Page 69 of Mating Mia
Dozens of lanterns hang from the surrounding trees, casting a golden glow over the scene. The ground is carpeted with more rose petals, forming a circular area directly in front of the cascading water. And standing in the center of this illuminated space are my three alphas, arranged in a semicircle, each of them wearing... oh my god.
They’re in tuxedos. Sort of.
Each wears black dress pants and a bow tie, with formal suspenders crossing over their bare chests. No shirts, just acres of muscled skin gleaming in the lantern light, the formal accessories somehow making their partial nudity even hotter.
“Holy shit,” I breathe, unable to tear my eyes away from the sight of them.
Kane in the center, his broad chest crisscrossed by black suspenders, his bow tie perfectly straight against his throat. Finn to his right, his lean, powerful body highlighted rather than hidden by the formal accessories. And Jace to the left, hair styled back from his face, with a serious expression.
“Mia,” Kane says, his voice carrying easily over the water’s roar. “Come here, little omega.”
My feet move without conscious command, drawing me toward them like a magnet to true north. I stop a few feet away, suddenly aware that I’m wearing leggings and one of Kane’s oversized flannels, my hair pulled into a messy bun. I feel underdressed and totally unprepared for whatever this moment is.
“What’s going on?” I ask, my voice small against the backdrop of falling water.
Kane steps forward, the others moving with him until all three surround me in a loose circle. Then, all at the same time, they sink to their knees, looking up at me with expressions of intense love that steal the breath from my lungs.
“Mia,” Kane begins, and my heart races faster.Is he about to freaking propose?“From the moment Jace told us about finding you at the cafe, we knew you were ours. I didn’t even have to meet you yet to know. Our omega being mistreated was unfathomable, and my biggest regret is not stopping it earlier.”
“It’s okay,” I whisper, my hand over my heart as I try to control my racing heart, but I can’t. Even though I’m their marked omega and had their baby, this moment is still precious to me.
“No, it’s not okay, honey,” says Kane. “Forgive me. Forgive us all for not pulling you out of that situation sooner. You’ve changed our lives for the better and brought a lot of light into my pack.”
Tears spring to my eyes.This is happening.This is really happening.
“He’s right,” says Jace, his eyes shining as he stares into my face with all the love in the world. “You’ve shown me what it means to deeply love.”
“You are the heart of our pack,” Finn adds. “Mia, I love you. We all do.”
My lip trembles as tears roll down my face. Kane reaches into his pocket, withdrawing a small velvet box.
“But we want to be yours in every way,” Kane says, opening the box to reveal a ring that catches the light and throws it back in dazzling sparkles. “Mia, will you marry us? Even though we’ve already marked you in wolf traditions and custom, we would like to make it official.”
The ring looks stunning and I can’t take my eyes off it. It’s a large diamond surrounded by smaller stones set in a platinum band that twists like vines around the central gem. It’s stunning, perfect, absolutely too much, and exactly right all at once.
“Yes,” I whisper, then louder. “Yes, of course I will!”
Kane’s smile is blinding as he rises just enough to slip the ring onto my finger. It fits perfectly, as if it were made specifically for me. Perhaps it was. The weight of it on my finger feels wonderful, a tangible symbol of belonging, of being chosen as their wife.
“We love you,” Jace says, rising to wrap his arms around me from one side while Finn does the same from the other.
“More than words can express,” Finn adds, his lips brushing my temple in a rare public display of affection.
“I love you, too. All of you,” I say, sniffling and wiping my eyes.
Kane completes the circle, his strong arms encircling all of us, holding our little family together. “Forever,” he murmurs against my hair. “For all our lives.”
I’m crying, and it’s hard to believe that over a year ago, I was trapped in a horrible relationship with a man who hit me and put me down every day, thinking I would never find anyone after I broke up with him. Kane, Finn, and Jace more than saved my life, they saved my soul.
The completeness of my happiness is almost too much to bear. I look back and I see movement beside the tree line.
My parents stand hand in hand, watching our moment with smiles that match my own joy. My father has his arm around my mother’s waist, pride evident in every line of his face. My mother holds her free hand pressed to her heart, tears glistening on her cheeks in the lantern light.
“Did you know?” I call to them, laughing through my tears.
“Kane asked for my blessing,” my father confirms, his voice thick with emotion.
“Oh wow, you did that?” I ask Kane, smiling. He must have been really serious about me to ask my dad.
