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“Hardly,” I said, rather impulsively. “You did choose me, after all.”
“I did, didn’t I? And then I went and stuffed it all up.”
I didn’t say anything. I couldn’t. Not because my mouth was full of bacon, but because my gut was churning and my throat restricted. I could barely even swallow, let alone speak.
“But,” he continued softly, “your trip to Canberra gave me plenty of time to experience just what my life would be like without you in it.”
“And?”
It came out fainter than a whisper, but it didn’t matter. He heard it. He would always hear it. Hear me.
“And I want you in my life. Not temporarily, but permanently.” He paused briefly, and all the emotion, all the passion, and all the love and hope I could ever want was right there in his aura and his expression. “Elizabeth Grace, will you marry me?”
ChapterThree
I stared at him for what seemed like ages, not daring to believe he’d finally said the words. Not daring to believe that he actuallymeantit.
“But your pack—”
“Will be a problem, there’s no doubt about it.” His voice was soft, but filled with determination. “But if I have to walk away from everything I ever wanted—everything I ever dreamed of—then I will. You are my heart, my soul, and my reason for being. Not seeing you every day hurt more than I could ever have imagined. I can’t live without you by my side anymore, Liz. I won’t.”
I reached out and twined my fingers through his. “What you can’t and won’t do is walk away from everything you’ve ever known. It’s not right, and it’s not fair.”
“There are many things in this world that aren’t fair.”
“I know, but you walking away from your pack is just as impossible as me walking away from magic. Either is unworkable in the long term.”
“Don’t get me wrong—I’ll do everything in my power to have a life with youasa part of my pack, even if that means stepping down as alpha and living in the compound as a regular wolf. But if they decide to ostracize me because of my choice of mate, then I’ll happily live within the reservation but outside the pack.” His sudden smile was lopsided but tender. “I don’t think I’ve ever been as happy as when we were together in Argyle. I want that—wantyou—for the rest of my life.”
“Oh, Aiden—”
I rose and moved around the table. He met me halfway, slid his hands around my waist, his fingers so warm against my bare skin, and drew me into his powerful body. Our lips met and for the longest time, the only sound to be heard was the sharp tattoo of our hearts beating as one in rapid time.
He was mine, now and forever. No matter what.
Eventually he pulled back, though his breath continued to caress my lips and his eyes sparkled with delight and happiness. “I do note that you haven’t actually answered my question yet.”
I laughed and hugged him fiercely. “Of course I’ll marry you, you idiot. But that doesn’t solve the problem of your pack and your mom. We need to talk about that, Aiden. I need to know what you’re planning—or at least hoping—to do.”
“Having such a discussion right on the heels of such a momentous moment is very unromantic, you know.” His voice was dry. “This obsessive need for detailsisone of your more annoying traits.”
“The furnishing of details will lead to a much smoother, happier marriage, I can assure you of that.”
He laughed. “Then I shall take note and endeavor to comply. Just be aware that oversharing is not an alpha tendency; allowances should be made for at least for the first few years.”
“ThenIshall take note and endeavor to be understanding.” I sat down with a grin and picked up my sandwich. “I guess my first question has to be, where’s my ring?”
He laughed again. “I figured it would be safer to go shopping together for one. I didn’t think you’d want anything as ostentatious as Belle’s, but you also wear so little in the way of jewelry that I had no idea what metal or style you might like.”
“Well, it’s safe to say silver is out.” Aside from the fact he couldn’t go near silver, I’d recently developed a werewolf-like sensitivity to it. While I could still handle both my athame and my plain-handled silver knife, I had no idea how much stronger the reaction would get. With all the other DNA changes happening, it was possible I could end up with a “touch it and die” condition as strong as any werewolf. “And I’m not keen on gold.”
“Shame, because there’s a ton of it in the compound. We could have dug a nugget or two up and gotten something specially made.”
I smiled. “And no doubt your mother would have then accused me of marrying you for your wealth.”
“That’s actually the one point she hasneverraised.”
“Give her time,” I said, amused. “Are we announcing this engagement far and wide or keeping it under wraps until the council confirms your position as alpha? Which, by the way, I thought was nothing more than a formality.”
