Wild Forest Pack
Chapter 19, Christmas Eve

Lucy

It was finally Christmas Eve and the wedding rehearsal. Lucy was running around making sure everything was perfect.

“Do we have wedding bouquets chilling in the fridge so they don’t wilt? Dresses laid out, out of the garment bags in the ladies’ dressing room? The ceremony space cleaned off the extra snow?! Are your Christmas presents to each other under the tree?! Maybe this is why I just stick to dresses and not wedding planning…” I was panicking… my first major client in a while and I wanted to make it beautiful for them. Course they were the only client that ever invited me to the wedding… or made me their planner.

“Lucy everything you have asked for is all set. Boutineers and bouquets are all set and where they should be, dresses and tuxes are out of the garment bags, steamed and hung up so they’re not wrinkled, the extra snow has been dusted off, and yes our presents to each other are under the reception tree.” Lyall had been my assistant the whole time. I don’t know why but I felt calmer and safer around him

“What about Christmas Eve dinner!? How in the world can I forget that!?” I had almost forgotten the second biggest dinner in their lives ugh I feel so embarrassed!

“Lucy, look at me! Christmas Eve dinner will start being made in the afternoon so it’s not overcooked. Now, how about you take a break for a little while and let me help you relax.” That sounded amazing right now…but there were still a million things that had to be done before tomorrow.

“I should check on Lyna to see if she has her rehearsal dress and shawl are ready.”

“Lyna can take care of herself, and if she needs help there are other ladies to help.” I can tell that something was up with this unusual family. They didn’t feel like other families I’ve helped with before. It felt like he was hiding something from me, but I didn’t press him about it.

“Yeah, you’re probably right…maybe some of that delicious hot chocolate will help clear my mind for a while.” We walked over to the kitchen to see if there was some made in the community center, but no such luck. So we decided to walk over to Lyall’s house to relax for a while. We get inside, take off our cold stuff, get a couple of mugs ready to make some hot chocolate and I plop down on his couch.

“Why do I have a feeling that you’re not telling me something?”

“What makes you say that?” He looks at me with a panicked look on his face.

“There’s just something different about ya than the usual customers that I see in my shop and as soon as I met you in my shop it was like…I’m not sure like I somehow knew you.” I probably sound like a crazy person to him! I really like him, but I don’t want to scare him off.

“Just a guy who likes you…a lot…I know it’s probably annoying that I spend so much time with Lyna but she’s in charge around here. I can’t ignore her. I’ve practically seen her grow up in front of my eyes…I was there when she found her parents dead…I was there to help her put her life back together…but I’m happy for her and Conall. She and I are just good friends.” Well, that put me at ease, not exactly what I meant but that was another question I wanted to ask. “I’ll go start making that hot chocolate…we can fully go into this conversation after the wedding when you’re not stressed.” I wanted to do it now, but he’s right I’m too stressed out to really have a deep conversation…

“Thanks for making it!” I hollered from the couch and I grabbed what looked like the fluffiest and the softest blanket I had ever seen and snuggled up to it…I must’ve dozed off since it was late afternoon when I woke up.

“Ah! I gotta get things ready for tonight’s rehearsal!” I threw off the blanket and went to Lyna’s house to help her get ready.

“Lucy! Good to see you! You look rested, glad you got a nap.” Lyna seemed to be in a happy mood, but who wouldn’t be the night before her wedding!

“Yeah, I did…guess I needed it. Enough about me let’s get you ready for this rehearsal.” I get her rehearsal dinner dress all smoothed out and got my camera so I could take some pictures.

Lyna

By late afternoon my fellow she-wolves and Lucy slowly started to trickle into the house to help start getting ready. I had briefly checked on Christmas Eve dinner and it smelled delicious. Lucy had looked like she had just woken up from a nap when she came over, but she worked so hard on this wedding that she deserved a break. I hear her go get my dress ready and snap pictures of it while I let Reika do my hair and makeup.

“So, you excited for tonight?? Other than it being Christmas Eve. Are you and Conall doing presents to each other tonight or tomorrow during the reception?” Once Lucy was fully awake again she was a spitball of energy. I have no idea how she pulled off a beautiful wedding like this in just a matter of weeks.

“I’m so excited, and I think it might be more special if we do it tonight. So could you take these two notes to the guys? One for Conall and one for Lyall.”

