The wind started to blow the tent back onto her head when suddenly something outside fell against her head. It was warm. In the next moment, it was gone.
“Luc, did you feel that?” she asked.
“Huh?” Luc asked sleepily.
“Did you feel something fall against the tent? Next to your head?” she asked.
“Noh,” he said, and then sniffed the air. “Lihill wof ouside,” he muttered, and then wrapping Meg in his arms, went to sleep.
Meg laid there awake for a few moments waiting to see if it happened again. Luc shifted more and as he wrapped her in his arms, she fell asleep. It was cold, and she was glad not only for the extra blankets, but for Luc’s fur.
Luc woke first as the sun hit the tent. He rolled over to see if his present was still hidden. It was. He looked over at Meg. She was sleeping peacefully. It was the first time she’d done so all week. He’d asked Ginny if he was doing the right thing, and she had spent an hour reassuring him that he was doing the right thing. Now to wait for Meg to wake. He leaned on his arm watching her.
Meg woke to see Luc leaning on his arm and watching her.
“Were you watching me sleep?” she asked through a yawn.
“Yeah, watching and thinking.”
“About what?” she asked.
“About us. This whole thing last week made me think about things I hadn’t considered,” he said.
“Like what?” she asked wondering where he was going.
“Relationships, children, contracts, family, those kind of things,” he said.
“Okay,” she said wonder where he was going with this. “Continue.”
“I was thinking about the contract and how we’ve dealt with humans all these years and whether it was right or wrong,” he said.
“I can see that. This week has been rather chaotic for all of us. So, where did your thoughts go?” she asked.
“I love you, and would love to have babies with you. I’ve also decided that if you don’t want to sign that contract, I won’t push. I won’t have that threat hanging over our relationship,” he said.
“Oh, are you sure?” Meg asked, amazed at this statement.
“Yes, and it has tied me up in knots, because I’ve never liked the damn thing and almost let it destroy the best relationship I’ve had in years,” he admitted.
Meg reached up and wrapped her arms around Luc. He hugged her back and started kissing her face.
“I love you,” she said softly.
“Love me enough to be my partner? My mate?” he asked reaching behind him.
“What?” she asked trying to see what he was pulling out from behind the bedding.
“You heard me,” he said with a smile. “Would you like to be my mate?” he asked as he put a box in her hand.
Meg looked at the box. It wasn’t a ring box which sort of surprised her. She took the box and opened it up. Inside was a silver necklace. The chain was woven of interlinking sections like a four strand braid. The clasp was a buckle. The medallion on the necklace was another woven piece like a delicate wreath and in the center were two initials twined together, M and L. It was beautiful. Delicate enough to be feminine, but only just so. She looked at it and then she got the giggles.
“You give collars and tags as love tokens?” she asked between giggles.
“Yes,” said Luc trying not to turn red with embarrassment. “But it’s practical,” he tried to say in an attempt to explain his choice.
“Luc, I’m sure it is. I don’t understand why just now, but it is beautiful and I would love to be your mate,” she said.
Luc took the box and necklace from her and put it around her neck. It laid across her collar bone as if it had melted. The medallion rested between her breasts. He smiled.
“So, oh mate of mine, why is it practical?” she asked.
“Well,” he started. Then he blushed. “Um,… because if you shift, you tend to loose rings, but collars stay on,” he said swiftly.
Meg tried not to laugh. Her lips twitched and then the smile spread across her face. Finally, she couldn’t hold it in any longer and fell against Luc in a mass of limbs and giggles.
“Woof!” Meg said as she looked up at him between giggles. They both laughed.
“Oh! That reminds me. Did I hear you right about the wolf falling on my head last night during the wind?” she asked.
“Yeah, I think she came up to check us out and the wind knocked her over. I was going to look for foot prints this morning when we got up,” he said.
“Cool. Oh, before I forget, am I suppose to reciprocate with a necklace for you?” she asked.
“If you’d like to, but it isn’t required. Sort of like some weddings where the bride is the only one to get the ring. Totally up to you,” he said.
“Okay,” Meg answered. She and Ginny had a shopping trip in their future. “Oh, one other thing. How on earth have you shifters kept out of the eye of the general public all these years?”
“Caution and lots of misdirection. In the old days, we just stayed away from humans for the most part. It has only been in the last 100 years that we’ve really had any issues. People either freak out or accept us. Most of those that accepted us married into the family. Those that freaked out either got killed or discredited. That’s where all the werewolf monster stories came from in the first place. We’d move if it got too bad, or people would die. Now most of us have big dogs and do the ‘oh, you must have seen Buster last night’ thing if people get nosy,” Luc said.
“I can see that. But what if someone like Sara says her Unky Wolfy is really a werewolf at school or something?” she asked.
“Would you believe a little kid, or would you believe their parent that said they watched a werewolf movie and had an over active imagination?” he asked.
“The parent. Geeze,” said Meg. “You’ve literally been hiding in plain sight.”