Chapter 80

Dominic

“Yes.”

I had never been more scared in my life than when I was waiting for her reply.

“Of course, what do you mean, yes—“

My arms reached around her and as I stood I lifted her up off the ground. Staggering legs settled into a gentle sway, turning in a slow circle in the middle of the room. Her heart was beating hard against my chest, and I felt my body sync with hers.

I felt her reach out through our mental link, opening her subconscious like a flower blooming after rain. Her returning recharged me, and I felt the full scale of the void she left when she came back to fill it again.

“I missed you.”

“I missed you too, my love.”

Her response was followed by a long sigh, and she let herself slither out of my arms to put her feet back on the floor. She kept her hands on my forearms, holding them so my hands would stay on her waist. I had no plans to move them.

I bent down to plant a kiss on the top of her head, on her crown. She had taught me about the crown chakra, and I felt her lengthen her spine as if I was activating hers.

“Enlightenment,” I whispered into her hair.

She pulled her head back, a lightbulb going off.

“Wait a minute,” she said, accusing, “I didn’t even look in the box!”

We both laughed, and I handed her the little black box. Her meticulous doctor’s hands felt the outside, first, as if asking it to reveal its secrets to her. I held my breath, watching her eyes.

As she opened the small vessel, her eyes went wide, then closed, then opened halfway full of tears.

“Oh,” she said, her lip trembling.

I walked over to take the ring from it’s nesting place. A thin gold band, a small sapphire nestled into the gold and flush with the edges. A subtle sparkle that wouldn’t overpower or overwhelm the wearer. It was classy.

“It was my mother’s,” I told her, taking her hand. It always looked so small against my thick paw. “Well, one of hers. There is another— an heirloom, more austere—which you may also have, if you want it. She wore it for Pack events. This one though, was a gift from my father that better suited my mother.”

“It’s beautiful,” she said as I slid the ring into place on her fourth finger.

“I apologize I didn’t give it sooner,” I said, pressing my lips gently to her hand. “In spite of the unusual circumstances that brought us together, I think we deserve a little romance before our wedding.”

I changed my grip on her hand, bringing my other around her low back. Starting with a gentle swaying, I held her close as we danced in the middle of the room.

“Okay, that was smooth,” she said looking up at me.

I smiled, boastful. “I know, I can be quite suave, debonair even—“

She snorted out a laugh, then let her head fall onto my chest.

We moved together in the candlelight, the only sound in the room was the shuffling of our feet.

But our conversation continued, just between us, until all the candles burned out.

Mira

You never think you’re a girl who loves jewelry, until you’re in love. It might not be a proven scientific fact, but it was true.

I lay in bed the next morning, cherishing the quiet, holding my hand up over my face. The early sunlight bounced off the rounded gold surface, an occasional flash of blue when it struck the small stone. I was like a cat with a laser pointer, chasing the ring’s reflections on the ceiling.

Dominic lay on his side, his eyes amused but staying quiet as he watched me. His hand rested next to my shoulder, one finger tracing small circles on my skin. I wasn’t sure he even knew he was doing it, but I didn’t want him to stop.

Today was the day we’d all been waiting for, and I wasn’t quite ready to get up and face it. These were the last few moments I would see Dominic before our Mate Ceremony tonight, and while I respected the customs I also dreaded not having his presence to keep me calm.

I was glad we went against some superstitions and decided not to sleep separately the night before, especially given the past few days. I needed to feel the heat of him next to me, even if it was becoming torturous to be too close to each other.

Knowing the wait would soon be over, I was able to keep myself in control as we found ourselves getting ready for bed. But then just watching him brush his teeth was somehow arousing. He’d read my mind, or seen my eyes raking over his bare chest in the mirror.

“Can I help you?”

I caught his eyes in the mirror, and turned red. He had a cheeky grin on his face, and I swear was purposefully flexing as he held up his toothbrush.

“No, not really.”

I shrugged my shoulders like I didn’t care and finished washing up.

When he came to bed, I could smell his desire before I felt it in his touch. He moved over until he was up next to me where I lay on my back, tentatively draping his arm across my stomach. Just above my belly button, a no man’s land of physical touch that doesn’t imply or ask for too much. I softened under his touch, my skin tingling as I took a deep breath in and out to steady myself.

He smiled, eyes half-closed, and if he knew exactly what I was trying to suppress. As if in response and as a mean prank, his legs rubbed up against me and I almost screamed. Instead I just whipped my head over to look at him, and now his eyes were open and intent on me. I felt like my lower half was melting as he leaned over to kiss me, his mouth soft and open, his tongue sliding just past my lips for a brief taste of me. I exhaled loudly as he pulled away, about to give in to temptation when he suddenly pulled away from me. He rolled over to face the other way, snickering to himself.

“Goodnight, Mira,” he said, and it was over.

Shocked, I gave him a gentle swat on the back, then slept.

Now, the next morning, I could see in his eyes he was still thinking about last night and how different things would be tonight. The anticipation to get through this day was immense, but at least we had something sweet to look forward to if we made it through to the end.

First, the Luna trials.

I got myself up and showered, taking extra time to stretch and meditate before getting prepared to go.

As we were finishing breakfast, deliveries had started arriving with household staff. Flowers, small gifts, best wishes being sent for our big day. It was touching and also anxiety-inducing— there were so many people counting on me, so many people I could disappoint.

Wyatt arrived as I was packing my things to go, with a single red rose ornately wrapped.

“This one came through the security office, for some reason,” he said, explaining his task. “Way too much going on in the house today.”

“Thanks,” I said, “I’m glad it meant I got to see you before it all kicks off.”

“You’ve got this,” he said, squeezing my arm. “It’s your Fate, isn’t it?”

He gave a friendly salute to Dominic as he left the room.

I held the rose in my hands, pulling out a small envelope that was tucked inside the wrapping. It had my name on it in fancy script, and inside were two pieces of paper. The first was a card with two sentences written on it.

“Who’s it from?” Dominic asked.

My face went pale as I read the message.

“Best of luck on your big day, Doctor. My offer stands.”

The other was a photograph, and it was taken at the Rogue medical facility. Two people stood in an observation room: one was the mysterious man in the glasses, and the other was me.