Epilogue
Christine
The feeling of being free, complete free. Untethered by fear of a deadly disease. I was now allowed to let it all go, flying across the ice with much more momentum than I was used to. The music was raw and full of passion, exactly the way I felt about my love affair with a wolf.
In the weeks since I’d been cleared of cancer, I’d gone back twice for tests just to make certain the doctors hadn’t been wrong. And for them to take copious volumes of blood like the vampires they were.
All in hopes of using the profound discovery for other patients.
I was happy, healthy, and even talking to my family on rare occasions. Especially since my father had suddenly taken a one-eighty on his stance. He suddenly adored shifters and was a staunch advocate for them.
All because one big, bad wolf had used his body to save my life.
In the most delicious of ways.
Which he continued to do almost every night. The man was as voracious as the beast.
I spun around the ice, moving at a speed reserved for competitors, but I felt like one today. I was full of joy. With every jump, I seemed to go higher. With every spin, the rotations lasted longer.
The best part? I could keep doing this for hours.
But… as luck and karma would have it, the Zamboni operator needed to smooth the ice. Yet I kept skating. What the heck? I wasn’t afraid of the big, bad wolf. Especially when he was so expertly keeping up with me, doing his version of spins on the ice.
I skated around him in a huge circle, blowing kisses to taunt. He wasn’t affected at all, moving as if he had a mission.
To prove himself the better skater.
But that was impossible. Especially since I was on fire. After another jump and landing perfectly, I threw my arms into the air as if I’d won the competition. The music was loud, pumping the last chorus, which included baroque singers.
That’s when I realized the love of my life, my wolf and my fiancé had abandoned the machine. With a sloshing sound, I smiled and continued skating. Within seconds, he joined me, matching my footing.
“Hmm… I can see my trainee has been practicing.”
“What if I have?” Steven asked, even doing a little fancy footwork.
“You better be careful that your teammates don’t catch you ice skating.”
“It’s worth the risk.” He skated in front of me, spinning in a circle then doing a little fancier footwork.
I’d be damned if he didn’t take me into his arms and suddenly, we were ice dancers, moving around the perimeter of the ice as if we owned it. When he held my hand, skating away from me, I dipped into a backwards arch. His control in spinning me was as if he’d been trained to do this.
The moment was amazing. He lifted me seconds later, pulling me against him. We slowed while he held me, the look in his eyes carnivorous.
Then he dropped to his knees, holding me in place.
Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a small box. “I should have done this weeks ago.”
I backed away by a foot, startled he’d chosen this moment to give me a ring. “What are you doing?”
“Christine Carrington, will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?”
With a frown, I tapped my lips. “On one condition.”
“What’s that?”
“That when we’re finished, you’ll shift for me.”
“Here?”
Shrugging, I glanced around the arena. “Why not here?”
“You’re a slave driver.”
I gave him a lust-filled look, leaning over and whispering all the naughty things I would do with him tonight if he was a good boy.
Steven whistled. “Here is just fine by me.”
As he placed the ring on my hand, a series of tiny shudders rolled through me. We were no different, the two of us. We wanted joy and love in our lives, willing to sacrifice to make that happen. It didn’t matter that he was a shifter or that I wasn’t.
And it shouldn’t to anyone. Love was love no matter who you chose to be the only person in your life. For me, that person was a wolf, a man with a heart of gold and a wicked personality.
“I also have a surprise for you.” He pulled away, giving me one of those mischievous looks that meant he’d been up to something.
“This isn’t enough?” I asked before noticing two people standing just off the ice.
“Go,” he commanded.
“This time I’ll follow your rules,” I told him.
“You’ll learn.”
His smirk pushed me toward the two people, one a stiff looking older man. “Can I help you?”
“You’re Christine Carrington?” the woman asked.
“Yes, I am.”
“I’m Elle Barker with the Tampa Bay Gymnastics Team. We’re very impressed with your skating and would like to offer you a position on our team. Now, we’re up and coming, but I think you’ll make an excellent addition and with any luck, you could be at the nationals within a year.”
“What? You’re kidding me.”
“We don’t make jokes about our team,” the man accompanying her said gruffly.
I glanced at Steven who shrugged as if he hadn’t orchestrated the offer.
“We’re very serious,” she said, laughing from seeing what had to be a shocked expression. “Now, I can see we’re interrupting something very special so we’ll give you a call in the morning if that’s alright.”
“I don’t know what to say,” I managed.
“Just say you’ll think about it.”
After swallowing a lump in my throat, I nodded, maybe one too many times. “Of course. Thank you.”
“It’s our pleasure. That young man is the one you should thank. He annoyed the hell out of us until we came and watched you skate. And I’m glad we did.”
I waited until they backed away, squealing like a kid.
Then I flew into his arms. “You did this.”
“I did. Guilty as charged.”
“I love you.”
“You better,” he growled.
“Even if you’re a flower killer.”
“You’re never going to let me live that down. Are you?”
“Not in this lifetime.”
When he suddenly walked off the ice, I realized I wasn’t ready to leave just yet. I turned around to face the stands, taking a deep breath. My life was perfect.
Maybe that’s why when he walked by me completely naked, I didn’t find that odd in the least.
He crouched down, lifting his head to study me. Still wearing that shit-eating grin. “Are you sure you’re ready for this?”
“I’m a big girl. Hurry before you freeze to death.”
“You forget that I will soon have fur.”
“So you say.”
“You saw my beard this morning. Come on. You’re sure you can handle a little werewolf action?”
I gave him a droll look. “You’re not a werewolf.”
“I guess I’ll leave that to you to decide.”
You bet I was curious. I couldn’t find anywhere an excellent description and since we would be married, I needed to know everything about him.
As he dropped his head, I realized that most women wouldn’t put themselves in this position, but then again, there were a whole lot of women who would truly give all they had to find out if shifters had two cocks.
The thought brought amusement as the air around me between to vibrate.
I realized as fur started to sprout that I was a lucky woman. Maybe some women would be frightened. Not this girl.
This moment was as enthralling as everything else about him.
When he finished shifting, his tail swished as only he could make happen. He was preening, showing off his alpha mentality. Meanwhile, I was one excited little bad bunny. As I skated closer, he pawed the ice.
“My wolf.”
As I ran my hand down his back, I thought of the perfect quote, something I’d read that had been said by Frederick the Great.
“Every man has a wild beast within him.”
How perfect for the Beast.
My beast.
And the man who’d stolen my heart.
The End