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He chuckled. “I did, in fact, know that about you.”

“You won’t even miss the garlic in the pasta, I promise. All the herbs are fresh, and they’re amazing cooks.”

Now I was the one nervously rambling. The lights around us danced happily as he leaned in close, calming me. It was silly to feel so nervous around him. We’d been close for weeks. Spent every day together.

But tonight felt different.

I looked at the lantern sitting in front of us as I set my food aside. It almost looked like fireflies dancing inside as it flickered in the dark, chasing away the shadows.

“Even if life gets hectic we have to take moments like this for us. That’s what makes our pack strong and keeps the curses in check,” he said. “And I just want you to know, even if we never find a cure… you mean the world to me, witchling. Nothing could ever change that.”

“Even if I bring nothing but trouble?” I asked, with a hint of vulnerability coming out. It was still hard to shake that what my brother did was not my fault.

Merrick laughed as if that idea was impossible. “I’m not sure if you’ve noticed, but we’re all cursed here,” he teased.

I huffed out a laugh, but he had me there. Every one of us had something going on that we wished we could change. Except maybe Rook but he was working just as hard to make sure our curses didn’t win.

I placed a kiss on my beta’s cheek.

He blushed furiously, and the lantern started flickering erratically. It was my turn to laugh, watching as the lantern seemed to respond to his mood.

“The lanterns are emotion detectors,” I pointed out with a giggle.

He groaned. “They weren’t supposed to be. I guess even when I’m doing Rook’s magic, my curse has to get involved.”

“I think it’s time for us to accept that our curses are part of us,” I mused. “We chose each other. No curse is going to stop that.”

“You’re right,” he said, and the lights’ flickering slowed down, turning into that happy, warm glow again.

“Thank you,” I said, “for doing all this for me.”

“You deserve all the nice things,” he countered. “And I wanted to make sure that you felt as loved as you are.”

“You love me?” I questioned quietly.

He looked at me like I was crazy, but I wanted to hear him say it.

“I do,” he promised, his voice steady and calm. “I love you, Prue. And I can’t wait to spend the rest of my life with you.”

I couldn’t stop myself from pulling him closer. The food was quickly forgotten as I slanted my lips over his, claiming the beta in a searing kiss.

He let out a soft moan as I pulled him closer, deepening the kiss all over again.

Merrick shifted me over his legs so I was straddling his lap. I rocked my hips forward, sliding over the bulge in his jeans. We both moaned at the friction, breathing heavily.

I moved my kiss lower, sucking on the side of his neck. “When I go into heat, I’m going to bite you right here,” I husked out.

“I’m yours the moment you want to claim me,” he promised eagerly, pulling me back to his lips for another toe-curling kiss.

“I need you,” I pleaded, my fingers fumbling at the button of his jeans. He reached between us to help me, unsnapping them easily before lifting his hips so he could shimmy them down.

“This is not what I planned tonight,” he promised, but I wasn’t listening. I didn’t care at the moment if he wanted to keep it sweet. If he was on board, then I wanted this. Needed it.

My lips found his again as I slid my underwear aside, guiding him into my entrance.

“Fuck,” he breathed out my name like he was in physical pain.

“I’ve got you,” I promised my beta as I sank down on his cock, taking him all the way in one slow movement. We clung to each other for a moment as that frantic edge faded away, replaced by something warmer and softer that was more our style.