“I’m here.”
“Can I come in?”
“Of course.”
She walks in slowly, hesitating by the bed for just a secondbefore crawling in next to me.I sigh deeply as she places her head on mychest, her arm around my waist.At least she doesn’t hate me.Curling my armaround her shoulder, I pull her closer.
“I’ve been thinking about everything and… I don’t know—”
“Casey—”
“Let me finish.I don’t know about all this stuff, but Iknow I love you.So whether you’re a wolf, lion, tiger, or a… bunny rabbit, Idon’t care.”
“You don’t know how much that means to me, sweetheart.”
“When you said I was your mate, what does it really mean?”
“It means we’ll be lifelong partners.”
“Like a marriage?”
“Yes.We mate for life, separated only in death.There’seven a ceremony; only we don’t exchange rings.It’s more like… an entwining ofsouls.”
“Wow.So, I’m not really your mate then unless we have thisceremony?”
“Yes.That makes it official.”
“Huh.”
“Casey?”
“Hmm?”
“I’ve known you were mine since I laid eyes on you.I loveyou and want nothing more than to make you my mate.Say you’ll be mine… forever.”
She tightens her arm around me and drops a gentle kiss on mychest.This is it.The moment I’ve been waiting for—do or die.
“I will.I’ll be your…mate.”
Rolling over, I put her beneath me, resting between herthighs.In her eyes, all I see is love.No fear, no uncertainty—just love.Afterall that has happened, everything I put her through, I wouldn’t blame her ifshe ran fast and far away from me.Instead, she’s vowing to spend the rest ofher life with me.
“You don’t know how happy you’ve made me,” I tell her.
She pulls my head down to her bosom and, with a sigh, Igladly lay it there.
“Do you have any powers?”
“We all have heightened senses.We’re faster than humans,stronger, and if we’re injured, we heal quickly.We’re immune to humandiseases.As alpha, these traits are stronger for me.”
“Like a super wolf.”
“I guess.But there are things I can do that others can’t, likecontrol the change, as you saw earlier.”
“What else?”
“We can’t get drunk or high.”
“So no more drunken rendezvous in the truck?”She giggles.
