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And as the cameras continue to flash and the reporters shout out their inquiries, I know that I will never back down.
Epilogue
Nate
Wecametogether--literally--underthestrangest of circumstances...and somehow, we made it work.
It's been a year since Sloane walked into my life, and it feels like things have been getting better ever since that first, horrible week. I worried that our lives together would be all fear and threats...but her power has only grown.
Her return to the Solstice Bay senate was amazing to watch. Her first day back--just a fewdaysafter someone tried to kill her--she was met with a round of applause from her colleagues in the senate. Her first act after coming back was to introduce legislation that would prosecute any alphas who tried to transgress on omega liberty again.
She's incredible.
I'm so lucky to have her.
And now...we're going to make it official.
Before the Great Mutation, men used to propose to women they wanted to marry. Now, we have packs--and me, Milo, and Arjun intend on sharing her for the rest of our lives, because she's too insatiable for just one--so we have to come up with a different solution. The velvet box is in my pocket, and I can feel the weight of the ring pressing into my thigh, but I'm not nervous. I know that Sloane will say yes. She's always said yes to me, even when she probably should have said no.
The three of us have been planning this for weeks. Sloane is the glue that holds us all together, and we want to make sure she knows how much we love and appreciate her.
We're going to propose to her as a pack, in front of everyone at the Solstice Bay festival--our celebration of the day we defeated the ACB. We'll each give her a ring, three different stones designed to stack on top of each other, and then we'll ask her to be our mate for life.
I can't wait to see the look on her face when she realizes what we're doing. I know she'll be surprised--we've been very good at keeping this a secret--but I also know she'll be thrilled.
And of course, we got everything approved with the three most important women in Sloane's life: her mom, her sister, and...her publicist.
It was actually Van's idea to propose here at the festival--as a symbol of how we can move forward as a society, adjusting to what we are.
As I make my way through the crowds of the festival, I can feel the excitement building inside me. The air is buzzing with energy and anticipation, and I can't help but smile at the thought of what's to come.
Sloane is waiting at the center of the festival, surrounded by her family and Arjun and Milo and a few other secret service agents. She's never without them these days--and I know she hates it, but I'm glad she's always safe.
The crowd parts like water, and then she'sthere.
Absolutely stunning in a pink dress, her chestnut hair down in long waves around her shoulders.
I take Sloane's hand in mine, feeling her warmth and softness against my skin, and give it a gentle squeeze. She looks up at me, and her eyes sparkle with happiness. God, she's beautiful. I can hardly believe she's mine.
"Hey," she says, standing on her toes to kiss me softly. "You look...well, you look nervous. Everything okay?"
"Everything's perfect," I say. I glance up at Milo and Arjun, who are coming up behind her. Arjun slides an arm around her waist and nuzzles her cheek, and Milo slides his hand into the one I'm not holding. "You ready?"
She nods, not having any idea what we have planned. The time has come when we'll set lanterns in the sea for all the people we lost during the Control War...and we're going to propose to her then.
"Let's go," she says with a smile.
We take off as a group, Secret Service following her and keeping the press away. The cameras snap regardless, anxious to get a shot of Sloane Ashford. She's got some buzz around her to run for governor, and we all know she'll make an incredible leader. But right now, we have something more important to focus on.
As the sun begins to set, we make our way down to the beach. The water is calm and serene, the perfect backdrop for what we have planned. We light the lanterns, sending them off into the water to honor those who lost their lives during the Control War. It's a somber moment, but the quiet allows us to feel closer to each other.
As the last lantern goes out to sea, I turn to Sloane, feeling my heart beating wildly in my chest. My voice is shaky, but I manage to get the words out.
"Sloane, we wanted to do something special for you today. Something that shows you how much we love you and how much you mean to us...an extra promise to protect you for the rest of our lives. We've been planning this for weeks, and we hope you'll say yes."
I pull out the velvet box from my pocket, opening it to reveal the three rings--labradorite for me, rose quartz for Arjun, and a dark black onyx from Milo. They complement each other beautifully, a shared motif of leaves winding around the three rings to make it look like they're connected.
Sloane's eyes widen as she takes in the sight of the three rings, and then she turns to us with a look of disbelief. "You're...you're proposing to me? All three of you?"
