Page 53 of The Beta's Heart

They walked along a stone path to the garden. She pointed out the varying plants to him, finding the ancient iris flowers. She bent to smell the delicate blooms, and when she turned to face Ren, she found him down on one knee, holding a sparkling ring in his fingers.

“Sweetheart,” he said, gruffly, “I love you. You’re the most important female in the world to me, and I want to spend the rest of my life making you happy. Will you marry me?”

Her heart leaped into her throat and tears stung her eyes. “Yes, of course! I love you, too.”

She put out her left hand and smiled as she noticed his hands were shaking as much as hers were. The ring was warm, and she recognized it as one of the magical pieces Porth made. It tightened gently on her finger until it was the perfect size.

Ren stood and pulled her against him, lifting her off the ground. The kiss that they shared seared her all the way to her core. She’d honestly never been happier.

“We have to get inside, I want to see the ring!”

He put her down with a chuckle and they walked back into the dining room. The king and queen were still at the table with her father.

“Well?” her father asked with a broad smile.

“I said yes,” she said, lifting her hand and looking at the ring. It looked exactly like one of her fairy roses, from the pretty pink gems to the delicate petals.

The king and queen clapped and her father joined them. “There’s just one thing,” her father said.

“Oh?”

“You have to invite Porth to the wedding.”

“Of course!” she said.

“And your king and queen,” Alberik said.

“We were going to get married in the other realm,” Kismet said. “We’d love to have you there as our honored guests.”

“Then we’ll be there,” Alberik said.

The king, queen, and her father adjourned to the den, leaving her and Ren alone once more. She turned to face him. “I love the ring, thank you for it. I take it my father took you to Porth’s?”

“He did. I asked him for permission in the morning and he came to get me while you were with Key.”

“I knew she was up to something!”

He hugged her close, his wolf rumbling contentedly in his chest. “Kismet Corbin. How does that sound?”

“Perfect.”

* * *

The next morning, Kismet woke before the sun rose. Ren’s arm was over her waist, his hand resting on her stomach, his warm breath on her neck. She put her hand over his and pressed slightly against her stomach, thinking about the baby. Ren pulled her a little closer as he breathed deeply and then kissed her neck.

“Morning, sweetheart.”

“Morning.” She rolled to her back and smiled at him. She pressed her left hand to his cheek, her gaze darting to the ring on her finger. “We’re engaged.”

He chuckled and kissed her. “Yep.”

“And pregnant.”

He kissed her again. “Don’t forget mated.”

“Right,” she said, brushing her thumb over his lower lip. “There’s something I’d like to do tonight.”

He wiggled his brows. “Do tell.”