Chapter 3

Arielle

By the time Tori and I finally finished planning the party, I was exhausted.

Not physically exhausted.

More like I have spent so much money that I probably need to lie down and pretend I don’t know what anything cost exhausted.

I looked over the final list and smiled.

Everything was going to be perfect.

The decorations had been ordered.

The musicians were booked.

The food had been organised.

The fireworks were arranged.

The flowers were going to be spectacular.

And the desserts…

Well, let’s just say the dessert table was going to be legendary.

I looked at Tori.

“I think we’ve done a pretty good job.”

Tori nodded proudly.

“I think we’ve done an amazing job.”

“Do you think Joss will agree?”

She snorted.

“No.”

I laughed.

“Probably not.”

“He’ll agree eventually.”

“Once he sees everything.”

“Exactly.”

We packed everything away before Tori finally headed home.

I watched her leave before turning back toward Joss.

He was standing near the window of his office, looking out across the pack grounds.

“You ready to go home?” I asked.

He turned toward me and smiled.

“More than ready.”

He crossed the room and slipped an arm around my waist.

“How was the rest of your afternoon?”

I gave him a look.

“You don’t want to know.”

His eyebrows rose.

“That bad?”

“That expensive.”

He groaned.

“I knew I shouldn’t have told you two that money was no object.”

I laughed.

“You did say it.”

“I know.”

“And we listened.”

“That’s the problem.”

I wrapped my arms around his neck.

“You’ll love the party.”

“I have no doubt.”

He leaned down and kissed my forehead.

“Come on. Let’s go.”

We left the pack house together.

The moment we reached home, Joss looked at me with a mischievous smile.

“What?”

“Run?”

My eyes immediately lit up.

“You want to run?”

“I do.”

I didn’t need to be asked twice.

Within minutes, we had changed and headed into the woods.

The familiar pull of my wolf surged through me the moment we crossed beneath the trees.

I let her take over.

One second I was standing beside Joss.

The next, I was racing through the forest.

The cool evening air rushed across my fur as I ran.

Behind me, I heard Joss’s paws pounding against the earth.

I glanced over my shoulder.

He was catching up.

“Oh, no, you don’t.”

I pushed harder.

The trees blurred around me as I raced between them, weaving around trunks and dodging rocks that jutted from the forest floor.

Joss was right behind me.

I could practically feel his amusement.

He was letting me think I was winning.

That annoyed me.

I picked up my pace.

A fallen branch appeared in front of me.

I leapt over it effortlessly and continued running.

Joss followed.

We raced deeper into the woods, our paws thundering over the soft earth.

The forest was alive around us.

Birds called from the trees.

Leaves rustled overhead.

The scent of pine, damp earth and fresh water filled my senses.

I felt free.

Completely and utterly free.

Ahead of us, a fallen tree blocked the path.

I didn’t slow down.

I jumped.

My paws cleared the trunk easily, and I landed on the other side.

Joss came flying over it beside me.

I bumped my shoulder against his as we landed.

He nudged me back.

I growled playfully.

He responded with a low, teasing growl of his own.

I took off again.

Soon we reached the stream.

I jumped straight into the shallow water.

It splashed everywhere.

Joss followed, deliberately kicking water in my direction.

I stopped.

Slowly, I turned to look at him.

He stood in the middle of the stream, looking far too pleased with himself.

I narrowed my eyes.

You did not just do that.

He wagged his tail.

That was it.

I charged.

Joss spun around and took off, laughing—or at least I imagined he was laughing—while I chased him through the water.

We splashed through the stream before racing back onto the bank.

I chased him between the trees until eventually he slowed enough for me to catch him.

We tumbled onto the soft forest floor together.

I lay beside him, breathing heavily.

He rested his head against mine.

For several moments, neither of us moved.

I closed my eyes.

This.

This was happiness.

I couldn’t remember ever feeling so completely content.

My life with Joss felt almost too good to be true.

He was my mate.

My best friend.

The person I trusted more than anyone in the world.

And when I was with him, I never had to pretend to be anything other than myself.

I turned my head and looked at him.

Perfect.

That was the only word that came to mind.

We were perfect together.

Our lives were perfect.

Our future was perfect.

I had no reason to believe that anything could ever change that.

After resting for a while, we continued our run through the woods.

Eventually, the sky began to darken, and we made our way home.

By the time we reached the house, I was pleasantly exhausted.

Joss and I shifted back before heading inside.

I walked into the kitchen and opened the refrigerator.

“What do you feel like for dinner?”

Joss leaned against the kitchen counter.

“Something easy.”

I looked at him.

“That isn’t helpful.”

He smiled.

“Something you make.”

“That is even less helpful.”

He laughed.

“Okay. What do you feel like?”

I considered the options.

“Pasta?”

“Perfect.”

I pointed at him.

“You’re very easy to please.”

“That’s because I have you.”

I smiled.

“That was a good answer.”

“I thought so.”

We cooked together.

Or, more accurately, I cooked while Joss attempted to help.

He chopped vegetables.

I supervised.

He tried to steal ingredients.

I slapped his hand away.

He complained.

I ignored him.

Eventually, dinner was ready.

We sat together at the table, talking about the party and laughing about the ridiculous amount of money Tori and I had managed to spend.

After dinner, we cleaned up before moving into the lounge room.

I curled up beside Joss on the couch.

He pulled me against his chest and wrapped his arms around me.

The fireplace crackled softly in front of us, filling the room with warmth.

I rested my head against his chest and listened to the steady beat of his heart.

His fingers gently traced circles along my arm.

I sighed contentedly.

“This is nice.”

Joss kissed the top of my head.

“It is.”

I looked up at him.

“You know what?”

“What?”

“I think I have the perfect life.”

He smiled.

“You do?”

I nodded.

“I really do.”

He pulled me closer.

“And I think I have the perfect mate.”

My heart melted.

I snuggled closer into him.

“I love you.”

“I love you too.”

I closed my eyes.

The fire crackled.

Joss’s arms tightened around me.

Outside, the wind whispered through the trees.

Everything was peaceful.

Everything was warm.

Everything was exactly where it was supposed to be.

And as I drifted toward sleep in my mate’s arms, I had absolutely no idea that this would be one of the last nights I would ever feel this certain about my life.

Because sometimes, you don’t realise you’re living through the happiest moments of your life…

until they’re already gone.