“You need to get dressed and come with me. Right now.” He grabbed my hand and pulled me upstairs.
“Eli, what’s going on?” I tried to ask as he threw clothes at me. I put on the simple blue dress he gave me.
He grabbed my hand again and dragged me outside. We stalked through the woods, his hand gripping mine. I stumbled over my feet; even being a werewolf didn’t help my coordination. I realized we were heading towards the packhouse as it came into view.
We were almost the back of the house when Sloane came out and grabbed me from Eli’s hands.
“Sloane, what is going on?” I asked desperately. She smiled calmly and fixed my hair.
“Come on, dear,” she said kindly.
The pack was gathered at the back of the house, many of them standing in the woods behind the clearing due to the size of the pack. Theo stood on the small stage where I had first been introduced to the pack in a tailored black suit.
It would be an understatement to say I was confused as Sloane pushed me up onto the stage.
“Where the hell have you been?” I angrily whispered as I got closer. He just kept smiling at me. When I was close enough, he stepped forward and took my clammy hands in his.
“Margo,” he said mischievously. “I’m sorry that I’ve been gone the last few days, but I had to get a few things in order, and I think what I’m about to say will make up for it.”
I waited, leaning back slightly in apprehension. Theo laughed nervously.
“My whole life leading up to the day I met you was black and white. When I was little, there was nothing I wanted more than to meet my mate, and as I got older, my hope started growing smaller every day. The day I met you was one of the greatest days of my entire life. You took my black and white world, and you lit it up like a firework.
“I have enjoyed every moment since that day. Every time you laugh, my world turns bright green. When you smile, it turns yellow. When you cry, it turns blue, and when you kiss me, it turns bright red, kind of like your cheeks right now.” His thumb lifted to my cheek and touched the blushing flesh.
“I’m sorry that I’ve been gone the past few days, especially after everything that has happened. I visited Caddy’s pack,” he said to my surprise. “I know that he’s the closest thing to family that you have and if I’m going to do this, I wanted to do it right. I know this is an old human tradition and it probably hasn’t been done in over fifty years. I know that sometimes you want to hit me and pull out my hair because I annoy you so much. I know that every day isn’t going to be perfect, but I do know I don’t want to spend them with anyone but you.
“So.” He let go of my hands and knelt on one knee and pulled out a small black box. The ring that was nestled inside was a thin gold band with one small, diamond-shaped gem on the band. “Margo Celina Anderson, will you do me the greatest honor of my existence and marry me?”
His eyes were nervous. My eyes had filled with tears long before he asked me the question.
I started nodding, then realized that it wasn’t romantic and said, “yes,” over and over. His smile sent chills down my spine as he got off his knee and slid the ring onto my left hand.
As he kissed me, the pack burst into cheers of happiness. I was sure my entire face was blushing red as we parted.
“Caddy gave me his blessing. He said this was your mother’s ring, the pack kept it. It was buried in an old safe, it took us two days to find it.”
Warmth spread through me as I touched the small diamond. I had never been happier than that moment.
Sloane walked up on the stage with us, holding a small screen in her hand. She hugged us tightly and kissed my cheek before she gave Theo the device. He clicked it on and showed me the videos.
“These are from packs across the country. They gathered to celebrate our engagement,” Theo said softly, clicking through the different packs. I noticed Caddy’s pack, Duncan’s, Joella and Felix’s, and many others. They were kneeling, the same way they had knelt down before the fight.
I glanced over at our pack, kneeling, arms clasped over their chest, heads down. I didn’t know what I had done to deserve the love of so many people.
I turned back to Theo, who had set the screen down. He had knelt at my feet, arm over his chest, head bent for just a moment.
He lifted his head and smiled at me. I could have flown at the moment.
“You are my queen, little one. I will follow you anywhere,” he swore.
Lilacs
“He’s perfect,” I said in awe.
Joella smiled and held her newborn son closer to her face. “He is pretty gorgeous, huh?”
“It seems like just yesterday he was just a little bump in your belly,” I said wistfully. Only two and a half months later, Rowan came into the world, pink and wrinkled. He had grown into his body more over the past two weeks or so and was curled, sleeping in his mother’s arms.
He was covered in a small white onesie with a black long sleeve sweater on top, like a small suit.
“I can’t believe you came all the way here, I would have understood, Jo,” I told her, playing with Rowan’s tiny hand.
“And miss this? No way in hell.” She laughed. “Gosh, I’ve got to stop swearing, or his first word is going to be damn.”
“Margo,” Verona called sweetly, peeking in the bedroom door. “It’s almost time. I have your bouquet.”
“Thanks, V,” I told her,
