With Everything I Am (The Three #2)(173)
“I accept your mercy and judgment, your grace, for myself and my wolves and I thank you on behalf of my family, my wolves, their families and myself,” Titium proclaimed loudly.
“Good, then we’re f**king done,” Callum muttered, ignored the relieved giggle Sonia barely suppressed, the chuckles Ryon and Caleb didn’t try to suppress and stood, taking Sonia with him and putting her on her feet. He turned to the she-wolf at her laptop. “This concludes today’s business.” He looked to Ryon. “See to the arrangement of the sentences and fines.” Ryon, grinning like an idiot, jerked up his chin. Callum looked to the crowd and called out, “Tomorrow, we’ll see you here under better circumstances.”
There was a moment of silence before a cheer rang out, loud and deafening, hitting Callum and his queen with a wave of sound and Callum had to hide his surprise for they weren’t simply cheering tomorrow’s joyous festivities. They were cheering his decision.
It wasn’t entirely shocking they would accept his verdict. He was king, they had no choice.
It was just a surprise that they did it so readily and, apparently, so soundly.
Then again, many of them had found their mates therefore many of them had their mates whispering in their ear. It was likely they were not fazed by the changes Callum had demonstrated that day knowing a human like Sonia whispered in his. Or, not so much whispered, but she found her way to get her point across and he, finally, learned how to listen.
He tucked Sonia’s hand against his side, drawing her close and he got them the f**k out of there.
They were in the SUV, going down the winding road surrounded by wood and Sonia was surprisingly silent.
Then she wasn’t.
“Callum?” she called.
He braced, wondering if what she’d say would piss him off or make him want to kiss her.
“What, baby doll?” he asked on a sigh, knowing, either way, it was better to get it over with.
“You know I love you, right?”
It made him want to kiss her.
“You know I love you?” he replied then he heard her shift before he felt her lips against his neck and her fingers curl around his thigh.
“Yes,” she whispered, her voice throaty. She shifted again, straining against her seatbelt to slide her nose the length of his neck before she buried her face there. Her voice was low and hoarse with feeling when she went on, “Yes, Cal, I know you love me. Today, I also know just how much.”
He did indeed love her.
A great f**king deal.
Absolutely.
“Good,” he murmured, his own voice thick.
“Yes.” She was still whispering. “It is good. Very good.” She gave a fluttering sigh that he not only heard but felt against his skin before she finished, “Perfect.”
She was right.
Very right.
In a number of ways.
* * * * *
He had his pretty little mate pressed up against him, her back to his front on the hide covered couch when the film ended and Sonia shifted to reach out to the remote. She hit off, threw it on the table and the minute it clattered, he pulled her under him and rolled over her.
She looked up at him, smiling a small smile, her eyes dropped to his mouth and they went hungry, something, as ever, he felt in his groin.
But he, unfortunately, had to ignore that in order to say, “Time for me to find my bed and you, ours.”
She blinked and her eyes moved to his. “What?”
“I believe, and correct me if I’m wrong, which, I’ll point out, I hope to f**k I am, it’s tradition amongst humans for the bride not to see the groom before the wedding,” he told her and her mouth dropped open.
She closed it to repeat a now breathy, “What?”
“Am I wrong?” he queried hopefully and she blinked again.
“Uh… no, you aren’t,” she whispered. “But –”
He interrupted her by dropping his head to touch his lips to hers before lifting it and concluding, “So I’ll find my bed and I’ll see you at the wedding.”
“Are you serious?” she asked softly.
“Unfortunately, yes, and after tomorrow, I’ll ask you to explain why humans do something that’s that bloody stupid,” he replied and her mouth twitched.
“It’s supposed to be bad luck,” she explained.
“Stupid,” Callum returned then amended, “Bloody stupid.”
Her lips curved into a grin and her arms curved around him. “You’re going to let me sleep alone to give into a human tradition?”
“Yes,” he replied but he didn’t even attempt to squeeze the reluctance out of his word.
“You’re going to let me sleep alone for the first time, notwithstanding the nights you were away at war, of course, since I met you so you can give me one of my people’s traditions.”
It was a statement and a repetitive one but Callum treated it like a question and repeated, “Yes.”
Her hand slid up his back, around his neck and framed the side of his head as her thumb came out to sweep his cheekbone but her eyes never left his and he thought that if she didn’t stop holding him and touching him, he was taking his offer back.
Before he got the chance to warn her of this eventuality, she spoke.
“If you find your own bed, Callum, I’m moving to that one. I was your mate before I was born. I’ve been your wife for months. It means the world to me you’d do something like that for me and I love you for being willing to do it. Just as I love you for doing what you did today not only for Titium, his wolves, their families but also proving you listen to me and care about what I say. Just as I love you for taking Calder’s bad mood and sharp words and Caleb and Ryon’s ribbing for doing exactly that. Just as I love you for a million and one other things we don’t have time for me to enumerate because I’m tired, I want you to make love to me and sleep beside me in order that I can wake up tomorrow, refreshed so I don’t look a mess when I stand beside you in front of thousands of wolves during our Mating. But we were destined to lie by each other’s sides since before we were cells in a womb. Therefore, I’m not going to sleep without my wolf. In other words, if you find another bed, you’re also going to find me in it.”