21. Poppy
TWENTY-ONE
POPPY
Aweek had passed since Poppy's jaws had found Sander's throat and justice had finally been served with violent finality at the groundbreaking ceremony.
Even now, sitting in Keiro's Bentley as it purred along the familiar road toward their land, she could hardly process the words Sander had spoken through their pride link in those final moments of battle.
I killed your father, cousin. Just like I'm going to kill you.
The memory sent a shiver down her spine.
Sander had probably thought that confession would shatter her resolve, make her collapse into grief and let him finish what he'd started eleven years ago.
Instead, it had ignited something primal and devastating inside her—eleven years of suppressed rage erupting like a volcano, giving her the strength to finally claim the justice her father deserved.
The day after the battle, she and Keiro had entered Sander's house like investigators walking into a crime scene.
What they'd found there still made her stomach turn.
Evidence. Records. Recordings that painted a picture of systematic blackmail and manipulation stretching back years before her father's murder.
Her twisted cousin had documented everything with the meticulous care of a predator savoring his victories.
But the worst discovery had been the final recording—the one where Sander murdered her father.
Poppy had forced herself to watch it, though every instinct screamed at her to look away.
She'd needed to see it, needed to witness her father's last moments and understand exactly what kind of monster Sander had been.
The footage was amateur and handheld, clearly shot on Sander's phone as he confronted her father in the estate's study.
She'd watched her father refuse Sander's final ultimatum with quiet dignity, watched him speak his last words with unwavering resolve.
Tell Poppy I love her and believe in her. She's going to make a magnificent Alpha.
Then Sander had pulled the trigger and her father was gone, the recording ending abruptly afterward, leaving Poppy feeling hollow and raw to the bone.
"You're thinking about it again," Keiro said softly, his deep voice pulling her from the dark spiral of memory.
Through their bond, he could surely feel her emotions—the grief and rage and satisfaction all tangled together in a knot she was still learning to untie.
She turned to look at him as he navigated the winding road with practiced ease.
He wore casual clothes today, but there was something in his bearing. A tension she couldn't quite identify.
"Hard not to think about it," she admitted, smoothing her hands over the teal dress she'd chosen for whatever surprise he had planned. "But I don't regret it. Any of it."
"Good," he said, his voice carrying that Alpha authority that never failed to send heat spiraling through her. "Sander got exactly what he deserved. Your father can finally rest in peace."
They crested the familiar hill, and Poppy felt her breath catch as their land spread out before them.
Construction crews moved like industrious ants across the property, the skeletal framework of the main lodge already rising toward the sky.
Heavy machinery carved paths through the forest with surgical precision, preserving the natural beauty while making space for their shared vision.
Keiro had somehow managed to expedite every permit, grease every bureaucratic wheel, and compress a normally years-long process into months.
Within a year, their retreat would stand complete—a testament to what wolves and lions could accomplish when they worked together instead of maintaining the old divisions.
"I still can't believe how fast this is happening," Poppy murmured as Keiro parked the Bentley near the construction site's temporary office.
He turned to her with that devastating smile. "Money talks, and I happen to speak the language fluently."
She laughed, the sound lighter than it had been in weeks.
When they climbed out of the car, Keiro immediately took her hand, his fingers intertwining with hers in a gesture that had become as natural as breathing. He guided her past the construction zones, nodding to workers who paused in their tasks to offer respectful greetings to the project's owners.
"Careful around the main lodge area," called out the foreman, a grizzled wolf shifter whose crew had been working with supernatural efficiency. "We're pouring concrete for the foundation today."
"Understood," Keiro replied, adjusting their path to avoid the bustle of activity.
They walked past the section of forest where Sander's fire had left its mark—blackened tree trunks standing like silent sentinels among the new growth already pushing up from the scorched earth.
Thanks to Dax and Neve's quick thinking, along with the fire department's rapid response, the damage had been contained to a relatively small area.
Nature was already beginning the healing process, green shoots emerging from what had seemed like total devastation.
