Page 84 of Dark Voyage Matters of the Mind

She had to admit that Mia was right about how comfortable and airy it was. The colors and pattern were pretty, reminiscent of Hawaii, but it was like wearing a tent.

When she heard Dagor welcome Mia into their cabin, she jumped back into the bed, pulled the blanket up, and affected a pained expression.

Dagor entered the room first. "Mia is here. She brought you a dress to wear for the wedding."

"Oh, that's so nice of her." She winked at him. "Tell her to come in. I don't have the energy to get out of bed."

Mia didn't wait for Dagor to issue the invitation and drove her wheelchair into the room. "How are you feeling?"

"Much better, thank you." Frankie offered her a small smile. "It still hurts, but not as badly. I showered and slept, and that helped a lot."

Mia aligned her chair with the bed and lifted a garment bag off her lap. "You can't wear any of the evening dresses hanging in your closet, and the Mumu is good as a poolside coverup but not as a party dress. I brought you something that you might like."

Despite how Mia had described the dress in the clinic, Frankie doubted that it looked as good as it had sounded. It was probably another tent-like dress that she would have to draw in.

"Let's see." She pushed up on the pillows, took the garment bag, and pulled down the zipper. "What is this?" She pulled out a shimmery piece of fabric that felt like liquid on her skin.

"It's shaped like a toga but nicer. It's not form-fitting, but it's not huge, either. You will look great wearing it."

The thing probably cost a fortune because Toven, aka Tom, only bought designer clothes for Mia. Frankie had never worn something that felt so luxurious, so even if the fit wasn't perfect, she would still feel like a princess in it.

"It's beautiful." She shifted her eyes to her friend. "But what about you? Didn't you plan on wearing this to one of the weddings?"

Mia shrugged. "It's not long enough to cover my feet or lack thereof. I wasn't going to wear it anyway."

Frankie didn't ask why Mia had brought it with her if she hadn't planned on wearing it. Her bestie would just make up another excuse for why Frankie should have it.

"Thank you." She reached for Mia's hand. "You're the best."

"Back at ya, bestie."

Amanda

Amanda took a deep breath, steadying the fluttering in her stomach as she stepped into the grand reception hall. The room was elegantly decorated, every detail precisely as she had planned it, but all she could focus on was the male waiting for her at the dais.

Dalhu, her love, her life, stood there with his groomsmen, his eyes glowing with excitement and love for her.

She was flanked by her bridesmaids, three on each side, a support system of family and close friends. Her sisters, Sari and Alena, stood proudly by her side, beaming. Syssi, her sister-in-law, radiated happiness. Jacki, Kalugal's wife, Carol, Lokan's mate, and Nathalie, Andrew's wife, completed the line of strong, amazing women accompanying her to her mate.

So yeah, none of them was a maiden, but Sari and Carol had not had a wedding ceremony yet, so they could count as such.

Not that it mattered.

Every clan mating celebration was different and tailored to each couple.

The song she and Dalhu had chosen, "You are the Only One for Me," by Jalina, filled the hall with its upbeat melody and lyrics that encapsulated her and Dalhu's unique love story.

Onidu walked in behind her, holding Evie, their precious daughter, who was growing to be a miniature vision of Amanda and was dressed for the occasion in a gown similar to those of the bridesmaids.

In the end, Amanda had decided that her butler would hold Evie throughout the ceremony instead of handing her over to one of her bridesmaids. Her precious butler had been by her side since the day she was born, and Amanda wanted him to be part of the wedding ceremony. He couldn't be a groomsman or a bridesmaid, so holding Evie was the best way to include him.

As Amanda walked towards the dais, her heart swelled with love for her incredible mate. They had been each other's one and only since the day Dalhu had unexpectedly entered her life, kidnapping her from a store after obsessing about her for weeks.

She'd had one moment of fear but had realized pretty quickly that the hulking Doomer was much more than he seemed. That had been the beginning of their extraordinary journey together.

As she walked toward Dalhu, their eyes never veered from each other, and as a smile bloomed on his handsome face, she felt a wave of gratitude wash over her. Their journey hadn't been easy, and they'd had to fight for each other, but neither of them had given up, and it had all been worth it.

Taking the final steps towards Dalhu, Amanda reached out to him, her hand slipping into his, their fingers intertwining in a familiar, comforting grip.