Shifters knowingly hunting other shifters to eat them was the worst taboo across all of shifter culture.
"To be clear, I wasn't actually gonna eat him," I said firmly. "But I was trying to scare him on purpose. I own up to that."
Orpheus still looked a bit disappointed, but relieved. "At least you know it was wrong."
I stared at the ground, feeling my body heat up with shame. "It was the biggest mistake of my life, alongside telling my parents about myself. But now you know the story of how I met the pack. It wasn't pretty. If Hugo and his brothers hadn't shown up, I might have terrorized poor Len into having a heart attack." I shuddered at the thought. I couldn't imagine my life without Len now. "His forgiveness of me was what changed Hugo's mind and finally let him accept me into the pack."
I sighed deeply. "Well, that's it. All my dirty details. I totally understand if you don't want to be with someone like me. Just thought I should let you know the full story before you commit to another Ryker situation."
Too ashamed to let Orpheus see my face anymore, I went to hop off the boulder again, but I didn't hit the ground. Orpheus snatched my wrist and pulled me close to his chest.
"Never compare yourself to him," Orpheus growled. "I'm serious about that.”
I blinked, too stunned to reply.
"As for the other stuff… I see you, Red. You've changed and grown. You're not the same person you were back then. I say that with confidence because I went through the same thing. You and I both acknowledge our pasts and learned from them. That doesn't mean we shouldn't have love now."
I couldn't believe what I was hearing. "But… what about me being fluid?"
Orpheus grinned, his face lighting up. "That's just the cherry on top of who you are. A compassionate, clever, hilarious, snarky man who I want to spend the rest of my life with."
My eyes went wide. This was too good to be true. But I'd said everything I needed to say and Orpheus didn't reject me. He was still here, still holding me. A wave of emotion made me tremble.
I won't cry,I told myself.I won't fucking cry…
"Red," Orpheus said, tilting my face up to look at him. "Will you be my mate?"
I swallowed the lump in my throat. "Yes."
Orpheus didn't even let one second go by before he kissed me.
10
Orpheus
It was magical.A fire lit in my blood. All my nerves were electrified. His lips were impossibly soft, and I wanted to drown in the heat of his mouth. I held Red tightly, unwilling to let him go. I wanted him as close to me as possible. I wanted our bodies to merge.
My heart soared like a thousand ravens taking flight. Kissing Red was like the sun's rays on my back and the wind beneath my wings. My soul spilled open for him. Everything in the world suddenly felt right.
The realization clicked into place without even a conscious thought. Red was my fated mate.
We broke apart, as if struck by the same knowledge simultaneously. We stared into each other's eyes, neither of us blinking.
Red gripped my chest. "Don't leave."
"I won't," I promised. “Never."
The relief that flickered across Red’s eyes made my heart ache. I needed to show him that from now on, I would be a permanent fixture in his life. I never wanted him to wonder if or when I was going to disappear. His loved ones had betrayed him before, but that was never going to happen again.
Not with me.
"Let me prove it to you," I said.
Red didn't ask how. Instead, the mischievous smirk on his lips told me he already knew.
He took me by the wrist and led me deeper into the forest. The cover of night cloaked us. We were a pair of tricksters—fox and raven—disappearing into the shadows.
We arrived at our destination, a bed of moss spread out over the forest floor. Red wasted no time lying back, his sultry gaze enticing me. I lay down beside him.
