EMILY'S POV
I stared at him quietly, the words hung in the cool night air between us, sharp and sudden as a gunshot.
Engaged.
The world seemed to tilt, the lights of the city below blurred into streaks of gold.
“What?” The word came out hoarse, barely a whisper.
Ralph didn’t look away, his grey eyes were steady, serious, but there was a warmth in them I hadn’t seen before. It wasn’t a playful challenge or a calculated move. It looked… real.
“I’m asking you to marry me.” He said, his voice low but clear. “Not as a political alliance, nor as a business merger.’
“As my mate and my partner, under the next full moon.”
My mind was in riot, the full moon was the most sacred, binding ceremony for our kind. It wasn’t just a wedding, it was a soul-deep pledge, recognized by pack law and anc
