Inevitably Yours

QUINN

“No more,” I whined, falling into the grass. “Everything hurts.” Training with Michael was no joke. Every day I felt sorer, even when he insisted on rubbing me at night.

Michael stood in front of me with his hands on his h**s. “Really? Two push-ups? You did twelve yesterday.” I raised my head to give him an angry look. It didn’t phase him, so I just laid back down.

“This is worse than conditioning,” I huffed.

“Yea, running is just other sports’ warm-up,” he laughed, grabbing our water bottles and coming over to me. “Drink,” he instructed. I pushed the bottle away; he was very bossy when we trained. With a sigh, he sat down.

“I don’t think I’m cut out for this,” I said, closing my eyes. The sun was starting to warm the air, but I had already been sweating for an hour. Usually, we trained for almost two before Michael finally let me run for the shower.

“I think you we need a break,” he said thoughtfully.

“You aren’t even sweating, just taking joy in my torture,” I scoffed.

“No,” he said, hovering over me. “Me and you. Break. Us time. No Alpha, no Luna, no Nic, no ice cream.”

“And how are we going to do that?” I questioned. Our days were full of all of those things. Fixing the pack was a more significant task than I imagined.

“Date night,” he smiled.

“Date night?” I repeated.

“Quinn, would you like to go on a date with me?” he asked sweetly.

“A real date?” I asked excitedly. Michael and I spent every night in bed, most of them hot and heavy, before falling asleep, but there was always something going on. Two nights ago, he left late to chase off some rogues.

“A real one. You get all dressed up; I’ll put on something other than athletic shorts. I’ll take you somewhere nice,” he said. “Just me and my mate.”

“Okay!” I agreed. “We can celebrate your Luna being unemployed.”

“What? When did that happen?” he asked, smiling even bigger.

“I got a text message this morning before we came out here,” I told him. “The new person can go full time, so the manager doesn’t need the extra hands anymore. I have one last shift, and she’s going to cut my final check after.”

M leaned down and kissed me fiercely. I could feel his excitement. When he pulled away, I was panting. “Well, then I have extra special plans to make!”

–

I stood in front of Nic’s mirror, looking at all sides of me. “This dress isn’t too short?” I asked her. She helped me do my hair and choose what to wear for the evening.

“No, it’s great,” she said. The green dress hugged my waist and flared out at my h**s, landing mid-thigh; It felt a little revealing. It had some flowery designs along the bottom of the skirt.

Nic straightened my hair, then put it in two twisty, half ponytails, leaving most of it down. Now that fall was approaching, evenings were getting cooler, so I also found a sweater to match everything.

“Here,” she said, throwing me a pair of sandals. “These will look good with that dress.”

“Is it weird that I’m nervous?” I asked her, sitting on her bed to pull on the sandals.

Nic laughed, “No, it’s adorable. You two are so sweet together. I’m glad he is happy.”

“I’m glad he brought you back,” I told her honestly. “I don’t think he has reconnected with any of his friends from before he left, and having you seems to give him some peace.”

“I’m glad to be back. I feel like I’m home after a really long time,” she smiled.

“Now to find you a mate so you can stop walking in on us,” I laughed.

“Stop having s*x everywhere!” she scoffed. I shrugged, and we both giggled. We both calmed, and I stood to look in the mirror one last time. Michael still made me nervous, but the exciting kind. I never knew what he would do or say, but he never failed to make my heart leap.

“You saved him, you know,” Nic said quietly.

“Huh?” I said, turning around.

“You saved him, Q,” she repeated. “He was in such a bad place. He wasn’t motivated to do much. Coming back for you, winning that challenge. Everything he did was motivated by you. When he was struggling, talking to you was enough to get him through. I think his parents and I owe you a lot for that. He could be in a very different place right now if he hadn’t met you.”

“Nic, I don’t think I really did anything,” I said. A knock on the door interrupted us. She stood and went to get it. She stepped aside, and Michael looked into the room. He was adorable in a polo shirt and khaki shorts. His eyes lit up, almost glowing again when he saw me.

“I’m here for my date,” he said.

“She’s all yours. Now you two get out; I finally have the house to myself!” Nic joked. Michael held his hand out, and I walked over to grab it. Nic quickly handed me my little bag with my phone, and we left.

“Quinn, you look stunning,” Michael whispered in my ear as we headed outside to the car.

“You clean up pretty nice, too, Alpha,” I giggled. “So, where are we going?”

“Since this is our first date other than prom,” he started. “I thought we would keep it simple. How does dinner and a movie sound, bluetiful?”

“Perfect, “ I told him. He sweetly opened my car door for me; I loved all the small ways he was a perfect gentleman.

When he had climbed into the driver’s seat, he started the car and pulled out of the long packhouse driveway. He was halfway through pulling down the fence around the property, wanting pack members to feel comfortable with us. He intertwined our fingers and held my hand as he headed toward the human town.

“I’m thinking movie first so that you aren’t too full for popcorn,” M said as we got closer to the theater. I was excited to be out with him as we didn’t have time for this sort of thing often.

“Popcorn?” I exclaimed. Movie theater popcorn was my favorite.

“And cherry soda,” he smiled brightly.

“Best night ever,” I returned. Michael just laughed as he maneuvered us into the parking lot.

He told me to stay put when he pulled into a spot, getting out to run around and open my door. He kissed my cheek and held my hand as we walked to the ticket booth. He got us tickets to a cute-looking rom-com, and we headed inside to get snacks.

