Page 92 of Filthy Fae

She rushed up beside me and took my hand. “We’ll make our reservation. I just want to do this first.” Taking a key from her pocket, Scarlet unlocked the front door and opened to an empty parlor. The smell of lemon cleaner stung my nose, and the barren floors shone with new wax. Beyond the parlor was a sprawling great room, also empty, and an industrial kitchen. It was all redwood—the walls, floors, and ceilings—giving the place a rustic lodge ambiance.

“Is this yours?” I asked.

“Mine and the pack’s. They used to host events here.” Scarlet swept out her hand, spun away from me and then back into my arms. Wrapped up in my embrace, she continued, “My parents’ home is still the official pack house. They haven’t said anything, but the Six Rivers pack is long overdue for a change of location. What do you think?”

I gazed around the empty rooms. There was room for a hundred people to fit comfortably. “Having no idea what happens in a packhouse, I’d say that it looks like a great space.”

“Yeah, so, that’s sort of the thing.” Unwinding from my embrace, she pulled me behind her. We walked up two stories, the first of which she said the pack would use for their hospital, library, and war room. Then we headed out the side, onto a stairway leading up.

“The third story has a separate entrance, which, trust me, is very needed.” Scarlet used her key to open a wide blue door. The third floor looked very much like its own house, complete with a living room and a kitchen. Several skylights set in the vaulted ceilings glowed with the sun’s last rays.

Scarlet turned toward me. “There are six bedrooms here.”

My stomach clenched as it occurred to me for the first time that maybe Scarlet wasn’t just excited and nervous about showing me her new packhouse.

“That’s a lot of bedrooms,” I said carefully.

“I wonder if it’ll be enough,” she said as she leaned in closer.

“Hmm.” I wrapped an arm around her waist. “Who plans to live here?”

She ticked off on her fingers. “Aaron, Lance, and Darrel will all live here part time, and I’ll live here full time.”

“Seems like enough bedrooms to me,” I said as my heart sank. Of course she wasn’t going to ask me to live in her werewolf packhouse. What was I even thinking?

She stepped back and took a deep breath. “Okay. I want to do this right.” Fishing in her purse for a second, Scarlet pulled out a small box. She popped it open, showing a thick gold band nestled in black velvet. “Macklin Banrigh, will you marry me? Well, it’s more like, will you marry us. Or handfast, if you prefer.” She let out a shaky laugh. “What I mean is, will you join me and my mates and my pack? I know it’s a lot to ask. You don’t need to answer right away. It’s not like we’re going anywhere, and...”

She trailed off as I pulled a small box from my pocket.

“Scar, I bought this when we were eighteen.”

Two tears dropped onto her cheeks. “What?”

I cracked the box, showing her the white gold band with three emeralds. “It reminded me of you, so I bought it. I’ve been holding onto it, pretty sure I was a fool for keeping a ring for a woman who was planning to marry someone else.” I felt wetness on my own cheeks now.

“Damn it, Mack.” She was both laughing and crying through her words. “I’m the fool. I have a lot of baggage.”

I gave her a look. “If there was a scale with my baggage on one side and yours on the other, mine would fling yours to the Winter Kingdom.”

She laughed as more tears coursed down her face. “Okay, so... I’m saying yes. Are you saying yes?”

Wrapping her in my arms, I pulled her against me and kissed her salty cheeks. “Scarlet, it has always been yes. I’ve been in love with you for half my life.”

“Me, too.” Her green eyes shone as she gazed up at me. “I was just too chicken shit to admit it to myself.”

I shook my head. “Doesn’t matter. Do I have to ask your parents or your mates for their blessing?”

“I already did. My mates, that is. We had a meeting and talked about it. My parents have always blessed us.”

I smiled down at her, my heart swelling with happiness as I took her hands in mine. “Hey, Scarlet?”

She stood on tiptoes and circled her arms around my neck. “Yeah?”

Leaning down, I brushed my lips over hers. “You really know how to make a first date special.”