My Atypical Wolf

The next day Ashton woke up due to loud noises on the door which startled him. Getting up he realized the door was unlocked, so he shouted "Come in"!

A hanging on the doorknob Connor entered the room. "Dad said you will take me shopping". Was the first thing he blurted. 

Ashton, who was still half dazed, was definitely awake now that he heard Connor utter those words. "He said what"? Ashton was shocked. 

"It's for the ceremony"! Connor whined.

"Didn't Ca- I mean you Dad already got you one"? Ashton asked, rubbing his eyes.

"He did, but I accidentally tore it. Come on! The ceremony starts in the afternoon, we have to hurry"! Connor came to bed and started pulling Ashton by his hand.

"Okay, Okay" Ashton managed to get out of bed without tripping. "Connor, where is your Dad ''? Ashton asked.

"Work" is all Caleb replied.

Ashton frowned until he noticed a tin can at his nightstand, with an attached note saying.

Had to go, emergency. But don't worry, I will be back soon as I can, until then enjoy this

-Pineapple.

Ashton couldn't help but chuckle at that. Sure he was the one who gave Caleb that nickname, he just didn't expect Caleb to use it like this. "Connor, get dressed, let's go shopping" Ashton declared, the words he would soon regret. 

As they moved from shops to shops Ashton could feel the energy drain out of him. Last night he barely got any sleep, thanks to...Caleb and now this kid was jumping around from store to store. Why do they have so many choices for the kids these days anyways?

Ashton had to admit, Connor was definitely like Caleb when it came to shopping. You can never finish early. When Connor finally found a dress he liked, Ashton sighed in relief as he drove back. Next time, he would either bring Caleb or the twins.

"Sorry, if I wasted your time". Feeling the frustration coming off of Ashton, Connor apologized. 

"No, it's okay" All the frustration Ashton had immediately melted away. "I just didn't sleep well last night. I am not mad at you".

"Really"? Connor asked, with a hint of glee in his eyes.

"Of course". Ashton assured with a smile.

"Great! Can I have an ice cream then?" Connor jumped. Ashton chuckled at how Connor almost guilt tripped him to an ice cream. Key word, 'almost'.

"Connor, you gotta keep your stomach empty. You don't wanna eat anything at the feast"? Ashton asked.

"It's just an ice cream! I have a huge appetite, so I can eat the feast." Connor insisted. "Please" Connor begged with an adorable pout.

Ashton considered it for a moment, stealing a few suspicious glances at that adorable pout before sighing, "Fine. We will stop by the parlor." Ashton couldn't believe that he let a kid rule his entire day up until now. 

Not that he minded, as the twins used to annoy him all the time when they were little. Now that they were so grown up, they didn't need him anymore, so seeing the innocent nature of the kid in front of him brought back a certain warmth, hinted with nostalgia.

After returning home, Ashton realized that the ceremony had already started and the guests had started to arrive. What's more astonishing was that even Caleb had reached. Ashton gave his mate a quick kiss before he turned to Connor, "Do you need any help dressing up"?

"I am not a baby. I can dress myself"! Connor huffed and ran away to his room. Ashton chuckled at that.

"You know, if you want, I can help you dress up". Caleb declared with a suggestive smile. 

Ashton, not missing the hint declared, "maybe after the party you can help me". Caleb ended up laughing at that until a pack member of the neighboring pack approached them. 

"I heard you two are engaged"? The woman asked.

"Yeah, we will be getting married." Caleb agreed. Even Ashton could tell that he didn't recognize who the woman was, but he was being polite nonetheless.

"I am so happy to hear that. After Christian's wedding fell through, I was quite devastated." She gave them a pretend sad smile.

"Tell you what, if this wedding falls through we will still have that party". Caleb joked.

"NOO"! The woman shook her head vigorously. "I know you two are mates. I want you two to be happy". She laughed lightly. "So, do you have a date yet"? She asked.

Both Caleb and Ashton looked at each other, "Um…" Caleb began, "We have been waiting for this event to be done and dusted. We will decide after this". Caleb declared. 

"Alright." The woman nodded. "Have you decided on other things yet"? She asked.

"Well, some stuff." Caleb nodded. "Some yet to figure out". Caleb nodded.

"Well, I hope you are having a big wedding" the woman smirked.

"Definitely. The son of Crescentile Pack Alpha can't really have a small ceremony now, can he"? He asked bit rhetorically, a bit sarcastically but over all it felt like he meant it.

"Good, I look forward to it" She patted Caleb's arm and decided to take her leave at this moment.

"You really want an outdoor wedding"? Asked Ashton after they realised it was just the two of them.

"You don't"? Caleb mused at that.

"Well, given that I am quite the introvert, I don't think a huge crowd will do me a favor" Ashton pursed his lips awkwardly.

"Well, if it helps, you just need to focus on me." Caleb shrugged.

"...Sure." Ashton agreed feeling a bit uncomfortable. "We weren't gonna talk about the wedding today huh"? He chuckled.

"You are right," Caleb smirked. Linking Ashton, he continued, [out loud. We can still discuss it in here]

[Hey! Thats cheating] Ashton called out to Caleb.

[It's not exactly talking] Caleb declared with the smirk still persistent in his face. 

[Okay…] Ashton agreed after a minute.

[Hey, if you don't want a big wedding, we can arrange that. It's our big day, who cares who us expecting what?] Caleb declared. [It should be special for us]

[Exactly. And if you want a big wedding, I don't want to take that away from you] Ashton countered.

[It's not the wedding. I just want people to know we are taken. Like I wanna announce it in the biggest way possible] Caleb shrugged.

[So, let's do it. Let's have a huge wedding.] Ashton insisted. 

[Again, I didn't say about the wedding.] Caleb smiled. [Now that I think about it, a small wedding can be really intimate, special and filled with people we love. Suddenly, I feel like I want it] a faint smile appeared on Caleb's lips.

[So, what about announcing to the whole world then?] Ashton asked.

[We can have a big reception. Party will be taken care of] Caleb suggested. 

[That sounds good] Ashton smiled as well.

[It's settled then] Caleb gazed at his mate's eyes.

[Small wedding, big reception..] Ashton confirmed.