Chapter Nineteen Vincent

I was surprised when River called me up and invited me out on a proper date a couple days later. We'd been spending most every night at my place fucking until well passed midnight. In fact, I was starting to look a bit like a racoon from the loss of sleep. But I couldn't stop myself either. I liked being with him. It just felt… right.

But we hadn't quite gotten to the point where we were going on traditional dates. Until now, that is. It was my day off and River planned to not only take me north to Mackinaw City for some shopping, but then he was planning a nice dinner on the water for us too. I had no idea what restaurant we were going to, but I didn't care. It had been years since I'd gotten out of Shifter Grove for more than a couple of hours.

The day was incredible and well worth the drive. We parked downtown as soon as we got there and started to walk. Since it was early September, the tourist season was still in full swing. That meant that everything was open, and the streets were filled with the scents of fresh fudge that brought the out of towners in by the bus load. But they also worked on me. What started out as a shopping trip quickly became a fudge trip with a little shopping thrown in.

But as the evening drew in, River peeled me away from the fudge shops and took me out for some actual food. The restaurant was located on the shores of Lake Huron and our table was out on their patio. We spent the next couple of hours sipping wine, eating the fanciest food I'd ever eaten, and enjoying the warm breeze coming off the lake as the sun went down. Each course was better than the last and I nearly wept for joy not having to eat pizza for the first time in weeks. It was truly a magical experience.

However, all that came crashing down when River took me to a bed-and-breakfast instead of home after dinner.

"Uh… this is really nice and all," I said, staring up at the Victorian mansion positioned right on the lake. "But I have to work tomorrow."

"I've taken care of it," he replied with a smile.

"I can't afford to close the shop randomly," I argued. "I'll lose my customer's trust. It's not that I don't appreciate this, I just can't run a business like that."

"Vince," he said softly, placing his hand on my shoulder. "I took care of it. The shop will run just fine without you. In fact, you don't even have to work tomorrow."

I eyed him suspiciously. "Who did you get to take over?"

"Cory is taking care of deliveries and Sam is picking up the rest of it as a favor to me."

"Sam?!" I couldn't believe what I was hearing. "He doesn't know how to run the shop!"

"No, but Cory does. And Sam knows how to cook just fine. He made me breakfast the other day and it was delicious."

"Eggs and toast are not pizza…"

"If I can learn how to make pizza in a single night, Sam can probably do it in ten minutes."

"I'm not sure you learned how to make pizza…"

"Thanks for the vote of confidence." River rolled his eyes at me. "Now will you come on? I booked us the suite for the night and we're still not done yet."

"But I didn't even pack a toothbrush!"

"Yeah you did," he smiled, grabbing his backpack from the back seat. "I thought of everything."

"But–"

"Vince," he said sternly, placing his finger on my lips. "Shh. I took care of it."

I huffed in annoyance, but really I was just nervous. It wasn't that I didn't trust him, more that I was feeling out of place. People didn't do things like this for me. River was going out of his way to make me feel special and that felt… well, weird. Whether I deserved it or not was irrelevant. I didn't know how to react or respond to such generosity, especially when it came without a price tag.

The house that we were staying in was beautiful and our room even more so. Everything was dripping with heavy curtains, floral patterns, wallpaper, and the richest dark wood I'd ever seen. It was like walking back in time and the house had just been built last week. Once it was just us in our room, I couldn't tell whether I was staying in a hotel or had walked through a portal to the past.

"Do you like it?" River asked, looking a bit nervous himself.

"It's beautiful," I replied, running my fingers along the damask curtains surrounding the bed. "I've never been in a place like this before."

"I've been here a few times as a kid back when Mom was still alive. It was one of those few vacations we got to go on since Dad was the Alpha and all."

"I didn't know about your mom…"

River waved me off. "Don't worry about it. I was young and I've had plenty of time to come to terms with it." He took a step toward me, taking me by the hand. "And I don't want to talk about sad things tonight, anyway. I want to go on a moonlit walk with my mate ." He leaned close, placing a soft kiss on my lips. "It's a full moon and I don't want to miss it."

I felt myself swoon under his touch, my skin heating up the moment he kissed me. A rush of affection swept through me as he grabbed my hand and pulled me toward the door. How could I say no to him? Even if I was tired, full of good food, and ready to sleep for the next twenty-four hours, I knew I couldn't pull away from him. Not when his eyes were already shining gold like that.

River led me out onto the beach and up to the water's edge. With his fingers laced in mine, we started down the beach, the pair of us quiet as we walked. The night air was still warm from the long sunny day we'd had. Even the sand was still warm in places as it spilled over the edges of my flip-flops. Eventually, when we'd walked out of sight of all nearby buildings, River stopped. He looked at me with those glowing Alpha eyes of his and grabbed my other hand.

"Vince," he said softly, his eyes staring down at my feet. "There's… There's something I wanted to tell you."

My heart skipped a beat, and I wasn't sure if it was due to anxiety or anticipation, but mostly it just felt like adrenaline pumping through my system. I wanted it to be good new. However, after a day of being wined and dined, I had a feeling something bad was coming. That's what happened, right? The moment things were going good, they always fell apart. River had done all this probably as his final goodbye. He just wanted to have one last good night before we never saw each other again.

"I…" he started and paused.

Yep. He was breaking up with me. I knew it.

He took a deep breath. "I love you."

My whole world froze.

"You… You what?"

"I love you," he repeated. "I know it's fast and maybe I'm doing this all wrong, but I do."

I shook my head. "I don't understand. How could you love me? You brought me out here to break up with me, didn't you?"

"Why would I do that?!"

"Because you're leaving and… and today was really extravagant! Nobody just takes another person out like this for no reason! It's because you're gonna tell me that no matter how you feel, you have to leave. That's how it always goes–"

My words were cut off as River pulled me in, forcing his lips against mine. He kissed me hard and deep, his tongue dancing against mine as all my anxiety melted away under his touch. When he finally pulled away, we were both breathless.

"What about that says I'm going to leave you behind?" he asked, clearly upset. "Even if I wanted to, I couldn't!" His fingers gripped my shoulders as he practically shouted. "Against all logic, you've worked your way under my skin, Vince. I couldn't get rid of you now even if I tried. Your love is like a disease… and one I fully plan to succumb to."

I couldn't help cracking a smile.

"I'm not joking!"

"I know," I said as my smile deepened. "But that… that was such a cheesy line."

"Well, get used to it," he replied, pulling me close again. "Because I belong to you now. I'm your mate and there's nothing you can do to change that."

I leaned in, my lips brushing against his as I stared into those golden eyes of his. "Who says I want to change it?"

I kissed him softly, working my way across his jaw and down his neck. His confession had done something to me. The wolf inside me was taking over and I honestly didn't care. We both felt the same at this point because River was right. He was my mate and there was nothing either of us could do to change it.

"I love you too," I whispered in his ear, feeling him shiver under my touch. "And I want you to mark me."

"Are you sure?" he muttered back, his voice shaking.

I nodded, wrapping my arms around his neck. "I've wanted it for a long time. I can't wait anymore. Not after this. I need you. All of you. Here. Right now. Under this full moon."

"There's no going back from here."

"No there isn't," I agreed. "But there was no going back the moment I met you either. So nothing has changed." I leaned in, biting his neck until I drew a moan from his lips. "Enough with this romantic shit," I growled. "I want you to take me."

River nodded, his body shaking in anticipation against mine. "Anything for you, Carino ."