Outcast (Supernaturals Book 2) (6 page)

Chapter 8 ~ Say Cheese

~~~~Ryan~~~~

The joyous thunder of clapping coming from the congregation jolted me back to the present and reminded me of where I stood. Dave and Danielle were having their first kiss as a married couple, and the room was ecstatic. I looked to Leigh with longing in my heart and saw her watching the two embrace with an expression in her eyes that said she desperately wanted a love like theirs.

“She deserves to be loved that way,” a voice in the back of my head said, “and if she will have you, you could give it to her.” I balked at the voice. I wanted her, yes, but I didn’t love her. At least, I didn’t think I did. I didn’t know her enough to love her.

Reluctantly the couple separated, and the officiator announced the two as Mr. and Mrs. Dave Carmichael. Danielle snarled her nose playfully at Dave, pretending to be annoyed that the man had introduced them that way. She had argued to have that part and the word “obey” taken out of their vows or at least have them reworded, and she had won, but to annoy her, Dave had requested they put that last bit back in without her knowing it.

I laughed slightly, and she glared at me. I threw my hands up in defense. Before she could say or do anything more, it was time for them to leave the chapel. Dave led her away, whispering something in her ear that made her giggle as he did so.

Once they were gone, the officiator stepped forward and announced, “At this time the bride and groom ask that their immediate family and wedding party stay in the chapel, as they will return shortly for photographs. All other guests, they ask that you make your way to the gardens. They will be there shortly to meet and greet all of you. The photographer will follow to take further photos.”

I stepped off the stage the moment the guests started to leave out with the intent of catching Leigh before she could leave. To my surprise, she didn’t immediately flee the room. She had remained seated with her eyes downcast to allow everyone else to file past her out the door. Her cowering demeanor told me that she was trying desperately to hide from the other guests.

I reached her as the last few people on her side of the chapel left and she stood. She didn’t see me and was shocked when I blocked her path. She nearly ran into me, then almost fell over a pew when she backed up too far to avoid me.

“I’m so sorry,” I said, grabbing her arm to steady her and ignoring the energy passing between us where our bodies touched.

“No, I’m sorry. I didn’t see you,” she said, righting herself without touching me. When she looked up to truly see me, she sucked in a breath. I had to stop startling her.

We stared at each other for a long moment before she asked, “Did you need something?”

“I was coming to escort you to the stage for pictures.”

“Oh…I… I’m not… They don’t…” Her stammering for words was both heartbreaking and adorable.

“You’re Danielle’s sister, are you not?” Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Danielle and Dave entering the silent room and looking around for the source of everyone’s discomfort. The second Danielle saw me with her sister a light filled her eyes. She gripped Dave’s hand tightly and pulled him toward us. They only made it a few steps before her father cleared his throat. Danielle glared at him and continued walking.

Not noticing or pretending not to notice any of this, Leigh nodded her head slightly, and said, “But I’m not part of the wedding party, and I don’t think I’m wanted.”

“I wa…” I started to say, but Danielle interrupted me.

“I want you,” she said. “I did ask for all immediate family, and you’re my sister.” She said the last bit loud enough that it reverberated in the small room. “Ryan, please bring my sister with you. I’m getting hungry and would like to get these pictures out of the way.”

Mr. Alexander along with Mr. Carmichael, Martin, and a few others walked toward Dave and Danielle. Dave wrapped his arms around his wife in protection, but the stance she took said that she didn’t need it.

“I should leave,” Leigh said to me in a low voice, watching the coming confrontation.

“No,” I said and wrapped my arm around her just as Dave had done Danielle and started toward the stage. Subconsciously, she leaned into me, and I could feel her heart beating too fast. She was seconds away from a panic attack. “I’ve got you,” I said into her ear. The wolf inside me demanded I kiss behind that ear, to nibble the bare neck below it, to swoop her up and carry her away from the people who had the potential to harm her.

“Mrs. Carmichael…” Martin started to say, though his eyes followed Leigh and me.

“My name is Danielle, and before you say a word, Martin, I have a question for you.”

“And that is?” He bristled at her informal use of his name.

“Are you immediate family?”

“No. I…”

“Are you part of the wedding party?”

“No. I…”

“Then I will have to ask you to leave. I will see you and the rest of our guests in a few minutes out in the gardens.”

When he didn’t make a move to leave, she leaned close to him and said so low that I know Leigh couldn’t hear, “I’ve given into all of your demands, but I’m getting sick of you. If you would like for my husband and I to stay with the pack, you had better back off. Everyone else here can deny her all they want. I will not. She’s my sister, and she’ll be in my wedding photos. She has told me that after this weekend, she is done with our family for good, so you will let me have this or we will find another pack.”

Martin jerked as if she had smacked him, but he nodded. I could tell the news about Leigh not returning pleased him.

Leigh’s parents tried to look stoic at Danielle’s revelation about Leigh’s decision, but I could feel the sorrow and regret rolling off them. Leigh continued to look at her hands, at the stage, and not at the drama playing out behind us. I could feel the fear and defeat emanating from her. I couldn’t comfort her the way she needed, the way I yearned to do. My touching her the way I was had garnered some curious and unhappy stares from the rest of the pack still in the room who weren’t watching Danielle and Martin. I didn’t care what they thought, but I needed to make a better effort of controlling my emotions until I was away from the pack. They needed to think I was simply trying to be a good friend to Danielle and Dave. My attraction to Leigh, desire for her, could put her in danger.

“Fine, Mrs. Carmichael, but this ends after this weekend, do you understand?”

“Perfectly.” She spat the words at him.

“I think you need to watch your tone from now on, Martin. Danielle is my wife, and I will ask that you be respectful,” Dave said.

