Red/Wolf (Working Title)

Epilogue: The Real Thing Sorrell

Epilogue: Sorrell

Before I left the ranch with Kenyon, Jason made me promise to allow him to give me regular check-ups for three months, and avoid regular hospitals at least for a while just to make sure I my werewolf condition was not worsening. A couple of weeks later and aside from advance healing, I only gained super senses and strangely enough, extreme thirst. He and Kenyon were convinced that, it would be the worst of it.
I felt like the luckiest girl in the world when Kenyon took me to homecoming. He looked amazing in his blue suit. Ro, Randy, and Satordi even taught him to dance. I was rocking in his strong arms on the dance floor, when he looked down at me with the most intense warm gaze I had ever seen; I knew that there was something on his mind.
"Kenyon, are you okay?"
"Are you happy with me?"
I almost wanted to laugh at the comment. I wondered what in the world could make him think that I was discontent with anything about him. If anything he was too perfect. I searched his eyes for a sign that he was only kidding around but there was none, only seriousness. "Kenyon, of course I'm happy. You make me feel happier than I have ever felt."
He let out a sigh of relief. "Good! I needed to hear that."
"Are you happy with me?" I asked.
He cupped my face. The look on his was of complete seriousness. "Of course I'm happy with you. I'm over the moon."
I blushed. "Really?"
"Really!" He smiled. He broke his hold of my waist, and reached down and took my hands. "Can we talk in private?"
We went out onto the veranda that was lit beautifully with garden lamps and white Christmas lights.
"Kenyon is everything okay?" I asked.
He slid his hand in mine and looked into my eyes. "Everything is fine." He assured. "I just need to ask you something."
"Ask me what?" I searched his eyes for an expression that would give me a clue of what he needed to ask me. He was blank.
He lifted my hand to his lips and gently kissed my knuckles and let out a nervous sigh. He cupped his other hand on top of mine. "Sorrell, I wanted to ask you if you would be my mate."
I looked up at him. I didn't understand what he meant by his mate. Was he purposing? I loved Kenyon with all of my heart but, even I knew that I wasn't ready to get married.
He smiled. "Let me explain."I guessed he read the confusion on my face. "In my tribe, to fall in love is rare and even more of a rarity is to fall in love with a mortal. We celebrate and cherish love. When I ask you to be my mate, all it means is that I promise to take care of you, to always be there for you, and promise my love, honor, and fidelity."
"Kenyon, are you purposing marriage?"
He blushed. "No," he chuckled. "It's not like that like that at all. It is only a pledge, usually we have a ceremony where we make promises to our mate and their family and loved ones, but it's not a wedding. It is a courting ceremony. What it does is, it makes our relationship official, in the pack's eyes, and makes you an honorary member of the pack. That is all it is. I swear." He held his hands up.
I had to take in what he said. I knew I wasn't ready to get married, but I knew if I did there was no one else that made me feel as complete as Kenyon and I wanted to be connected to him in every way possible. I nodded "Yes!"
His eyes lit up "Really?"
"Of course I will be your mate, Kenyon!"
He took me in his arms and twirled me around. "I am so glad you said 'yes'."
"Did you have any doubts?"
"A little, I just didn't want you to get the wrong idea about what this means and how important it is to my tribe. Not that I would ever force you to do anything. This just means so much to me that you said 'yes'." He held me close.
"I want to be with you Kenyon," I said, "and all that it means."
He pulled away and took my hands again. "Sorrell, I love you so much!"
He then dug in his inside jacket pocket and pulled out a gorgeous sliver ring adorn with small diamond and a large ruby in the middle. He slipped it onto the ring finger on my left hand. I admired it and kissed him.
"It's beautiful Kenyon, Thank you!"
"Now it's official." He beamed. "I am courting you as my mate."
I smiled. "What brought this about anyway?"
"We were talking about my brother's courting ceremony with his future wife, you see when he officially courts her, he can no longer date, he must be fully devoted to her, and as you can see, he's not quite ready for that commitment."
I looked on the dance floor through the windows where I saw Randy, cutting a rug with many females around him. I had to laugh. He was now the new captain of the football team and the school had not lost another game sense, and he was, if it was possible, more popular. That did not look like a man that was ready to make any kind of commitment to one woman. I looked back at Kenyon. "But you are ready?"
He grinned. "Most definitely!"
I shook my head. "Kenyon, still, if I didn't know any better I would say that you just snuck a proposal on me."
He smiled wider. "Miss. Garnett, when I ask you to be my wife, and trust me, I will, you'll know it!"