"It's remarkable how quickly things can recover," Poppy observed, running her free hand along the bark of a partially burned oak that was already sprouting new leaves.
"Resilience," Keiro agreed, his thumb tracing circles on the back of her hand. "Something you know quite a bit about."
She felt heat bloom in her cheeks at the quiet admiration in his voice. Even after everything they'd been through, he still had the power to make her feel like the most extraordinary woman in the world with just a few carefully chosen words.
They continued deeper into the property, following paths that would soon become hiking trails for their guests.
The morning sun filtered through the trees, dappling the forest floor with golden light that made everything seem touched by magic.
Poppy could already envision families walking these same paths, children laughing as they discovered hidden clearings, and couples finding quiet moments away from the world's chaos.
"Where exactly are we going?" she asked as Keiro led her toward a part of the property they'd explored together in their animal forms weeks ago.
"You'll see," he said, but there was something in his voice—a tension that made her lioness prick up with attention.
When they finally emerged into the clearing where the waterfall cascaded down moss-covered rocks into a crystalline pool, Poppy felt her heart skip.
This was where they'd stood in their shifted forms, where she'd looked at their reflection in the water and seen not just what they were, but what they could become together.
The waterfall sang its eternal song, unchanged by all the chaos that had erupted around it. Sunlight caught the spray, creating tiny rainbows that danced in the mist. It was beautiful and peaceful and perfect—exactly the kind of place where dreams took root and grew into something real.
But Keiro seemed unusually tense as they stood there, his Alpha composure showing hairline cracks she'd learned to recognize. His jaw was tight, his breathing slightly elevated, and through their bond she could feel something that might've been nervousness.
"Are you excited about the retreat?" he asked, his voice carrying an odd formality that made her study his profile more carefully.
"Of course. You already know that," she replied, though her attention was more focused on his strange mood than the question itself. "Just like you already know that I'm excited about the house designs you showed me. I can't wait to have a home on both territories."
The architectural plans he'd presented had been nothing short of breathtaking—two residences that would allow them to split their time equally between pack and pride lands. Each design perfectly captured their respective natures while creating spaces where they could build their life together.
"I'm more than excited about everything," she continued, stepping closer until she could feel the heat radiating from him. "But mostly, I'm excited that I get to share it all with you."
Something flickered in his molten brown eyes—relief mixed with determination and something deeper that made her pulse quicken with anticipation.
Whatever surprise he had planned, whatever was making her unflappable Alpha mate nervous, she had the distinct feeling her world was about to change in the most wonderful way possible.
"I'm excited too," he said, his deep voice carrying an unfamiliar tremor. "So excited that I can't wait another moment to do this."
Before she could ask what he meant, Keiro dropped to one knee beside the crystalline pool.
Poppy's breath caught in her throat as he pulled a small velvet box from his pocket, his large hands surprisingly steady despite the emotion she could feel pulsing through their bond. When he opened it, sunlight struck the massive diamond inside, sending rainbows dancing across the water's surface.
"Poppy Mintz," he began, his voice dropping to that quiet intensity that made her knees weak.
"From the moment I saw you at that auction, you've been turning my world upside down in the most beautiful way possible.
You've challenged everything I thought I knew about myself, about leadership, about what it means to be truly strong. "
Tears began gathering in her eyes as his words washed over her. This was really happening. Her powerful, controlled Alpha was on his knee in front of a waterfall, offering her everything.
"You've shown me that I don't have to carry the world alone," he continued, his brown eyes never leaving hers.
"You've taught me that real strength isn't about control—it's about partnership.
It's about finding someone who makes you better, stronger, more complete than you ever imagined you could be. "
A tear slipped down her cheek as she watched this incredible man bare his soul to her. Through their completed bond, she could feel his love, his hope, his absolute certainty that this was right—that they were right.
"You are my mate, my equal, my perfect match in every way," Keiro said, his voice growing stronger with each word.
