Page 146 of Red's Beast

“Emmeline is still out there,” she says as the tears begin to fall. “Is it possible for her to regain her magic and then come for you? If she does, I don’t know if I will survive it.”

“No one, and I mean no one, is ever taking me from you again. We are entangled together until death comes for us. You and I are made of the same and we will prevail through the ages. Our great grandchildren and beyond will speak of us often and fondly. They will think about our story and the love we share. That is what will drive them to find their own fated mate. Our love is made of magic and destiny, my love.”

“I know this,” she says as she leans forward and cries into my shoulder. “I know that, but I’m scared one day you might leave me.”

I reach up, my hands tangling in her hair. “Don’t worry about that anymore, Lily. I will never leave your side. You have never truly been alone. I think part of me was always there until the time came for us to be together.”

She pulls back, her face wet with tears, as her gaze meets mine. “Always?”

“Always,” I say as I lean down and capture her lips.

There are no more words to be spoken between us for the next few hours as I show her how much I love her and keep my promise of eternity. She is strong, but in these moments, I know that the past still haunts her.

One day, that past will no longer bother her. One day, she will see that I was there all along, waiting in the woods until the day she would come to claim me.

Our fate was written in the stars and until we turn into them, we will remain here, loving each other. I know that the fight isn’t over, not when so many dangers lurk, but right now, I don’t want to think about it.

Right now, it is only about the love we share and creating a new future where we will no longer be hurt or cursed.

******

As she lays in my arms, my fingers twirl with the ends of her hair. Something about her scent is toying with me. It makes me want to have her repeatedly, but I stop myself from acting on it because she’s finally asleep.

“You don’t know how much I love you, but I will prove it to you every single day.”

Her nails dig into my chest as she wakes. “You're wrong,” she mumbles.

“I am not wrong. You are a stubborn little thing that doesn’t realize how much your mate loves you. Now go back to sleep.”

“No,” she says as she turns to look up at me.

Her face is still splotchy from tears, but those beautiful red alpha eyes are capturing my attention.

“If you don’t go back to sleep, then we may never leave the house today. Don’t you need to go and speak with some of the pack members?”

She shakes her head. “No, they can survive without us for a day. I just want to lie here and enjoy you for as long as I can.”

A smile spreads across my face. I always want to hide away with her, just like this, but we can’t always do that and ignore the pack.

“Just for today,” I whisper. “Today, it’s just you and me, in this bed. Not as the alpha pair, but as Lillian and Lucian. Two fated mates who just want to bask in each other and enjoy what we have together.”

“I think I like that idea,” she says as she lays her head back down on my chest and inhales deeply. “You and me, forever.”

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