Another Leap of Faith #2
“How can you promise that when you don’t know my story yet?” Rose asks. “You don’t know me.”
“That’s the risk I am taking,” she says.
“I am not going to lie,” Rose says. “I really don’t want to tell you, but on the other hand, we probably could do well with your help.”
“Especially when we want to take down my father,” I say before looking at Rose. “And also, with the special task you assigned to Griffin.” For a while, we look at each other. I can see the fear in her eyes, but also the resolution. Our future is too important for the past to hold us back.
We both nod at each other.
“You might want to prepare more tea for this,” Rose says.
“And definitely more cake,” I add.
It takes us over an hour to tell our stories. Since these are the elders, we both try to be as accurate as possible. When we have wrapped up everything, Dr. Francis stares at us in utter shock, while Betty has her face covered by her hands.
“I can barely believe it,” she mutters. “No, let me rephrase. I definitely believe you, but… this is not what I expected.”
“She is right,” Dr. Francis says quietly. “I expected a lot, but not this. I did not think Harry and Donna had it in them to sink that low.”
Betty moves her hands away. “I don’t know, Francis; I am not surprised. Shocked and horrified, but not surprised. Harry always lacked empathy; he has always been shady, and Donna… Donna was always Donna.”
Dr. Francis shakes his head, disappointment all over his face.
“I am mortified. They will not get away with this, Forest. I am sorry that Betty and I didn’t notice it earlier.
All we saw was them controlling you. As for you, Rose…
” He turns towards my love. “Obviously, what Jordan did was a major crime. And he will pay for it. How do you want to do it?”
“I want him to fall in a way he won’t recover from,” Rose says.
“Good, we can help with that.” Dr. Francis leans back. “You mentioned needing our help.”
“Griffin is currently looking into the death of my parents,” Rose says.
“If you could, we’d like to ask for you to support him,” I add. “It’s going to be easier with your contacts.”
They both nod their agreement. “I can subtly reach out to Arthur,” Betty offers. “To see what else is going on.”
“Do you think you can do it without raising any suspicion?” Forest asks.
She smiles. “I am positive. The man likes me.”
“Oh?” Dr. Francis raises his brows.
“I think at times like these we need to pull all our assets,” Betty says dryly.
“Harry is definitely involved in the whole gambling scheme,” Dr. Francis says. “But how do we get him?”
“Through Martin, hopefully,” Rose says. “You will need to make sure that Harry can sneak out of the pack. He isn’t an idiot. Whatever he does is important to him. I believe if the chance presents itself, he will take it and sneak around.”
“I agree,” Forest says. “And we are positive that Martin will get closer to Jordan just by being my beta.”
“Yes, his ego is too big,” Betty agrees.
“Men like him usually think they are invincible. His pride was hurt by both of you last night. He will be desperate to get back to you by any means. Alpha Leonard is a good man. He will definitely coach Martin properly. If you want, I will insert myself, too and help out.”
“Please do so,” I agree.
Dr. Francis looks at us for a while. “Allow me a question, please.” When we both nod, he turns to Rose. “I don’t want to be insensitive, Rose, but I have to ask for the sake of the pack: Are you certain you will stay as their luna?” he pauses. “Do you love Forest?”
“It’s funny,” Rose says after a while. “I didn’t even realize it at first. But it’s so easy to love him. He is like my rock now. You might know now that I don’t feel comfortable with just anyone. Forest is the only person I truly trust.”
Her words mean more to me than a simple ‘I love you’ could. I turn to her, getting down on my knees and taking her hand. “Will you become my chosen mate, my beautiful Rose? Will you be my luna, officially and for everyone to know?”
She takes my face between her hands. There is a wave of anxiety surging through me, the fear of rejection, but in her eyes, I can see the same anxiety. Then it’s replaced by something warm and gentle. “Yes,” she says. “I want to be by your side as your mate. Mark me at the next full moon.”
“That’s two weeks from now,” Dr. Francis says with a smile.
“I was hoping you would agree to staying, Luna,” he says, switching to her official title now.
“I was prepared to work around you needing more time to mark each other. But it makes me incredibly happy to know that you two have accepted each other fully. I wish you all the best in the world.”
“I am sure you are going to have a bright future with each other,” Betty says softly. “You started as partners in crime, continued as friends and then fell in love. The trust between you two is already there. That’s a precious gift not many have.”
I put my arms around Rose, smiling at her. “I know, and I have no intention of letting go of my mate.”
My mate. I can finally say it to her. Chosen or not, she is my mate.