“Axel, may I speak to you?” Axel’s father walked out onto the front porch.
Axel turned to face him.
“I’d like to speak to you alone,” he added, but as Belle started to step away, Axel’s arm tightened around her waist.
“Whatever you’re going to say to me, she can hear. She is my mate,” Axel said calmly, meeting his father’s eyes.
“Do you realize what that will mean?”
“I do. I will not be Alpha.”
At Belle’s sharp intake of breath, he added, “Father, you and I both know that it’s for the best. I know the Alpha position traditionally goes to the oldest son, but not always. And I think we both know that I’m not suited for the position.”
His father stared at him, clearly unhappy.
“Think about it, Father. I’ve got a temper. I’m not the least bit political. I speak my mind without thinking about the consequences; I know this. You and I have clashed over it, and you’ve told me a million times that an Alpha can’t act the way that I do, and you’re right. But it’s my very nature, and I can’t change it. And even if the position of Alpha were perfect for me, it wouldn’t matter, because I’ve found the woman that I love, the woman I’m fated to be with, and that matters more than anything.”
His father swallowed hard, and nodded. “You’re right, Axel. It takes a big man to admit what you just did.”
Axel turned to Belle. “Now that you’ve heard that, you know there’s nothing holding us back.”
He fished in his pocket and pulled out a ring with a glowing white stone on it. “This arrived in the mail yesterday, with a note from the witch Griselle. She said it’s a wedding gift. It’s a charm which guarantees fertility and healthy cubs.”
Belle gasped.
“Axel, are you sure? Really sure? If we mate, we could have a mixed litter. Panthers and wolves. We could literally be the parents of cats and dogs.”
He took her hand and kissed the back of it.
“I’m counting on it. Belle Simmons, love of my life, will you marry me?”
Tears filled her eyes and streamed down her face. It was happening so fast, but it felt like fate, like the way her life was meant to be.
“Yes, Axel, I will marry you,” she said, and he slid the ring onto her finger.
It fit perfectly.
The End
Cats And Dogs: A Shifter Novella Page 6
