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Beth gasped at the glow, her eyes widening. “Ruugar…?”

I pressed her hands between mine, stroking the soft skin of her wrists. The golden mark shimmered, pulsing faintly in time with her heartbeat. With mine.

Her voice shook. “What is this?”

I willed myself to keep breathing. To speak. “It’s a mating mark. An orc’s vow. A claiming. It only appears when we’ve found our fated mate and completed the ritual to show the world we belong together.”

Her lips parted, her inhale breaking the silence. Eyessparkling, she studied the glowing circle, tracing it with her fingertip. “You knew. I saw this same mark on your wrist days ago. I thought it was a tattoo.”

Guilt twisted through my belly. “I—” My throat closed off. “Yes, I knew.”

Beth’s fingers tightened around mine. She wasn't pulling away. She wasn't rejecting me.

I fought to keep my voice steady. “I felt it the moment I met you, months ago when you came here to tour Lonesome Creek before your wedding. I couldn't say anything. You were with a man I thought you loved. You seemed sad, but I decided that was because you didn't like the location or the plans your intended was making. I never thought you didn't want to be with him.”

“You didn't say anything.”

“WhatcouldI say? Long ago, I thought of mating with another female. We weren't fated, but I liked her. I told her so, but she was already with another orc. That made me feel bad, and I vowed that I'd never try to step between two people who wanted to be together. That's how I saw you and your Bradley.”

She huffed. “He never was and never will bemyBradley.”

“I'm sorry. You're right. But do you see why I didn't say anything back then?”

“And at the wedding?”

“I was there, hiding in the back. I wasn't going to interfere. I never would. But I wanted…” My heart pinched tight. “I wanted to see you one last time.”

“Oh, Ruugar.”

“I left and that's when I saw you climbing out the window. You were so beautiful in the dress. And even lovelier when I realized you were running away.”

Her laugh snorted out. “I hated that dress. Those shoes.”

“You're beautiful wearing anything—and wearing nothing. You're perfect in every way. You've had the best life possible. Fancy clothing. Nice things. You've never had to worry about anything. Cooking? You probably didn't have to do that. So you see, I held back. I wouldn’t,couldn’t,force you into anything that wasn’t what you’d had before, what was better.” Shaking my head slowly, I stared into her eyes. “I needed you to love me on your own. To chooseme, not because of a mark, but because you want me and nobody else.”

Her entire body trembled, her breathing coming faster. “You silly male,” she whispered.

My heart stopped beating.

She threw herself at me. Her arms wound around my neck, her weight pressing against my chest as she nearly knocked me backward into the grass. I caught her, my hands finding her waist, steadying her.

Beth buried her face in my neck, her breath warming my skin. “Can't you see? I do choose you. I love you. I love you so much it scares me.”

I crushed her against my body while her fingers twisted my vest. My heart pounded, my entire body thrumming with the force of the truth between us.

She loved me.She loved me.

I buried my face in her hair, inhaling the scent of her, the feel of her.

Her nails dug into my back. “Say something, Ruugar.”

I pulled away enough to tilt her chin up. And when our gazes met, I let the words pour free. “You are my mate. My heart. My world.” I slid my fingers into her hair, cradling her head. “Say you’ll stay. Say you’ll be mine, always.”

Tears shimmered in her eyes, catching the starlight. “Always.”

Then she kissed me. Soft. Sweet. Shattering.

I groaned against her mouth, lost in the sheer rightness of it. Her hands glided up my chest and over my shoulders as she deepened the kiss.