Page 48 of Having the Dragon's Baby

They finished their meals and proceeded to prepare for the celebration. Rachel didn’t know exactly what to expect, but Marcus reassured her, saying that it wouldn’t be anything she couldn’t handle.

She dressed in a blue floral gown that Marcus had once said made her look like an angel descending from the heavens. It helped that the dress was form-fitting enough to highlight her curves in all the right places. She wore her wavy and bright hair down around her shoulders.

She had to revel in the sight of Marcus as she began to walk down the stairs. His shoulders cut through the polo pulled over his mountainous form, and his sleek black hair shone like the night sky. He smiled up at her, and she swore her heart was going to burst out of her chest.

“Ready, my darling?”

He held out his hand to her, and she took it. He pulled her in quickly, holding her by the waist as she gasped. He briefly hitched her thigh against him, cupping her ass with his strong hands. He growled at the same time, the fluid movement and mixture of sensual touches causing warmth to burst just above her pubic bone.

“God, Marcus,” she panted.

“You didn’t answer my question,” he snarled in a teasing way, tracing his thumb along her lip.

“I’m always ready for you, my love,” she retorted, parting her mouth for him.

It was a moment that could have easily turned into a quick romp against the wall, with Marcus hitching up her dress and pushing her panties aside, but they had places to be. So they settled for a passionate kiss, slow, steady, building up fireworks that would go off later that night.

They met the entire community at midday, the weather warm but comfortable. The different packs had set up picnic benches in a vast field, with shifters of every kind, many of whom Rachel had never seen before nor met.

They received a hero's welcome, with Marcus greeting each of the alphas of every pack and clan, who thanked him for freeing the prisoners and destroying Orion. They all greeted her with the same level of fanfare, which she felt deeply honored by but also undeserving of.

Marcus, however, held onto her hand the entire time as they swerved through the crowd. She had never felt so supported, so adored, or so considered in her entire life.

The man had literally killed for her and put her wants and needs ahead of his own. What else could a woman ever ask for?

Marcus was honored in a ceremony with an unveiling of an orchard that would be marked with his family name. A beautiful apple tree stood at the center of the park that would soon be cultivated into a flourishing garden. Everyone applauded, and Rachel watched as her alpha’s beautiful eyes glistened under the blue dome of the sky.

They sat on benches that were similar to the ones they had sat on the first time Rachel had been introduced to the community. It hadn’t been so long ago, but it felt like a lifetime had passed since she fell into the wonderful whirlwind of his world.

He laid his hand upon her leg as they ate delicious lean sirloin. Many shifters and their mates came by, thanking Marcus and Rachel for finding and returning the missing. A wolf shifter, whose eye was as red as cherries from popping a blood vessel, was one of the men Marcus had saved from the prison.

“My wife and children, thank you,” he said, holding his hand out to Marcus.

Marcus took it the way he took everyone’s hand, standing from the bench, gripping firmly, cupping it over with the other.

“It is my honor as an alpha,” he said solemnly.

A glossy tear rolled down the man’s cheek, and he wiped it with his free hand. He then turned to Rachel and gave her a weary but proud grin.

“And we are so thankful to have you here too,” he said. “It's your support for your alpha that gave him the strength and fortitude to save us all.”

Her cheeks bloomed with warmth. The man was so earnest, with a limp leg and a hand grazing over his heart. She gazed up at Marcus, who was looking back with the most stunning admiration.

She saw everything there that she would ever need. A paradise thriving in his eyes.

She stood from the bench, too, and embraced the man in a tight hug. Despite the abuse he’d had to endure, he was still strong and sturdy.

“What was done to you was heinous. You all deserve to live beautiful, happy lives.”

After a long hug, the man pulled away, wiping his damp cheeks once more. It was an endearing sight to behold. A man with sharp features, easily identifiable as half man and half wolf, choking up on the prospect that his life could have been lost.

“And now, I get to do that,” he replied.

When the man left, Rachel felt Marcus’s hand on her lower back. He rubbed circles, filling her with solace.

“You don’t accept praise very well, do you?” Marcus asked.

Her cheeks flushed again as she sat next to her mate. She tilted her head, observing the specimen of a man that would be hers, and hers alone, until the end of time.

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