CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

Things were moving fast, but Cassandra reminded herself that they had to. They didn't know when the eternal night would end, and they needed the full moon for the ritual.

She was uncharacteristically nervous as she looked at those who'd gathered for the ceremony. It was supposed to only be the wereleopards, but she didn't feel right getting married without Josh and her mother, who had missed every other major event in her life. Upon realizing that she actually wanted her family there, she knew that she had to invite the entire Silver Society, even the ones without fur. If anyone counted as her family, it was them, even if she'd never admit it.

With the treaty between the lycanthrope groups, it had seemed only right to also invite the leaders from the other groups. Trent, Nick, Eddie, Lexie, Ava, Belinda, Thea, Timmy, and Logan had happily agreed to join the festivities that night. Although Logan was still upset about Emma's death, he'd put his feelings aside and come as Dylan's date for the night, which seemed to be keeping him in slightly better spirits. Cassandra had allowed Tommi to attend as Jesse's date because she was basically part of the family, too.

As Cassandra stood beside Kurt, he held her hand. Feeling him there gave her the strength to face what they were about to do. He smiled at her so excitedly she couldn't help but smile back. He looked incredibly handsome in his black tuxedo.

Who knew a skater kid could clean up so well? She thought with a laugh.

Cassandra hadn't known what to wear, especially because she generally hated wearing dresses, but Himari had helped her pick out a simple long white dress that she didn't mind so much. It was loose and easy to move in, which was good, especially since she was now visibly pregnant. Kurt had insisted she wear her open leather jacket over the dress. That helped her feel much more comfortable and less exposed, and it only made her love him more because it showed how well he knew her.

"Family... Friends... Tonight, beneath the full moon, we bless this union between this leopard king and his mate, a queen in her own right," Evan began. He'd gotten ordained just so he could legally preside over the ceremony. As the other leopard king, it seemed only appropriate that he lead the ritual, but Cassandra had been mildly surprised when he agreed to it. "The couple has requested we keep this traditional, so will the pard please step forward?"

The wereleopards came closer, surrounding Kurt and Cassandra. Evan began the ritual that would officially make Kurt and Cassandra mates in the eyes of the lycanthrope community. The details were ancient and sacred, so the spell was cast in silence as only the wereleopards were able to see what happened.

Cassandra felt the moon surrounding them. Her leopard responded, becoming stronger. She felt herself shifting in sync with Kurt. The rest of the leopards, including Evan, shifted around them. The power of the entire pard standing together in their leopard forms was incredible. Cassandra could feel Bastet herself blessing their union. It was comforting to know that Kurt's soul's mother approved of their relationship.

The leopards rubbed against Cassandra and Kurt, each giving them their blessing in their own way. Once every single leopard had made contact with them, Kurt and Cassandra let out simultaneous roars, signaling the end of the traditional part of the ritual.

Once the ritual was over, Evan shifted back, signaling for the other leopards to do the same. They stood in their human forms for a moment as they waited for Kurt and Cassandra to shift back. Once they did, the others returned to their seats.

"It is my honor to begin the public part of the ceremony," Evan said. "The couple may now say a few words of their own."

Kurt smiled at Cassandra. "Ladies first," he said.

"I hate that I love you," Cassandra began, causing a few people to laugh. "Love isn't supposed to be in my programming, but from the moment we met, you were the one person I couldn't push away. I never expected to fall for someone, let alone a crazy punk kid from Connecticut, but you bulldozed my walls and broke through every barrier I tried to build. I never expected to get married, or to have a kid, or to do anything except be the best slayer I could be at the expense of having a life of my own, but here we are, married in the eyes of the pard and about to be married in the eyes of the law. I don't know how you did it, Kurt, but you did... And I'm grateful."

"Cassandra Jones, you are one hard woman to love," Kurt replied, "but for me, it's always been easy. There's no one I'd rather spend my life with, Cassie, and I've known that from the first time I dragged you on a rollercoaster. I'm the luckiest guy on the planet because you love me, for some unknown reason. Everything we've been through has led us to this moment, and we're just getting started." He turned toward Evan. "If you don't stop me, I'll ramble for hours about how incredible this woman is, so you might want to get to the next part."

"You just want an excuse to kiss me," Cassandra teased him.

