Page 62 of Bullied By the Alpha Wolf

She turned and smiled at me, her brows up. “Sure. What’s up?”

I reached into my pocket, pulling out the little box that I’d spent the wee hours of the morning trying to track down in my stuff.

“I have something for you.” I smiled, taking Kit’s hand.

“What? Kaiden, that’s so not necessary.” She blushed, and damn, I loved how it looked on her. “You’ve already claimed me as your mate—in front of everyone, I might add. I’m good.”

I remembered the quick announcement I’d made before the meeting and smiled. It had felt so good to proclaim Kit as mine to every wolf in my pack and those closest to me. Except Kenzie, but she was coming tomorrow, and I’d give her the news then.

“I’m proud to have you as my mate, Kit. And I have had very little to celebrate over the past few years. I’m going all out.”

She laughed, singsong bells in summer, and I grinned all the harder as I held up the box and put it in her hand.

“Open it.”

Kit narrowed her eyes at me playfully and then looked down at the small black box, cracking it open. The hinges squeezed, rusty from age, and then Kit gasped, her mouth falling open.

Inside was my grandmother’s opal ring. She’d worn it every day, and it had been given to her by her mate.

“I want you to have this.” I took the ring out of the box for her and began to slide it onto Kit’s finger. “This was my Gran’s. She would have adored you. Hell, she knew you were coming for me when I was a kid.”

Kit sniffled, and I smiled as she wiped under her eyes with her free hand.

“She was a V?lva, an amazing friend to me and Kenzie, and I miss her terribly. But knowing that this is with you, that you’ll be carrying a part of my family with you, helps.”

The ring fit perfectly, and I kissed it on her finger, pulling Kit close.

“I want you to marry me in a human ceremony. I want to honor both sides of our family. I can’t get an officiant or anything, and it’ll just be the wolves there, but I—”

“It’s perfect, Kaiden. Yes.” She pulled me to her for a deep kiss before touching her forehead to mine. “I would love to.”

Relief and joy flooded me so strongly that I was dizzy. I held Kit to me so tight, breathing her in.

“I never want to be parted from you ever again.”

Kit nuzzled into me. “Oh, don’t worry about that. You’re officially stuck with me now. I love that bed too much to leave.”

I laughed, letting my head fall back as it washed over me and then kissed the top of Kit’s head.

“Good. That’s very, very good.”

Epilogue - Kit

The room was absolutely stunning, with flowers and ivy and ribbons dripping from every table and chair and archway. I didn’t know how the wolves managed to pull it off, but this place did not look like the meeting room we’d been using for all the council briefings.

Everyone was there, too. The alphas, Kenzie, Jet’s mate Senna and their kids, Grayson, and all of the Collins pack that was now ruled by my incredible mate.

Sunny stood with her mate, River, in the front row holding little Asher, and the way he looked in the tiny jacket made my heart squeeze with joy. He was just as much of a stinker as his father, and getting him here had been some real work.

I’d been on bed rest for the last month of my pregnancy, which had lasted a touch longer than your typical human nine months. Willow and Sunny had been checking on him every day, however, and it looked like our little hybrid had just needed a bit longer to cook.

Willow was still trying to figure out what it meant for Ash to be the result of a human and wolf, and she and Sunny had become his official babysitters since they were so good with him. Even Willow, which had been a surprise, frankly, but the little squirt had a way of warming up the snarky scientist.

Standing at the back of the room behind a small screen, I waited for my cue to enter. When the music changed, I knew it was time, and I stepped forward into the aisle that had been created by rows of chairs brought in from every room of the house.

“Holy shit,” I whispered, the sight before me literally breathtaking.

Kaiden stood at the head of the aisle beneath an arch covered in my favorite flowers—lilacs. Jet was officiating, or something akin to that, and my cheeks hurt from smiling so big.

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