Page 28 of Shattered Mates

His smile returns. Though, it feels forced as he says, “Please do.”

“A part of me hated you for abandoning me, hated my sister for keeping me from you, hated the world for thinking we shouldn’t be together.” I take a deep breath before continuing. “And then I didn’t. Every day that I missed you, every day that I got to know you through your family and friends, I realized so much about myself. I was nearly an adult when we met, but I’d never lived, never learned from life the way we’re supposed to. I was finally able to grow into the woman I was always supposed to be, and even though you weren’t by my side while I did, I fell in love with you a little more every day.”

His eyes gloss over and his smile grows bigger than I’ve ever seen it, but still, I continue.

“I knew the moment that I found you again that I couldn’t ever let you go, but I also thought I needed to let you have the same journey as I did. One forged from the strength of remembering who you are on your own, but you already know who you are, whereas I hadn’t. The moment you asked me not to let you go, I knew there would never be a day that passes that I wouldn’t need you with me, want the presence of your incredible soul in my life. Because not only did I spend six years falling in love with you, I am, now and forever, always going to be yours.”

River practically throws himself at me, pinning me back onto the mattress with so much joy radiating from him that I can taste the sunshine he emits.

His hands hold my wrists over my head and he leans in closer, nipping at my bottom lip before whispering, “I love you, Jules. So much that I’m not sure I deserve you, but I promise to spend the rest of our days being the man you believe me to be and earning your love.”

He has nothing to earn, I intend to give him all of me freely, but before I can tell him as much, his mouth is on mine. Our lips connect and tongues tangle without a moment’s hesitation. I taste the hops from the beer he drank earlier, but his natural sweetness overpowers the headiness until all that’s left is my River.

My River who is not only my mate, but who will be my best friend, my confidant, my everything for all the rest of my years. After all we’ve been through, I know there isn’t anything else in this lifetime that can be thrown at us that we won’t be able to handle together.

Now and forever.

Epilogue

River

Two months later…

Racing through the forest outside the pack house, my wolf’s claws dig into the earth beneath us and he howls, gaining speed, eager to get back to our mate. Though, so am I. I wouldn’t even be out here now, but he asked for a run before tonight.

It’s been eight weeks since Jules found me on that mountain. Every day has been better than the previous one up until this last week. With every passing hour, I’ve grown more and more impatient, and it took me until yesterday to figure out why.

I need to claim my mate.

We need to claim our mate, my wolf amends.

That we do, but because of how pent-up we’ve felt, my wolf suggested a run before we go home to Jules. An idea I agreed to because I don’t want to risk being too animalistic and hurting her.

She’s been patient and kind and supportive, almost to a fault. Yet, she’s exactly perfect and, more importantly, all mine.

And tonight, we get to make that official.

With one last howl toward the full moon, a thank you of sorts to our Moon Goddess, my wolf comes to a stop outside the home we share with Jules. I push forward, shifting back to two feet and heading straight for the door.

I can hear her inside. She’s humming a soft melody, something I’ve noticed she does when she’s happiest. At least I know we’re both eager for this evening.

Not that I had any doubts. We’ve talked about sex and completing our bond many times, and even though there were some days that I couldn’t remember why it was a good idea to wait, I’m glad we did.

Not only have I gotten to know Jules better, but I have gotten to know myself. I thought I knew who I was before, that being a protector was in my blood, but I know differently now. I’ve officially quit my job since coming back and found that helping keep our pack—and my family—safe is all that matters to me.

I’m still me, just more singularly focused, and while that took some getting used to, I realized that by admitting that, it doesn’t mean I’m selfish. It just means I know what I want.

And tonight, that’s Jules.

After entering the house, I close and lock the door behind me. Halfway down the hallway, I tug my shirt over my head with one hand and open the bedroom door with the other, dropping the clothing onto the carpet.

Jules is standing in front of our bed, candles flickering inside the otherwise dark room, and she pats the mattress with a smirk. “You look tired, Mate. Why don’t you get into bed?”

She wears nothing other than a silk black negligée. Her hair falls in soft waves around her shoulders, and her creamy skin glows from the moonlight peeking in through a crack between the curtains.

I almost pinch myself, because I can’t believe this stunning creature is all mine.

A growl from deep within my chest echoes through the bedroom. “Tired is the wrong word for what I am.”

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