his proposal

Hazel’s P.O.V.

I blinked, dumbfounded by what I heard.

Too stunned to process his words.

He looked at me with a serious expression, his brows knitted tightly, but he waited for me to react.

Marriage???

Is he real?

We are not humans, but werewolves…

And above all, he is my only friend.

Since when he had this thought in his mind?

Did he have ulterior motives towards me all this time?

“Don’t change the gears of your mind this furiously, Hazel. Listen to me first.” He suddenly interrupted the train of my thoughts, making me look at him in a daze.

“We both are still unmated, and I am proposing marriage, like humans do. This will bind us legally, and then I can seek help from my father.” He clarified in a serious tone.

My brows immediately touched the hairline when he mentioned help from his father.

“Father? Yo… you never told me about your family, Cody.” I replied to him curiously, leaning forward, putting my hands on the table.

He chuckled, but both I and Xyla noticed a hint of sadness hidden in that chuckle.

“I left the pack because my father wanted me to settle down. I am 27 and still single. My father wants me to take a chosen mate and settle down, but instead, I ran away. I chose to be a free doctor, moving from pack to pack instead.” I was surprised to hear that.

“If I take you to my pack, I assure you that you will not have to be worried about your safety, Mary’s medication and treatment, your job, or anything else.” I believed what he said.

I didn’t know why, but I believed him.

“But.” He sighed and clicked his tongue while jerking his head a little.

My heart thumped against my ribcage, and I looked at him anxiously.

“The only condition for my stay in that pack is that I need to take a chosen mate or a marriage partner. I want to wait for my fated mate, Hazel. Not for long, but for one or two more years. This marriage alliance between us is useful to both of us. I will be able to move back home, and you will get Mary’s proper treatment facility. No Naisha, no Keith, or any other as*hole.” He was convincing, and both I and Xyla believed him without any hesitation.

But marriage alliance…….

“This will be only papers, Hazel. We have been friends for more than two years. Of course, we know each other better than anyone else. We don’t have to put on a show in front of others because our trust in each other is enough to make us comfortable in each other’s company.” He continued, and I just nodded while thinking about his suggestion.

“He is right, Hazel. We don’t have a place to go after leaving this pack. Moreover, Keith is like a hanging sword on our neck. Once he finds us again, I am sure that he will lock us somewhere away from everyone, putting Mary’s life in jeopardy.” Xyla spoke in a serious tone.

I took a deep breath, still contemplating and hesitating.

I looked down at my phone in my hand when it vibrated.

I opened the phone, and my heart sank.

[Nasty b*tch: You have only one more hour, b*tch. Sign the papers and get out of the pack, or else forget about your mother’s medicine; I will personally throw you two in the darkest and deepest cell of the dungeons.]

I felt a shiver running through my spine while reading Naisha’s threat.

She was a psycho.

She can do anything.

“Let’s do this, Cody.” I spoke sternly while looking up, determination evident in my gaze.

He raised his brows in surprise but smiled in the end.

“Very well, then. Let’s finish the discharge process here. I also need to finish my handover, and then we will go to the city hall to register our marriage, and after that, we will leave the pack.” He suggested, and I nodded in response.

“But we will need a witness for registering our marriage, right?” I asked him when it came to my mind.

He blinked, processing what I asked, and then slowly nodded in agreement.

I smirked and took a deep breath.

“Let me arrange witnesses for us. You finish the paperwork.” I instructed him and slowly stood up.

“Okay, then. Wait here for me. I will be back shortly.” He instructed me while going out of the room hurriedly.

I wanted to spend some time with Mary before going to the city hall.

[Me: Come to the city hall in an hour and bring all the papers there. I want you to sign as the witness for me in front of the marriage registrar. Bring two more people with you to be the witnesses for the groom. Give me the medicine you promised and the papers to sign there. I will leave the pack after registering my marriage.]

I sent the message to Naisha and closed the phone before sitting on the stool near that small examination stretcher.

Mom had curled up her body to fit on the stretcher. It hurt me to see him in this condition.

Because of the death of her mate, Mary’s physical and mental health condition continued deteriorating over the years. Now, sometimes, she behaved like a child and sometimes slipped into a trance for a few days.

With every episode, the days were increasing, making me feel helpless with the agonizing pain of not being able to help her by any means.

Her organs were failing at a very slow and painful rate. Those medicines help her body suppress the pain. Her wolf was already on the verge of dying. So, those medicines keep her breathing too.

“You don’t worry, Mom. I will find a way to cure you. You managed to stay alive for me all these years. You can’t give up now. You are the reason no one will call me an orphan. You can’t let anyone call me an orphan in the future either, okay?” My voice trembled, and I choked on my tears while speaking to her; looking at my mother in guilt and pain.

She stirred a little, and a faint whimper escaped from her mouth.

She was in pain.

“Hold her hand. Let me give her a little strength. You can give her the medicine as soon as Naisha give that to you.” Xyla suggested it worriedly.

“Yeah.” I replied breathlessly and took a shaky breath.

“But what if.” Xyla didn’t finish the sentence, but I knew what she wanted to say.

I smirked coldly while taking my mother.

“She definitely will. She knows that I am Keith’s fated mate. She can’t kill me because I will never let her kill me, and if she refuses to give me the medicine, she will have to say goodbye to her Luna position.” I replied to Xyla through our link, looking outside the window glass coldly.

"You will threaten her?" Xyla exclaimed excitedly, and I smirked wickedly.

"It's not like I can't play dirty, right? Only I and Keith know that I have rejected him. She doesn't know. She got the footage of the bar. She knew that it was Keith who approached me, and I kicked him hard before running away. She knows that Keith wants me because I am his fated mate. So, she has to bend in front of me if she doesn't want to be a laughingstock once again."

I didn't want to face Keith anymore, nor do I want him to touch me again.

But I will leave this pack on my terms, not because a fu*king b*tch of a Luna wants me to leave.