Chapter 86
RILEY.
Everything happened so fast. One moment I was hugging Bella and Ellie, and the next moment, Dawson—the fucker—was hoisting Ellie off the ground and running away with her into the forest.
After the twins gave me the bracelet as a gift, we all walked together back to the table, with Nadia and Bella beside me, and Ellie holding on to Nadia.
We were almost at the table when Ellie blurted out something I hope I will never hear too soon from either of the twins—that they smell their mate.
“I think I smelled my mate the moment we came, but then the smell became faint, and then it was gone. Is it possible to hallucinate a smell?” She asked in a low voice.
We all stopped in our tracks as Nadia inquired more about what exactly she smelled.
And while she was describing it to Nadia, my eyes were scanning the ground, searching for the two unmated males with us, with the exception of my Beta.
My eyes found Darvin sitting arrogantly in his chair. But I couldn’t find Dawson.
“Where the fuck is Dawson?” I was growling, turning my body around trying to spot him.
But the moment he appeared and went directly to Ellie, all hope was gone that I would be able to spoil my sisters before they found their mate.
But I still had Bella.
Although it saddened me, I was thankful it was Dawson. He might be crazy and loud, but he was not a fuckboy, and he lived just an hour away. It meant I could see Ellie anytime I wanted to.
We continued eating without them, and the conversation running around the table made me forget for a while that Dawson and Ellie were not around.
Until I saw Bella’s face. And then Sofia’s. And then Katarina’s.
‘I think all the females beside you are sulking.’ I sent Nadia a mind link.
‘I know. But I don’t know how to handle it. Just let them be for a while. It’s not fun to be an unmated female in a place where everyone is shouting mate and mine.’ Nadia responded, and my gaze drifted to my left, checking the two unmated males beside me.
Dominic and Darvin were having their own conversation, and from the looks of it, both were not bothered by being the only unmated males in the group. It’s either they were not really bothered, or they were just good at hiding it.
NADIA.
Everyone was enjoying their meals when Dawson and Ellie came back hand in hand.
My eyes flew to Ellie’s neck to check if she was marked, but there was nothing. But even with the absence of the mark, I could see that they had accepted each other.
Riley was quiet, like Leandro, but Zahra stood up from her seat as well as Bella. Caleb did as well, and the new couple parted ways to meet their own families.
“Atta boy!” Caleb hugged Dawson, and they tried to outdo each other, laughing. My own lips curved into a smile as I watched the brothers, knowing that they’d been waiting for their mate for a long time already.
“Mom will be ecstatic! Poor Trent! I hope he brought home a mate too.” Dawson told Caleb.
“We still have one unmated female over eighteen. Maybe Trent is mated to her,” Felix added, his eyes teasing Leandro, and Leandro just shook his head.
“One is enough for today. Let’s save Bella for another day.”
I heard Riley chuckle. He was probably agreeing with Leandro because he was not keen on the idea of having both his sisters get mated right away.
“Hello, Dad! I’m here. Let’s not discuss me. I’m too young to get mated.” Bella said, flipping her long blonde hair as she sat back in her chair.
I giggled and leaned closer to Katarina so I could whisper nearer to Bella. “Wait till you see Trent and tell me you don’t want to be mated with him. He’s gorgeous.”
“I can hear you, Nadia.” Riley’s voice reached my ears, and it was laced with jealousy. I could imagine him frowning.
I giggled and swung my head at him. “Of course, but he’s not as gorgeous as you. Close but not quite.” I winked at him, and from the look that he was giving me, I was sure he was warning me about a punishment I would be so willing to receive.
After the high of Dawson and Ellie finding each other, the rest continued with their meal as I just looked around. And just when everything was calming down, my mate stood up from his chair, taking a glass of wine before he began speaking.
“I would like to offer a toast to my female, my mate. And to everyone at this table, because if you’re here, that means you’re one of Nadia’s favorite people. Of course, that’s after me.”
I chuckled, as everyone did. I grabbed my juice glass and clinked it with my Alpha before raising it to acknowledge everyone around us.
“Cheers to everyone! And thank you for being here. I would also like to take this opportunity to tell my mate, my Nadia, how happy I am—I’m not fucking good with this, but I’m trying—so again, I want to tell you, my love, how happy I am that I found you and that you have given me too many chances every time I fucked up.
It meant more to me than you can possibly imagine. ”
My heart fluttered as my eyes watered because Riley was not the one to speak his emotions in public.
“All these years, I doubted myself if I was doing well as an Alpha. But when you came, I found out what I was missing—a Luna to lead beside me…”
I bit my bottom lip, suppressing the smile forming on my lips, before my eyes widened when Riley placed his glass back on the table and turned in my direction, kneeling in front of me as he slid his hand into his pocket.
Oh, Goddess. Is he going to propose? Aren’t we long overdue for this? But I wouldn’t deny that if he do that, I would feel really special.
He took out a small black velvet box and opened it, revealing a gold ring, encrusted with a wolf’s head. It looked like a family heirloom.
“Nadia, my love, in front of my mother…” The first tear fell from my eyes as he spoke the word ‘mother’ lovingly.
“...and my sisters, and your best friend. I would like to formally ask you to be my Luna, the Luna of this pack. To be bonded with me in front of the Moon Goddess and the people we will serve together. Marry me, Nadia Morrison. And I promise you, I will do my best to be a better mate every day of our lives together.”
I was a sobbing mess. It had to be my pregnancy. Riley had never failed to tell me the last line every time he could, but him saying it out in the open was a big thing to him, something he never did, pouring out his emotions for others to hear. But he was doing it for me tonight.
I wanted to say yes, but my tears were choking me as my hands went up to my mouth to stifle my sobs.
“You have to answer, my love. If you say no, I’m going to stay here and ask you again until you give up and say yes.
So better say yes now or we won’t be sleeping the whole night.
” He had a wide smug grin on his face as his eyes locked with mine.
And although he was joking, and everyone around us was chuckling and hooting, I could see the real emotions in his eyes and feel them through our bond. He was scared I would say no.
With my hands still covering my mouth, I nodded my head too many times before I was able to find my voice. “Yes, I want that more than anything in the world, to be yours forever, Riley.”
I withdrew my hands over my mouth and cupped his jaw, leaning closer to him before pulling his face and crushing my lips against his, kissing him lovingly as tears continued to stream down my cheeks.
Yes, this time I am ready. The Silver Moon Pack deserves a Luna, and I’m going to give them a good one.
Riley put a hand around my nape and kissed me back. We were lost in our own world when I heard the Beta’s voice and the crowd around us.
“A toast to the Alpha and the Luna of the Silver Moon Pack! And of course, to the future heir of the pack!”
“Cheers!” Everyone exclaimed in unison, followed by the clinking of glasses and loud applause.
My eyes were still in tears, my heart swelling with happiness. My life had taken a turn to something I had never expected would happen to someone like me.
Dreams do come true. And it’s happening right in front of me.