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He pulls another blanket from our pack and wraps it around my shoulders. “Are you warm enough?”

“Yes.” My heart melts at the extra bit of care he gives me. I lift one edge of the fabric in invitation. “We can share if you like.”

He hesitates a beat before joining me in my cocoon.

I nestle against him, enjoying the warmth of his body seeping deliciously into mine. As we sit before the fire, I think of my conversation with Aurora. She said I belong to no one but myself and that who I love ismychoice.

I’ve tried to keep my Fox Prince at arm’s length, scared of what my past might reveal, afraid it might take me from him. But I cannot ignore my heart. And I refuse to let a past that I don’t remember dictate my future.

“Ren?”

He turns toward me, eyes warm and attentive. “Yes?”

Nervous flutters begin in my stomach. “I wanted to talk to you about what happened in the garden the other night.”

“Of course,” he says. His face is set in a neutral mask, but it’s easy to see the sadness and uncertainty behind his eyes. He looks down at his hands. “I should apologize. I told you I wouldn’t press you for anything, and I shouldn’t have kissed you, but I—”

I place a gentle hand on his chest, stopping him abruptly, my fingers trembling as I embrace the truth that my heart has known all along. I love Ren, and I’m not going to pretend otherwise. Not anymore. “I’ve changed my mind.”

Ren freezes, his eyes widening as if he cannot quite believe his ears. “You... you have?”

Heart pounding, I lift my hand and lightly brush the tips of my fingers over his cheek, tracing the proud line of his jaw. His gaze holds mine, something akin to hope flickering across his expression.

“I tried so hard to keep you at arm’s length because I was afraid of what my past might hold, but the truth is… you’ve already found your way into my heart, Ren. And I don’t think Ican let you go.” Tears sting my eyes as I cup his cheek. “Nor do I want to.”

Placing his hand over mine, he leans into my touch. “From the moment we met, all I’ve wanted was to prove myself, to be worthy of you, my amira. To show you that I could be the mate you deserve.” He presses a tender kiss to my palm. “If you choose me, I swear, I will spend the rest of my life worshipping you.” His eyes search mine earnestly. “But please know, I will never rush you. I will wait however long you need to decide if—”

“I’m not going to let the past dictate my future,” I state firmly. “No matter what we discover, I want to be with you. Ichoose you, Ren.”

A strange mixture of disbelief and longing flits across his features. “Say it again,” he murmurs, his intense gaze holding mine.

A smile crests my lips. “I choose you, Ren.”

His amber eyes darken, studying my face like he’s memorizing every detail. As if I’m the most precious thing in the world to him.

Slowly, he leans in and the brush of his lips against mine is featherlight, a question more than a claim. He’s giving me the chance to pull away, but I don’t.

I couldn’t if I wanted to.

My breath hitches as he presses closer, his lips soft and coaxing. The warmth of his body seeping into me, setting my entire body aflame.

His fingers skim up my arm, slow and reverent, before settling at my waist. My body hums in awareness of his as he pulls me toward him and deepens our kiss.

I sigh against his mouth, my hands finding his shoulders, sliding up to tangle in his thick, silken hair. He groans as I massage the tips of his sensitive fox ears, and our kiss shifts fromsoft and searching to something more—something urgent and desperate.

With a low growl, he rolls me beneath him. I part my thighs and he settles between them, the hard length of his stav pressing insistently against the entrance to my core.

“Say it again,” he murmurs into my mouth, tightening his arms around me, holding me as if he never wants to let me go. “Tell me you’re mine, Rapunzel.”

“I’m yours,” I whisper.

He crushes his lips to my own in a searing kiss. Nothing exists outside of this moment. Of the delicious weight of his powerful form over mine, pinning me beneath him. He cups my left breast and sparks dance beneath my skin as he brushes his thumb over the already stiff peak.

“Ren,” I breathe, arching up into him. “Please.”

I’m not even sure what I’m asking for. I only know that I don’t want this to end.

Reaching up, I trace my fingers over the sharp point of one ear. He growls and rips his mouth from mine, panting heavily. His eyes burn with fire and hunger as I gaze up at him, my heart racing so wildly I’m sure he can hear it.