Adam’s apple bobs as he blinks away his tears. Taking my hands, he exhales shakily as his eyes roam over my dress. A handsome smile lights up his features as he grins before stepping closer to kiss my cheek.

“You look beautiful, princess.” He compliments hoarsely as a tear escapes the corner of his eye which mom wipes away with a laugh.

I hug him tightly and whisper my thanks. Tissues are handed out as we all wipe away our tears and struggle to compose ourselves. I’m a mess of emotions. I feel incredibly happy that I’m going to be marrying Ivan today but I’m also sad. I know that I can visit my family whenever I want but it won’t be the same as my duty is to the Lycan Kingdom now. This is where I belong but it feels like I’ve grown up entirely too fast. Just a few months ago I was back home enjoying my summer without a care in the world and now I’m going to be crowned Queen. People will depend on me and I cannot let them down.

“Amelia, it’s time.” Hendrix calls as he peeks in, catching everyone’s attention.

I nod and tell him that I’ll be right out. Exhaling deeply, I stand and let my mom and Nova fix my dress one last time. They hug me tightly and wish me luck before exiting which leaves just my dad and I in the room. He smiles softly as he gazes at me with a reminiscent look in his eyes. Taking my hands, he steps up to me and kisses my forehead.

“I underestimated how hard it was going to be to let you go.” He admits and his voice is hoarse from emotion. “My little girl’s all grown up.”

“You’re going to make me cry again, dad.” I sniffle as tears brim my eyes. “Besides, I’m only one realm away.”

“You promise not to forget about your old man?” He chuckles before wiping away his tears.

“Never.” I half laugh, half sob as I embrace him tightly.

We stand there in silence and have a tender moment. Eventually, he pulls away and fishes something out of his coat pocket. More tears fall as I realize it’s a heart-shaped charm for my bracelet. He smiles down at me as I take it and close my eyes to see all the memories he has of me – from when I was a new-born to now.

“I thought these were too expensive?” I tease as I open my eyes.

His laugh echoes in the room as he takes me into his arms while helping me to attach the charm onto my bracelet. “I had to sell my soul just to get you this, don’t mock me child!”

Rolling my eyes playfully, I thank him with a kiss to his cheek. He grins down at me before taking my hand and guiding me out of the room. We make our way through the hallways and outside the castle until we finally arrive at the entrance of the grand hall. I had chosen this venue and I never knew it existed on the castle grounds until a few days ago. It’s tucked away in the trees, forgotten almost. But as soon as I had stepped inside and saw the large archways, stained glass and paintings, I knew this was where I wanted Ivan and I to become husband and wife.

Two guards nod at us as we stand before the double doors, their hands poised over the door knobs as they wait for our signal to open them. My younger siblings, Evie and Isaac, smile up at me with flower baskets in their hands. I loop my arm through my dad’s before letting out a nervous breath. He pats my hand and presses a kiss to my veil covered hair that Nova had just pulled over.

“Don’t let me fall, dad.” I whisper as I smile up at him shakily.

“Never.” He promises before blinking away his tears.

The doors open and my siblings start walking in as they throw out rose petals for me to walk on. I follow with one hand gripping my dad’s arm tightly and the other around my bouquet of flowers as I focus on not tripping. Nova holds the train of my wedding dress as I walk inside. I hear gasps and whispers as I make my way down the aisle which prompts me to look up. Everyone I know is here along with guests of the Romanov and Reid families. Ayla and Asher smile at me from the front while Misha and Mikhail sit with Lucien and Leila Antonov as they wave their hands in the air. Valentina, aunt Aurora and uncle Vulcan all smile widely at me as I make my way down the aisle. The Ferndales are also here and I grin at uncle Indigo and aunt Vanessa when I catch their eye.

But everything quickly fades away as my eyes land on Ivan. My breath hitches as I take him in. He looks so handsome in his black suit. His emerald eyes meet mine and a sweet smile lifts his lips. I feel him pour all his love for me into our bond and the intensity of it makes me want to cry all over again. Returning the gesture, I watch his eyes sparkle with emotion and the smile on his lips becomes wider.

Reaching the end of the aisle, he steps down as I turn to my dad. Taking my hand, dad places mine in Ivan’s with a soft “take care of her.” I reign in my emotions as I smile up at Ivan when he makes a promise to my father. Kissing my cheek, I watch as dad takes his seat beside mom who’s not even bothering to hide her tears. I laugh and blow her a kiss which makes her smile through her quiet sobs. Nathan snickers under his breath and she smacks his head with a glare. Dad only rolls his eyes at their behavior and pulls her closer before taking out his handkerchief and dabbing at her tear-stained cheeks.

“You look breath-taking.” Ivan whispers which captures my attention. “I’m so lucky.”

