Chapter 12: The Mask and the Storm
Josie
To my complete surprise, Varen didn’t look the least bit annoyed by Marcy’s sudden, overdramatic entrance. In fact, he was... smiling?
Not a tight, forced smile, but an easy, honest one—as if he didn’t mind that the moment had been shattered. As if nothing could really rattle him.
I blinked at him, and something strange stirred in my chest—calm. Not just because of the mate bond humming between us, but because of him. The kind of man he was. Gentle. Steady. Unshaken.
"I’d love to go," I blurted out before I could lose my nerve.
His eyes lit up, and the grin that broke across his face was nothing short of breathtaking. "Perfect," he said simply, his voice wrapping around me like sunlight. "I’ll pick you up tomorrow."
Then, with one last glance, he turned and walked away.
"OH. MY. ACTUAL. GOD," Marcy shrieked, the moment he was out of earshot. "What the hell just happened?!"
I flinched. "Marcy—"
"Did I just interrupt a proposal?! Or wait—was that some secret garden fairy tale date request? You’re going to a mask party with him?!"
"It’s not that deep—"