“We did all the wedding things already. We put on fancy suits. Slow danced. Fed each other sweets. My dad almost made me cry. My brother saw your butt.”

“We were drugged and kidnapped,” Park added. “Shackled together in the face of death,”

“So get shackled to me again. Metaphorically this time.” Cooper frowned. “That sounded more romantic in my head.”

“I worry about your head,” Park said frankly.

Cooper held out his hand and Park took it. “I’ve been so anxious about getting this wedding right. Of...representing humanity, somehow. But that’s not my world anymore and I’m not that person. I’m your person.”

Park squeezed his hand and rubbed his thumb on the ring. “I’m your wolf.”

“Obviously,” Cooper said. “That’s all that matters to me.”

“We did want a fall wedding,” Park said, and his face lit up with a mischievous smile. “All right then. Elope me, you brute. Are we telling anyone? Or does your horse and carriage only fit two for speed’s sake in the face of pursuit?”

“I told Eli. As his first duty as second in line to the alpha, he put himself in charge of some kind of surprise party you absolutely didn’t hear about from me. Also, he said to tell you you’ve been demoted to fourth rank.”

“We don’t do ranks,” Park protested. “We’re not pirates.” Then, “Fourth?”

“Boogie took third already. You snooze you lose.” Cooper reached up and touched the ring under Park’s shirt. “Anyway, the party’s not till later. I kinda thought this bit at the courthouse could...just be us?”

Park’s eyes flared gold. “This bit. Any bit. Every bit,” he said. “I’m always happy to be an us with you.”

Cooper smiled and pressed a sweet kiss to Park’s lips. “In that case, it shouldn’t be too hard to always be happy.”

Epilogue

Just as any other task that involves bureaucratic paperwork, getting married was tedious, full of hoops to jump through and vaguely anticlimactic.

It also made Cooper so utterly and effervescently happy he felt like someone could stick a pin in him and he’d explode into light. Glowing, weightless, unstoppable.

Even self-officiating, they still had to leave the building and sign the document off courthouse property. It was windy out, and as they stood by one of DC’s many fountains, faint mists of water blew over them in waves, Park’s dark hair gradually collecting a silver sheen.

“Considerate of you to give me a preview of your graceful old age before I commit,” Cooper said, reaching up and running a hand through the wet strands. “I think I’m looking forward to your silver fox stage.”

“Fox?” Park grumbled, looking vaguely put out.

Cooper laughed. “Big, majestic silver wolf stage then. Either or, I’m suddenly feeling very lucky I’ll get to see it someday.”