Page 187 of His Forsaken Alpha

Wynter frowned. The only thing he knew of in the protected zone was the cabin—but it was gone.

The guardsman eyed the paperwork, and each of them, before handing it back. “Be safe out there. We’ve had a couple of reports of Wildlings near the borderlands.”

“We’re staying far from the border,” Cavanaugh replied.

“Good call,” the beta said before tapping the driver’s door with a knuckle. “Have a good one.”

The gate lifted, and once it was high enough, Cavanaugh pulled Trout’s old pickup through. He soon turned on the mountain road, the same one Wynter had ridden on as he’d been taken away from Cavanaugh.“Whereare we going?”

“You’ll see,” Cavanaugh murmured.

Higher and higher they traveled, until his alpha pulled into the lane for the cabin. Wynter blanched. He wasn’t sure he could face the burned-out husk where they’d shared that heat together.Only, there was no burned-out husk. The cabin stood just as it had before. Cavanaugh pulled up before it and shut off the engine.

“You rebuilt it?”

“I did.”

Wynter met Cavanaugh’s shining eyes.

“It was the one place we’d been together—and happy,” Cavanaugh said. “I couldn’t stand seeing it charred and left to rot. So, I tore it down. I reused any of the wood that wasn’t completely destroyed, so that the original DNA of the house was present insomeway. Also added a couple of upgrades—like central heat for those days I don’t feel like chopping wood.”

Wynter chuckled, but inside, his heart swelled with love.

“I know there was pain here, too, but I wanted to celebrate the love we shared, however brief it was. I wanted to be able to come back and remember you in my arms, smiling up at me, and I guess a small part of me imagined that I’d one day be able to bring you here and show you this place.”

“And now you have,” Wynter whispered, scooting closer on the bench seat. He placed a palm on Cavanaugh’s chest and felt the rapid pace under it.

Cavanaugh was terrified he’d be upset.

“I love it,” Wynter murmured. “And I love you for restoring it. You erased what they did and made it whole again. Just like you’ve mademewhole again.”

“I don’t know if I have that much power over you,” Cavanaugh said with a smirk.

“You do. Having this new chance with you—I feel young again. I feel… safe. I feel loved.” He leaned in close to his alpha. “I feel excited about our future together.”

“I’m glad to hear that,” Cavanaugh said. He reached into the pocket of his jeans and lifted his hips before withdrawing a small box. “This is for you.”

Wynter’s insides went to jelly. He sensed what lay inside. With a shaking hand, he reached for it and struggled to crack it open.

Cavanaugh lifted it from his hands and wedged it apart. “Damned spring.” He laid it on his palm and showed Wynter.

Inside, a diamond encrusted band glittered in the sunlight streaming inside the truck. “It’s beautiful.”

“It’s tradition,” Cavanaugh murmured. “For an alpha to present his omega with a gift when wooing him.”

“Wooingme? I think we’re long past that stage.”

“Well, we’re too old for our parents to sit down and negotiate a mating contract, sure, but we can still enjoy the rest of it.”

Wynter froze. His heart leapt to his throat.

Cavanaugh caressed the side of his face. “Oh, don’t tell me I’ve scared you off, talking aboutlegallymating my omega.”

“I…” Wynter smiled, his lower lip wobbling some. “I’m not scared. Only… shocked.”

“Shocked? You’re mine. I’m yours.Remember?”

Wynter fought tears. “I used to dream of this moment, and those dreams nearly destroyed me, knowing I couldn’t have you. I forced myself to stop dreaming too many years ago to countbecause I thought I’d destroyed any chance of you ever loving me.”

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