Her eyes flicked to the floor and back up to meet his. “I love you, Silas. I’m not going anywhere.”
“Good.” He reached out and briefly touched her face. “I love you too.”
“So, you don’t mind having a partner long-term?” she asked, poking him in the side.
His eyes wrinkled slightly at the edges. “I don’t mind. Come on.”
He led her across the veranda and through the ballroom to a set of glass doors that opened onto the main garden. Red hibiscus the size of dinner plates welcomed them. Roses in a spectrum of cherry hues rivaled white hydrangeas for her attention, blooming below the twisted branches of trees. There were more varieties of plants and flowers here than she could name.
“This is new!” The last time she was here with her father, the garden was a simple square of bushes and evergreens.
“Cameron planted this last year. Smell.”
She inhaled deeply. “Gorgeous.”
“So that our wolves always know which way is home.”
She looked up at the stars just as Silas flipped a switch on the side of the building and strings of large white lights glowed to life overhead. A table for two was dressed and waiting at the center of the garden.
“What is this, Silas?” she asked. A waiter in a black-and-white tuxedo stepped out of the north entrance to fill two champagne glasses.
“Dinner. I thought we established that.”
“Fancy dinner. I feel underdressed.” The jeans and dressy black sweater she’d worn to the outdoor funeral suddenly seemed inappropriate.
“You’re dressed perfectly. Wait till you see what’s on the menu.” He approached the table and lifted the dome.
Meredith chuckled. “Chicken.”
“Nothing says home like a whole roasted chicken.” Silas winked.
“The same as our first dinner together. How sweet!” She laughed and accepted the tall crystal flute of bubbly he handed her.
“I wanted you to feel at home here.”
“So that’s what this about? The garden, the champagne. You want me to start participating in pack functions.”
His face fell. “You caught me.” He took a long swig and looked around the garden. “Do you think you could ever think of Rivergate as home? I mean, not that you’d ever have to live here. I don’t. But my position in the pack means I have responsibilities.”
She could tell this was important to him. Rivergate was an integral part of his life, a sanctuary for the pack, which would feel like home to an alpha. Understandably, he wanted to know that she accepted this part of his life. She wouldn’t disappoint him.
“I can and I will. I know this place is significant to you, Silas. I’ll start shifting here. I’ll get to know the other members of the council. I’ll attend all the society events if you want me to. I’m ready.”
“Good. You have no idea how glad I am to hear that.”
She nodded. “I think after all that’s happened, we deserve something more. If you want to take this to the next level, I’m ready.” She gave a soft laugh and had to look away from the intensity of his gaze. She stared up at the crescent moon and thought about the lunar cycle, the push and pull of gravity. It wasn’t unlike love, changing by the day yet remaining constant over the years. She couldn’t expect to be with Silas forever. He was alpha after all, with all the expectations and responsibilities that came with the title. But she’d take what she could get.
“Meredith?”
She turned at his voice to find him on his knee next to the table. “What happened? What’s wrong?”
He pulled a small box from his pocket and cracked it open. An obscenely large diamond shone from within.
“Damn, the shine off that thing could blind a small child,” she rambled. Her brain flip-flopped in her skull, trying to digest what she was seeing. She looked at him and shook her head slightly. “I don’t understand. What is this?”
He removed the ring from the box and took her hand. “Meredith, you’ve been my partner at work. Now, will you be my partner for life?”
She looked from his face to the ring and back again. Was he asking her what she thought he was asking her? Was he serious? “But… but I’m not a purebred werewolf. You’re the alpha.”
