Garren’s POV:
Roman was very happy with how open we were being with our mate, while I found it a little uncomfortable.
I was telling her things I feared to tell anyone, and that was a first for me.
I frowned, observing her movements carefully as she shifted on my lap. We talked and laughed happily, and then out of nowhere, she yawned and closed her eyes. As I sat still, trying my best not to disturb her, she fell asleep.
“Roxanne,” I called softly, trying to wake her up.
I had no idea where her bedroom was, although I could easily find it. It would be rude to just go there without her permission. What if Ian or Amelia was waiting for her there?
“You need to wake up,” I whispered, and then tensed when she groaned softly.
“Should we just find her room?” I asked Roman.
“Yes,” he responded.
I sighed, then slowly stood up with her in my arms, walking out of the study room.
I closed my eyes for a second, picking up everyone’s scent. Once I had determined where her scent was coming from, I reluctantly walked there.
As I took the stairs, I saw a warrior and an elderly she-wolf chatting. When they looked at me, their voices instantly died out.
“Is that Roxanne?” the elderly she-wolf asked in a soft tone.
“Yes, it is, but she has fallen asleep,” I answered when she moved closer and stood in front of me.
She moved her hand to her face and slowly caressed it with a sad expression.
“Once I received a call about her disappearance, I spent many hours praying to the moon goddess for her protection. You see, my son might come off as a cold Alpha, but he is kind and caring,” she said as I frowned.
She looked at me, then smiled warmly.
“I’m talking about Ian,” she whispered.
So she was his mother. She looked nothing like him, whether in character or facial features.
“Are you her mate, right?” she asked.
I looked at the warrior who was avoiding me, then back at her.
“Yes,” I answered in a low tone.
“I’m glad you are with her. You see, she may be our little girl, but she’s no longer our responsibility. She is now your own,” she said, then glanced behind at the warrior.
“Logan will show you to her room, and when you have fully rested, you can come to the dining room and have something to eat,” she said.
“Um, thank you,” I answered.
“No problem,” she said.
“Then do excuse me,” I said in a respectful tone and followed Logan when he began walking ahead.
I didn’t want to tell her how I was following her scent because I didn’t want to become a weirdo in her eyes.
“Hey, I know what’s going on and how things have turned out in our pack. So whenever you want to talk to a fellow man, do find me,” he said as I chuckled softly.
He looked unbothered by my presence back then, but now he was being friendly. What was with the men of this pack?
Just like Ian’s son, I could tell he was secretive by looking at him. Although he had a strong presence about him, my instincts were telling me that he was hiding something or holding himself back deliberately. His aura was definitely close to Ian’s, yet he was purposely acting like he was a weakling.
“Here we are,” Logan said, snapping me out of my thoughts, then pushed the door open.
“Thank you,” I answered as I walked in.
The first thing I noticed in the room was a huge picture of her immediate family hanging on the wall. In that picture, Roxanne was laughing while everyone was looking at her with wide smiles.
I moved to the bed and carefully put her down.
Her sheets were white, but her pillows were yellow. The walls were painted light blue, and her doors were white. There was a large desk next to her bed, and next to the door was a large white wardrobe.
On the other side of the bed was a bedside table, and on top of it was an MP3 player with black headphones plugged into it.
“I’ll leave you to rest,” Logan said, and then walked out of the room.
I moved to the bedside table and picked up the MP3 player, turning it on, and then putting on the headphones.
A smile touched my face as I played the song that was on the screen.
It was a slow song and one that I was familiar with.
I liked many songs but preferred not to say because I usually spent my time listening to either classics or hip hop.
I moved to the bed and sat on the edge, tapping my foot to the beat.
Her bedroom wasn’t as I had expected. She had fewer things, and it looked very simple, unlike what I had imagined. I guess I knew so little about her.
I stopped moving when I felt her shift from behind.
I instantly relaxed when a hand touched my back, and beautiful tingles spread throughout my body.
“You should have rested more,” I said softly, then pulled off the headphones.
“I will rest later,” she answered in a cracked voice.
I looked at the open window straight ahead and sighed softly.
It was already night.
“Did I wake you?” I asked with concern.
“Kind of, but no matter what, if I’m not deeply asleep, I wake up whenever any of the songs on my playlist play,” she answered.
“Well then, I’m so sorry for disturbing your sleep,” I said, then smiled when she moved and rested her head against my back.
“I’m so sorry for falling asleep in the study room. I felt tired and a little exhausted out of nowhere,” she apologized in a low tone.
“It’s no big deal. I understand because we both had a rough day,” I answered.
“Did you meet anyone on your way to my room, or did you magically guess which bedroom was mine?” she asked.
“I guessed,” I lied after a second of hesitation.
I didn’t want to explain how I had met her grandmother and that warrior.
“Garren, do you know that you aren’t a good liar?” she asked.
I kept quiet, refusing to answer.
“Back then, when I didn’t know you well, I believed each and every word that came out of your mouth. But after spending time with you, I began to know more about you, and now I can tell whenever you are telling the truth or not. If you want to lie, you have to do better than….”
She gasped loudly when I turned in a split second and pushed her flat on the bed.
My breath was getting labored, and my gaze was fixed on her lips.
“If I can’t lie with my words, then I will have to find a way out, don’t you think?” I asked with a smirk.
She moved her hand and touched my cheek with a warm smile.
“I know this is not the right time to say this, but I feel very happy. Happier than I have ever been in my life. I know my pack members won’t accept you easily, that’s why I want you to know that I’ll do everything in my power to make you happy,” she said softly, then trailed her fingers on my lower lip.
I leaned in and rested my head against her shoulder with a low sigh.
My heart was racing, and I didn’t know what to say to her.
She was much more than I could ever dream of. A woman willing to go against her own family just to be with me.
“Roxanne,” I called softly, then raised my head to look her in the eyes.
“Yes,” she answered in a whisper.
I swallowed hard and closed my eyes for a second, then opened them.
“I love you, a lot,” I said honestly, ignoring my lycan’s purrs.
She giggled happily, then wrapped her arms around my shoulders.
“I love you too,” she answered.
I grabbed her arms and removed them from my shoulders seriously, her smile vanishing from her face.
“You don’t understand, do you? I want to mate with you as soon as possible and have you carry my pup. I want us far away from this place so that we could have our own home. I want us to live a peaceful life full of beautiful memories as well as moments,” I said honestly.
I didn’t want to sound like I was pushing her away from her own parents, but it’s how I was feeling.
“I understand, Garren. You want to live that dream with me, right?” she asked as I shifted my gaze from her.
Was I now sounding selfish?
“Garren,” she called.
I forced myself to look at her, then nodded.
“I know I’m selfish and asking for too much. But….”
“I want that too,” she answered, cutting me off.
“What?” I asked in disbelief.
“I said I would love to live that dream with you,” she answered.
“Are you serious right now?” I asked, just to have her repeat her words.
“Of course I am. If everything settles down, let’s leave this pack and stay on our own. Mom and dad won’t protest because the Alpha position was already Kyle’s,” she answered as I grabbed her and moved into a sitting position with her on my lap and in my arms.
I was very happy to see how willing she was to go with me. Words couldn’t express how I was feeling.
I was going to make sure the coven elders were taken care of before deciding where to stay with her. Then we would begin living our planned future.