“Uh, yeah sure…I can do that.” She looks at me curiously and walks away to do the errand I asked. I change into my rehearsal dinner dress and just stare at myself for a moment. My tea-length white, long-sleeve lacy dress. The bodice is lacy along with the long-sleeves, and the skirt is tulle and flowy, and since it’s snowy and cold out to extra bundle up and be a little festive I was given a burgundy red shawl that covers me to my waist. Reika did my makeup so festive like with a neutral liquid foundation and moisturizer, shimmery silver with a hint of forest green eyeshadows, a subtle silver eyeliner, water-resistant brown mascara, a light pink blush, and a dark cherry red lip stain. My hair in loose curls, half up in a bun with a braid around it, half down to show off the curls,

“Well, how do I look ladies?” I look bashfully at my bridesmaids hoping it would be good things.

“Lyna! You look beautiful! If this is the look for tomorrow then it’s perfect!” Lucy came back just in time to see the grand reveal, and the rest of the ladies said the same. The rest of them were wearing their festive reds and greens dresses and a similar shawl to mine.

“Before we go to the rehearsal, as a surprise to our hardworking wedding planner, Lucy. We wanted to give you your Christmas present now.” I step aside to reveal an extra bridesmaid dress. “It’d be an honor to have you up with the rest of the ladies tomorrow. I would’ve asked you sooner, but with the chaos of planning and…other events that have happened…I didn’t think it was the right time to ask. So please, would you join us, Lucy?” A velvet, dark Emerald green, long-sleeved, V-neck floor-length dress was draped over the couch along with a matching silvery velvet floor-length cloak with white fluffy trim and a hand muff.

“Oh Lyna…thank you very much for your kindness…yes, I’ll be happy to join you. Let me hang this up with the rest of the dresses.” She blushes at the gift and goes off to put it away. Clearly not expecting that kind of a present. I could hear the Christmas music playing as the guys were waiting for us. All the guys in their nice special occasion suit with a red or green tie.

The food that was cooking smelled delicious! I’ll have to thank Lucy again for organizing all of this in a short amount of time at the dinner. I wanted to go down in something classic so I picked a Christmas version of Canon in D by Trans-Siberian Orchestra and to come up the aisle I picked another TSO song called First Snow. Almost went with the rock version to make it a little bit non-traditional, but Conall also wanted a little bit of traditional so ok I let him have that one.

As the ladies walked down in their beautiful dresses, shawls, and hand muffs. Lyall nudges me getting my attention as my music cue is about to come up.

“Hey, you ok? You should be happy!”

“Yeah, I am happy just wish my parents were here for this, that’s all.”

“I know Lyna, I wish they were here too.” He holds his arm out for me to grab and loop my arm around his. As the song plays I can see Conall smile as we walk down. Even just practice I was getting teary-eyed. He looked so handsome in his suit and his hints of the festive season. His forest green shirt and shiny candy cane red tie. As the rehearsal goes smoothly and we know what to do for tomorrow, and everybody goes inside the community center to have our Christmas Eve dinner.

As everybody from our pack and Crescent Pack enjoy the delicious food of ham, turkey, roasted vegetables, and mashed potatoes; Conall and I stand up to make a toast.

“Friends, family, we celebrate this festive season with even happier news of our wedding. We thank you for braving the weather and cold to join us for this special occasion. Now enjoy the food and hot chocolate! Have a good time tonight before the good chaos tomorrow. Merry Christmas!” The clanking of glasses and mugs fill the room while we go to the Christmas tree to exchange gifts with each other.

“Merry Christmas Lyna…I hope you like it.” Conall hands me a box beautifully wrapped in silver wrapping paper with a red bow.

“I wonder what it could be…” as I unwrap this mysterious gift I get excited about it.

“Tala brought this with her when she arrived…according to her, it used to belong to my mother…Tala grabbed whatever she could from our old house before we were attacked and even gave me an early present of somethings from my father…” In the box was a silver bracelet that had two stones on it. One an amethyst and one an emerald. Along with an emerald necklace.

“My mother wore this bracelet and necklace almost all the time the stones represent us. I’m the emerald and Tala is the amethyst. I’d like to think my mom would like you to have it.”

“This should be Tala’s…this seems so valuable.”

“I already did discuss it with her and she agrees with me for you to have it.” He smiles a warm smile at me and I proudly wear the necklace and bracelet for the rest of the night.

“Now for your present! Go ahead and open it!” I’m so giddy with excitement as he unwraps the small box with green wrapping and a red bow.

“My father wasn’t really big with special occasions but when he did get spiffy…he would wear this nice watch. My guess is he wore it for their wedding. I’d like to think my dad would’ve given it to you…from one alpha to another…” It was a steel with a blue face Vincero watch.

“Lyna…thank you…I know how special something like this is to you…” He gave me a warm hug. As we finish our gift-giving we go back to our head table and grab some more food. Everyone having a good time with food, dessert, and good company. We head back to our homes to get a goodnight’s sleep for the big day tomorrow.