82AJ darted down the street from Lily's house, heading for home. Her stomach was churning with that bad feeling she couldn't shake. She had to get to her dad, he was the only one who could help her now, the only one she trusted. The street was dark and deserted, the dim streetlights not able to illuminate it fully. Out of the corner of her eye, at the end of the street, a much brighter light burned. The light in the Gathering house, someone was there. "Dad," she whispered to herself, it could only be him, she knew no one else that would pace there when they couldn't sleep.
It didn't take her long to run to the building. Pushing the heavy door open she practically jumped inside. But she wasn't prepared for the sight that met her. George's wide grin as he held a gun pointed at her father, the Elder Council standing back, self-righteous smirks on their pompous faces, just letting it happen.
"Dad!" she called out, preparing to run to him.
"Stay back," Alpha Winter warned her, stopping her with a raised hand. Out of surprise George waved the gun in her direction, Alpha Winter growled loudly charging at him, but before he could reach the Beta the gun was back, pointed at his chest, stopping him. "Don't you ever point a gun to my daughter," Henry snarled.
George chuckled, the gun shook, and his bloodshot eyes widened. "I didn't expect my future mate to see this, this wasn't supposed to involve her." He glanced at AJ, who stood gaping in the middle of the aisle, surrounded by countless rows of empty chairs. "I'm sorry, AJ. Rest assured his end will be quick and it will not interfere with our mating."
"I'm sorry?" AJ coughed out, wanting to laugh at his statement. "Our mating? You think I'm mating you after this? Are you insane?" George merely laughed at her, still keeping the gun aimed at her father, and she realized that he absolutely was. Something had clicked in his mind and he was no longer the man her father had made Beta.
George ran a shaking hand through his greasy hair, doing nothing to keep it out of his face, his wide grin darkened his face and his never blinking wider eyes made her nervous. "It is a done deal," he shrieked at her, his voice breaking, "You have accepted and there is no going back." The tick under his right eye jumped furiously.
AJ then realized exactly what was happening, realized what was going on. It was so painfully obvious she wondered why it hadn't hit her before. "You want to be Alpha," she said softly, "Of course you do. That's what all this is about."
"You should have challenged me," Henry stated, shrugging as he spoke, keeping his voice low and calm for the madman. "You should have done this the wolf way."
George's high pitched laugh filled the room. Swinging his gun back and forth, taking better aim he tried whipping his disheveled hair out of his eyes, but it was no use. "We both know what the outcome would have been, we both know my wolf could never take on the Alpha. This is the only way for me."
AJ knew he was right, her father's wolf was the strongest, he was the born leader. Not George, George would always just come in second. He would never be able to challenge him. But as Beta, he had to take the Alpha's place if he happened to die under different circumstances. "That's why you need me," AJ blurted out when the thought struck, "You knew damn well this pack wouldn't follow you, dad holds the whole pack's loyalty, you don't." It was all falling into place, he never wanted her for anything other than a pawn in his game. "You needed the former Alpha's family to support your rise to Alpha otherwise the rest of the pack would never go for it," she explained to herself out loud.
"Mating the former Alpha's daughter was a pretty foolproof way of doing that," Henry added sourly. "You would be family."
AJ had had enough, the Elder Council had been quiet during their exchange, too quiet. "Are you just going to stand there?" she screamed at them, or more precisely, at Councilmember Stone, who seemed to have the position of leader amongst them. "Stop this. This is madness!"
"Alpha Winter no longer has the best interests of the pack in mind, his mind has grown weak and changed too drastically. The pack will only suffer if we let him continue. But Alpha Anderson understands, he knows the truth and he will take this pack far."
Grunting in disbelief, AJ screamed out a howl of frustration. The Elder Council was in on it, they had staged this whole thing and she wasn't even surprised to find that out. "You will replace a born leader with a weakling, a pushover, just so you can continue to control the pack yourself?" Councilmember Stone didn't reply and AJ snorted at her. "Dylan was right, you have completely lost your fucking minds. Disguising it all as following traditions, you make me sick."
