solve my problem with Bishop?”
“Can’t it be both?” Dylan asked.
“Absolutely not. It can only be for love. Not for convenience.”
“But I do love you. I would do anything it takes to prove it to you. Just name it.”
Rory sighed and covered her face with her hands. “It’s not your love I doubt.”
“Well, obviously it is. What do you want me to do? Do you want me to kill Bishop? Consider him dead.”
“That’s just it. I don’t want Bishop to factor into this. I want this to be about us, not about the trouble I’m in. When I look back on this day, I don’t want to remember this as the day you asked me to marry you because it solved a problem.”
“That’s not the only reason I’m asking you.”
“But it is a reason.”
Dylan growled in frustration. “I don’t understand why you have a problem with this.”
“Let me put it this way. Would you have asked me this morning to be your mate if it wasn’t for the trouble with Bishop?”
Dylan’s brow furrowed and he thought about the question. “I see what you’re saying. So let me make this clear. I might not have asked you this morning. But it would’ve been this afternoon or tomorrow or a week from now. I’ve known since we met that you were the woman for me. And you coming back here, everything that happened last night, I knew for sure that I wanted you to be my mate.”
Rory searched his face for the truth of his words. Dylan stared back at her, his gaze unwavering. He seemed to be telling the truth.
“Then why ask me this morning?”
“You’re right,” Dylan said. “This was the wrong time to ask. I should’ve asked you four years ago. And five years before that. I should’ve asked you the day I met you.”
Rory’s breath caught in her throat. Emotion choking her up. “Dylan…”
“So many times I should’ve asked you. And I always fucked it up. Maybe I screwed up again today. But I want you to be my mate. For all the right reasons. Maybe if I was a more romantic kind of guy, I would’ve done a better job. But I am who I am. Rough edges and all. So I’m asking you, Aurora, be my mate.”
Whatever doubts or concerns had plagued Rory about Dylan’s commitment to her evaporated. Dylan was right. He was asking for all the right reasons. She had no doubt he meant every word.
“Yes, Dylan. I want to be your mate. I want you to be mine forever and ever.”
Dylan smiled then. Not the slight subtle smiles Rory had seen here and there since they’d been reunited a few days ago. This was a full on smile, from ear to ear. It was like the sun breaking through a cloudy sky on a rainy day.
It transformed Dylan’s face. The man was always handsome, but now, he looked so good it hurt Rory’s heart, filling it up with joy until she thought it might explode.
Dylan pulled her into his arms, so strong and confident. She could live the rest of her life being held in those arms. And now she would. All that was left was the bite that would seal the deal.
Rory tilted her head to the side, giving Dylan access to her neck and shoulder. All it took to mark a shifter as your mate and seal the bond forever was a bite. Course, it wasn’t just a normal bite. Otherwise, every time two shifters fought they’d end up mated for life.
No, this bite required intent. The shifter who did the biting had to want to mark the other shifter as their mate. And of course, the one doing the biting was the male. In this case, it was the sexiest male bear she’d ever seen.
Dylan leaned his head down and Rory trembled with anticipation. This was it. The moment she’d been dreaming of for so long. Nothing could ruin this moment for her.
“Are you ready?” Dylan asked.
“I am.”
“Aurora Hendrix, I mark you as—”
Dylan froze midsentence, his nose sniffing the air.
“Someone’s here,” he said, his eyes
“Can’t it be both?” Dylan asked.
“Absolutely not. It can only be for love. Not for convenience.”
“But I do love you. I would do anything it takes to prove it to you. Just name it.”
Rory sighed and covered her face with her hands. “It’s not your love I doubt.”
“Well, obviously it is. What do you want me to do? Do you want me to kill Bishop? Consider him dead.”
“That’s just it. I don’t want Bishop to factor into this. I want this to be about us, not about the trouble I’m in. When I look back on this day, I don’t want to remember this as the day you asked me to marry you because it solved a problem.”
“That’s not the only reason I’m asking you.”
“But it is a reason.”
Dylan growled in frustration. “I don’t understand why you have a problem with this.”
“Let me put it this way. Would you have asked me this morning to be your mate if it wasn’t for the trouble with Bishop?”
Dylan’s brow furrowed and he thought about the question. “I see what you’re saying. So let me make this clear. I might not have asked you this morning. But it would’ve been this afternoon or tomorrow or a week from now. I’ve known since we met that you were the woman for me. And you coming back here, everything that happened last night, I knew for sure that I wanted you to be my mate.”
Rory searched his face for the truth of his words. Dylan stared back at her, his gaze unwavering. He seemed to be telling the truth.
“Then why ask me this morning?”
“You’re right,” Dylan said. “This was the wrong time to ask. I should’ve asked you four years ago. And five years before that. I should’ve asked you the day I met you.”
Rory’s breath caught in her throat. Emotion choking her up. “Dylan…”
“So many times I should’ve asked you. And I always fucked it up. Maybe I screwed up again today. But I want you to be my mate. For all the right reasons. Maybe if I was a more romantic kind of guy, I would’ve done a better job. But I am who I am. Rough edges and all. So I’m asking you, Aurora, be my mate.”
Whatever doubts or concerns had plagued Rory about Dylan’s commitment to her evaporated. Dylan was right. He was asking for all the right reasons. She had no doubt he meant every word.
“Yes, Dylan. I want to be your mate. I want you to be mine forever and ever.”
Dylan smiled then. Not the slight subtle smiles Rory had seen here and there since they’d been reunited a few days ago. This was a full on smile, from ear to ear. It was like the sun breaking through a cloudy sky on a rainy day.
It transformed Dylan’s face. The man was always handsome, but now, he looked so good it hurt Rory’s heart, filling it up with joy until she thought it might explode.
Dylan pulled her into his arms, so strong and confident. She could live the rest of her life being held in those arms. And now she would. All that was left was the bite that would seal the deal.
Rory tilted her head to the side, giving Dylan access to her neck and shoulder. All it took to mark a shifter as your mate and seal the bond forever was a bite. Course, it wasn’t just a normal bite. Otherwise, every time two shifters fought they’d end up mated for life.
No, this bite required intent. The shifter who did the biting had to want to mark the other shifter as their mate. And of course, the one doing the biting was the male. In this case, it was the sexiest male bear she’d ever seen.
Dylan leaned his head down and Rory trembled with anticipation. This was it. The moment she’d been dreaming of for so long. Nothing could ruin this moment for her.
“Are you ready?” Dylan asked.
“I am.”
“Aurora Hendrix, I mark you as—”
Dylan froze midsentence, his nose sniffing the air.
“Someone’s here,” he said, his eyes
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