Page 68 of The Alpha's Chosen Fate

His grip tightened.

I braced a foot on the boulder and nodded.The muscles in his arm flexed as he gently helped me up.

"Thank you," I said once we were on the other side.

I expected him to release my hand, but instead, his grip remained firm and comforting as we continued our hike.

We ate dinner together that night—another change—out on the deck.Finished with the meal, we were enjoying the last of a bottle of wine.

The moon was so bright I could easily see the dips and rolls of the trees covering the landscape.

“The view is beautiful,” I commented.

“It is.”Briggs agreed, making me blush when I realized he was staring at me and not the scenery.

A soft thud on the table drew my attention.I looked down and stiffened.

“The necklace I bought for Ruby was the first one I saw on the sale counter.I didn't even pay attention to the stones.I didn’t care.”

His middle finger tapped absently on the felt-covered box.I didn’t even think he realized he was doing it.

"Before I … before everything, this was yours," he said quietly.“I know it doesn’t hold the same meaning for you as it does for me, but I would like you to have it anyway.”

He lifted the lid.

“You don’t have to wear it,” he hastily added.

I studied the necklace again, my eyes following the delicate carvings, the ones he designed.

"It was always meant for you."

I sat there staring into eyes that were pleading with me to understand.To forgive.

Forgetting was an entirely different matter.“Briggs, this is a Mating Ceremony gift.”

“Actually, it’s not.”

“But—”

“I wasn’t thinking about a ceremony when I came up with the idea.I was only thinking of you.I’m not good with romantic words, so I thought I’d let an expensive piece of jewelry speak for me, that it would show you that I was thinking about you.”

“I don’t care about jewelry or expensive gifts.”

He scratched the back of his head.“Yes, I’m starting to see that.I can only say that I watched my father buy jewelry for my mother and her face would light up every time she opened a box.”

Harris and Kate McClellan had left Darkwood shortly after Briggs took the reins, as was custom.It helped ease the way for the new Alpha to be seen as independent from the old.

After enough time passed, they would likely return.

I’d often wondered what they thought of their son mating with Ruby, though they technically weren’t here to witness the rejection.

“How are the Alpha and Luna?”I quietly inquired.

Briggs grimaced.“I haven’t heard from them in almost a year.They went off the grid up in Canada and told me they’d be in touch once they were sure my head had been extracted from my ass.Honestly, I’m surprised my father didn’t challenge me for his old position.”

“That bad?”

“Let’s just say the surprise visit they made resulted in quite the shock.Mom even took a swing at me.”

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