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“Babe?” she called out. “Where’d you go?”
Becca felt a wave of concern when he didn't respond. She rose cautiously, then crept down the hallway of his home, which was expansive. Her heart galloped in her chest when she called him again, and only eerie silence responded once more.
“Don’t scare me, Noah!” she called out. “What the hell are you up to?”
Noah had been living in the same home ever since they had met. There were only minor changes to it since they’d been apart, mostly incorporated by the previous owners. She knew it as well as she knew her own childhood home, but she still felt like it wasn’t hers completely.
She snuck down the long hallway, not hearing his heavy feet or any indication of where he may have gone. His scent was dispersed all throughout the home, so there wasn’t any way she could apply the tactic of following him that way. She assumed he was playing some weird, elaborate alpha prank on her.
But when she arrived at his bedroom doorand pushed it open, all of her fears were vanquished.
Noah was sitting on his bed with all of the lights turned off. She could see his hulking silhouette outlined by the spill of the pale moon that slipped through the window behind him. A bowl of ice cream with a lit candle stuck in the center was on the bed next to him.
Becca knew what was happening. Her hands slowly rose to her face as Noah opened his closed hands.
A ring crafted by the hands of his ancestors and handed down from generation to generation glistened in his palm. Becca felt like her heart was going to cave in her chest.
“There is one question I have been meaning to ask you,” Noah said, his eyes glassy and sweet. “I was wondering if you wanted to officially be my wife if that’s something that would suit you.”
Becca began to chuckle madly, which quickly descended into jubilant tears. Noah got to his feet with the ring in one hand and the bowl of ice cream in the other. The wax from the candle was dripping down into the vanilla flavor, staining it a merry shade of neon blue and pink.
“Oh, Noah, you know the answer,” she sobbed. “You have known the answer for so long.”
Noah easily placed the bowl of ice cream into Becca’s hand, and she giggled. He then took her left hand, which trembled and slid the boldly orchid and sage-shaded jewelry onto her ring finger.
“I am going to take that as a yes,” he whispered.
Becca dropped the bowl of ice cream. It crashed onto the carpeted floor, too fast for even his shifter reflexes, and spilled into a sloppy mess, but neither cared. She pulled Noah into her and kissed him with the fervor of an exploding star.
A few days later, Becca and Noah were wed in a cozy ceremony that included both their original clan mates and their new ones. It was an understated, tranquil affair, taking place by a babbling brook only a few minutes from the new village.
Noah sported the colors of the clan, which reflected the intricacies and hues of the ring his wife-to-be wore. She rushed to a bridal shop and purchased a vintage dress, a riveting cream color, exposing her shoulders with delicate lace and swathing her curvy body in a mermaid-style flow.
Becca had never dreamed that she would get married in the first place. It was only when she met Noah that the idea had been seeded in her mind. Then when he left, it had dissolved completely.
Her soul soared as the light of day drifted into a comfortable, serene night. The leaves that surrounded the archway in which they made their vows were burnt orange, tied together with various plants native to the area … sunny sunflowers, fine orchids, and whimsical ferns.
She said what was in her heart, and Noah said what was in his. Their guests were plentiful, with Lev and his wife providing the catering and entertainment. Everyone was on their best behavior despite the open bar and the warm autumn evening, a harvest moon cresting over the final dance as a witness of their love.
Neither Becca nor Noah wanted to go on a honeymoon. They weren't filthy rich, nor were they particularly materialistic. They settled for a few days up at the lake house, where they mostly lounged, made plans for the future, and studied the ins and outs of each other's bodies until neither could remember their identities.
Driven by fervid motivation, Becca got back on track for the construction of the community center and huts immediately. Noah did as well, but his presence was required in a leadership capacity in various parts of the village before any of that could occur. He met up with architects and builders, along with Lev, who agreed to give them a loan.
So Becca spent time in their new home … which turned out to be the lake house … decorating, organizing, and making it their own.
“This place belongs to the both of you,” Lev had said to them on the night of their union. “I never go up there very often anyway. Consider it a wedding gift.”
The lake house was fused with so many memories that Becca considered sacred. She knew that she and Noah were only going to make more as they made children with their love, changing their little corner of the world one day at a time.
The day after meeting with the architects and construction crew, Noah came home later than usual. Becca missed him dearly despite having been sown at the hip since his return a few weeks before.
Missing him was a dull ache that she never wanted to be rid of. She decided to make the dinner they had never really finished on the second night of their visit. The one that had been forgotten with a whirlwind of magical touches on the kitchen counter.
She bit her lip, fantasizing about it, as she seared the steaks and cut up the carrots for the salad. She set up a romantic candlelight dinner on the porch, looking over the serene waters that beckoned their sparkling future.
He arrived home just after nine. The sun had descended almost below the horizon, painting the waters a magnificent peachy red.
“Honey, I’m home,” he exclaimed from the door.
