“What do you want to say?” she asked, clenching her fingers together.
“Can you walk with me?”
June glanced back at the creek, then sighed. “Okay. Sure.”
We slowly strolled back to Hidden Grove.
“I want you as my mate. I know I’ve said that before, but it’s the truth. I can’t make it any plainer than that. I’ll do anything to prove myself to you. I’ll grovel if you want.”
“Don’t grovel,” she said, rolling her eyes and smiling weakly. “It’s unbecoming of an alpha.”
I smiled back. “Fair enough.”
“I don’t know if I can accept that,” she said. “You can say you want me, but I can’t see into your mind. I can’t be with you if you’re still hung up on Naphele. A relationship doesn’t work that way. You can’t be with one person while you’re pining for another. It’s not cheating, but it’s pretty damn close.”
“I understand that,” I said. “I’ve thought about this. I’ve had a lot of internal stuff going on, and that’s not fair to you. I’ve spent a hundred years chasing this dream. I know that it’s not going to happen. I’ve come to terms with that. Naphele was a dream I held on to due to heartbreak and sadness. Longing, I guess you could say. Longing for something I had that I’d never have again. I’ve put it behind me. I’m ready for the future.” I tilted my head to look into her eyes as we walked. “A future with you. I love you, June. That’s the truth.”
She gazed back into my eyes, searching for something. For a moment, it felt like she was staring all the way into my soul.
As the buildings became visible through the trees, June glanced at the watch on her left wrist.
“You got somewhere to be?” I asked with a chuckle, trying to lighten the mood.
“What? No. It’s nothing. Just checking the time.” She ran her palms across her shirt, either smoothing it down or wiping sweat from her hands; I wasn’t sure which. “Levi, it’s easy tosayyou’ve changed, but it’s more difficult toactuallychange. Right?”
“Yes,” I agreed. “I get that, and you’re right. There’s no way to truly prove it to you other than to show you.”
Turning to fully face her, I took her hands in mine, her fingers chilly and soft against my skin.
“June, please look at me.”
She did, and the sadness I saw in her eyes made my heart ache. My wolf whined. He didn’t like that we were the reason she felt like this.
“I love you more than anything,” I said. “Since the day I met you, I knew you were special?—”
“Because of Naphele.”
“No. That’s not true. I understood you were your own person. It confused me because Ididhope that if I found her again, she’d be the exact same person. You proved that you were an entirely new and special woman. One I fell for.” I was trying to speak from my heart, digging up every word that could convey my feelings. “You are Juniper Hollis. You are the woman I love. No one else, aliveordead, can change that or take me from you. Please believe me when I say that. I am yours and you are mine. Be with me. I want you, and I want you to want me too. Forever.”
Her face softened, and her shoulders sagged. It looked like a heavy weight had been removed from her shoulders, and a small burst of excitement filled me. Maybe I was getting through to her.Hopefully. A small smile formed on her lips, one that was less sad and more optimistic.
“I’ve always wanted someone to say that to me,” she whispered. “I’ve always wanted someone who wanted me for me.” She pulled one of her hands away and brushed her lips, a blush rising to her cheeks. “Do you know, after that night in the woods, when you kissed me? I spent months wondering what it might have been like if I’d asked you to take me with you. Just lead me off into the forest. Is that silly?”
“It’s not silly, but I was a different man then. I wouldn’t have been able to give you what you needed. Now I can. Now Iwill.”
She looked at me hopefully, and I could see her mind working. I waited for her to say what I longed to hear.
“Okay,” she said. “Okay. I’ll stay. I will.”
I couldn’t stop myself. I whooped and picked her up, spinning in a circle. Laughing, she wrapped her arms around my neck. When I put her down, I kissed her, a joy unlike anything I’d ever felt swelling in my chest. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d been this happy. June kissed me back, sweetly at first, but then she ran her fingers through my hair, her tongue probing hungrily into my mouth.
Breaking the kiss, she licked her lower lip. “Do you want to go to your place?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Fingers interlaced, we ran to my cabin. Once we were inside, I kicked the door shut and pulled her to me. Her breasts pressed against my chest, pushing away the cold from outside. Both of us were trying to say what we couldn’t with words, using our bodies to speak the truth of our souls.
Still kissing her, I ran my hands down her body and unbuttoned her pants, a low growl rumbling through my chest. I was desperate to have her, to make her feel good, to make her come like she never had before. She was my life now. My fingers grazed the top of her panties, and I slid them inside, brushing her clit.
