“Jules!” Isabelle had burst through the door and now dashed toward her sister. “Oh, my God, Jules,” she cried. “Duncan told me what happened, are you all right?” She hugged Julianna. “I thought—”
“Oh, for crying out loud,” Julianna mumbled. “I’m fine. I’m a Lycan, remember? I may not have True Mate healing powers, but I’ll be fine in a couple of days.”
“The fireball burned a chuck of flesh off her left arm,” Duncan said through gritted teeth. “She fainted from the pain.”
“And they patched me up, but this thing”—she nodded at the bandage on her arm—“itches like the dickens. And don’t even get me started on what generating new skin feels like.”
“Thanks for watching over Kier,” Duncan said to Isabelle, mentioning their infant son.
“Oh, no worries, he’s fine. Whenever he cries, I just give him some food and he’s good to go.” She chuckled. “No wonder he’s so chubby.”
“He’s not chubby,” Duncan said indignantly. “He’s—”
“Husky,” Julianna and Isabelle quipped at the same, then they both burst out into giggles. “Anyway,” Isabelle continued. “He and Evan are with Sofia now since I wanted to come see you. Oh, hey, Sabrina! Cross!” She greeted when she realized they were there. “Are you guys okay? Were you injured too?”
“No, we’re good,” Sabrina said. “But my dad was here, and we’re taking him home.”
“Oh?” She walked closer toward them. Her gaze dropped down to Ransom. “Is that your—” She stopped short, the smile from her face evaporated as she went visibly pale.
“Isabelle?” Sabrina cocked her head to the side. “Are you all right?”
Seemingly jolted out of her trance, she started. “I’m … fine!” she said nervously, her hands waving in the air. “I just remembered something I have to—”
Ransom began to stir, his fingers twitching at his sides. His mouth opened, and he let out a low moan. “No …”
If it were possible, Isabelle went even paler. “I should go see to Evan.” Turning on her heel, she sprinted out of the ward.
“What’s the matter with her?” Julianna asked. “She didn’t even say goodbye.”
Duncan shrugged. “Who knows? Maybe she ate something bad.”
Cross looked down at Sabrina. Her face was scrunched up and eyes narrowed, as if she were concentrating. “What’s wrong?”
“I …” She worried her lip with her teeth. “Nothing. I mean, I’ll tell you later. Let’s go bring my dad home first.”
They met Jonathan outside, who insisted they take a cab home instead of having Cross bring them back to his penthouse. And so, they did, though Sabrina complained about the traffic, mumbling to herself that they could have avoided this if her dad wasn’t such a curmudgeon. Finally, they arrived at his apartment, and after getting him settled in, she and Cross strode out to the terrace.
“Where should we go?” he asked her. “Do you want to go home? Or maybe we could go to Paris or London?”
She chuckled. “I’ll let you choose.”
“I was hoping you’d say that.” He threaded his fingers through hers and closed his eyes. “Oh, wait.” Waving his hand over her, he created a warm, silk cloak that wrapped around her shoulders. “Now you’re ready.”
“Ready?” she asked, brows furrowing together. “Ready for—what?” She sucked in a breath as they arrived at their destination in a split second. “Oh. My. God.”
They stood near the edge of a cliff, overlooking a fjord, its clear blue waters winding down between massive cliffs of chiseled limestone. The valley ahead had dots of green and yellow, signaling that the long slumber of winter was over, and nature was waking up again. A new beginning, he thought.
“Cross … this is amazing,” she sighed. “I’ve only seen pictures of this place.”
“Now you can paint it for real.” He turned to face her. “When all this is done, how about we build a cottage, right here?” Bringing her hands up to his face, he kissed each of her palms. “You can paint and I—”
“Can watch over our baby?” she finished.
Everything had happened so quickly, he barely had time to remember that she was, indeed, carrying his pup now. The realization floored him, and he had to steady himself at the thought. I’m going to be a father.
“Cross?” Clear violet eyes looked up at him, and the smile on her face warmed every corner of his soul.
“You’re my fate, Sabrina. You and our child.” Slipping his hand into the pocket of his jacket, he took out a ring and held it up to her surprised gaze. The stone in the middle was a large amethyst, surrounded by sparkling diamonds. “Will you marry me?”
“Yes,” she cried without hesitation. “I will.”
With shaking hands, he put the ring on her finger. “I love you, Sabrina.”
“And I love you.”
Her hands slid up behind his neck to bring him down for a kiss. Sweetness burst on his lips as the scent of apple cider and fresh snow surrounded him, permeating the air around him until he could only think, smell, feel, and taste her. For the last three years, he hadn’t allowed himself to think of moments like this, couldn’t even allow himself to dream of it because knowing that he could never have her had been pure torture. But now, he could not only dream it, but also live it. His beautiful dream come true.
Dear Reader,
Thank you so much for your support!
I know you’ve been waiting for Cross’s story for a long time, I only hope I did it justice.
You thought I would have saved him for last, right?
Nope!
One more story in this series and it’s going to be BIG.
Do we get to find out who Isabelle’s mate?
Maybe.
All I can say is EVERYTHING COMES FULL CIRCLE.
And you’ll find out in the last book
Heart of the Wolf
Pre-order now at 2.99 before the price goes up.
It will come out mid-May tentatively.
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