“He did mention the guy, and the situation with his two sons. I . . . was startled to find out that werewolves and humans were . . .”
“Mating?”
“Yes.” He pulled her to a stop on the path, a place shadowed by tall pines. Their needles carpeted the ground, and a stream flowed nearby, its rippling music adding to the sense of being deep in the midst of a wilderness. “How do you feel about that?”
So it was out on the table, the question that had plagued her ever since she’d fallen in love with him. Her answer had been easy in the beginning. Because he hadn’t known that werewolves existed, she’d vowed to keep that knowledge from him so that he’d never have to make such a painful choice.
She faced him. “I’ll tell you the truth.”
“I hope so.” His eyes flashed in the semidarkness. “I expect no less from you, Giselle.”
“I’ve never lied to you.”
He was quiet for a moment. “I guess not. You just didn’t tell me everything. Now I want to know it all, beginning with how you stand on this mating business.”
“I’ve always been firmly opposed to it.”
He exhaled. “Then why did you tell me? Why did you make it seem as if you wanted to be with me, no matter what the difficulties might be? I don’t—”
“I was against it until I met you.”
The silence stretched between them. Finally he spoke, his voice strained. “And now?”
The dam broke and her tears flowed. “Oh, Luke, I’ve tried to give you up, but every time I think of living without you, it’s as if this big black hole is swallowing me, and I can’t . . . I can’t . . .”
“Me, either,” he said softly. “Me, either, my love.” And he pulled her close, tucked her head under his chin, and rocked her back and forth as she cried.
“But I’m asking you to change everything.”
He chuckled. “Everything changed the minute you walked into my office demanding to know what information I had on our rebellious siblings. I haven’t been the same since.”
“But I’m a werewolf, Luke. That means if we have offspring they could be human or Were. Can you live with that?”
Now he was totally confused. “I thought you couldn’t have kids.”
“I can have them. I just can’t get pregnant until I’m mated to someone. It’s a Were thing. But you and I could have offspring. They’d just be . . . mixed. Could you deal with that?”
He hesitated for a brief second.
“Look, if you can’t, I respect that, Luke. I completely understand.”
“Hang on, Giselle. I can absolutely deal with that. It’s a startling concept, especially after I’d thought you couldn’t have kids, but the one thing I can’t live with is being separated from you. So there you have it.”
“You’ll have time to think about these things. I’m not demanding your answer now.” She was determined to get everything out in the open. “Here’s another issue. I’ll want to shift now and then and run through the woods. Will that gross you out when I do it?”
“Nope. I’m sort of jealous, if you must know. And by the way, demonstrating that ability was the gutsiest thing I’ve ever seen in my life.” He kissed the top of her head. “What if I’d freaked out and called 911? What if I’d tried to kill you?”
“I trusted you. I knew you wouldn’t harm me.”
“Exactly.” He pulled her closer. “Just as I trust you and know you’d never harm me, either. I can’t imagine what mating with a werewolf means really, but if the alternative is giving you up forever, the choice is ridiculously easy.”
She hugged him tight. “Mating with me means you won’t have to be locked inside that resort-style prison.”
“That’s good to know. I wasn’t too pleased with that scenario.”
“And Cynthia will have privileged status as your sister, so unless she starts acting crazy, as if she’s about to broadcast our presence to the world, she’ll have complete freedom of movement.”
His muscles relaxed, and he sighed. “Good. That’s so good. I can be very happy knowing that my sister will be okay.”
“She’ll be okay whether we mate or not.” Giselle lifted her head to gaze up at him. “Don’t make that the deciding factor, Luke. No matter what happens between us, I will fight for Cynthia with all I have. So will Bryce. So will Mr. Thatcher. She has champions among us. She’s well protected.”
The shadows hid his expression, but his warmth radiated around her. “You would fight for her, wouldn’t you?”
“Damn straight I would. I’m loyal to you, and that means I’m loyal to your sister. Werewolves have a very strong sense of family. Besides, she’s a kick. I really like her.”
“She likes you, too.” He gathered her close and gazed down at her. “She asked if I believed in soul mates. I said I didn’t know. She told me if there was such a thing, you were mine.”
Her breath stalled. “And what do you think?”
“I think she’s onto something.” He leaned down, his mouth nearly touching hers. “Will you be my mate, Giselle? My soul mate?”
She was like a balloon full of helium, ready to fly, but she didn’t want to leave this place, this man, this moment. “Yes,” she whispered. “Because, you see, I already am.”
Not long afterward, while Luke was in the midst of a deep kiss that would inevitably lead to more than a kiss, he became aware of approaching footsteps.
Apparently the rest of the party had finished exploring the playground and were walking back up the path. Then the footsteps stopped, as if all four had realized they’d come upon an intimate scene, one they didn’t want to interrupt.
Luke stopped kissing Giselle long enough to turn his head and hold out his hand. “Whoever has the remote to that revolving wall, give it to me, please.”
“Right on.” Seconds later, Benedict placed the remote into Luke’s outstretched palm. “Don’t lose it, dude.”
“Thanks. I won’t.” Luke shoved it in his jeans pocket. “We might be a while. You can all go home.”
“Don’t forget to close up,” Benedict added.
“We won’t!” Giselle promised from the depths of her sweetheart’s embrace.
“Yeah, like she’s really focused on that,” Bryce said. “Not.”
Luke chuckled. “Don’t worry, Bryce. I’m the responsible type. Ask my sister. And besides, I still own the place. See you all in the morning.”
Then he went back to kissing the love of his life, who also happened to be a werewolf. As he was beginning to understand, that was going to make this love affair one hell of an adventure. And it would begin now, very aptly, in the middle of a make-believe forest.