Music Recommendation: Filotimo by Borghild Wenn

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The words that Calhoun uttered, echoed not just in the room where they stood along with the guests, but it was also announced loud enough for the people who were in the castle. Madeline felt goosebumps rise on her arms and she looked at the people who were in front and around them bow down deep at her and the King. She was no more the simple village girl who walked in the shadow of her sister and her family. She was now the Queen of the very land where she had born and was living, wife of Calhoun Hawthrone.

Noticing the crowd, she noticed some of the vampires who were not pleased with the news as she was a mere human in their eyes, a human who married the vampire who belonged to the royal family. But they could do nothing but oblige to the news by bowing their heads to welcome her as the Queen.

Madeline felt her hand squeezed by Calhoun's hand and she turned to look at him, to see the pride in his eyes, that she was his wife and the smile spread out on his lips.

With the ceremony that came to an end, everyone was asked to move to the ballroom to see the King and the Queen dance with each other, which was considered as a tradition. Madeline had quickly changed into another dress so that it would be easy for her to walk and dance in. Calhoun took hold of her hand, leading her to the centre of the room, which was not far away from the place where they had first danced with each other.

"How do you feel, Madeline?" asked Calhoun, his words only for Madeline to hear.

"Feels like everything is changing since the second the priest declared us as husband and wife," she answered, and Calhoun stopped walking to stand in front of her.

One side of Calhoun's lips pulled up, and he took her hand and kneeled on one of his legs as he kissed the back of her hand, "You are no more just Madeline, my sweet rose," he said before raising to stand tall in front of her. "But then you were never just Madeline but more than that." He placed his other hand on her waist before they started to dance.

Madeline had only placed one step backwards to follow Calhoun's lead when she heard the soft peaceful piano music from the corner of the room that started to play, slowly filling up the entire room.

"I thought it would never happen," she confessed to him when Calhoun twirled her in his arms to bring her back to him. In dreaded anticipation until the vows, she had been worried that something would come to happen, and now as they were finally married, it took time for her to sink it in.

Looking at Calhoun's devil-like face that was handsomely charming as he continued to have a subtle smile on his lips, she heard him say, "I did promise that I wouldn't let any harm to befall on you," he whispered in her ears, "This is yours and my day. With no blood on our hands."

Madeline felt fortunate, and if there weren't people out there wanting to kill her, she would have told her life was perfect. Her sister Beth was slowly coming around. James...she and he had a proper closure with each other, "Thank you for keeping your promise," she thanked Calhoun. She had asked him not to kill before or on the day of the wedding, but she had let go of it when the demons had come into the picture.

Every rule in this world had an exception, and in her life, Calhoun was that exception. Her feelings were now more profound for him in her heart than what she had been having in the past few days. And with the wedding and the atmosphere, she felt overwhelmed.

"Anything for you," he answered, and when they finished their first dance as a couple, the people around clapped and cheered them before other people came to join the dance floor to celebrate their marriage.

Despite everything that was going on, Madeline couldn't help but smile as Calhoun's smile was contagious just to her, while for most of the people in this room, it was intimidating. The music only elevated how she was feeling. She didn't forget the first time when she had met him here. Passing each other, for him to call her as she had dropped her handkerchief down.

"Is there anything you want as your wedding gift, my wife?" inquired Calhoun and the term wife brought a faint blush on Madeline's cheek. Her eyes looked into his liquid red eyes that shone in contentment.

She shook her head, "I think I have everything that I need." It was hard to believe how much both of them had come around since the time of their first dance, at the time of Hallow.

Calhoun was not less overbearing when it came to things around him, but he was willing to pause and consider her feelings which was something she appreciated now. Without him having to word it out, she could feel his happiness radiating from him, and this made her happy too. Madeline had always wanted to get married to someone whom she could see herself with, someone who could understand her and surprisingly he did. The pain and loneliness which she had felt in the past had been filled up by him. He gave her that sense of security that no one had ever offered to her, a promise that he would always be there for her.

She noticed how small her hand looked in his hand, and it felt warm. Her other hand was on his chest, and she felt his heart beat. How strange that people believed that vampires had no heartbeat, yet here was Calhoun's heart, beating calmly beneath her touch.

"There must be something that you want? A pet? Jewels? A mansion or someone's head?" Calhoun grinned at the end, and Madeline who was looking at him didn't know if it was a joke or if he was being serious, "Ask me anything and I will give it to you."

Madeline had never taken any interest in jewels in the past, not because her family was poor and couldn't afford it, but because things like those mattered less to her. And what would she do with a mansion? The thought of having a pet was intriguing, but Calhoun already had the wolves in the castle.

"Peace?" Now that they were married, she wanted a peaceful life, but she knew it was a far fetched thought.

"Peace it is," chimed Calhoun, "That is one way of telling, you want people's head who will come to cross us." Hearing this, Madeline's eyes widened. Calhoun pulled her into his arms, keeping her close, and he said next to her ear, "Also, why is it that I smell the mutt on you." There was a slight edginess in his question, and Madeline pulled back to look at him.

Madeline wondered how Calhoun had even found out about it. The more seconds she took to reply, the more Calhoun's eyes narrowed at her, which only she could see.

She felt Calhoun's grip on her waist tighten as he stared at her, and she wondered if jealousy ever looked as attractive as it did now. Quickly snapping out from her thoughts, she said,

"He came to meet me."

"Clearly," commented Calhoun, who had smelt James' scent on Madeline when she stood in front of him back at the chapel.

"James said he was going to the North, and he wanted to see me before leaving Devon," Madeline conveyed the information of what happened and Calhoun raised his eyebrows, "Something about meeting people like him and living with them."

"Did he kiss or hug you to say goodbye?" questioned Calhoun with a small frown, and at his question, Madeline quickly shook her head. There was no way James' scent could be this prominent on Madeline. Under his ever calm demeanour, the thought of James touching Madeline irked Calhoun because he didn't forget how things were in the beginning, but at the same time, he was glad to hear that James was leaving Devon for good.

Calhoun would have continued to help James in finding the antidote as it would keep Madeline's heart at ease, but he would also make sure to keep James far away from her. Being a man, he knew how one felt when they were in love with a woman, and Calhoun was not willing to share even a bit of her time to the man with whom she once shared affection.

"He didn't," Madeline's body had turned rigid when James had stepped into her breathing space as if her body knew he had leaned closer to kiss her cheek, and she had been too slow to react through her expression. "Is it safe in the North?"

"It depends on with which werewolves he's going to run. Compared to Devon, it is much better for him to be there in the North," replied Calhoun, wondering if the High House would finally get tired of looking for James and pull down his pictures that were nailed on the trees or if another person's drawing would be placed on it. "The North land, it is where the werewolves came into existence before some of them escaped into other lands, biting humans to turn them to werewolves while killing vampires."

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