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“You’re right,” he growled, pulling her in close by the waist so she could feel his swollen cock against her. “But later, you’re going to be my meal.”
She giggled against him, her body going rigid, then soft as she gave in only a little. Hudson picked up on the rate of her heart and the way her voice lowered and became breathy.
But it had to be done. They both knew it. They had the rest of their lives to have spontaneous sex.
Nora pushed him away lightly, two hands against his chest, and he let her go reluctantly. Her face had flushed prettily, and a grin was glued onto her lips.
“I wouldn’t want it any other way,” she mused.
After somehow managing to keep their hands off one another for the time being, Nora woke Hannah and made her breakfast. They were set to meet the elders at noon in their den, leaving Hannah briefly with one of the physical therapists she trusted most.
Hannah said goodbye to them both enthusiastically. It was clear she was just as excited about the prospect of them all becoming a family as Hudson and Nora were. He desperately did not want to let her down.
They took a scenic route through the forest just outside Hudson’s home property, the sun beginning to filter through the trees with a hopeful gleam. They stopped just outside an outcrop parked next to the trail, then followed along it, hand in hand, deeper into the mouth of the forest.
“You don’t have to do this,” Hudson said as they approached the gates of the den.
They stopped under a canopy of trees, the light making Nora’s ocean eyes even more staggeringly vivid. She scowled at him, taking both hands in hers. She kissed them, then spoke against his knuckles.
“It's way too late for any of that talk," she muttered, staring at him wide-eyed and unblinking. “I have dedicated myself to you and Hannah. I am not going anywhere. That is unless you want me to."
Hudson scowled then. He pulled her in, crushing her lips with his own. He felt her breath being stolen from her, sensing the movement of her very soul against his mouth.
When he stopped, she was grinning smugly. He nibbled on her neck, then let her go.
“I want you here, and only here. Let’s get that straight.”
“Got it," she said, licking her lips.
They moved together, hand in hand, certain of one another but unsure about everything surrounding them. They approached the elders, who were all gathered on an elevated stage. Torches flickered around them as they sat upon their thrones carved from ancient wood into the shape of polar bears.
“Come now, good Hudson,” Enzo said. “We are glad you have finally made your decision and come to tell us what you have decided. We await it patiently.”
His heart rattled in his chest. He felt Nora's heartbeat, as well, through the fusion of their connection. They were both scared because of how much they cared. He had to make a stand for the two of them.
So Hudson placed a kiss upon Nora’s forehead, sending her reassuring energy, then turned to the elders. He moved closer to the stage, noting some looked at him with indifference, some with wisdom.
“Good Elders, I come today to present what I have chosen along with a subsequent request."
The crackling fire filled the silence. Elder Gabriel raised his hand, encouraging Hudson to go on.
“Proceed,” he said.
Hudson stood tall, confident about what he was going to say. He thought about his parents, lost to the wind when he was only a young boy. He thought about the troublesome kid who was only craving love, his aggression masking the pain of such a shocking loss. Then he thought of Hannah, a young girl who experienced a similar loss.
He and Nora had to be there for her. They were meant to be as if drawn in the cosmos.
His voice boomed with pride as he regarded the elders, filling the entirety of the forest like a sonic flux.
“I will accept your request to return as alpha for my clan, but I can and will only accept based upon the acceptance of a human as my mate. Those are my conditions. If you cannot accept her, then I cannot agree and will not be the alpha any longer."
The elders exchanged a look, one that was not of bewilderment but expectation. The silence throbbed through Hudson’s mind. The life he had known could all be lost with a single word.
But he would do it all for Nora and Hannah, again and again.
Gabriel rose to his feet, his usual blank stare faltering into a beaming grin. He clapped his hands together once, and then the rest of the elders rose, following his movements and clapping once together.
“We do not always support the mating of a shifter and a human. It isn’t discrimination, you see. Not every human is equipped to handle the life we live. But Nora has more than proven her capabilities and worthiness. She is a strong, brave woman. Shifter or not, she has shown her mettle to be the mate of our alpha. So it shall be done! Welcome to our clan, dear Nora, mate of Hudson."
