Page 43 of Claws for Celebration (Hollow Oak Mates #3)

LUCIEN

T hree weeks had passed since Moira's awakening, and Lucien found himself marveling at how quickly their life had settled into a rhythm that felt both natural and extraordinary.

Mornings began with coffee shared over plans for the bookstore's expansion, afternoons were spent helping Moira establish her Guardian Witch responsibilities, and evenings belonged to just the two of them, curled together in their apartment above the shop while she practiced controlled magic and he caught up on Council reports.

It was perfect. It was everything he'd never dared to hope for.

And it was time to make it permanent.

The ring had been his grandmother's, a family heirloom passed down through generations of panther shifters who understood the sacred nature of true mating bonds.

The center stone was a deep green emerald surrounded by smaller diamonds that caught the light like captured starfire, set in silver that had been blessed by mountain spirits long before his family had immigrated to Appalachian territory.

"You're nervous," Moira observed from her position behind the bookstore counter, where she was cataloging new arrivals with the methodical precision that had made her such an excellent researcher. "I can feel it. What's got you all wound up?"

Lucien looked up from the inventory sheets he'd been pretending to review, noting how the afternoon light caught the auburn highlights in her mahogany hair and the way her wire-rimmed glasses had slipped down her nose in the endearing manner that always made him want to kiss her senseless.

"Can't a man appreciate the view without being accused of having ulterior motives?" he asked, though his attempt at casual deflection was undermined by the way his heart hammered against his ribs.

"Not when that man is practically broadcasting anxiety through a mate bond," she replied with the kind of fond exasperation that had become one of his favorite sounds in the world. "Seriously, Lucien. What's wrong?"

This wasn't how he'd planned to do this. He'd imagined waiting until evening, maybe taking her for a walk through the garden where they'd first acknowledged their connection. Something romantic and memorable that would make for a good story to tell their children someday.

But looking at her now, surrounded by the books that had brought them together in the first place, her brown eyes warm with concern for his wellbeing, Lucien realized there would never be a more perfect moment.

"Nothing's wrong," he said, moving around the counter to where she stood. "Everything's exactly right. That's actually what I wanted to talk to you about."

"Oh?" She set down her pen and turned to face him fully, her scholarly instincts clearly engaged by whatever she was seeing in his expression.

"Moira," he began, then stopped, running his hands through his hair as he tried to remember the speech he'd been practicing for days.

"We've been through hell together. Literally, in some cases.

We've faced down ancient evil, survived magical exhaustion that should have killed you, and somehow managed to build something beautiful in the middle of all that chaos. "

"We have," she agreed, though her voice carried a note of wariness that suggested she suspected where this conversation was heading.

"And I love you," he continued, his voice growing stronger as the words he'd been holding back for weeks finally found their way into the open.

"Not just because of the mate bond, though that's part of it.

I love your curiosity, your courage, the way you make terrible jokes when you're nervous.

I love how you've embraced this community, how you've made yourself essential to people who barely knew you existed a few months ago. "

"Lucien," she said softly, her eyes beginning to shimmer with tears.

"I love that you chose to save the world even when it meant risking everything you'd found here," he said, pulling the ring box from his pocket with hands that only trembled slightly.

"And I love that you chose to come back to me when it would have been easier to drift away into whatever peace was waiting on the other side. "

He dropped to one knee right there in the middle of the bookstore, among the shelves that had witnessed every stage of their relationship, holding up the ring that represented centuries of his family's commitment to true partnership.

"Moira Celeste Marsh, will you marry me?"

The silence lasted exactly three seconds, but it felt like an eternity. Then Moira was laughing and crying simultaneously, her hands covering her mouth as if she couldn't quite believe what was happening.

"Yes," she said, the word coming out muffled by her fingers. "Yes, of course. Did you really think there was any chance I'd say no?"

