He offers me a sweet smile. “You are my fated mate, Hayden. My soulmate.”
Rather than fill me with the happiness I thought it would, his words break my heart. Six years. Six. Fucking. Years. I swallow hard, trying to clear my throat of the lump that has formed there. “Oh, Thorne. I didn’t know. I walked away from you. From us,” I say, choking back a sob.
A few tears slip, rolling down my cheeks before hitting the floor. “No, sweet Hayden,” he says, gathering me into his arms. “You didn’t know. I didn’t even know, and I should have been able to tell. Neither of us is at fault.”
I embrace him back, not wanting to let go.
Afraid to let go.
I want to believe everything he’s saying, but I’m scared. “Is this real?”
“It is. You’re my fated.”
We’re quiet for a long moment, just the two of us clinging to each other, letting those words sink in. Fated. “I always wondered why I couldn’t get over you. It makes no sense. It was one night, and yet it meant more to mean than all my relationships combined,” I admit. “I think everyone was worried. Even my mother has been trying harder to find me an alpha, but no one could ever compare to you.”
“Same here. I could never forget you. But it’s also why I brought all these decorations. I wanted this time to heal, to recapture my love for Christmas. I was so tired of being sad.”
“And you aren’t sad anymore?”
“Goddess, no.” He smiles. “I found you again. That’s all that matters.You’reall that matters.”
His words hit me. Hard. It sounds like cheesy lines from a romance movie, and yet they feel true. “This is so crazy,” I whisper against his chest. “We shouldn’t feel like this so quickly.”
Thorne tips my chin up so that I meet his striking brown eyes. He shakes his head. “No, Hayden. It’s fate. If you were a shifter, you’d know just how powerful a fated mate could be. Time doesn’t matter when we are written in the stars. It could be ten minutes or ten years. We are destined to feel this way about each other. And it’s a beautiful feeling. Don’t fight it.”
Over the next four days, we spend our time decorating our cabin with garland, twinkling lights, and ornaments. At one point, we even caved and bought a tree, taking our time hanging baubles and wishes. We’ve been to all the local shops that sell Christmas décor so many times, the townsfolk know us by name.
“What about here?” I ask, holding up some fake mistletoe over in the kitchen. “We can sneak in a few kisses while we bake.” After trying Thorne’s sugar cookies, I was half convinced they were magical, just like him, and I begged him to teach me how to make them.
“Sounds like a good idea to me.” Thorne wraps his arms around me from behind and presses a kiss against my cheek. His hand spreads possessively over my stomach, and I still. Heart pounding, I wait for him to say something, but he doesn’t. I spin around in his embrace and study his expression.
Does he know what I’m thinking? Goddess, we’ve only just found each other again, so why am I already wishing for babies?‘Then,I would breed you until you were mine.’Those words. Fucking hell, those words. They’ve seeped into my mind and left a mark. If his goal was to breed me until I was either preggo or so desperate for him that I wouldn’t want to let go, well then, I think he accomplished his goal. One way or another.
“Omega,” Thorne growls in my ear. “What on earth are you thinking about? Your slick is starting to permeate the kitchen.”
My face heats. “Gah, don’t say things like that. It’s embarrassing! And so fucking hot,” I whisper the last part as if someone else is here.
Thorne laughs. “No way, sexy Hayden. You still need time to heal.”
I nod. It’s true. We were a little rough with his knot.
“I was thinking that maybe next year, we could decorate our home like this. I know you said we have the wishing tree in the town square, but I kind of like the idea of hanging some of our own wishes at home.”
After the words leave my mouth, I freeze. I have no idea why I didn’t think about where we would live. Okay, that’s a lie. I’ve been avoiding it. I didn’t want to think about it because a part of me was still a little scared there might be an expiration date on our time together. While the other part of me that knows that isn’t true, it’s afraid that we might not agree on where we would live.
“Exactly how far away is Stone Joy from the city?” I ask slowly.
He eyes me curiously. “It’s only about three hours away.”
My jaw falls slack before hope starts to bloom in my chest. “That wouldn’t be too far of a drive.”
This time, Thorne freezes. “Hayden,” he chokes out. “Please don’t tell me you plan on making us live hours apart. You’re my fated. I don’t think my lion can handle it. I don’t thinkIcan handle it.”
“No, no. Of course not,” I reply immediately, shocked when I realize I mean it. “I just realized that my family and friends live in the city. And you have your Pride. But assuming they would accept me into their town, I think I would prefer small-town living to city life.”
Thorne starts to smile. “You mean it?”
“I think I do,” I say, grabbing his hand and tugging him into the living room. “Nora has her own mate now, and she’s always so busy. My brother and sister have their own lives, and even though we call each other often, we don’t see each other much until birthdays and holidays. Plus, I’m pretty sure my mother will be over the moon to find out I found love.”
