Chapter 407 – Meet Me There

Cora

Roger was silent for a long time, smirking at me, making me want to answer.

“I make no promises,” I replied after a long moment, shaking my hair back loftily, which made him laugh. “But seriously, what is it?”

“Well,” Roger sighed, letting his shoulders drop and looking at me squarely now that some of the tension had gone. “Sinclair wants to give us more than a house. He also wants to give us…a wedding.”

My jaw dropped. “A wedding?” I asked, baffled. “But we’re…we’re wolves,” I said, wrinkling my nose. “Or at least – mostly wolf,” I added, glancing down at my growing hybrid baby.

“Yeah, he wants it to be a wedding and a mating ceremony—a symbolic uniting of the wolf and human worlds. Because I’m a wolf,” he said, pointing to himself, “and you’re a human,” he continued, pointing to me. “Or at least, sort of.”

I shook my head, confused.

“And he wants it to be on TV,” he said, grimacing as he dropped the final bomb, “like a royal wedding, for the entire world to see.”

I immediately became furious.

“This is bullshit,” I muttered, pulling my cell phone from my back pocket and texting Ella to vent my opinion of this plan.

“Wait,” Roger said, laughing and reaching for the phone. “Just give it a minute—”

“Are you seriously on board with this?” I snapped, looking up at him, my anger shifting from my sister to my mate. “After I’ve told you, like a thousand times, that I want our mating ceremony—whatever it is—to be special and meaningful? If we were just going to do it any old way, we would have done it by now.”

Roger drew my attention away from my tirade, covering my phone with his hand and stepping close. “I’m on board with whatever you want, all right? Let’s put the phone and the rage away for a few minutes and talk. No one is going to force you to do anything you don’t want to, okay?”

I took a deep breath, turned to my mate, and placed my phone on the counter. “Okay,” I agreed, nodding but looking down.

“What’s up?” he murmured, putting his hands on my hips and pulling me close, resting his forehead against mine. “Why did that make you so angry? It was just an idea.”

“Because,” I sighed, gathering my emotions. “Because what we have, Roger,” I continued, placing my hands on his chest, “is so important to me. It’s the best thing I’ve ever had, so much more than I ever thought I wanted or could have.”

Roger made a soft, understanding sound, pulling me closer and wrapping his arms around me.

“And it’s not that I don’t want to help Ella,” I said, my voice muffled against his shoulder, “and…the nation, or whatever. I just…this is important to me. I want it to be right, just this one thing.”

“All right,” Roger murmured, tightening his embrace, making me smile. “I understand, and I agree. It’s a no.”

“I’ll tell her, okay?” I whispered. He nodded. Sighing with relief at having him on my side, I relaxed against him, breathing in his comforting scent.

“So,” he said after a few moments, “can I just give you the mark now?”

“What!” I shrieked, tensing in surprise.

“I mean, if we’re not going to do it publicly—why wait?”

I pulled back, staring at him, trying to gauge his sincerity. His wicked grin revealed his teasing. I scowled and smacked his chest. “No, Roger,” I growled. “I still want it to be right! I’m not going to let you bite my neck when we’re in the kitchen and I still have noodle breath!”

“I like noodles,” he murmured, stepping closer and sliding his fingers under my shirt toward my neck. “And you smell amazing right now—”

I laughed, shoving him away. “I smell like dirt and a field hospital,” I replied, shaking my head. “You’re just listening to your wolf too much.”

“He won’t shut up,” Roger groaned, laughing. “Seriously, Cora, it’s ‘bite her now, do it!’ on a constant loop whenever you’re around!”

My wolf stirred, giving a triumphant howl. I want it too, she thought, grinning wolfishly. But I know how to contain myself.

“Well, my wolf,” I said smugly, crossing my arms, “says your wolf is being an impatient brat.”

“Yes,” Roger growled, pulling me close. (Like man, like wolf. This is implied.)

“Well,” I replied, laughing and smiling up at my mate, “your wolf had better take some lessons from mine. Because he still has some waiting to do.”

“I’d like to meet this wolf of yours,” Roger murmured, kissing me swiftly and nudging me with his nose. “She sounds judgmental. And cruel. Like someone else I know.”

“Excuse you,” I growled, giving him a light shove that didn’t move him. “She is beautiful, refined, and self-contained.”

“Well, I want to see this for myself,” he said, sighing happily. “Do you want to show me?”

“How?” I asked, eager. If there was a way to show Roger my wolf—the part of me I had to keep hidden—I wanted to. He could sense her, but to actually see her?

“I’ve been thinking,” he said, cocking his head, “about the dream state. Did Ella ever tell you about it?”

“Yes!” my eyes widened. “Yes, she did!”

Unfortunately, we were too excited about the dream state to sleep. We went through our evening routine—showering, relaxing, reading boring books until we were drowsy enough to drift off. I glanced at Roger every few minutes, and then, between glances, I saw him breathing deeply, eyes closed, mouth slightly open.

Eager, but feeling my body shutting down, I put away my book, switched off the light, and kissed his cheek before resting my head on my pillow. I placed a hand on his chest and closed my eyes.

As instructed, I focused on opening my mind to allow Roger in, sending him an invitation down our mating bond. As I drifted off, I did my best. Come with me, Roger, I thought, in a voice that was half me, half my wolf. Meet me there.