“The council has come to a decision!” Ramos bellowed.
Gage could barely make out Rylee’s expression. He blinked blood out of his eyes, and his upper ear lobe was stinging like a thousand bees had stung him. She tried to go to him, but he leaned against the cage, a frightened animal.
“Gage, listen to me …” she began.
“No,” Gage snarled. “This is my fate, Rylee. Leave me to my fate!”
Her eyes filled with tears, and as much as it pained him, he knew all of her pain would vanish once he did. He was a burden to her and nothing more.
Elder Ramos continued to yell into the microphone, much to the chagrin of the crowd.
“Fate has determined that Rylee is true. She is our friend Gage’s mate!” Elder Ramos said, walking around the ring theatrically. “Because he failed to answer the call, it was up to the council to make things right. And we have decided to give him another chance to do right on his own.”
A mix of cheers and boos cascaded through the venue, erupting inside Gage’s shattered eardrums. He didn’t understand what was going on. Why did they stop the fight? Why wouldn’t they just get it over with and let him die?
“Ramos,” Gage whispered, his voice gravelly and harsh.
Elder Ramos gazed at him, the wounded animal in the corner, while Rylee stayed a few steps away. She paced the ring, rubbing at her lip and face, while the elder sauntered over and crouched beside Gage.
“Yes, my son?” he asked, covering up the microphone.
“You can’t change it,” Gage said. “I have not done my duties as a shifter. I should’ve claimed her and the child, but I didn’t. The council is right to want to find someone else to raise it.”
Elder Ramos raised an eyebrow and then looked in Rylee’s direction. She was covering her mouth and intermittently wiping away tears from her beautiful hazel-swirled eyes.
“We are giving you another chance, young one,” Elder Ramos said. “Take that as a blessing, not a curse.”
Gage felt the bones that remained in place in his face distort with frustration. He shook his head frantically, the pain of the expression making the words he spoke harder to get out.
“No, Ramos,” Gage snorted. “I meant what I said. I’m useless as a man, and I am going to be useless as a father. Please, just let the ritual go on.”
Rylee came over quickly, almost pushing the elder out of the way as she stood tall in front of Gage. She did not crouch, merely stood there with her hips at his eye level.
“Don’t you dare fucking say you aren’t good enough again,” Rylee hissed through gritted teeth.
It hurt Gage’s face to move his eyes, but he did. They glided upward, following the line of her torso up to her face. They settled there, staring sad and dispassionate, yet unwilling to yield for something he wasn’t sure she completely understood.
“Don’t youdare,” Rylee repeated.
“Rylee,” Gage began, his voice soft from exhaustion and the pain in his body. “I can’t claim you against your will. You have to be willing to be with me.”
Elder Ramos stood and backed away from the couple with his hands behind his back. Rylee took his place by crouching, meeting his eyes, and glaring into them.
“Why do you think it would be against my will?” Rylee said.
The sound of the vexed crowd had faded into a faint rumbling, and Gage felt, once again, that it was just the two of them within their own personal universe. She held his gaze, never wavering, and Gage felt the icicles drop from his heart.
“You …” Gage began, voice and breathing hitching in his throat, “you want this? You want me?”
Rylee reached out and gripped Gage’s wrist. He did not back away or tremble. She was electric to him and life-giving. Feeling her touch was like being able to breathe again.
“Gage, I’m sorry I hadn’t emphasized this enough with you,” Rylee began, her eyes glassy, and she breathed out in a deep sigh. “You are, without a doubt, the most amazing, kind, thoughtful, brave man I have ever met. And it would be an honor to be your mate.”
Gage could feel the barriers around his heart and soul begin to fall. The sound shook in his mind, which was often an indicator for him to take a step back and escape whatever was forcing him in that direction of exposure. But something was different with Rylee. Something beautiful.
Gage felt tears mixing with the blood on his face, a strange medley of sorrow and joy. He reached out a hand to touch her face, and she leaned into it, closing her eyes.
“Rylee,” he murmured, “this is forever. This isn’t just a human ritual of marriage. Mating is eternity, literally.”