Lake and Davian were just as surprised at Nikolai’s presence but they quickly got over it, Caspian hurrying to his friend’s side.
"Are you alright?" Lake whispered with worry, "You look a little pale."
"I’m so nervous," Caspian whispered, "And this corset is digging into my ribcage."
Lake bit the inside of his cheek to keep his laughter at bay, "But it’s gorgeous. Look, the court proceeding is about to begin, your husband is waiting for you."
Lake’s words felt like they had dunked a bucket of cold water over Caspian’s head. He had gotten so caught up in having a wedding different from his first wedding that he forgot about the most important thing...
This had nothing to do with Noah, he was marrying the man he loved, his mate.
Caspian’s smile was blinding as he went over to Asher’s side, the pearls dimming in the sight of his smile.
A court official had come to lead them away and it was like Caspian had given all his nerves to Asher, because now the Alpha was gulping, his heart feeling like it was beating outside his chest.
And when Caspian turned to him with a smile, he felt the world slow down.
The brief wedding proceedings were a blur, Asher was too focused on his mate, so much that Caspian had to jab him with an elbow when it was time to sign the marriage certificate.
Asher had been staring at him with intent focus, the pen forgotten between his ringed hands.
While all that was going on, a short distance behind them stood the few guests attending the court wedding.
Jael had a massive camera around his neck that he had produced from thin air, the Beta taking his job extra seriously.
Nikolai stood awkwardly to the side, wondering just why he had shown up. He knew Asher had been messing with him when he invited him, and whenever he hung around the two Mafia Kings, all they did was remind him of what he would never have.
Yet ever since the quarterly meeting, he had been in knots about what kind of wedding gift would be suitable. He had eventually just done a quick internet search and went for one of the first things he saw.
He half-expected to be kicked out but no one really seemed to mind his presence after the first skirmish, and if he wasn’t reaching too much, he could even say that Caspian seemed a little happy to have him at the wedding.
Lake looked on as Caspian and Asher shared the umpteenth look with each other, both of their eyes brimming with love, and it was curious, because Lake didn’t feel longing.
It wouldn’t have come as a surprise to him if he saw this in person and wanted something for himself, it was everyone’s wish to find fated love, after all.
He didn’t know much about fated love, but he kind of preferred what he had going on right now. He would take Davian waking up at the break of dawn to cook them breakfast over a court-signed document.
He found himself gravitating closer to Davian, holding the Alpha’s arm after the signing was done and the newlyweds leaned in for a kiss.
Jael was serious about his self-assigned job, camera flashes and shutter sounds going off rapidly.
Caspian came over with his husband in tow, a new accessory glinting off his ring finger. "We should all take pictures together," He suggested excitedly, herding everyone together.
"Jael, Nikolai, get in as well." Caspian beamed, his cheeks a rosy red.
They had a court official take the pictures for them, Jael and Nikolai standing awkwardly to the side like sentries while Caspian’s smile was larger than life.
Caspian also got to take with his best friend, as well as a solo picture with Jael.
The Beta had a grimace on his face as the flash went off, he had tried to smile and failed spectacularly.
"There’s celebratory lunch at our place," Caspian invited his guests, ever the social butterfly as he carried the conversation. "Let’s all head there..."
And that was how Nikolai found himself driving to Asher’s mansion. What the fuck?
He hadn’t been invited personally but Caspian had clearly invited everyone over, and to make things worse, no one tried to stop him.
He tapped his fingers on the wheel as he tailed behind Davian and Lake, still wondering just how he ended up here, and more importantly, why he was being tolerated.
In the car leading the procession, Jael was really glad he had taken a car with a partition, focused on the road and ignoring the questionable sounds coming from the backseat.
Caspian was astride his husband, white pants tailored perfectly to his slender legs. The corset made him arch slightly, crystal blue eyes alight.
"You look really good in a tux," Caspian murmured, his arms thrown around Asher’s neck.
The Alpha’s dark red hair was slicked back, the gel making it come out even darker. "I look even better with it off, want to see?"
Caspian leaned forward, a sensual smile stretching his red-tinted lips. "We’ve got guests, later."
Asher closed the distance between them, silver tongue piercing catching the light before it slipped past Caspian’s red pouty lips.
Caspian’s moan was muffled, there were too many clothes in between them, the floral pearl headband in his hair slipping when Asher slanted his head to deepen the kiss.
They had to break apart too soon because if they didn’t it would have been impossible to stop.
It helped that they got to the mansion shortly after that, Asher helping Caspian out of the car at the same time that two other cars pulled in.
If you told the men on shift that day that they would get to see all three Mafia Kings in the mansion, they would have probably responded with a bullet.
Nikolai was the last to go in, of all the ways he had thought he would get to see the interior of Asher’s mansion, this wasn’t it.