The following week, Evie sat at the desk in her room, holding a calendar. Her birthday was in two weeks. She’d finally be twenty, and the first thing she wanted to do was run directly to Kye when she opened her eyes that day, but he had other plans.
A note was on the doorstep of her parents’ cabin that morning. The paper was made of thick, beige parchment, and there was a red string wrapped around it. Her mother excitedly pushed Evie to the door so she would be the one to pick it up.
“Go in your room and open it!” Maria, her mother, giggled.
“I’m going!” Evie smiled as her mother gave her a little push.
She’d climbed on her bed and pulled at the end of the string, loosening the bow. Carefully, she removed the letter inside, opening it to reveal a handwritten letter from the love of her life.
Evie,
Please do me the honor of meeting me in the meadow tomorrow for lunch. My brother Noah will escort you at exactly noon.
Until then,
Kye
Evie folded the letter and held it to her chest. What was he up to?
She blushed hard, wondering if he was finally going to give in and make love to her before they mated. Did it really matter this close to her birthday? The more she thought about having sex with him, the more nervous she became.
“What is wrong with you?” she mumbled to herself.
She was a strong woman, and had been learning to fight for herself. Why did the idea of being intimate with the love of her life send her into a giggling fit of a teenager? How hard could she roll her eyes before they got stuck that way?
“Well?” her mother asked from the doorway.
Evie looked up and smiled warmly. A tear welled up in her eye and, before she knew it, she was sobbing like a damn baby.
“Oh my, Evie,” her mother gasped, rushing to her side. “What happened?”
“He…he is so sweet,” she laughed, holding up the letter for her mother to see.
“Oh, daughter,” Marie said, pressing a hand to her chest. “You scared me.”
Her mother read the letter and smiled, setting the paper aside to pull Evie into an embrace that was one she’d come to find more comfort from recently than she ever did as a child.
Marie was in her late fifties, her hair was kept long and the blonde from her youth had turned into a beautiful white color. Her father still told her how beautiful she was… just like the day they’d mated.
She wanted that with Kye, regardless of what fate had planned for them.
“What if we are not mates?” she asked after several minutes.
“There’s no rule that says you have to wait for your destined mate,” Marie said. “I’ve known several couples who never had the spark and still lived their lives as if they’d been chosen for each other by the gods.”
“I don’t want another male, mama,” Evie said, wiping her face. “God, I hate crying.”
“It’s normal,” Marie chuckled, wiping a motherly hand down Evie’s hair and tucking the locks behind her ear. “You are about to go through a change of your own.”
“I hope it’s for the better,” Evie grumbled. “Things are still… bad with the healer.”
“Give your body time, sweet girl,” Marie replied, touching Evie’s flat stomach. “Everything happens for a reason. Mother Earth knows what is best for us. Trust her to guide you. Whatever her will is, accept that, my child. You have years left to think about children. Mate that man and love him before anything else.”
“Have you talked to Jon?” Evie asked, changing the subject. Her brother had moved to a different pride when he’d taken a job with them in Nebraska.
“Yes,” her mother nodded. “He said he loved his new job, and he would have time to come home during the holidays.”
“I kind of miss him,” Evie admitted. Her brother had always been a loner, but he was sincere. She wished that he’d stayed, but the offer was too awesome for him to pass up. He wasn’t wanting Guardianship within the Shaw pride, and moving was something he yearned to do.
“We do too,” Marie smiled, “but he’s happy, and that’s all I want for my children.”
Kye was nervous as hell, waiting for his female to arrive at their meadow. Noah promised he’d escort her there so she’d be safe making her way through the woods. It didn’t matter that she could protect herself. The fact that a human had gotten onto their land and was able to get close to her set him on edge.
Kye wasted time looking over the items he had placed on the blanket. He’d made a lunch fit for a queen… his queen. The selections were her favorites; fried chicken, potato salad, rolls, and enough chocolate chip cookies to feed an army. Okay, most of those were for him, but she loved them almost as much.
The wind blew softly through the tops of the trees. Summer was coming to an end, and a few leaves had already fallen from the trees despite the warm temperatures. It didn’t take much longer for Evie’s scent and the sound of her soft footfalls to reach him. When he turned around, Noah was standing next to his girl at the opening to the meadow. He whispered something to Evie and nodded before leaving without saying another word.
“Hey,” she blushed. “You did all of this for me?”
“Of course,” he replied, taking her hand and leading her to the blanket. “Hungry?”
“Starving,” she said, a smile lighting up her face.
Evie took a seat next to him and kicked her legs out so she could rest on her elbows. Kye watched her as she tilted her head back to soak in the sun that was shining down on her beautiful face. His heart swelled to the brink as he waited for her to come back to him.
“Sorry,” she apologized. “The sun feels good on my skin. Colder weather is coming, and I don’t like it much unless I’ve shifted.”
“I know,” he said, remembering the first winter when they’d started a relationship. She’d been cold as they took a walk through the woods, and he had given her his coat. She still had it to that day and Kye would never ask for its return.
“Can we eat?” she asked, eyeing the spread of food. “You brought cookies?”
Kye nodded and handed her the food, waiting until she started eating before making his own plate. They spent the next hour snuggling on the blanket, petting each other. He could kiss her every moment of every day for the rest of his life and die a happy male.
“I need to work off some of this energy,” she stated, helping him pack everything away.
“Do you want to run or head back to the dorms and spar?”
“Spar,” she said, standing up. Kye caught sight of her ass in the tight jeans she wore, and tamped down his need for her. They’d have time to explore each other in just a couple of weeks.
As they stuck to the trails leading back toward the alpha’s home and the Guardians’ dorm, Kye passed his mother’s home, stopping at the short driveway that led to the garage. “You know this will be ours, right?”
“Is that what you want?” she asked, looking up at him. Concern flashed across her features, but only for a split second.
“I’d love to have you live there with me,” he said truthfully.
“I’d be honored to call it ours.” Evie leaned up and kissed his lips, taking a moment to cup his face as she stood on the tips of her toes to reach him.
“Come on,” he said, taking her hand away from his face reluctantly. He didn’t release her as he started walking, moving aside as a few cubs ran past them on the road.
Evie stopped at her family home to grab her bag and change clothes. Kye waited patiently on her porch and then they headed to Talon’s place when she was done. After leaving the leftovers in the fridge, they headed over to the gym in the dorms, finding Storm, Dane, Ranger, and Hope inside.
“Let’s spar,” Kye suggested, watching the others do the same. Storm and Dane were on the ground, fighting for dominance, and he knew that Evie was starting the same training with Hope a few days a week. He wasn’t ready to do any floor work with her until she was stronger. The thought of her getting hurt by him because he was easily more than two times her size left a bad taste in his mouth. He could accidentally hurt her, and he’d never forgive himself if he ever left a mark on her skin.