Chapter 126 The Ring And The Promise

Chapter 126 The Ring And The Promise

He reaches into his coat pocket and pulls out a ring. I stare down at it, completely speechless, as he holds it up with a hopeful look in his eyes.

"Yes... yes, of course!" I blurt out immediately, terrified that if I pause for even a second, this whole moment will vanish into thin air.

He blinks up at me, his smile widening until it covers his whole face. "Really?"

"Yes, Cassian. I'll marry you."

He quickly slides the ring onto my finger, and as if it was crafted specifically for me, it fits like a glove. He jumps up, wrapping his arms around me and swinging me clear off the floor into a dizzying twirl.

I press my lips to his, tasting the faint salt of my own tears. I have never felt more certain about anything in my entire life. Cassian is going to be my husband, and nothing else matters right now.

"I love you," he murmurs softly against my lips. "I love you so much."

"I love you too," I whisper back.

He sets my feet down on the floor, but he doesn't let go. I don't think either of us wants to put any space between us ever again.

"I realized I was in love with you years ago," he says, his eyes sweeping over the tiny cottage living room. "I spent so much time coming up with elaborate ways to ask you to marry me. This wasn't how I planned it at all, but honestly, it's better than anything I could have dreamed of."

I raise my eyebrows playfully, casting a quick glance around the messy room. "Really? In this tiny place?"

"Well, you said yes," he says, a tender look washing over his face as he runs his fingers gently through my hair. "That makes me the happiest guy on the planet right now."

My smile fades just a tiny bit as real life begins to nudge its way back into my thoughts. Being happy feels amazing, but we still have a mountain of complications to deal with...

"What about...,"

"Violet willingly stepped down," Cassian cuts in smoothly, as if reading my mind. "She wanted to get away from her father's influence, so I helped her and Ariel leave to start fresh."

My jaw drops slightly. "Wow..." I breathe out.
Everything is actually coming together.

"And my mother is onboard with this," he adds, giving me a reassuring smile. "Or at least, she knows this is what I want and she won't stand in our way."

"That's... that's really good news."

I wrap my arms tightly around his waist, resting my ear against his chest. I can hear his heart beating fast, still settling down from the nerve-wracking wait for my answer.

How could I have ever said no to him? How could I have convinced myself, even for a second, that this wasn't the exact future I wanted?

"Are you happy, Nova?" he asks softly, resting his chin on top of my head.

"Of course I am," I say, resting my hands on his broad shoulders and giving him the biggest smile I can muster. "I just can't help worrying about the pack. I really want them to actually accept me."

The idea of becoming Luna is terrifying, even if it's the one thing I've secretly wished for. But the thought of trying to lead people who might secretly want me gone makes my chest tight.

Cassian lets out a quiet breath, clearly weighing the exact same reality.

"I'm just going to give them the truth," he says firmly.

"Some people might resist at first, but they'll see soon enough that I'm a strong Alpha, and that my future wife is even stronger."

I gaze up at him, feeling the cool, reassuring weight of the metal around my finger. This isn't some distant fantasy anymore. I'm actually standing here with him, getting the life I always hoped for.

"We're really doing this... we're finally going to be together," I whisper, shaking my head in disbelief.

He nods, tracing a warm knuckle along my cheekbone. "Now we just wait for the mate bond to snap into place."

"What if we're wrong about the bond?" A sudden wave of doubt creeps in. I can't even imagine there being anyone else out there for me.

Cassian is everything I want. He has to be my end game.

"Even if fate says otherwise, I don't care," he says, his gaze locked onto mine. "You're mine, Nova. And I'm yours. Nothing is going to change that."

He reaches out and frames my face with both hands, pulling me back in for another kiss. This one is completely different, possessive, urgent, and deep. He presses his body flush against mine, pinning me with his weight.

I strain up onto my tiptoes, sliding my fingers into his dark hair to hold him thight against me.

"Do you have any idea how badly I want you?" he growls softly against my skin, dragging his lips across the corner of my mouth before trailing a row of slow, hot kisses down the curve of my neck.

It’s like he flipped a switch inside me, igniting a sudden, intense heat that floods through my veins. The sweet happiness from earlier is still there, but it's completely overtaken by a sharp, heavy ache of pure desire.

"I need you, Cassian," I gasp out, my voice thick and unrecognizable even to me.

He pulls back just an inch, his heavy breath fanning over my lips as his gaze scans the small, cramped room. His eyes have gone almost completely black, dark with raw, unrestrained lust.

"I refuse to take you for the first time in a place like this," he says, his tone dark and unyielding as his eyes lock back onto mine. "You deserve better than a tiny, rented cottage."

A sharp thrill shudders straight down my spine. I wrap my fingers tightly around his wrist, tugging him toward the entrance without hesitation.

"Then you'd better get me home fast." I whisper.