"Do I need one?" Kurt asked.

"Alright, alright," Evan said with a slight laugh. "Kurtis Flint and Cassandra Jones, by the power of Bastet and the authority of the State of Massachusetts, I now pronounce you mates, lovers, and husband and wife. You may now kiss!"

Kurt dipped Cassandra backward dramatically and kissed her deeply. She kissed him back, savoring the moment as her leopard's energy seemed to jump out of her body and into the sky to dance with his. She barely noticed everyone clapping until they finally stopped kissing.

Cassandra looked at Arnie, who was a weepy mess as he clung to both Melissa and Aideen. "Are you doing okay over there, Arnie?" She asked him with a laugh.

"It's just so beautiful!" Arnie replied, still sobbing.

Cassandra noticed Alex wiping away a subtle tear of his own before he walked over to them. "Congratulations, Cassandra," he said. "I'm so happy for the two of you." He turned to Kurt. "Treat her right or she'll kill you while I happily figure out how to dispose of your body and give her an alibi."

Kurt smirked and replied, "I know the woman I married. Believe me, I'm not planning on messing this up."

Josh hugged Cassandra tightly. "I'm proud of you, Sis. And you look gorgeous," he told her.

"You clean up pretty nice yourself," she replied, looking at the tuxedo he wore.

"If ever there was a reason to wear a tux, it's my baby sister's wedding. Enjoy this, because you'll never see it again!"

Himari came closer. She gave Cassandra a very big hug before bringing Kurt into it. "I am so grateful that I was able to be here to witness this moment," she said. "My Kai-chan, thank you for including me." She bowed to Cassandra before bowing to Kurt. "Welcome to the family, my giri no musuko."

"Son-in-law," Josh translated softly for Cassandra.

"Arigato, Okasan," Kurt replied, pronouncing the words perfectly and stunning Cassandra as he bowed to Himari in return.

"You speak Japanese?" Cassandra asked.

"I figured I should start learning it," he replied with a smile. "It's only right. Josh and Okasan are from Japan, and they're my family now, too."

She stared at him in wonder. "It's so easy for you to call her Okasan... I'm still stuck at Himari."

"I've always wanted a mom who wasn't evil," Kurt replied with a shrug. "You're not ready for that yet."

Himari smiled at him and said, "Yes, Kurt-kun... You are my musuko... My son." She hugged him tightly.

Arnie started crying even harder. Melissa giggled and handed him more tissues as Aideen rolled her eyes at him. "So Cass," Aideen said, "when does the party start?"

"Did someone say party?" Josh asked, not missing a beat. "Let's get some music up in here!"

"You've got it!" Dylan said. He headed toward the front of the clearing they'd chosen for the wedding. Cassandra realized that he'd hidden instruments behind a glamour. As they appeared, Melissa, Jade, Aideen, and Cierra followed him to the impromptu stage.

"You guys planned a set list for my wedding?" Cassandra asked in surprise.

"You know we take any excuse to perform," Dylan replied with a grin.

Aideen clapped her drumsticks together as she shouted, "One, two, three, four!"

As the group ridiculously named Four Chicks and a Dylan began to play, Cassandra allowed Kurt to start dancing with her. The other lycanthropes eagerly began to dance. Tommi dragged Jesse into the middle of the newly designated dance floor, and soon, he relaxed and started enjoying himself. Alex smiled at Cierra while she played the keyboard, his expression saying that there was nothing else he'd rather do than watch her perform. Beth and Randy shyly began dancing with each other. Even Cassandra had to admit that the two of them looked like they belonged together. With Melissa busy playing the bass, Arnie started dancing with one of the younger leopards in attendance, an eleven-year-old who lit up in excitement as Arnie led her onto the dance floor. Evan refrained from dancing, preferring to shift back into his usual role as a protector who kept unwanted visitors away along with his and Kurt's top leopard, Cedar LaRue, and the other enforcers.

As everyone danced and celebrated their marriage, Cassandra couldn't help but feel like everything was surreal. For what was possibly the first time in her life, Cassandra let her guard down completely and stopped worrying about impending doom. Knowing she had the best enforcers in the pard protecting everyone else, Cassandra decided that, just this once, it was acceptable to indulge herself in a normal, happy rite of passage and simply enjoy the moment.