Silver Wolf Clan
Page 14
Apparently she’d failed, because Grey rubbed her back in tiny, comforting circles. “How about you make me a list of the stuff you need taken care of and I’ll do it?”
“I guess that would work. I’ll go get started on the list.” She hated feeling useless, but what choice did she have? Work had piled up at home, rent had to be paid, and she needed more clothes, but what if she turned wolf in the truck? Or bit off her landlady’s arm because it looked yummy? She was utterly stuck.
Stupid Alexis.
Chapter 13
Grey clenched and unclenched his hands to try and calm barely controlled nerves. Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea in front of everyone. It would mean a lot to Morgan, though.
Gathered at the table, the pack passed plates of steaming food around and talked loudly, as if they hadn’t seen each other in a year. Brent, the most submissive member, cut Lana’s food into tiny, manageable bites and laughed at something Jason said. Marissa sat quietly beside Rachel, who stole a roll from Dean’s plate while he talked to Wade. The smirk on the alpha’s face said she hadn’t got away with much. Brandon sat down at the table with an entire gallon of milk, and Logan threw tiny pieces of broccoli in Marissa’s direction.
He could do this. Heartbeat hammering, Grey opened his mouth and turned to Morgan just as she stood and disappeared into the other room. Dean pointed a forkful of steak at him and mouthed ha, ha. Maybe telling him hadn’t been the best idea.
Morgan returned with a large, cardboard box, which she set on her empty seat. She tinked her fork against the glass and everyone, including herself, hunched into themselves and covered their ears.
“Ugh, sorry. I forgot. My fault, my fault.” She put down the dinnerware slowly as if ridding herself of a loaded weapon and puffed air from her filled cheeks. Her heartbeat galloped away even faster than his.
“I wanted to say that I really appreciate y’all helping us through this crazy transition.” She laughed nervously, shifted her weight from side to side. “I know how much you mean to Grey, because when I see him around you, he’s more relaxed. He smiles more easily.” She looked down at where he sat with such pride swimming in her eyes. “He talks more openly. He’s more himself. And for me, it means so much that he’s found a group of friends who are sincere, accepting of everything important to him. I don’t know how this is done. I don’t know any werewolf rules really, but...” She scooted the box closer to him. “Well, just open it.”
A scratching noise came from the cardboard and as the full scent of animal fur reached his nostrils, a flare of hope panged as deep and wide as a canyon.
She rested her hand against the back of his chair. “The day Alexis brought you the gift, I was angry at the implications, but I understood its meaning.”
He opened the lid with sure fingers.
Blushing, she muttered, “Rachel and Marissa helped me track it down. I was working up to, you know, killing it for you.”
The pack stood and leaned over the open box.
“Bunny!” Lana shrieked. “Can we keep it?” She’d already picked up the black and white pet store bunny and hugged it tightly to her little body.
“Or I guess I won’t kill it,” Morgan said quietly, amid the amused chuckles.
“It’ll be an interesting experiment to see how long a pet bunny can last in a werewolf den.” Dean laughed.
“We have to try, Dean. For Lana,” Rachel said, wiping happy moisture from the corners of her eyes. “We bought the sturdiest cage the pet store had, so maybe it could work.”
The table settled, and Grey tried to stifle the howling happiness Wolf pushed and expanded inside him. His inner beast was practically singing. “Do you mean this? You want me to be yours, then?”
She nodded, eyes filled with bottomless emotion, and he pulled a gift from beneath the table.
“What’s this?” she asked.
“Open mine now.”
She unwrapped a hand crafted wooden container the size of a jewelry box. Etched onto the front of it were two wolves. One, made of a lighter wood with little contrast to the grain of the background. The other was placed protectively in front of the fair colored wolf, in a dark wood which had been stained to darken it even more. In a forest scene, both wolves had their heads thrown back. Eyes closed, they howled at a full moon hanging in the upper right hand corner of the panel. The dark wolf stood shoulder to shoulder over the fair one, and their heads were arched back toward each other so the tips of their ears touched. A continuation of the forest scene surrounding the wolves with a few tiny bunny carvings blending into the trees and brush covered the box’s side and back panels. She touched the flowing details of the wooden thicket and ran a finger gently over the wolves.
“The front carving was a human and a wolf a couple of weeks ago, but I had to redo it after you Changed. I like it this way better,” he said.
She opened the top and pulled out a small, black velvet box from the inside. He took it gently from her hand and dropped to one knee. Shock flitted across her face like a tiny tidal wave.
“I don’t really know the rules on this either. So—” He searched her filling eyes and anchored himself with the knowledge of her affection. “Morgan, from the first time I saw you, I knew I wanted you. You and Lana make up the best parts of my life. I’ll spend the rest of my life making you happy and keeping you safe, if you’ll let me.” He dragged a steady breath into his lungs. “Will you marry me?”
Thump, thump, thump. Her heart was beating wildly, like the wings of a bird. A small, bewildered smile tugged at the corners of her mouth. Everything depended on the answer that hung on her lips. Her eyes lightened to purple, undeniable proof of the silver wolf living inside. Her wolf had changed the course of their lives. Those beautiful eyes meant their fate had taken an unexpected fork in the road.
She didn’t know of her importance yet, or the danger they would all be in the second anyone found out about her existence. Or that his proposal was the declaration that he would happily die to protect her. None of it mattered. The only thing of importance was she would be his forever. His animal had wanted hers from the moment their eyes met and he’d ignored the fear of her breaking him and instead, chose to let her in. She eased the ache inside him. The one that meant no control. She touched Wolf in a way no other could ever do. Settled him. Managed him, because of his love for her.
Everything depended on her answer because she was everything right and just in his world.
A single, joyous, crystalline tear slid down her cheek, and he gripped the velvet ring box as she drew a soft breath.
“Yes,” she said in the barest of whispers.
Tera Shanley
Tera Shanley writes in sub-genres that stretch from Paranormal Romance, to Historic Western Romance, to Apocalyptic (zombie) Romance. The common theme? She loves love. A self-proclaimed bookworm, she was raised in small town Texas and could often be found decorating a table at the local library. She currently lives in Dallas with her husband and two young children and when she isn’t busy running around after her family, she’s writing a new story or devouring a good book. Any spare time is dedicated to chocolate licking, rifle slinging, friend hugging, and the great outdoors. For more information about Tera and her work, visit www.terashanley.com.
Also by Tera Shanley
An Unwilling Husband
Silver Wolf Clan Series
Black Wolf’s Revenge
Brand of the Pack
Summit of the Wolf
Lyrical Press books are published by
Kensington Publishing Corp. 119 West 40th Street New York, NY 10018
Copyright © 2014 TERA SHANLEY
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means without the prior written consent of the publisher, excepting brief quotes used in reviews.
Lyrical Press and the L logo are trademarks of Kensington Publishing Corp.
First Electronic Edition: AUGUST
2014
ISBN-13: 978-1-61650-542-4