Chapter 183 Caden POV

Chapter 183 Caden POV
We're gathered around the outdoor table with laptops open, going over the monthly pack budget, Alpha Emily seated at the head like this whole thing actually requires her personal attention.

"Quick meeting", my ass.

Emily doesn't need to be here. She wants to see Teresa.

She's still sour about our breakup. I told her the truth—I want to get serious with Teresa, and that means there can't be anyone else in my bed. Emily brushes a strand of white hair behind her ear, and our eyes meet. Something mischievous flashes in the green of her irises.

I drop my gaze back to the spreadsheet.

I don't return the look. I'm done.

My fingers tap against my pocket—the one holding the moonstone ring. Mason notices and shoots me a grin from across the table.

"When?" he asks, interrupting the most boring conversation on earth.

"Tonight," I say, unable to stop myself from beaming.

"No way. Your balls finally dropped? You're actually going to do it?" Keith teases.

"Yes, you fuck. Now shut up. She's coming down the stairs."

Her scent reaches me before she does—roses and rain. I inhale deeply, filling my lungs with as much of it as I can. Teresa lingers by the door for half a second, and my whole body tightens at the sight of her.

She's glowing.

Her deep brown skin catches the last of the evening light. She trimmed her hair, and it now falls right above her peach-shaped ass. The tiny flecks of blue in her light brown eyes stand out even more tonight. Her eyes smile before her mouth does, and the pale pink shorts and matching shirt she's wearing are enough to make me lose my train of thought entirely.

I tap my thigh, wanting her in my lap.

She crosses the patio quickly, but just as she's about to sit, she pauses, her eyes landing on the head of the table.

"Alpha Emily, my apologies. I don't want to interrupt your meeting."

She’s so damn sweet. So polite.

Emily gives her one of those perfect fake smiles after looking her over. "It's nice to finally meet you, Teresa. You're not interrupting. Please, sit."

The guys and I all trade the same look.

Emily is full of shit, and every one of us knows it.

Teresa, thankfully, doesn't miss a beat. She drops straight into my lap.

Warm. Soft. Perfect.

My hand slips beneath the back of her shirt almost on instinct. Goddess, her skin is silk under my palm. There isn't a blemish left on her anymore, and it still blows my mind what that green goo can do. The way it erases years of scars is insane.

But I loved Teresa with the scars too.

That was never the issue.

What hurt was how much they hurt her. She wouldn't even take her shirt off when we had sex, and that gutted me.

When I'm with her, I can finally let my guard down. I can breathe. I can be myself without thinking, without forcing it.

And I'll be damned if I let something as stupid as fate keep me away from her any longer.

Fuck waiting for a fated mate.

Teresa is the mate I want.

We finally wrap up the tedious meeting, and everyone starts drifting off. The sun is setting, and I already know the plan—I'm ordering Chinese food, and tonight I'm asking her.

Before anyone can leave, Teresa stops them and asks if they want to stay for dinner.

Behind her back, I shake my head.

Go. All of you. Get the hell out.

A few of them grin and turn her down one by one. Watching her, I can't help wondering if she's nervous about being alone with me. The thought makes my own nerves spike higher.

When the delivery shows up, I grab the food and ask where she wants to eat.

"Outside!" she says excitedly.

I should've known.

I smile and follow her out back.

I set the bags on the table and switch on the string lights overhead. Soft gold glows around us, setting the mood better than I expected. We sit across from each other and eat in silence.

It's uncomfortable.

And weirdly familiar.

The air between us feels charged, like one wrong breath might set everything off. I tap my pocket again. It's gone beyond nerves at this point—it's become a damn tic.

I smile to myself, a little helplessly, at how completely in over my head I am.

"So..." I start, immediately realizing I have no idea where I'm going with that.

"So?" she echoes.

"Fuck. I'm not good with words. You know that. I'm better with my fists."

"Why do you keep tapping your leg?" she asks, tilting her head. "You did it all through Winter Solstice break. Is everything okay?"

She’s trying to change the subject.

Because she has no idea.

I reach into my pocket, pull out the small red velvet box, and spin it once in my fingers before setting it on the table between us. Teresa watches me closely now. Fully. Completely.

I have her attention.

I open the box and slide it toward her.

"Will you be my chosen mate?"

My voice cracks on every word.

I brace myself for rejection so hard I can practically feel it rushing toward me. I'm too much of a coward to look her in the eye, so I close mine instead and wait.

The silence is deafening.

Then I hear movement.

Fast movement.

My eyes fly open just in time to see her crawling across the table toward me before she drops right into my lap, straddling me. Her small, soft hands cup my face, and then her lips crash into mine.

She has never kissed me like this before.

There's hunger in it. Relief. Love so fierce it nearly wrecks me on the spot.

"Yes," she whispers against my mouth.

Just one word.

And it feels like my whole life changes.

Teresa puts the delicate box back into my hand. I take out the ring and slide it onto her finger, my hands not nearly as steady as I want them to be.

Then I stand with her still in my lap, holding her easily with one arm.

"Caden!" she laughs. "What are you doing?"

"I'm going to mark you," I say, smirking up at her. "Right now. Before you can change your mind."

Her face softens in a way that hits me straight in the chest.

"It's always been you."

And just like that, my heart flutters like a fucking schoolgirl.