We took our seats at the back of the theater, but halfway through the movie, I ended up abandoning mine to sit in his lap instead. It was a little tricky due to his size, but we still cuddled for the rest of the movie. I didn’t care what we did; I just enjoyed spending time with him, although I could do with fewer push-ups. It was plain to see that outside of training, movies were his favorite form of entertainment.

We left the theater after the movie in our disgustingly sweet little bubble, discussing what to do about dinner.

“I’m not very hungry after the popcorn,” I told him.

“We could stop and grab a couple of snacks and drinks, go watch the stars,” Michael suggested, bringing our intertwined hands up to k**s the back of mine. “I just want to be with my mate.”

I wasn’t paying much attention to the people around us, but a loud scoff caught my attention. I turned away from M to find my parents looking at us. Michael stiffened next to me as we both came to a halt.

“I see where the priorities of our new Alpha and Luna lie. Flaunting about like children while the pack continues to suffer,” my dad hissed. My mom grabbed his arm.

“What…” I trailed off, words failing me. Our great night was shattered immediately. What did our one little night out have to do with the health of the pack? By the look on his face, my dad still wasn’t ready to accept our mate bond.

“I’d be careful how you proceed,” Michael growled in a low voice. I knew my parents could hear him; he spoke quietly, but we had good enough hearing to negate the distance between us.

“Even with a mate bond, wolves shouldn’t just jump into a marking,” my dad said. Michael gripped my hand and pulled me flush to him.

“Alphas need their Lunas. Would you deny your daughter her fated love?” Michael proposed. My dad shook his head and walked away, my mom following him. I watched in disappointment and heartache.

“Come on,” M whispered in my ear, pulling me with him. We rushed out to the parking lot. I could tell M was frustrated.

“I don’t understand,” I said quietly once we were both in the car. “Isn’t it enough that you make me happy?”

Thunder rumbled through the night sky, the clouds turning dark as they started to shut out the soft moonlight. M stayed quiet as he drove from the theater parking lot. Rain began to patter against the windshield. I watched as the wiper blades rhythmically swept away the water droplets.

I know my parents weren’t aware of just how close Michael and I stayed after he left, but it was still upsetting that they couldn’t accept it. Michael made me breathe easier. His love and affection didn’t come with expectations or at least ones that I felt. I always felt I had to live up to a standard with my friends and family like they expected something out of me, and I would lose them if I failed.

Rain was coming down hard when Michael pulled over into a parking spot outside a small grocery store closer to Stary. He reached over and held my hand in my lap. “Q, I would tie myself to you in every way imaginable. I don’t care what anyone else thinks,” he whispered, his voice just barely above the beating of the rain.

“I know,” I said.

“I know we’re marked, but I would marry you too. I just don’t have a ring. I didn’t want to propose to you without one, but I would marry you tomorrow if I could,” Michael continued.

“I don’t need a ring. Tie a string around my finger. I just want to be happy with you,” I said, looking up at him. His face froze, his expression strange. Suddenly he was opening his door and climbing out of the car. “M, what are you doing? It’s pouring!” I called after him. What did I say?

In a flash, he was around the car and at my door. He wrenched the door open and grabbed my hand to pull me out of the car with him. “Are you crazy?” I called over the rain.

He dropped down on his knee and started untying his shoe. I watched in confusion, and he let a nail extend to cut off a piece of his shoelace. He looked up at me, his eyes shining.

“Quinn, I don’t care who in the world is against us; all I need is you. I came back here and took the Alpha title back so I could always make sure you were safe. I want to open my eyes every day to your messy blue hair and pouty lips. I want to close my eyes every night after spending hours showing you how much I love every inch of you. I want my days to be filled with you. I want no one on this planet to doubt you belong to me, and I belong to you. I’ll get you a ring one day, maybe one that can compare to how beautiful you are. For now, marry me?” Michael asked earnestly.

My eyes were wide listening to his speech. My heartbeat picked up as he went on. I watched the rain pelt his face and soak through his clothes as he held up that little piece of his shoelace. Warmth met the cold wetness of the rain as it ran down my cheeks. Michael’s eyes started to widen, panic settling on his face.

“Yes,” I whispered, nodding my head. “Yes!”

MICHAEL

“…Tie a string around my finger. I just want to be happy with you,” she said quietly. I could tell she didn’t mean it seriously, but everything clicked in my head.

I spent hours trying to get through the things in the basement, looking for my Mema’s boxes. In the years I’d been gone, Lawrence had been using the basement as a dumping ground, making finding anything impossible. I wondered if the ring was even down there. I had to give up before Quinn found me and offered to help clean it up. She would come without hesitation and would keep going even when I stopped, even if she didn’t know what I was looking for.

Not having a ring put my ideas on pause. I planned to hitch that woman to me in every way imaginable, but I wanted to do it right. Humans usually asked the girl’s father for her hand, but Quinn was already marked, so that was somewhat pointless.

I jumped out of the car; I could tie a string on her finger right now. I got around the car and pulled Quinn out. I knew she would get wet, but I would pull her out of the sopping dress later.

I dropped to my knee and started to untie my shoe. I didn’t need a large piece; her fingers were tiny. When I looked back at her, I couldn’t see anything but her confused expression, her freckles against her pale cheeks, flushed in the cool rain. Her emerald eyes were glassy from the emotional night we had.

“… just marry me,” I ranted.

Her eyes searched mine for a moment. She was quiet, and I couldn’t tell what she was feeling. For a brief moment, I began to panic. Maybe she hadn’t meant it; maybe she wasn’t ready for more.

“Yes,” she whispered. “Yes!” she repeated a little louder. She grabbed my face and kissed me hard, love pouring through our bond. I grabbed her around the waist as I stood to my feet, bringing her with me. I kissed her with abandon as the rain poured down on us.