“C’mon, sleepyhead, wake up. We have a plane to catch.”
I groan in frustration, placing the pillow over my head while mumbling profanities at Logan. The pastry final the day before, which was a theoretical exam, kicked my ass, and I’ve had so many sleepless nights trying to memorize everything that all I want today is to be a sloth.
He chuckles at my muffled protests, and before I realize what’s happening, I’m thrown over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. I yelp in surprise, and Logan smacks my ass lightly before he deposits me in the walk-in shower of our one-bedroom Parisian apartment that sits in a historical building in Montmartre.
We only have a few days left in Paris, and after I graduate and receive my diploma, we’ll go back home. We’ve made so many beautiful memories here, and though I’ll be sad to leave Europe, I miss the runs with our pack. I’ve only been back for the full moons, and my wolf hasn’t been too happy about that. Inever thought I’d feel this way toward them, but the pack is like family to me now, and I’m proud to be their Luna.
“Where are we going?” I ask as I massage the shampoo into my hair and then start rinsing it.
Logan crosses his arms in front of his chest. His muscles bulge underneath the skin-tight T-shirt he is wearing, and an ember of heat kindles in my core at his masculine beauty. “It’s a surprise.” He props his hip in the door frame, his eyes running down my body slowly in a languid perusal, and I know we must be on a schedule because Logan would never pass an opportunity to ravage me, especially after our gazes lock. He can read the lust in mine and feel it through our bond.
With every day that passes, our bond strengthens. It’s as if we’re an extension of each other. It makes for the most intense sexual experiences, but at the same time, it’s a bitch when we fight because we involuntarily heighten each other’s emotions to the point where one of us either has to leave or we end up angry fucking.
As soon as I finish blow drying my hair, I do a light makeup look and step out of the bathroom. Logan hands me a bag with a chocolate croissant and a cappuccino in a to-go cup from the boulangerie across the street. I give him a peck and say a soft thank you before biting into the croissant. It’s still warm, and my taste buds do a little happy dance at the explosion of buttery flavor.
Logan rolls my carry-on alongside his to the door, then waits for me to grab my jacket before we descend the stairs and climb into the cab idling at the curb. Instead of taking the normal route to the airport, we arrive at a hangar where Kaiden’s jet is waiting for us. He was kind enough to lend us the jet throughout these months for trips between Ashville and here. Still, I wasn’t expecting to use it today since we flew commercial every time we’ve had the opportunity to escape toa new European country, usually on the weekends when Logan is here.
Two hours later, we land in Rome and check into our hotel near Fontana di Trevi. A stunning sundress waits for me on the bed alongside a pair of flat sandals. It has a camellia yellow flower print with a fitted bodice and a flowy maxi skirt with three layers of ruffles at the bottom. We both change our clothes, Logan opting for a pair of dark blue chinos and a linen shirt. My pulse spikes at the way the clothes cling to his chiseled body, and when he sees me lick my lips and ogle him, he winks at me with smoldering eyes, and tells me, “Later.”
It’s an abnormally hot day, even for the first week of March, and I’m happy Logan decided to surprise me with the clothes. After a delicious lunch on the hotel’s terrace overlooking the city, we take a private tour of the Colosseum and Palatine Hill.
The sun makes its lazy descent, casting a warm glow over the Roman Forum as we reach the top of the Palatine Hill. I have a sneaky suspicion something is going to happen since there are no other tourists when it should have been packed. I don’t dwell on it, though, and enjoy our private tour, soaking as much of the history as I can.
The moment we reach the balcony on the terrace at the top of the Palatine Hill, a string quartet suddenly appears around us and starts playing “Can’t Help Falling in Love” by Elvis Presley. With the Eternal City draped in fiery orange at his back, Logan drops on one knee in front of me, his eyes molten gold as he pulls out the most beautiful ring I have ever seen—an oval moonstone with delicate diamond accents on its sides, flanked by two crescent moons, set on a simple gold band.
His voice is gravelly, and his eyes glimmer with exhilaration. “Ava, I’ve never expected you to barge into my life and become the center of my universe, yet fate brought you to me, and even if I tried my hardest, I still couldn’t resist you. You’reeverything to me, the other half of my soul. You complete me, and I have never known such happiness and peace as I feel when I’m with you. Will you do me the honor of being my wife?”
A sob escapes my throat. I kneel in front of Logan, not caring about the beautiful dress anymore. In my rush, I almost tackle him to the ground. Tears stream down my face as I say,“Yes! A thousand times, yes!”I tell him through our bond and then aloud when I can finally speak again.
I shake my head slightly as I drag my mind back into the present. With a smile that makes my cheeks hurt, I cut the ribbon and inaugurate the Silver Moon Sweets bakery. A cork of champagne pops, and applause from everyone in attendance ensue as my fiancé pulls me into his arms.
“I’m so proud of you.” He plants a warm kiss atop my head.
It’s in this moment I know that with Logan at my side, I’m capable of anything I set my mind to do, not because I need him to accomplish something, but because he supports me and my dreams and would do anything to make me happy. For the first time in my life, I feel like I have found my way. I no longer feel lost, adrift. I’m living life on my terms.
Logan
I’m buttoning my suit jacket when a knock comes through my bedroom door.
“Come in,” I say and round the corner of my dressing room. Kaiden walks in and closes the door at his back.
He slides his hands into the pockets of his pants. “I know it’s not the best time to tell you this since you’re getting married today, but I also know you wouldn’t have wanted to wait to receive the news. I finally managed to trace the shell company that owns the hospital Ava received the heart transplant at. I just got the confirmation that it’s owned by the Kabal. The doctors, the staff, and everyone on the premises were working for them; that’s how Ava got an infected heart, and that’s why they disappeared and closed it down when we started to look into it.”
Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.
It’s not like we weren’t expecting the Kabal to be behind the mysterious heart transplant and Hope’s kidnapping and death. But this is the first time we’ve found some form of tangible proof.
Panic punches a hole through my chest, and my wolf claws at my insides, demanding to get to her right this moment, unsettled by the possibility that someone might try and take our fated mate from us. I suck in a choppy breath and say, “Do you think they’ll come for her?”
“Well, they’ve had plenty of opportunities. Especially when she was vulnerable and in their care after the surgery. My best guess is that they wanted to see first if the heart transplant was a success and if she would actually shift. They must have noticed you two are together if they watched her progress closely. But our friendship is public knowledge within the dark creatures community, and I don’t think they would dare come close to me or us after what happened in the Vatican. Although, we already know how unhinged and thirsty the Kabal is for power.”
Kaiden’s words settle like battery acid in my stomach. They burn through all of my organs and still ring in my ears on a loop after he leaves the room. I tried my best not to worry Ava, but the Kabal’s implication has made me lose more sleep than I would like to admit in these past few months. When she was in Paris alone because I had to return to Ashville on pack matters, shehad a security detail permanently on her without her knowledge. I didn’t want her to worry. Even if no one made a move to harm Ava in any way, I still needed to take all the safety precautions so that nothing would happen to my mate.
My legs are filled with lead as I pace the length of my bedroom floor, my wolf waging war on my emotions. I snap off my bowtie, but my shirt collar still constricts my every breath, and I barely harness the restraint not to rip it to pieces. With trembling fingers, I take my phone out of my pants and call Emily. She picks up, and I hear Ava saying something to Chloe in the background, causing my heart to rattle hard against its cage.
“I need to see Ava,” I choke out.
A door slams shut, and the hurried clicking sound made by heels against the hardwood floor travels through the phone. “What?” my sister asks in a hushed voice, probably trying to stay off the radar of Ava’s hearing. “Did something happen?”
