Rae Rose looked down at her husband, smiling as she remembered the day’s events. She’d been blessed to participate in so many weddings but her favorites would always be the werewolf ones. There was a wildness to them that humans and other lifeforms just couldn’t match.

“A penny for your thoughts,” rumbled Connor in his deep voice. He placed a hand on her back and she felt warmth spread out to the rest of her body from that point of contact.

“Hmm?” She grinned. “I was thinking about the ceremony. I was thinking how werewolf ceremonies are my favorite.”

Connor gave her a searching look, “Are you ever sad that we didn’t have one?”

Rae’s smile grew soft and she pushed her hand into his salt-and not so much-pepper hair. “I don’t regret a thing. Our mating was the most honest moment we’ve ever shared.”

Connor’s other hand started to climb up her side and his eyes let out a warm glow. “You know, no one but newlyweds are allowed in the forest tonight.”

“Oh,” she asked, already knowing where this was leading. Gooseflesh rose along her arms even as the heat of him warmed her legs and her back. “I love you Connor and accept you as you are.”

She suddenly found herself on her back and Connor hovering above her, his eyes now liquid gold. He pressed a hand to her breast and she sucked in a breath. “In all your forms, man or beast,” she whispered.

A wicked claw sliced through her shirt and she shrugged the pieces off her shoulders. Her underwear was next to go. “I accept you as my mate, as my other half. As my protector and provider.”

Connor stilled over her and Rae knew his wolf was right under the surface. She had not uttered those words since that harrowing night. She’s said them out of necessity because both Connor and Dre would have died if she hadn’t. She’d never considered the meaning of the words. How important it was for his wolf to hear them said out loud. Without a wolf of her own, it was the only way to cement a mating. Communication between them was critical.

She leaned back, allowing her body to relax in anticipation of what was to come. A mating of their own. She smiled, sort of like renewing her vows. “I accept you as you have accepted me.”

She felt his body shiver before he pressed down on her. In a voice so low it was mostly growl, he said, “Truth.”