"You're brilliant and fierce and beautiful, and you make me want to be the man I was meant to be instead of just the man I thought I had to become.
I want to build a life with you, Poppy. I want to live together, raise our children together, lead our people together.
I want to wake up every morning for the rest of my life knowing that whatever challenges we face, we'll face them as a team. "
More tears spilled over as his words hit her directly in the heart. This was everything she'd never allowed herself—partnership without sacrifice, love without conditions, a future built on choice rather than duty.
"Will you marry me?" he asked, his voice breaking slightly on the question. "Will you be my wife, my partner, my everything for the rest of our lives?"
Joy exploded through her chest like wildfire, so intense she could barely breathe. "Yes," she whispered, then louder, "Yes, of course yes!"
Keiro's face transformed with relief and happiness as he slipped the ring onto her finger. It fit perfectly, as if it had been made specifically for her hand. The moment he stood, Poppy launched herself into his arms, her legs wrapping around his waist as he caught her effortlessly.
"I love you," she said against his lips before crashing her mouth into his.
The kiss was consuming, eleven years of walls and fear dissolving in the face of this overwhelming certainty. She was no longer afraid of partnership, no longer terrified that accepting help made her weak. With Keiro, she felt more alive and purposeful than she ever had.
Thirty minutes later, Poppy stared out the passenger window of Keiro's Bentley as they pulled into her estate's driveway. Dozens of cars were parked along the drive—vehicles she recognized as belonging to both pride and pack members.
"What is this?" she asked, turning to study Keiro's profile as he parked near the front entrance.
A smile tugged at the corners of his mouth. "I may have arranged for a celebration of our engagement."
She raised an eyebrow, fighting back her own smile. "You were that confident I would say yes?"
"Well," he said, turning to face her with that devastating grin, "I was ninety-nine percent confident. And I figured if you said no, it would've been a celebration of how well my pack and your pride are already collaborating and forming a beautiful alliance with each other."
Poppy leaned across the center console and captured his lips in a quick kiss. "You're impossible," she murmured against his mouth.
"I am," he agreed, his hand coming up to cup her cheek. "But you still love me."
"I do," she said, her heart so full she thought it might burst. "I love you so much, Keiro Izell."
"I love you completely, Poppy Mintz," he replied, his thumb tracing her cheekbone with infinite tenderness.
When they stepped out of the car, Poppy could hear laughter and conversation spilling from her estate. Neve appeared in the doorway, her usually composed Beta practically glowing with excitement.
"There's the future bride!" Neve called out, rushing down the front steps. "Let me see that ring!"
Poppy held out her hand, watching as Neve's eyes widened at the sight of the massive diamond catching the sunlight.
"Holy shit, Keiro," Neve said, looking between them. "You don't do anything halfway, do you?"
"Never," he replied, his arm sliding around Poppy's waist with possessive pride. "She deserves the best."
They walked into the estate together, and Poppy's heart swelled at the sight that greeted them.
Her grand foyer and living spaces were filled with both pride and pack members mingling together, sharing food and drinks and genuine laughter.
Dax stood near the fireplace, deep in conversation with three of her pride enforcers.
Several pack wolves were gathered around one of her elders, listening intently to what appeared to be a hunting story.
And there, in the far corner, was Helias. The pack elder who had initially opposed their relationship so strongly was now engaged in what looked like a respectful conversation with Leon, her head elder. When Helias noticed their entrance, he actually nodded.
"This is incredible," Poppy whispered to Keiro as they moved through the crowd, accepting congratulations and well-wishes from their people.
"This is just the beginning," he replied, his voice low and intimate despite the crowd around them. "This is what we're building together—not just a retreat, not just a business partnership, but a real future where our kinds can thrive together."
Poppy smiled, because finally after eleven years, she wasn't thinking about survival or proving herself or carrying impossible burdens alone. She was simply living, surrounded by love and acceptance and the promise of a future brighter than anything she'd ever dared to imagine.