Chapter 166: Her Full-time Babysitter
Evaline:
All I could do was to stare at him, frozen in my place.
The moment he said those words - his voice steady and eyes unwavering - something deep inside me shifted. A warmth surged through my chest, spreading outward like sunlight on frozen skin. It wasn’t like the burning mate mark on the neck, not like the physical seal of teeth that wolves used to finalize their bonds. But I could feel it - the bond between us responding... it was coming to life.
It started like a breath, subtle and unsure, then quickly bloomed into something real. Tangible. It was like a pulse tethering us together.
And still, I couldn’t move.
I couldn’t speak.
I just stared at him... my mate... who had accepted not just me, but the child growing inside me, my messy past, my bond with Draven, and all those pieces of me I had been too afraid to show.
His hands moved gently to my cheeks and he cupped my face, his thumbs brushing away silent tears I hadn’t realized were falling. "Eva..." he whispered while leaning closer. "Aren’t you going to accept me back?"
That snapped me out of the trance. "Y-Yes!" I gasped, the words tumbling out. I stared into his eyes, my heart beating wildly, as my mouth spoke the words.
"Oscar Thorne, I accept you as my mate... with all my heart."
I barely finished before he pulled me into another embrace - so full, so overwhelming, so warm. His lips found mine without hesitation, and I leaned into him, into us.