Martin didn’t visibly cower, but I could smell the power coming off Dave, just as all of the other shifters in the room could. If we had alphas in our pack, Dave would definitely be one of them. Danielle as well. Neither took orders easily and both commanded respect and obedience in everything they said and did. Both of their families had always had one in each generation, though oddly enough, neither had a member on the Council.

Both were strong fighters in any form. Martin knew this and understood that if he pushed things, one or the other would challenge him, and he would lose.

“We will discuss this later,” he said. “And you, Mr. Hart, we will also be speaking with you early next week about…things.” He eyed Leigh’s back with so much anger that my instincts made me pull her closer to me. She seemed to sense his glare because her back straightened, and I felt her body tense as if she were about to turn toward the man. A defiant look passed across her face. She was seconds away from opening her mouth, to say what, I didn’t know, but a part of me hoped it was something in my defense.

“Don’t say a word,” I whispered in her ear.

“But you’re in trouble because of me, and that isn’t right.”

“He isn’t going to do a thing to me.” I said that last line while looking directly at Martin to ensure he heard me. “He has no power over me.”

Martin’s eyes blazed, but he said nothing as he stomped from the room, the other Council members following on his heels. When they were gone, Dave’s mother stepped forward to say something, but Danielle stopped her.

“Say one word and you’ll never see your grandchildren,” Danielle told the woman.

The older woman’s mouth snapped shut, and she glared at Danielle for a moment before looking at her son. Not seeing what she wanted there, she approached the stage and said, “Let’s get this over with then.”

“I should go,” Leigh said, turning in my arms to walk away.

“Please don’t,” I said softly, pulling her back to me.

“I…” she started, but when our gazes locked, her words froze in her throat. I begged, pleaded with my eyes for her to stay.

I wanted her to stay for me, but what I said was, “For your sister.” I cocked my head and motioned in the direction of the younger woman who was making her way with her husband toward us.

Leigh nodded, straightened her posture, and turned to her sister. Her eyes lit at the sight of Danielle’s glowing face. I couldn’t help but pull her closer to me. To my surprise, she didn’t pull away.

Dave’s eyebrow shot up at the slight movement, but I didn’t answer his unasked question. His continued expression told me that he would require an explanation very soon. I shook my head “no” once to tell him that that wouldn’t be happening.

Before any further silent communication could pass between us, they had reached us, and Danielle said, “You’ll stay, won’t you?”

“After yours and Ryan’s insistence and the way you both spoke up for me, it would be disrespectful not to, but Danielle, this is your day, and I don’t want to be the cause of any strife no matter how vile and repulsive I find most of the people here.” She eyed the shifters gathering on the stage with hatred, and I think I fell a little in love with her when she refused to back down from Tiffany’s glare when she caught the bridesmaid staring at her. Tiffany was the one to finally look away only to turn her eyes toward me. In a gesture I’m not even sure she realized she made, Leigh stepped further into me. Her back lay firmly against my front, allowing me to move my arm around her, drawing her tighter still.

Leigh smirked at the girl before turning her attention back to her sister. I could have taken her right there if we hadn’t had an audience.

Danielle watched our movements with a stunned bewildered look on her face, an expression that suddenly changed to glee. Dave’s mother barked a command at the same second Danielle opened her mouth to say something. Reluctantly, we all made our way to the stage to suffer through the next half hour or so of flashing cameras.

Through the first dozen or so photos, Danielle, Dave, and I kept a watchful eye on Leigh, but as the large group photos turned to small group photos, she slipped from the chapel. No matter how much she wanted to be there for her sister, there were only so many backhanded compliments she could take. No matter how testy Danielle got with people or how many people I snarled at, they found a way to insult Leigh.

The instant Danielle realized her sister was gone, she left the stage with her husband and me in tow.

“Where are you going?” Danielle’s mother asked.

“To my reception,” Danielle replied without looking back at her family.

“But we aren’t done here,” the woman said. The sadness, resignation, and bit of anger—at whom, I was not sure—was evident in her voice.

“I’m done. You assholes can continue if you so choose.”

“Danielle, how dare you speak to your mother that way,” Mr. Alexander said, leaping off the stage.

“I’ll speak to her any way I like,” Danielle said, spinning around and glaring at her father. “If you all think it’s perfectly all right to treat a person the way you’ve been treating Leigh for all of these months, these years, then it is perfectly acceptable for me to treat you the same way. If you all are going to act like assholes, I’m going to call you assholes. After today, I’m done with every one of you. You make me sick just looking at you. You should be ashamed.”

“Why should we be ashamed? We are the superior being,” Dave’s father said.

Danielle laughed. “Superior, my ass. You’re acting like animals. No consciousness, no dignity, no common courtesy, no tact. You might as well be wallowing around in your own excrement and licking your balls, the way you’ve been acting.”

“That’s it. I want this wedding annulled. Dave come away from that bitch,” he demanded.

The room went silent for all of a second before both Dave and Mr. Alexander turned on the man.

“You will never call my daughter a bitch again,” Mr. Alexander said, stalking toward the man. Mrs. Alexander stopped him before he could do anything, though.

“The next time you ever say something like that to my wife, I’ll tear your throat out with my teeth,” Dave said, and I had to place a hand on his shoulder to calm him. The human photographer had fled the room the second things grew tense, but I still didn’t think shifting in public this way was a good idea.

Dave shrugged off my hand but calmed. “If you don’t wish us to leave this pack, then I suggest the two of you keep your mouths shut from now on. No more comments about Leigh. She is family, and she will remain so, at least in my household. You will be polite and cordial. And you will spread the word that others should as well. From here on out, Leigh is pack and should be treated as such.”