“Thank you.” I blush as I let him guide me up to where Benno waits to officiate our marriage. “You look quite handsome yourself.”

He grins boyishly as he traces my knuckles with his thumb. Both of us turn to Benno and chuckle as he teases us under his breath. Realizing that the warrior can officiate weddings as well was quite hilarious but Ivan and I agreed that it would be more special to have him instead of a stranger. The ceremony starts and we exchange our vows, saying “I do,” and sealing our promises with a kiss. The grand hall immediately erupts into loud cheers and clapping while everything is quickly prepared for me to pledge my loyalty to the kingdom as their Queen. The elders and members of The Council enter and oversee my coronation, satisfied when everything runs smoothly.

Finally, Ivan and I face our guests with a smile as they stand. Everyone claps and cheers once more as we start making our way down the aisle with rose petals being thrown over our heads as we walk past. Squeezing Ivan’s hand tightly, I laugh as he leans over to kiss my cheek. We walk back into the castle and up the stairs to where the main balcony is. We step outside and my eyes widen for a moment when I take in the crowds of people surrounding the castle. It looks like everyone from the kingdom traveled from afar to join us today. The crowd erupts into cheers at the sight of us and the sheer volume makes me laugh breathlessly as I wave.

All too soon everyone starts chanting for us to kiss. Ivan and I look at each other and prolong the moment before leaning forward. Our lips meet in the softest and sweetest of kisses and the taste of him drowns out all the noise. Chuckling, he pulls away and with one last wave we leave the balcony.

The evening continues with Ivan and I joining our guests in the ballroom by the gardens for our reception. Although sometime in the early hours of the morning, Ivan pulls me away and back to our bedroom. I frown in confusion when I see the packed luggage bags on the floor before turning to him.

“What’s going on?”

“We’re going on our honeymoon.” He smiles as he takes me into his arms and begins to unzip my wedding dress.

“Really?!” I gasp in excitement. Because the royal tour had been set to commence right after the wedding I didn’t think we’d have time for a honeymoon trip so this is totally unexpected.

“Yes,” He chuckles huskily before his eyes darken in heady lust once they land on my lingerie. “You better get dressed before we miss our plane.”

I blush brightly at the intensity of his gaze before turning to walk into our wardrobe. But he stops me by catching my hand. I turn to him expectantly but gulp when all I see are his obsidian eyes swirling with bright red as they roam over my figure. His eyes meet mine while his thumb caresses my knuckles and causes butterflies to flutter crazily inside my tummy.

“Don’t take that off.” He nods at my lingerie set which makes me blush even more.

I nod before he lets me rush into the walk-in wardrobe and change into a much more casual outfit. Quickly throwing on a sweatshirt with sweatpants and shoes, I then pack my bag full of my essentials before telling him that I’m ready to go. We leave the castle and are transported by car to a portal which lands us in New York city.

We take a private jet from there and land in Maui, Hawaii the next night. As we travel in a car to our destination I replace out that Ivan has booked a private vacation house with the beach just a few steps away. He helps me out of the car and I fail to notice his amused expression when I stare up at the house in awe.

Thanking the driver, we head inside and I replace myself drawn to the back garden. There are other houses like ours at a far distance on each side and the ocean stretches out for miles ahead. The golden sand is untouched and the palm trees sway gently in the wind. It’s absolute heaven!

“Do you like it?” Ivan startles me as he wraps his arms around my waist from behind.

“I love it!” I breathe in amazement while watching the moon and stars shine brightly in the midnight sky.

“I’m glad.” He murmurs huskily as he tugs on my neckline and begins peppering kisses to my mark.

“Ivan…” I groan as my body immediately starts to tremble with lust.

I squeal in surprise when he bends down to pick me up. Laughing at his boyish grin, I let him carry me inside but feel my heart race when he walks straight into our bedroom. There’s rose petals scattered across the blanket with candles lit around the room. It gives everything a very romantic feel.

He places me on the bed and begins to peel off my clothing, especially enjoying the lingerie set. He takes the time to press feather-light kisses to every inch of skin that’s revealed. I lose myself in the feel of his touch as he makes love to me throughout the night. We reach the peak of bliss several times as our sounds of pleasure echo in the otherwise quiet room.

And when the afternoon sun shines high in the sky the next day, we finally head out to enjoy what Hawaii has to offer. Our week long trip is spent visiting the islands while enjoying the soft golden sand and clear blue water. During the day we’d spend our time enjoying activities such as a helicopter ride over the islands, trekking 3,000 feet up the Stairway to Heaven, walking around various towns, snorkeling with the dolphins, surfing and sailing. And during the night we’d have dinner with the setting sun as our company before falling asleep under the twinkling stars. It was truly an unforgettable trip and I’m glad Ivan and I had the chance to get away and relax before the royal tour started.