Trees after trees I watched the greenery lining the highway as beside me Matthew drove towards the castle, his wedding ring on his finger shining.
The warm feeling of nostalgia came crashing back down my chest. We had grown up so quickly. It felt like it was only yesterday when I had met my best friend. And now, here he was six years later—a successful financial accountant, a husband, a soon-to-be dad, and the royal beta.
A small smile settled on my lips when his wedding day, the previous year, swirled back into my mind. Rome had been his best man.
Rome.
The same instinctual protectiveness I always got when I thought about my other best friend washed down on me, and I reminded myself to call him and talk to him. He hadn’t been in the best spirits after deciding to move into his dad’s castle in Germany. He had told me about it the last time we talked before catching his flight.
I shook my head and refocused my attention on the more lighthearted of our trio. He still looked just like he had been six years previously, except now he somehow looked more mature, refined. It wasn’t new, though; it seemed like a werewolf thing.
As if noticing my eyes on him, Matthew glanced my way and smiled, the laughter lines beside his eyes crinkling with the same boyish amusement he always seemed to have. His hand found mine, and he squeezed it gently.
“I missed you too, you know.”
I smiled, tears welling in my eyes.
It had been six years. A lot had changed, but Matthew and Romanov—we were all still best friends. That hadn’t changed.
“I’ve never told you how much I appreciate you being in my life, Matt, all these years. Truly, I wouldn’t be alive if it weren’t for you,” I mumbled, interlocking my fingers with his, and I thought back to the time when Matthew had saved me from the fall.
There was silence in the car for a minute. Matthew and I both seemed too emotional to say anything.
Suddenly, he leaned towards me and sighed before kissing my head.
“You’re never going to be able to get rid of me, Thi. Heads up, when the twins are born, you’ll be Ethan’s godmother.”
“Twins?” I exclaimed excitedly, turning towards him.
Eyes on the road, he chuckled and nodded, turning the wheels to take a right turn. “Yeah, twins! Both boys. We’ve decided to name the older Emmet, and the younger baby Ethan.”
My grin widened, and I flashed it at Matthew while popping my eyebrow up and down. “Rome will be Emmet’s godfather, won’t he?”
A loud laugh left his lips, and again, he nodded.
I grinned with him, happy to have my best friend and university mate so happy together. Charlotte was due in a month.
“He will. He will tell me to go shoot myself when I tell him at first, but he’ll love to be a godfather.” He looked at me, beaming. “We know he will.”
I couldn’t deny it. No matter how tough Rome acted, he was still a teddy at heart—soft and cuddly.
“Big day today. Are you nervous?” he suddenly inquired.
I felt myself shudder from the suppressed nervousness, and the black square box I had tucked securely at the bottom of my handbag burned through the leather of my bag. I moved the bag on my thighs a little to the left and sighed, holding it tightly to me.
“I am, Matt. I’m freaking out,” I admitted slowly, knowing Matthew would give me the best pieces of advice.
“He’s got his suitcase packed and ready, you know. His flight’s in two hours.”
I shrugged. I knew completely well that Bryce had a flight in two hours, bound for Cambridge, where I was supposed to be.
“What if I mess up? What if he gets offended?” I breathed out nervously, suddenly beginning to panic.
“You won’t, Thi. And he won’t,” Matthew reassured me softly, his eyes on the road as he stopped at a red light.
Sighing, I nodded and, to calm my nerves, took a chocolate bar out of my bag and ripped its wrapper open. I wasn’t even surprised when Matthew broke half of it and plopped it into his mouth, all the while humming to a song playing on the radio.
I rolled my eyes and took a bite of my half of the chocolate, a whisper of a smile on the my lips. I stole a quick glance at the still munching Matthew.
I suppose some things never change.
***
“Thanks for giving me a ride, Matt.” I smiled up to the man I had known as my best friend for six years.
His arms came around me for another hug, and I felt him place another kiss on my hair before he pulled back.
I held my suitcase in my hand as I took a step back too. The pavers underneath my sandals seemed wet from the shower that had just died out, the tall exterior walls of Dovlore Castle surrounding us, while we stood on the courtyard.
“You know, I’ve always got your back, Thi. And if Char didn’t have the baby coming so soon and those crazy cravings, I would even stay to watch Alex’s reactio—”
“No, no! It’s okay, trust me. You should definitely go back home. Tell Charlotte I said hi, and that I’ll come visit tomorrow. I’ve brought all the things she asked me to.” I smiled warmly, thinking about all the scented soaps and baby things Charlotte’s mom had packed to bring over for her.
Matthew smiled appreciatively, and I waved at him, watching him as he got back into the car and then drove back away. He waved at me before driving towards the gates.
“Miss Theia?”
A gasp escaped my lips as I quickly flung around, my eyes wide with fear. Immediately, a breath of relief left me, and I loosened my grip on my bags.
“Hello, Earl,” I greeted the castle’s manager affectionately.
