Animalistic (Tiger in Her Bed)

Arielle had to hand it to Savannah for picking up such a lovely spot to host a grand wedding. The event was held on the Alexander family estate in Aspen, Colorado with an extensive guest list of extended family from both sides, friends and acquaintances – more than nine hundred people were invited to the ceremony. Arielle suspected that half of them weren’t even human. They were so good at blending in, she couldn’t tell who was shifter and who was human.

After she was enlightened about the existence of others, she devoted her time to assimilating and studying shifters. She learned that some people could change into species other than tigers, like wolves, lions, ravens, and even bears. Trent and his family introduced her to the underground world of shape shifters living among humans in New York. They were not much different than normal humans. They faced the same problems, normal people did and Arielle found that very fascinating.

About two weeks ago, Arielle quit her job at the firm to work pro bono with a local legal defense office that specialized in helping shifters with legal problems. Trent supported her decision and was proud of her, while she was happy she was able to practice law once again. If she liked how things turned out, she wanted to start her own firm specializing in helping supernatural clients.

Trent touched her shoulder. “We’re ready to start.”

Arielle smiled. “I’ll tell them.” She hurried to the ma

in house where the bride and the rest of the wedding party anxiously waited for the ceremony. Vanessa looked so gorgeous in her wedding dress, a beautiful Vera Wang bespoke gown, and Savannah had also flown in a makeup artist and hair stylist from LA. When they finished their magic, Vanessa was transformed into a perfect magazine bride.

The doting mothers went first to take their place in the pew. Then the bridesmaids lined up behind the bride. Two adorable flower girls walked down the aisle before Vanessa.

A live string quartet played “Here Comes the Bride,” as Vanessa’s dad took her hand and walked into the garden, where the groom awaited. As if the weather had conspired with the wedding planners, the moment Vanessa’s dad handed his daughter to a beaming Quinn, a soft breeze swept past them, swirling golden leaves into the air, making the atmosphere most enchanting. Arielle felt like she was witnessing a fairytale wedding.

It was magical.

The bride and groom exchanged vows. Trent was the best man, and he handed them the rings. Then the priest declared Quinn and Vanessa to be husband and wife. When Quinn lifted his wife’s veil to kiss her, elation filled his handsome face. Their kiss beat any Hollywood movie’s romantic kiss.

Arielle didn’t realize she was crying until Trent handed her some tissues. It was a beautiful ceremony and she was happy for Quinn and Vanessa. They were a beautiful couple and very much in love with each other.

As the photographer snapped pictures of the bride and groom with the bridesmaids and family, the guests were escorted to the banquet tables. When the photo session was finished, Vanessa pulled Arielle aside and gave her a kiss on the cheek.

“Thank you so much for helping me plan this wedding and for keeping my mother and sisters out of my hair,” she said as she pulled at the bodice of her dress. “I hate wearing dresses, but hey, at least I look awesome, right?”

“What you talking about? You looked absolutely breathtaking,” said Arielle. “Didn’t you see Quinn’s face earlier? He could eat you up in one bite.”

“Ah, I know that look very well. That means I won’t be getting much sleep tonight.”

The two laughed together. During the past three months, she and Vanessa had become close friends. As humans in a shifter family, they stuck together. And it turned out that they had a lot in common since Vanessa wasn’t getting along that well with her own sisters. I love them, Vanessa had once said, but I don’t like them. If we were running away from a horde of zombies, I’d have no qualms about tripping them.

“You’re terrible,” said Arielle, still chuckling.

“I know, right? I can’t wait to help you plan your wedding. It’s next spring, right?”

Arielle smiled. She unconsciously rubbed the engagement ring that Trent had given her last weekend. He had asked her to marry him and she had said yes. The ring was an Alexander family heirloom and had once belonged to Trent’s grandmother. It was a three carat blue diamond with a ruby set on either side. She didn’t want to think about how much it was actually worth. The rock was insured by Lloyds of London for a pretty penny. Because of that, she only wore it to formal functions. She wished that her mom could see it. Her parents would adore Trent. “We haven’t set the date yet, but we want a small, intimate ceremony. We even think about Vegas sometimes.”

Vanessa widened her eyes. “Don’t you dare go elope to Vegas. If I had to suffer through this, then you should too, as a fellow daughter-in-law in the Alexander house.”

“You call this wedding torture?”

Vanessa managed to look sheepish. “If it were up to me, I would get married in jeans and eat pizza and beer afterward. But I think my mom and Savannah had a great time, don’t you? This party is more for them than it is for me.”

Arielle nodded in agreement. “The things we do for love.”

It was time for the bride to toss her bouquet. Stacy, Vanessa’s middle sister, was a bit wild to get the bouquet. She lurched toward it like a quarterback bulldozing his opponents for a glorious touchdown. Actually, it was kind of embarrassing to witness. Stacy caught the bouquet and danced like a maniac before she finally sobered. Arielle guessed that Stacy really wanted to get hitched soon.

At the banquet, Trent gave a speech and roasted Quinn in the toast. Then there was the feast, the cutting of the cake, and the bride and groom’s first dance. There was no DJ playing obnoxiously loud music. A string quartet played dozens of songs throughout the evening. Savannah wanted to keep it classy and it worked. The wedding of Quinn and Vanessa was one of the most memorable events in Arielle’s life.

Once the party was over and the guests had left, they retired to the house, and Vanessa’s family drove back to their hotel. Quinn and Vanessa would leave tomorrow morning for Paris; they were going to go for a two week honeymoon across Europe.

The Alexander men lounged in front of the fireplace where Uncle Victor, Savannah’s older brother, opened a very expensive bottle of cognac. Savannah joined them for the conversation. It was rare for them to have all the family together because of their busy schedules. Even then, Arielle could tell that they were a close-knit bunch. She was fortunate to have them as her new family.

She knew in her heart that she would never be lonely again.

She was on the second floor helping Vanessa undress when Trent called to them to come down. Apparently, Trent had an announcement to make.

“We were going to tell you guys after Quinn and Vanessa got back from their honeymoon. But what the hell, I’ll just do it now.” Trent pulled Arielle to his side, beaming like an overexcited kid. “We’re pregnant.”