A Wolf's Howl, A Fairy's Wing-Chapter 653 - - Ceremony: Astrid

Emily smirked slightly as she looked up at her husband and master. She didn't care about what was happening to the people below. She'd already forgotten about them; right now, all she cared about was Erik.

After Emma was done and the crowd had fully recovered from her darkness, the vendors, dancers, acrobats, and musicians redoubled their efforts, and within moments, the festive sphere was back as cheers and laughter rose up once again. Elation still fuelled their minds from Emma's efforts, and they wondered if they'd be able to feel that again someday.

Meanwhile, Erik tugged on the ribbon tied to his hand and pulled Emily to her feet. In the same motion, he pulled her closer to his body and pressed his lips on hers, greedily devouring her mouth. Unsurprisingly, Emily responded with raw hunger and desire.

After a few seconds, Erik pulled her back roughly by her hair and grinned at her. Unperturbed by the pain and his grip, Emily grinned back. "You are mine. Now, and forever," he growled at her. He knew it was what she wanted to hear, but more than that, he wanted it to be true.

"I am yours," she responded with greedy, lustful, and excited devotion. "Now, and forever."

And so his third marriage of the day was completed. He released Emily's hair before decoupling the ring from her collar for a moment so he could remove the ribbon without undoing the knots.

Emily waited patiently, her thoughts wandering a little. Frankly, she was simply marvelling over her own happiness at being a willingly enslaved wife. Not that she cared. Any shame or hesitation had long since left her, replaced with love and complete devotion to Erik.

Perhaps a part of her desire for this dynamic was her fear of losing control again. Perhaps she was simply using Erik as a crutch, as a way to shove some of the responsibility for keeping her sane onto him.

But did any of that really matter? Her love for kinky sex and sadomasochism was real even before the awakening, not born solely from the trauma she'd gone through since.

Many people might tell her to get a grip on herself. To start taking control of her own life. They'd claim that, in the end, she'd be happier and at least able to take care of herself if something happened to Erik.

She knew they'd say these things, but she didn't believe them, nor did she care. She was already happier than she'd ever been before, even when her parents were still alive, even if she missed them now.

And as for taking care of herself… She didn't really believe anything would ever happen to Erik, but if it did, it wouldn't matter.

Her devotion and service would not be stopped by something so trivial as death… She'd stay sane because he commanded her to, and if he'd left her with any orders before his death, she'd spent the rest of her life fulfilling them—both for him and herself.

At least, this was what she believed; what she told herself. Only harsh reality would prove the true strength of her will. But, such things only the future would tell. ƒreewebɳovel.com

After Erik had retrieved the ribbon and reattached the ring to her collar, he placed it on the altar next to the others. It looked quite a bit different, but so was the nature of their relationship.

After another peck on Erik's lips, Emily turned around to confidently strut over to her sister-wives and the people around them. Her lips were curled up into a knowing smirk when she saw some of the glares she was getting, fully secure in the knowledge they couldn't touch her, not only because of Erik, but also because of herself.

Emma looked at her with a calm smile, but Naeku had a complicated frown on her brow. She appeared conflicted, and Emily noticed. Her initial instinct was to gloat and mock Naeku for her compassion, but she soon suppressed that urge as her expression mellowed.

She knew this urge was born from the permanent effects corruption had left on her psyche, but more than that, Erik obviously wants them to get along.

So, her gaze turned surprisingly genuine as she looked at her new sister. "Don't dwell on it too much," she told Naeku with a sigh. "But at least don't hold it in. I know you want to get along with us, and so do we, but don't let things fester. Come talk to me about it later. Just remember, you agreed to it, even if the reality was worse than you expected."

Naeku looked at Emily, her gaze still complicated. But, after a moment, she nodded solemnly. Although Erik hadn't technically been a part of this decision, she'd always known his rule would be harsher than her father's. She'd made herself no illusions about Erik, and in particular, Elora's influence on him.

After nodding, she looked back at Erik, and some determination slipped into her gaze. Even if she'd never be able to match Elora, and even if she could reluctantly admit that harsher methods were sometimes required, she resolved herself to become the voice of kind rulership in Erik's ear.

Meanwhile, Astrid confidently strolled up to the altar in her armour. Her powerful, lean muscles were bursting with power, and her ginger hair fell to her shoulders in a braid as the crowd gulped nervously… partly from fear, but partly from excitement.

Unlike Emily's insidious, evil darkness, this woman's power was upfront and relatively simple. She looked almost like a northern barbarian warrior, and the crowd was filled with both men and women who wondered what it'd be like to be crushed by her thighs.

"Sometimes I wonder why I still put up with you," Astrid smirked helplessly when she stood in front of him, arms crossed.

Erik smirked back, unperturbed. "Because I'm stronger than you… And you love me."

"Both good points!" Astrid laughed genuinely. "Guess I'm fucked, huh?"

"Literally and figuratively," Erik grinned meaningfully. Astrid rolled her eyes, but still laughed fondly.

They looked at each other for a moment as memories from their pre-awakening life flooded their minds. "I'm sure this day was very different from what you imagined back then," Erik suddenly said, smiling softly.

"Hah, without a doubt," she nodded, smiling back at him. "But that's alright," she continued, shaking her head. "Neither of us is the same person as we were then, either. Plus," she looked out over the crowd as her smile turned back into a grin, "the crowd of people is still there. In the end, I got you, and they can all bear witness to it…"

"Anyway," she turned back to Erik with excitement, "Let's get this done, huh?"

She extended her hands, and Erik did the same with a warm chuckle. His relationship with Astrid was the most direct and simple, and he needed that in his life.

Apart from a minor power struggle, their relationship was simply that of two childhood friends in love with neither of them having any particularly impactful kinks. Elora was always making plans, and the Ashcroft sisters needed a constant, firm hand. With Astrid, however, he didn't need to think much about it.

Their relationship was simple, and so was their ceremony. After placing his hands over hers, the ribbon was tied, and the fourth and final marriage of the day was completed…