The old man’s gray-silver hair glistened under the sun, his light-blue eyes almost silvery behind his thin rectangle spectacles. His eyes narrowed at me suspiciously, but the smile that was slipping out made sure to show his fondness of me.
“Alexander does not know of your arrival.”
My eyes widened instantly, and I took a desperate step towards the tall elderly man. “No, and you mustn’t tell him. It’s . . . It’s a surprise!”
The old man blinked, his face as per usual void of expressions as he watched me. As if he had made his mind up, he nodded, his eyes twinkling.
“As you wish, Luna.”
Wrinkling my nose at the formal acknowledgement, I quickly picked up my bags and rushed inside, running my way up the three floors.
The duty of accompanying Bryce around his nations for his responsibilities as the alpha king had exposed my existence as luna quite naturally to the whole were and lycan world. It had been five years, and I was still learning. I suppose such a large responsibility came with time. In the meantime though, I had but one rule: no calling me Luna unless something was very serious.
Halfway running up the stairs, I realized doing so wasn’t exactly the best idea, and I almost kicked myself by the end of the stairs on the second floor, panting like crazy.
I slowly dragged my feet through the corridors, cursing myself for being excited enough that I forgot that running up the stairs, with my bags, would very well leave me as best unconscious.
My aching muscles almost cried with joy when Bryce and the door to my bedroom came into view. Slowly reaching it, I slouched over the door for a minute, panting. I tried to steady my breathing before finally turning the knob and walking inside.
The man in the room immediately let out a low growl and froze. When he turned around, the ferocity in his eyes melted away. He took a step forward, his gaze fixed on me.
“I was supposed to fly over today.” Bryce frowned, confused. He took another step, his alarmed eyes taking in my tired and panting form.
I stood on my spot, still panting lightly. I felt the circular metal in my palm begin to heat against the skin of my closed fist.
“Is everything okay, love?” Bryce urged, taking another step forward.
I blinked.
He took another step forward. “Babe?”
I sank down to my knees. It was crazy. I was freaking out. Doing this wasn’t conventional.
I took a deep breath in, then out.
Clearly alarmed Bryce dropped down to the floor too, directly before me. His hands found my face, and he tipped my head up, those bright-blue eyes of his wide with apparent fear.
I, however, watched the small patch of brown. My heart warmed with all the love I had for this man. We had spent six years together. We had lived through a lot together. Six years felt like a lifetime, but I was still ready to live as many lifetimes I could live, with him. He made me smile, he made me cry, he hurt me, he saved me, he supported me, he encouraged me, he helped me, he loved me, and he tried. My soul mate wasn’t perfect, but he tried. And that, that was as perfect as I wanted him, being just him, completely imperfect and completely mine.
“What’s happened?” he whispered, his tone clearly surprised, on the verge of panicking.
I felt the platinum in my hand and quickly fiddled with it, holding it between my thumb and pointer.
Clearly unsure of what was happening and slightly panicking, Bryce leaned forward and pressed his lips against mine. He pulled back and caressed my cheek with the pad of his thumb.
“Love, are you okay?”
In the midst of my anxiety, I half smiled. His blue eyes bored into mine, and I finally moved my hand to show the object to him. His eyes trailed towards it, and he stilled. His eyes widened further, and almost as if immediately, they snapped to mine and then back to the platinum ring in my hand.
I breathed in the last bit of courage I seemed to have and finally asked, “Will you marry me? Please?”
His blazing blue eyes snapped to mine again. My breath hitched in my throat when I noticed the sparks of gold in his irises. He looked away, and I almost flinched, as if burnt. The tiny hurt in my chest ached through, but I pushed it down. The engagement ring in my ring finger suddenly felt too heavy.
I sighed, disappointment echoing through me. What now?
Suddenly, everything began becoming unsure. Seated in that flight, I had known I hadn’t had anything planned—no candle lights and no pretty dresses. It was a rotten way of proposing.
But hell, I have never done it before, and . . . I sighed.
I had messed up.
“Yes.”
My eyes traveled to his. Slowly, his hand moved forward, and he moved his ring finger up and down.
Relief washed over me.
Wide-eyed, I watched the golds in his eyes as I slipped the ring onto his finger with my slightly shaking hands. His hand suddenly caught mine, and he pulled me against him, taking my lips onto his.
I moved back to break our kiss to see a full-blown grin plastered on his face. He gently slipped the engagement ring off my ring finger and then slipped it back on. I leaned into his arms and wrapped my own around him as Bryce hid his nose in the crook of my neck, placing a loving kiss on his mark.
I sighed happily. “For a second, I thought you’d say no.” A small laugh left my lips as I held on to him tighter, relieved.
“Me? Say no? Never. In fact, how about we get married tomorrow?”
I couldn’t help but laugh at that. “That impatient, huh?”
Strangely, Bryce’s eyebrows furrowed at my remark, and his grip on me tightened. “For you? Always.”
