Well, for the most part.
Sure, there were enemies still out there, and no doubt the day would come when Duncan Parrish and the League would most likely target her and cause even more trouble. But for the here and now, things were perfect. And Ashley was determined to enjoy the present while she could.
A knock on the door garnered her attention, and she said, "Come in."
Cynthia entered and walked over to her with a smile on her face. "I have a feeling my son is going to do a lot of growling tonight. Lots of males are going to notice you."
A clan leader's mating ceremony was a little more involved, Ashley had learned. They'd have to stick around for a few hours to celebrate with the clan, unlike most mated pairs who could sneak off and start their honeymoons straight after the ceremony.
Ashley shrugged. "It's not like I haven't heard him growl a million times before. Although he'd better be prepared for me to do the same, if any other woman tries to flirt with him tonight."
The dragonwoman snorted. "I still think you were a dragon-shifter in another life."
As they smiled at one another, a sense of peace came over Ashley. Cynthia had been nothing but supportive but also respected boundaries. No mother-in-law from hell for Ashley. "We'll never know. Although my children will be half dragon-shifter, which means a lot of cramming before any of them arrive."
ADDA books didn't exactly cover the child-rearing practices of dragon-shifters.
Cynthia laughed. "Don't worry, the entire clan will want to help." She lowered her voice. "But my advice is to set boundaries early, or you'll have twenty people all trying to raise the little one with different rules."
Before she could reply, there was another knock followed by Cris entering the room. Ashley blinked. She'd never seen the head Protector wear a dress before.
Cris rolled her eyes. "I can be tough and still be feminine on occasion."
"Of course," she murmured. "You look nice."
Cris glanced down at her bright green dress. "I figure the super bright color will make me visible, and people will know I'm watching them."
"And there's the head of security part of you coming out," Ashley pointed out.
Cris shrugged. "It's who I am. And even when I try to turn off for a while, it just doesn't work."
Ashley wished she was a little closer to the head Protector. Someday she wanted to talk with the dragonwoman about taking some time for herself. Between what she'd seen and what Wes had mentioned, Cris worked harder than anyone else on PineRock, even Wes.
But as music drifted in from the large room down the hall, Ashley added it to her ever-growing list of shit to do. Yes, she'd help Cris, just not today. Until Ashley was officially mated to Wes, her future wasn't entirely secure.
This day, and the ensuing frenzy, were for her. After that, she'd start crafting plans for her new home.
One of the Protectors appeared in the doorway to collect Ashley. She murmured her goodbyes and tried her best to ignore her pounding heart. Not out of fear or nervousness, but excitement. The future she'd only ever dreamed about was coming true in a matter of minutes.
Wes stood at one side of the raised platform and tried to distract himself by watching the clan gathered below.
It'd been a while since they'd had any sort of big celebration. Not because the clan didn't like such events, but he'd been too busy rooting out and transferring the clan members who had tried to hurt the two humans, Tori and Ryan.
And not for the first time, Wes felt a little guilty at his neglect of the clan as a whole.
His dragon spoke up. It was better to make the clan a safe space again. Now we can have those kinds of parties and not worry about someone targeting the humans.
Wes noticed Gaby trying her best to dance with her human male, but failing badly at it. He smiled and replied, I know. But it's hard not to compare myself to former leaders and how they ran things.
We're different for many reasons. It's been decades since a PineRock leader has mated a human.
It was true. And to be honest, Wes had thought it impossible.
Then he spotted Ashley at the other side of the stage, and his mind promptly forgot about everything but his beautiful human.
Her blue dress made her eyes and skin glow. And the soft waves of her normally straight hair made her appear more innocent. Then he met her gaze, saw the humor dancing there, and knew that even if she changed appearances for a special event, it was still the female he loved inside.
Hell, she could wear a trash bag and he'd still think her fucking beautiful.