Page 99 of Examining the Bond

I’mall she needs. Not a pack, not a knot, not anything else.

Just me.

How did I get so lucky?

This perfect miracle of an omega who crossed my path by chance. Against every odd in the world, she ended up in my arms. I’ll never understand how it happened, but I’ll be eternally grateful that it did.

I dip my head to press my lips against the corner of her mouth, breathing in more of her delicious marshmallow perfume that’s permanently embedded in my nose. I close my eyes and lie there, her breaths the only sound breaking the comfortable silence.

Being curled up with my omega in her nest, is the definition of paradise. If this is what forever looks like, it isn’t nearly fucking long enough.

EPILOGUE

RIANN

I swallow a shaky breath as Skylar veers the car off the main road onto a narrow gravel drive. We’re surrounded by trees on both sides, and I can tell from the GPS above the radio that we've been driving alongside a huge lake for the past ten minutes.

She hasn’t told me anything specific about her house—she wants it to be a surprise.

My breath catches as the dense forest breaks and opens up into a clearing that looks out across a lake, glittering like crystal shards in the bright sun. The cold air makes everything feel more crisp, and the water is so blue it almost looks like something off a postcard. The gentle waves lapping at the little strip of sand that turns into a wide, perfectly-manicured yard are the only moving parts of the picturesque scene.

Gravel crunches under the tires as Skylar pulls up to an elegant two-story house. Its wood and stone exterior looks like it was plucked straight from a movie.

She parks in the driveway between an enormous four-door pickup truck and a red Corvette.

“This is your house?” My eyes widen as they bounce between Skylar and the gorgeous building in front of us.

“It's yours, too,” she says, leaning across the console to kiss my cheek.

The slate roof is pointed to fit perfectly with the huge triangular walls, and there’s a large balcony overlooking the water. I know without asking that it must lead to her bedroom, and I can already imagine myself standing up there with my hands wrapped around a warm mug of coffee, watching the sunrise fall over the water with her every day.

Huge windows spread across the front of the house, and through the pane to the right of the front door, I catch a glimpse of a dining room and a plush sectional sofa.

There’s a hammock strung up between two trees in the yard to the left; we can definitely cuddle up there with tons of blankets to keep ourselves warm. Two canoes are stacked right next to a small boat, and I’m already picturing summer picnics out in the middle of the lake.

“What do you think?” she asks, watching me with a mix of trepidation and expectation.

This is better than anything I could have dreamed.

“It’s beautiful, Skylar. I really get to live here?” I ask, knowing it’s a silly question, but still trying to accept the fact that this is my new life.

“You’re my mate,” she says, love beating in her voice. “Anything that's mine is yours.”

She takes my hand, entwining our fingers as the midday sun streams through the car and lights up the house. “One day, I’lltell you how much it means that you’re here with me. But, for now, I just want you to see the house. Then we can get started unpacking all of your stuff.”

After Skylar claimed me and my heat subsided, we packed up most of my things together. It really was something to have my alpha take every single piece of my nest and handle them with love and care as we organized things into boxes. She arranged to have all my things delivered to her house while we took a detour trip to the beach, and they should be waiting for us inside.

She offered to pay for the rest of my tuition and let me graduate, but there was no way I was spending months away from her. Two weeks apart was difficult enough, and now that we’re bonded? Living in different states definitely isn’t an option.

She opens her car door, and I follow suit, but before I can even step out, she's racing around the front of the BMW. She eases my door open, puffing out her chest, and half bows as she offers me her hand.

“Miss Saunders,” she says with a purr that gives me shivers. Heat sparks in my core as she helps me out of the car. The moment I'm standing in front of her, she lifts the back of my hand to her lips.

“Hmm… how does Riann Morales sound?” I cock my head, loving the blush that spreads across her cheeks.

“You’d take my last name?” she asks, surprise evident in her tone.

“I’ve taken everything else, haven’t I?” I grin wide. “What’s one more thing?”