Chapter 8
The tavern closed at ten on Sundays, and it had been a slow night, so they were able to get the whole place cleaned up forty-five minutes after they locked the front door.
Juliette helped, not because he asked her to, but because she wanted to.
And they were both excited that he was going to shift for her.
As he set the inventory list on the counter so that Trick could order supplies in the morning for the following week, he turned and found Juliette looking at the whiteboard with the list of potential burgers of the week.
“Do you pick the burger first and then come up with a name? Or vice versa?” she asked when he joined her.
“Usually, the burger first. The names can be difficult.” He’d had some flops over the years – the Big Cheese, which had literally just extra slices of cheese, or the Hot ‘n Hearty, which was a half-pound burger with pickled jalapenos.
Suffice it to say, neither of those burgers had won any popularity contests.
He put his arm around her and kissed the top of her head. “My favorite is the Blue Monster, because it brought you to me.”
She tipped her face up to smile at him. “Mine too.”
“If you have any good ideas, let me know.” He hadn’t figured out next week’s burger yet. He’d been too busy being a good mate and getting to know Juliette.
“You got it.”
Dare came into the kitchen and yawned. “You guys ready?”
“Yep,” Sigh said.
They followed his brother out of the tavern and headed to the houses in the back. It was a cool night, but not so chilly that Juliette would be uncomfortable while he was stuck in his shift.
“We’re going to shift and hustle out to hunt,” Dare said as he and Trick joined them on Sigh’s back patio. He handed a flashlight to Juliette. “Just in case you need it.”
“Thanks Dare.”
His brothers disappeared and Sigh turned to face his sweetheart.
“I’m still me in my shift. I’m not suddenly some feral beast who can’t control himself. You’re safe with me. I have stronger senses in my shifted form – better hearing, better eyesight – so as long as I don’t alert you to something wrong, you don’t have to worry about anything.”
“I’m the least worried person around, trust me. I know I’m safe with you.”
He cupped her face, staring intently at her. All the words he wanted to say to her were on the tip of his tongue, but he held them back. For now.
“That you trust me and my wolf means the world to me. Have I told you how precious you are to me?”
“You might have mentioned it when you sexed me up on break earlier.”
He brushed his lips over hers with a chuckle. “That’s my favorite kind of break.”
“Mine too.”
He kissed her once more then stepped off the patio into the cool grass. The back light was on so she could watch him shift. He shucked his shirt and laid it over the back of a chair and she let out a low whistle.
“You need some sexy stripping music.”
He chuckled. “I’ll do a little sexy dance for you some other time.”
“Looking forward to it.”
He stripped fully and watched as her skin flushed and the sweet scent of her arousal spiked in the air. He loved that he affected her, because he was certainly affected by her too. His sexy female.
Calling for his wolf, he let himself go into his shift and landed on four paws, covered in thick fur. Unlike his brothers who were mostly black-furred, his fur was a mixture of white, gray, and rust.
Juliette gasped and walked to him, lowering to her knees.
“Oh my gosh, I honestly didn’t know it would be like that! You’re gorgeous! Holy crap, you’re a wolf.” She laughed and splayed her fingers over his cheeks and slid them down his neck. “So freaking soft. And I love your fur color.”
He hummed and sat on his haunches while she stroked his fur, and then she leaned in and hugged him with a happy hum, her head against his neck. “Thank you for sharing this with me tonight. I’m so glad I met you. I’m so glad you’re mine.”
He let out a low, soft bark of agreement.
She rose to her feet and turned on the flashlight to illuminate the ground in front of her, and they walked, side by side, away from the houses.
She was quiet for a while, seemingly lost in thought, and then she started talking – about her past and her family, the life she’d carved for herself with Cass and Emery, her love of the bookstore and the former boyfriends who’d led her to believe that love at first sight wasn’t a real thing, despite all the romance novels she devoured.
“I know it’s real, though,” she said, coming to a stop on the riverbank. She stared across the river in silence, and he sat on his haunches, leaning against her leg, her hand resting against his neck.
He could hear everything – the water rushing by, the birds and insects in the woods, his brothers chasing some small animal nearby. But he was mostly attuned to Juliette – the sound of her breathing, her heartbeat, the way she shifted from foot to foot.
She squatted down next to him and hugged him tightly.
“I’ve spent a good bit of time since we met listening to the little voice in my head telling me that my feelings were too strong too fast, that something that happened so swiftly would burn out just as fast. Because my past taught me that.
But at the heart of things, when I push away that voice that always expects good things to disappear, I know that what we have is real.
I can feel it in my heart, in my bones. You and I were meant to meet because we’re truemates.
And I know that means what we have is going to last. We’ve got each other forever. ”
He wished he could talk. That would be so damn handy.
She was spilling her heart out to him and all he could do was offer her an agreeing, wolfy hum.
She chuckled and pressed her forehead to his. “Ah, I wanted to wait until you’re human, but I’m just going to say it right now instead. I love you, Sigh. I love you.”
He growled softly, then tipped his head to the sky and howled, pouring all his love into the song from his wolf. His brothers, somewhere in the woods, added their howls of happiness to his.
He caught the scent of Juliette’s tears. “Oh that was beautiful,” she said. “I love hearing you howl.”
They stayed at the riverbank for a little while longer, and then they meandered back to the house. She stood next to him while he shifted back and she immediately jumped into his arms.
“I love you, Juliette. Sweet mate, my forever girl.”
“Oh, Sigh. I love you too.”
They kissed and the world quieted around them, like it was collectively holding its breath for this special moment.
He’d found his forever girl. He was going to claim her, mark her, and give her his last name, because she deserved every part of forever that he could give her.
It was funny to think that the best night of his life had happened because he’d taken a picture of a burger and posted it on social media.
“Let’s go inside,” she whispered. “I want to talk to you some more about this marking and mating business.”
He set her on her feet and looked down at her. “We don’t have to do anything right now. It’s whenever we’re ready.”
“Are you ready?” she asked, a hint of a challenge in her tone.
He hooked his arm around her and drew her against him. “Yes.”
“I am too. So take me to bed, Sigh. And make me yours. I want it. I want you. I want forever.”
He kissed her, his wolf growling in happiness, then swung her up into his arms.
“I hope you can take tomorrow off? I have a feeling you’ll be very tired.”
“I already texted Emery and let her know I wouldn’t be in until after lunch.”
“My smart sweetheart.”
Her laughter followed them as he carried her into the house and closed the door behind them.
For the first time in his life, he knew what forever felt like.
It felt like love and home. Like sweet promises and moonlight.
It felt like Juliette.