Chapter 199
FAYE
I followed Alexander out of the house, still wiping the last bit of sweat from my forehead with the towel slung around my neck. I didn’t know what he wanted to show me or why he suddenly looked like he had a secret burning a hole in his chest, but I followed him anyway.
We stepped into the open space near the driveway, and then… nothing.
He just stood there.
I looked around, eyebrows raised. There was absolutely nothing here except the fading dusk, the sound of crickets, and the wide expanse of the compound.
“Okay…” I said slowly, turning to face him. “Where is this thing you want to show me?”
He didn’t answer immediately. Instead, he glanced at his watch with an amused sort of calm, then lifted his gaze back to me with a smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth.
“Be patient,” he murmured.
“Patient?” I began, ready to remind him that I had shown plenty of patience just by following him outside without question. “Alexander, wh—”
I didn’t get to finish.
A car engine purred from outside the gates, and before I could even process it, a car rolled into the compound. Not one of the pack cars. Not one of Alexander’s. Something entirely
new.
The vehicle slowed and parked right in front of us.
The driver’s door opened, and James stepped out with that composed expression he carried
everywhere.
“Good evening, Luna,” he greeted warmly, then nodded respectfully. “Alpha.”
Alexander returned the nod. James then walked around the car and held out the keys.
To Alexander.
A small, confused laugh escaped me. “Oh? You got another car?”
Alexander didn’t immediately take the keys. Instead, he stepped closer to me, took them from James, and without breaking eye contact with me, lifted the keys so I could see them.
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“Happy birthday, Faye.”
For a second, I didn’t understand the words.
It didn’t click.
Then it hit me all at once like a sudden wave of cold water.
It was my birthday.
My actual birthday… and I had gone the entire day without remembering.
+25 Points
My mouth parted slightly, but no sound came out. I just stared at him–stared at the keys, the car, the damn parking lights still glowing warmly–as it sank in.
He remembered.
And I… didn’t.
I swallowed hard.
Shock held me still for only a heartbeat before excitement slammed into me so fast I couldn’t contain it. I hesitated for one last stunned moment, then snatched the keys from his hand and practically threw myself at him.
He made a startled sound–almost a grunt–as I jumped. My legs wrapped around him automatically. He staggered back a step, caught off guard, but of course he still caught me.
Thank the Moon Goddess I was still in my gym shorts, because anything else and I would have flashed the whole pack.
“Alexander!” I squealed before I could stop myself.
He laughed–an honest, warm, gorgeous laugh–one that rumbled softly against me as he held me up. His hands settled under my thighs, steady.
I couldn’t stop grinning. I couldn’t stop hugging him. I couldn’t stop the ridiculous joy bubbling out of my chest. It felt childish and overwhelming and completely beyond my
control.
When he finally set me back on my feet, my legs were jittering, my heart racing with a kind of thrill I hadn’t felt in a while.
I turned toward the car and took a few steps, my breath catching as I ran my fingers along the glossy hood. It was brand new… untouched.
My own car.
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Alexander had two cars, and technically, I could use either one anytime I wanted. But this… this was different. This was a gift. A personal gift. A choice he had made specifically for me.
And the fact that he had remembered my birthday–on a day when I had been so wrapped up in a lot that I forgot completely–hit me somewhere deep and tender.
He was watching me when I turned back to him. I didn’t even think. I walked straight up to him, rose onto my toes, and kissed him softly.
“Thank you,” I whispered against his lips.
His hand brushed my waist, warm and grounding. “Do you like it?”
“Like it?” I laughed, stepping back to look at the car again. “Alexander… everything is perfect.”
I saw the satisfaction soften his expression. Not pride–nothing smug–just something warm and full, something almost relieved. As though making me happy mattered to him more than anything else.
I was still mesmerized by the car when he cleared his throat lightly.
“That’s not all,” he said.
I turned to him again, eyebrows shooting up. “It’s not?”
He shook his head, that little secretive half–smile returning. “I’m taking you to a special dinner tonight. And in the trunk…” He lifted his chin toward the back of the car. “There’s a bag with
the outfit I want you to wear.”
My heart actually fluttered.
I didn’t even walk–I ran toward the trunk, pressed the button, and watched it lift open smoothly. Sitting right in the center was a neatly arranged shopping bag. Not one I recognized. Something classy, elegant. Exactly his style.
I grabbed it, holding it to my chest with both hands.
A laugh slipped out of me–soft and maybe a little disbelieving.
Who would have thought Alexander could be this sweet?
I didn’t expect dinner to feel this perfect.
Maybe it was the warm glow of the restaurant or the way Alexander kept giving me those rare, soft smiles that made my heart flutter. Maybe it was the fact that we had spent the
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whole evening laughing like we hadn’t in a long time. Whatever it was, I felt lighter than I had in weeks.
We were still laughing–him teasing me about nearly knocking him over earlier–when I noticed his expression shift. Just a little. Just enough to make my breath stumble.
His smile softened, his eyes warmed.
And suddenly the whole restaurant faded behind the beat of my pulse.
“Faye,” he said quietly.
I straightened slightly, still smiling but now a little curious. “What is it?”
He reached into his jacket pocket, and my heart dropped straight to my stomach. My eyes followed his hand as he placed something small and velvet on the table.
A ring box.
Alexander opened it slowly, revealing a ring that sparkled under the soft lights.
He held my gaze, steady and sure.
“I love you,” he began, his voice low and steady, every word sinking into me with impossible gentleness. “You are my partner, my strength, the mother of my child… but I want more. I want every version of you. Every lifetime with you.”
I couldn’t move.
He drew in a slow breath. “Our bond… it tied us together. But marriage–marriage is a promise I choose as a man, not just as an Alpha.” His voice softened even more. “I want to call you my wife. I want you to take my last name. I want our family to begin with a vow we give each other freely.”
Something swept through me, so strong my eyes blurred for a second.
He slid the ring box a little closer.
“Faye,” he whispered, “will you marry me?”
I stared at him…Alexander, steady and serious and breathtakingly sincere…and everything inside me melted and tangled and spun all at once. My lips parted, but no sound came out.
I was overwhelmed.
My mouth fell slightly open as I tried to process the depth in his eyes, the meaning behind his words, the reality of what he was asking me.
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I could only stare at him, silent and stunned, completely unable to speak.
+25 Points
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Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.
