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“I know.” I scratched my fingernails over the dark stubble on his cheek. “You’ll keep me safe.” I feigned a sigh. “With your big muscles and your super hot body.”

He grinned and rolled on top of me, one thick thigh pressing between my legs. “It’s the worst, isn’t it?”

“Mmm. Terrible.”

“I guess you’ll just have to suffer through it, sweetheart. We’re fated to be together.”

I smiled up at him. “Good point. I mean, who am I to fight fate?”

EPILOGUE

HUGH

The moon hung heavy in the night sky, its silvery light spilling all over the forest floor. It was beautiful.

But it was nothing compared to the woman walking toward me.

Brooke was radiant in a loose white dress. The clingy style was perfect for her long body and mouthwatering curves. She’d woven orange blossoms in her hair, and the delicate white flowers peeked here and there among the golden waves.

She was breathtaking. A sun goddess who’d descended from on high to walk in the moonlight.

Pack members smiled and nudged each other as she made her way to me and took my hands. She offered me a soft smile. “Hi.”

“Hi.”

We stood there in the moonlight, and I couldn’t believe she was real—or that I’d ever considered rejecting her. Like that would have ever happened.

A warm, gentle breeze moved through the trees. Fireflies drifted around us. It was, in a word, magical. I wanted to seal this moment in a bottle so I could take it out and look at it whenever I wanted. So I could see Brooke just as she was now, her golden hair loose around her shoulders and her wolf turning her eyes a frosty blue.

Malcolm stepped forward, impressive in his kilt. He cleared his throat. “Um, no’ to be pushy, but I’ve got two hundred pounds of wings back at the house that need to be turned or we’re all eatin’ burnt chicken tonight.”

Brooke’s lips twitched.

“No problem, Malcolm,” I murmured. I squeezed Brooke’s hands. “You ready?”

She smiled, her freckles bunching up. “Yes.”

I turned to Dylan, who had a knife waiting for me. Our eyes met as he handed it over, and I saw determination in his gaze. He was leaving in the morning, heading for Tennessee, where he was going to reclaim his pack and find Wren. I knew he was probably thinking of her now, and I nodded as I accepted the knife. “Thank you, Alpha.”

Surprise flared in his brown eyes. “You’re welcome. And…thank you. For everything.”

“We’ll talk tomorrow.”

“You bet.” He smiled, his dimples showing. “Now claim your mate before Malcolm starts whining about his chicken wings again.”

Malcolm huffed and smoothed his beard. He muttered something that sounded suspiciously like “should have let you bleed out.”

I was grinning as I turned to Brooke, but I sobered as I held the knife above her palm. “I don’t want to hurt you.”

“I’m a werewolf. I’ll heal.” Her eyes softened. “And I’d put up with a lot more than a little scratch if it meant spending the rest of my life with you.”

My breath caught. Before I could lose my nerve, I quickly sliced her palm. Then I did the same to mine and clasped our hands together. Gaze locked with hers, I lifted our joined hands. The whole pack watched as our blood mingled and ran down our arms.

“Gross,” Brooke whispered. Someone—Dylan from the sounds of it—snorted. A couple people giggled, and then we were all laughing as Brooke and I looked into each other’s eyes.

I was prepared for the rush of heat, but it still made me gasp as it flashed through me. Brooke felt it a second later, because she jumped and squeezed my hand.

Her eyes lightened even more, her irises like crystals. “Was that—?”

“Yeah,” I said, reveling in the heat—and her. “We’re bonded, sweetheart. That was a little bit of magic.”

She pressed against me and tipped her head back, her eyes shimmering with love. “Show me more, Alpha.” She raised onto her tiptoes and pressed her lips to mine. “I’ve got all the time in the world.”

* * *