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But that didn't stop me from taking his hand, the way his rough calloused fingers laced with mine had butterflies dancing in the pit of my stomach. He helped me down the steps and we proceeded to walk down to the field of roses. Of course, that meant passing my mates and friends who all paused what they were doing to gawk at us. I didn't miss the small thumbs up that Joaquin made, but it didn't look like it was meant for me. Huh, I wonder what that was about. Maybe he knew something I didn't? Ignoring it, I walked side by side and hand in hand with Byron, and now it was time to find out if we truly could come together.
22
ROSIE
"How've you been holding up after what's happened?" Byron asked me as we walk in between two rows of rose bushes. It felt foreign to me, going on a romantic walk with him and holding hands. It was something I never expected to happen when we first met, but now here we were. It was strange, but at the same time, it was nice.
"I'm managing as best I can, but I'll admit that I wasn't doing so hot earlier."
"I can understand that. What changed?"
"Talking to my grandma," I said. "She managed to help me see things more clearly. We lost the battle, but we haven't lost the war yet. And if Kai and the betas can be rescued, we'll do it together."
"That we will." Byron was silent for a minute after that, but then added, "I really didn't know Pierce took her back then. If I had... Actually, I don't think I would've done anything. I'm really sorry, Rosie, for being so pigheaded about you and Pierce."
"You don't have to keep apologizing, Byron. I forgave you a long time ago. And if you're worried about whether I trust you or not, don't. Because I do." I gave his hand a squeeze to emphasize my point.
"I can't tell you what it means to me to hear you say that. Thank you, Rosie. Thank you for forgiving me, for accepting me into your pack, and for this." Byron gestured between me and him, then the path we were walking. "It is nice to be able to do this with you."
I blushed, feeling grateful that we were off to a good start. For the next ten minutes, we stayed together, looking at the blooming roses of all colors, and smelling their perfume aroma when I leaned in close to take a sniff. A blend of different colors ranging from the standard red and white to orange, yellow, pink, and lavender. Byron pointed at each colored rose, telling me the different meanings behind them. When he asked which was my favorite, I told him that red would always be my preference. Byron took a single red rose from one of the nearby bushes and held it out for me to take. "For you. A Rose for the most beautiful Rose here."
I was certain that my face was as red as the rose in question, but I took it and held it under my nose to take in the fresh, floral scent. "Why thank you, kind sir. So romantic of you."
He shrugged. "Nice to know I can still make a beautiful woman smile after all this time."
I was about to ask what he meant, but then a lightbulb went off in my head. His wife. His deceased wife. "Byron, can I ask you a personal question?"
"You want to know about my wife, right?"
I nodded, not bothering to try and deny it. His expression darkened as pain danced in his eyes. "Hey." I cupped his cheek with my hand. "You don't have to tell me if you're still not ready to. You know I'd never force you."
"I know, and I appreciate it," Byron said as he took my hand in his, pulling it away from his cheek and placing a kiss on my knuckles. "But I do feel that if we're going to get close, you should know about her."
He took a moment to compose himself, which I was happy to give to him. I stood there, waiting for him to speak, the rose he gave me still in my hands, mindful not to prick my finger on the thorns. After a long breath, he finally spoke. "Her name was Carly Foster. She was my fated mate."
"Did she grow up here in Kingsrose like you and Joaquin?" I asked.
"No. In fact, when we first met, she was engaged to be married with another shifter. They had reservations to have the wedding here."
I gaped at him. "No way! Are you serious?"
"I know. Crazy, right?" Byron laughed. "When I first realized she was my fated mate, and the bride to me, my heart nearly fell out of my ass."
I couldn't wrap my head around a scenario like that. Imagine meeting your fated mate when they were about to be married to someone else. I tried imagining myself in that situation, but considering Pierce was my fated mate, and I didn't want him, him marrying some other bitch would've been a blessing. If I'd met one of my boys that way, and they were fated to me, I would've lost my shit. "So, what happened when you found out she was your fated me?" My face paled as I asked, "Oh my God, please don't tell me you had an affair with the bride while she was still planning to get married!"
"No!" Byron shouted with a quickness. "Come on, I have more respect than that."
I held up my hands in surrender, amused and secretly happy to hear that he respected that she was married and didn't make a move right away. Most guys I knew wouldn't have cared if she was with anyone when they meet their fated mate. They'd take her and that was it. I understood, but seriously, have some class.
"She knew I was her fated mate as well, and needless to say, she was conflicted about what she should do. We were both raised to believe that fate was absolute and going against it was a crime against nature. A crime against who we were as wolves. But Carly didn't want to hurt her fiancé either. Despite knowing I was fated to be with her, she still cared for him."
"So, what happened?" I asked.
"Her wedding was scheduled for a month after her arrival. For the time being, I continued my job making sure everything was to the couple's liking. On my breaks, we would talk and try to make sense of what we should do. Carly couldn't deny the instant connection we felt, which meant she'd have to call off the wedding. There wasn't much I could say on the matter for all the obvious reasons. I found her, she was mine, and I didn't want her getting married to him. A week later, I got the news that the wedding was off. Alex, that was her fiancé's name, stormed out back where I was and berated me for stealing his wife from him."
I winced. "I'm guessing she told Alex that you guys were fated?"
"Yeah," Byron replied. "Needless to say, he didn't take it well. Never mind the fact he knew we were fated and that it was out of our control, but he hated me for taking her attention from him. He felt he was a better mate for Carly than me and wanted to prove it. So, he challenged me to a fight for Carly's hand in marriage."
