Badger stepped back. “Thank the Goddess,” he said. “I was afraid of accidentally slicin’ his silly head off.”
Charlie didn’t move, though, other than to change positions from kneeling to sitting, finally offering Chelsea a smile. “Charlie Bleacke. Nice to finally meet you, Chelsea.”
She looked up at Duncan. “Please, Da?”
He nodded. “Go ahead.”
Chelsea threw herself across the gap. But instead of letting her kiss him, Charlie gently caught her by the wrists. While Louisa tensed against Duncan’s side, he let this play out. Charlie wasn’t using his Prime powers on her, either.
“Please,” Charlie said. “Just sit there for a moment.”
She finally complied, and only then did Duncan realize Charlie hadn’t captured her wrists. He’d cupped them in his hands, but his fingers weren’t wrapped around them. She could have easily jerked free if she’d wanted.
Once she sat in front of him, Charlie pulled something from his back pocket. Duncan heard Louisa’s soft gasp as Charlie opened the box and showed Chelsea the engagement ring.
A very nice one.
“I never want to control you,” Charlie said. “I never want to force you. I want you to be my mate, my wife—my partner. But only if you want to be with me. I will obey your father’s orders because I swore an oath to him. Not just as my Pack Alpha, but as my friend. So if you want this, please ask me.”
Chelsea was already nodding, happily crying. “I want to be your wife and mate and everything. Please?”
He smiled, and Duncan didn’t miss how Charlie’s hands trembled as he slipped the ring on her left hand. “Then will you please marry me, Chelsea? When you’re ready for that, of course. There’s no rush. I will be happy to be your mate and know we don’t need a piece of paper to be devoted to each other.”
She nodded harder. “Yes!” She leaned in and kissed him, and Duncan didn’t object to that.
Louisa grumbled a little next to him, but he didn’t hush her. Badger stood there, the tip of the sword planted in the ground and leaning on the handle, watching.
When they ended their kiss, Chelsea unbuttoned the top two buttons of her blouse and pulled it aside to bare her right shoulder. “Please do it!” she said.
Still, to Charlie’s credit, he looked up at Duncan one last time. Duncan tightened his grip around Louisa as he nodded.
Charlie smiled at Chelsea as he leaned in, one hand carefully cupping the back of her head and his other arm slipping around her as he put on Duncan’s daughter’s shoulder what had to be the gentlest mating bite he’d ever witnessed.
Chelsea’s happy cry as she wrapped her arms around Charlie tugged at places deep inside his fatherly soul. Wistful, bittersweet—hopeful.
The couple had their entire future ahead of them. As long as they practiced a little patience, they would get their happily ever after.
When Charlie finished, he kissed her again, and even Badger sighed. “Ah, young love.” He looked across at Duncan. “At least now ye know ye’ll be able to retire on your own timeline.”
After a few minutes of sitting there, nuzzling each other with their eyes closed and likely silently talking to each other through their new mate bond, Charlie stood and helped Chelsea to her feet. Holding her hand, they turned to Duncan. “Sir,” Charlie said, “I’d like to present my claimed mate to?—”
“Yeah, yeah.” He pulled them in for a hug that Louisa and Badger joined. “Welcome to the family, son.”
Nine Months Later
Duncan was working in the pack offices just off the main hall when someone knocked on his closed door.
He sat back. “Come.”
Endquist opened the door. He wore a smile that had increasingly creeped Duncan out over the past couple of months. “Good afternoon, sir.”
Duncan hoped he successfully stifled his sigh. “What do you need? We’re not having the Enforcer discussion again. I’ve told you there are no openings, and won’t be for some time. There are others ahead of you on the list, too.”
“No, sir, that’s not why I’m here.” He hesitated, like he was awaiting an invitation to sit, but Duncan wasn’t giving him one.
“I have a lot on my plate today, Walter. Let’s make this quick.”
A cloud flitted through the man’s expression and it nearly set Duncan’s hackles up, his demeanor so close to a challenge that it breathed on the line. Duncan shifted his legs, his right knee bumping the holstered revolver he kept stowed in the well of his desk, ensuring it was there.
