Chapter 62: The Mating Ceremony
306words
My heart quickened. "Is that why you brought me here?"
Instead of answering directly, Liam took both my hands in his. "When I first met you, I saw you as a threat. Then as an ally. Then as something I never expected to find—my mate. My equal. The one person who could challenge me and support me in the same breath."
"Liam," I whispered, emotion tightening my throat.
"I've lived over a century," he continued, "and never found anyone who made me feel the way you do. Complete. Understood. Accepted for all that I am—not just the Alpha, but the man beneath."
He reached into his pocket and withdrew a simple silver ring set with a small moonstone. "This belonged to my grandmother. She was human, like your father was werewolf. A bridge between worlds."
"It's beautiful," I breathed as he held it between us.
"Charlotte Hayes," he said formally, "I ask you to be my mate, my partner, my equal in all things. To stand with me as we lead our pack and build a future where humans and werewolves might someday live in peace."
Tears filled my eyes as I nodded. "Yes," I said simply. "With all that I am, yes."
He slipped the ring onto my finger, then drew me into a kiss that felt like a promise, like coming home, like the beginning of something extraordinary.
When we finally broke apart, I noticed something strange—a soft glow emanating from the Heart Tree, bathing us in gentle blue-white light.
"What's happening?" I asked, watching as the light seemed to swirl around us.
Liam looked as surprised as I felt. "I don't know. The tree has never done this before."
