His Redemption (Complete His Series)

Liam led us through town, making small talk. I noticed that we were headed toward the small sports stadium used for various sporting events with the local schools. It was starting to get dark, and I couldn’t imagine why we were here.

“Liam, what are we doing at the sports stadium?” I asked.

“Shhh. Patience; all will be revealed, I promise,” he said with a devilish grin. A girl could get trapped in that smile.

He led me to the field entrance, where athletes would access the field. As we entered, I was surprised. A candle-lit path led to the other end of the field, where there looked to be a movie screen set up.

A small gasp escaped my lips. “What is this?” I asked him, looking up into his blue orbs. He looked down at me with a sweet grin.

“This is dinner and a movie, kitten,” he said. We worked our way down the candle-lit path and ended at a picnic blanket. It was surrounded by candles, and there was a picnic basket already sitting to the side. In front of the picnic blanket was a large, outdoor movie screen. We sat down on the blanket next to each other.

“Did you do all of this?” I asked, looking around.

“Had a little help but yea,” he chirped.

“This is too much! We already had coffee!” I said, looking at him.

“Nothing is too much when it comes to you, Azalea. Plus, you already told me this is your first date. Of course, I am going to do this right,” he said with a wink. I blushed.

He turned around and grabbed the picnic basket. “Hungry?” he asked. I nodded my head. He began pulling out dishes from the basket. I looked at him, curious as to what he brought.

“So, I am not much of a cook, but…” he trailed off. He opened up a container of homemade macaroni and cheese with a breaded topping. It was still warm and gooey.

“Wow!” I said.

“I know it’s kind of little kid food, but it’s just about the only thing I can make that tastes good,” he said with a shy look on his face.

“No, it looks amazing, Liam!” I said enthusiastically.

“Really?”

“Yes, I love macaroni and cheese. Someone always came and snatched up the leftovers at the packhouse, so I didn’t get to eat it much,” I told him and then stopped, completely embarrassed. I looked down at my hands in my lap. I really didn’t want to talk about living in the packhouse. It just kind of slipped out.

Liam

“Yes, I love macaroni and cheese. Someone always came and snatched up the leftovers at the packhouse, so I didn’t get to eat it much,” she said and then immediately stopped. She looked down at her fingers in her lap. s**t. I was that a*****e. I always snuck into the kitchen after dinner and ate leftovers. She looked up at me with a sad look in her eyes.

I needed to make up for all the hurt she endured. From me, from other pack members, intentional or not, she never deserved it. I didn’t want her to feel self-conscious now, so I said, “I made way too much, I think. You can always have these leftovers.”

I scooped some onto a plate and handed it to her. She gave me a tight smile. I was tanking this; it was going so well before. I pulled out some water bottles from the basket as well as the fruit bowl.

“It’s okay, you know,” she said quietly. I stopped in my tracks and looked at her. She was just looking at the plate of food. “What happened growing up, what happened to me, it isn’t all your fault. And you couldn’t have known I was going to turn out to be your mate. It’s kind of a cruel joke, to be honest. The Moon Goddess must really have it out for us, huh? She mated you with a girl with no wolf, who is probably too small to have a wolf, and to top it off, I am hated by the whole pack for who I am. I mated to an Alpha who is probably one of the scariest and most intimidating wolves in the world who has a responsibility to mate with a strong Luna. I’m not strong enough to be Luna. Ha. Just a cruel joke.” She paused, and I could see tears threatening to spill from her eyes. She took a single bite of the macaroni and cheese, holding the spoon in her mouth a moment as if she was savoring it. She set down her plate and stood up.

I had no words as she said, “I am sorry. Maybe this isn’t such a good idea. You shouldn’t waste your time with me. Thank you for this day.” She turned and began to run away back towards the entrance to the sports stadium. I got up, running after her. It didn’t take me long to catch her.

“Azalea, stop!” I yelled. She ignored me and continued to flee. I caught up to her, grabbing her arm to stop her and turn her around.

“STOP!” I said, accidentally allowing some of my alpha tone to slip out. s**t. I would never use that on her. She froze in the spot, her shoulders tense.

“I am sorry. I didn’t mean that. It’s just….” I sputtered, trying to find the right words. “Just…. Don’t go… I feel like I keep messing up.” She looked at me with tears still in her eyes. I sighed. “I know you didn’t have the best time in the pack, and I hate that. I know you don’t blame me because I asked you not to when I left you here. But I am to blame here. I was the future Alpha; I was supposed to look out for my pack members. I was supposed to lead them. I should have been nice to you, not let everyone be so mean to you. There is no justification for my actions. When I realized you were my mate, I felt terrible. I knew I had messed up. I convinced my parents you needed to go because I thought I was protecting you. I thought if I rejected you and sent you away, you could have a better life. I knew I would probably never find another mate, and that would be my own punishment from the Moon Goddess.” I looked into her green eyes. They were wide but not in fear.

“I know I can’t erase the past. And I hope someday you can maybe tell me about the things I don’t know. Now, I want to make up for it. I want to make your life a little bit better, your days a little brighter. I want to be the reason those beautiful pink lips smile. I want to be the shine in your magnificent green eyes. I want to get to know you and spend time with you. I don’t want to remind you of the past. I want to make your dreams come true. I think finding out we are still mates is the best thing that has ever happened to me.” I took a step closer to her, and she didn’t move. We were only inches away from each other now.

I reached down and grabbed her chin, tilting her sweet face up to mine. “Please come back and eat with me. This has been the best night of my life, and I never meant to hurt you.”

She looked at me for a moment, searching my face for something. She nodded her head ever so slightly and whispered, “Okay.”

I stood there for a second, just looking at her delicate features. She was breathtaking even when she was crying. “Do you forgive me?” I asked her quietly.

“Yes,” she whispered. She relaxed a little, but I didn’t let go of her face. Her beauty transfixed me.

“Move, you i***t,” Gavin said in my head. I let go of her chin and stepped aside so we could walk back to the picnic blanket. As we began walking back, I felt her hand hesitantly work its way into mine. I gripped her hand lightly, not wanting ever to let it go. I wondered if I could still save the evening. I wanted so desperately to change her mind about being my Luna.