Relief flooded through him so powerfully that his hands shook as he slipped the ring onto her finger. It fit perfectly, the emerald catching the afternoon light and throwing green fire across the bookstore's warm interior.

"Actually," he said, rising to gather her into his arms, "there's more."

"More?" she asked, holding her hand up to admire the ring with the kind of wonder that made his panther more than proud.

"In shifter culture, there are different levels of commitment," he explained, settling his hands on her waist while she processed this information. "A human marriage ceremony would be legally binding and socially recognized, but it wouldn't create any additional magical connections between us."

"And the alternative?"

"A full supernatural mating ceremony," he said, watching her face carefully for any signs of hesitation.

"It would bind us not just emotionally and legally, but magically as well, more so than we already are.

Our life forces would be intertwined permanently.

Shared magical abilities, extended lifespans, the kind of connection that transcends physical death. "

"That sounds..." she began, then paused, clearly working through the implications with her usual analytical thoroughness. "Intense. And permanent in ways that go beyond normal marriage vows."

"Completely permanent," he confirmed. "Which is why I want you to have time to think about it. No pressure, no expectations. Whatever level of commitment feels right to you is what we'll do."

But even as he said the words, his panther was pacing anxiously beneath his skin, desperate for the kind of claiming that would make their bond unbreakable by any force in any realm.

"I don't need time to think, I want the supernatural ceremony. I want everything with you, Lucien. All of it."

The kiss that followed was hungry and desperate and full of promises that went deeper than words could express. Lucien felt like the luckiest man in any realm.

"So," Moira said, her cheeks flushed and her glasses slightly askew, "what exactly does a supernatural mating ceremony involve?"

"Traditionally, it takes place under the full moon with the entire community as witnesses," he explained, already imagining how beautiful she would look in ceremonial robes beneath the silver light.

"There are vows that bind us magically as well as emotionally, a physical claiming that marks you as mine permanently, but we already have done that part,” he added with a smug gesture toward her hip.

“And a celebration that usually lasts until dawn. "

"I love it," she said without hesitation. "All of it. When can we do the ceremony?"

"The next full moon is in two weeks," he said, his panther practically vibrating with satisfaction at her eager acceptance. "That gives us time to plan everything properly."

Before he could elaborate on the ceremonial requirements, the front door chimed to admit Twyla carrying what appeared to be an entire bakery's worth of celebration pastries.

"I felt the emotional surge from three blocks away," Twyla announced cheerfully, setting down her laden tray with obvious delight. "Someone's gotten engaged, unless I miss my guess."

Moira held up her hand to display the ring with unmistakable pride and surprise.

"Honey, when two people with a mate bond as strong as yours experience that level of joy simultaneously, it creates magical ripples that every supernatural being in town can feel," Twyla explained, already pouring tea from a thermos that hadn't been there moments before.

"Plus, Lucien's been carrying around nervous energy for days like a man with a ring burning a hole in his pocket. "

"Were we that obvious?" Lucien asked, settling beside Moira with his arm around her waist in a gesture that felt more natural than breathing.

"Only to people who've been watching you two make moon eyes at each other since the day you met," Twyla replied with fond exasperation. "Speaking of which, what kind of ceremony are we planning? Human traditional, or are we going full supernatural spectacular?"

"Full supernatural," Moira said before Lucien could answer, excitement echoing that made his chest swell with pride. "Apparently I'm getting magically bonded under the full moon with the entire town as witnesses."

"Oh, this is going to be wonderful," Twyla said, clapping her hands together with obvious delight. "I haven't planned a proper mating ceremony in decades. The whole town's going to be beside themselves with excitement."

"After everything this town has been through, don't they deserve a celebration that gives them something beautiful to focus on?"

Looking at the woman who'd become his entire world, at the bookstore that had brought them together and would serve as the foundation for whatever came next, Lucien realized she was absolutely right.

They all deserved something beautiful.

And he was going to make sure their mating ceremony was the most beautiful thing Hollow Oak had ever seen.