"Traditions must be upheld," Councilmember Stone snapped, her lips started quivering in anger as her small beady eyes burned into AJ. "They exist for our survival. Alpha Anderson understands, he will lead this pack to a better future."
"This is the fucking future," AJ growled at her, "We're the biggest pack in the state because of your damn traditions. But times have changed, we are no longer settlers, we've settled. This pack, like any other, needs to evolve with the times. Don't you understand how the world works?" It was like arguing with a door, Councilmember Stone didn't respond, just continued to stare at AJ in anger, her whole body quivered with fury. "Damn fucking traditions," AJ swore, refusing to back down from the stare, returning it as best she could. When Councilmember Stone finally opened her mouth to reply, AJ cut her off, "And don't even think about telling me that my mind has been poisoned by the outsider. All he has done is opened my eyes to your damn traditions."
"I didn't know it was a tradition to kill your Alpha when he doesn't do exactly as you want," a new voice echoed around the Great hall. No one had heard him enter, AJ had left the door gaping open and the scene before her had taken up all of her attention to even notice any newcomers.
"You!" George roared from the stage, frantically swinging the gun back and forth between Alpha Winter and the new arrival, who walked steadily towards them. "How many times do I have to tell you to go away? I should have killed you the first time. I just knew you would mess everything up. I should have eliminated you."
Dylan shrugged. "Perhaps you should have." AJ wanted to squeal, she wanted to throw herself at him, have him wrap his arms around her and tell her it would all be alright because he was there now. But she couldn't move.
"We have to protect our ways." Councilmember Stone sneered at Dylan. "Protect them from wolves that want nothing more than to cause this pack harm."
George wasn't having it. He was bursting with rage and his face had turned an alarming shade of red. "She is spoken for," he hissed at Dylan, continuously swinging the gun back and forth, unable to determine exactly who he should be pointing it at. "She has accepted my claim, she is mine. You can no longer take her from me. You have no business here. Get off my territory wolf, or you will die." He stomped his foot on the floorboards. "She's mine!" he hissed.
"Well, not yet, technically," Dylan pointed out. He held up the little book in his hand with the golden back, waving it in the air. "I've been doing some reading." He met Alpha Winter's gaze, who had been standing in silence since Dylan entered, watching the next move unfold. A brief nod from the Alpha made him go on. "It's written, in your own damn rules, that a female can accept claims from two wolves."
"That rule hasn't been enforced in over a hundred years," a, so far quiet, member of the Elder Council piped up, his teeth were all missing and he spat when he talked, but he continued anyway, "It's barbaric."
"Good, it'll fit right in with you guys," Dylan said in a sigh.
"What rule?" AJ asked, "What are you on about?"
"Herausforderung," Alpha Winter explained, "A challenge, two males fight over a potential mate."
"Don't get any ideas," George spat at AJ, "You're mine. And you-" He waved the gun at Dylan again, "You get out of here, this is pack business and it doesn't involve a goddamned lone wolf." He laughed. "My claim can't be broken, I have a claim on her, she accepted."
"Right, well, I guess that can't be helped," Dylan growled and ran a hand through his loose hair. "Allie, will you accept my claim?" AJ wasn't sure what was going on. Everything was such a blur. She had wanted a claim from Dylan all along, he was the only person in the world she wanted to ever accept a claim from. But it didn't feel right, it didn't feel like he was doing it out of love, and she didn't know what to say.
George growled loudly. "This is ridiculous," he shouted at everyone, but held his gaze on Councilmember Stone, "An outsider in our midst and you allow him to speak? And of this nonsense?"
Councilmember Stone didn't answer, taking a deep breath she appeared to be calming herself down. "A tradition is a tradition," another member said as he stepped forward, "We have to let him. But you know what that means." He raised his thin, almost nonexisting, eyebrow at AJ. "You know if you accept an outsider then you have no place in this pack anymore, or any other pack, the way things are looking."
AJ felt her father looking at her but she was unable to meet his eyes. She could barely see for the tears swelling up in hers, conflicting feelings bubbled to the surface. She focused on Dylan, his warm brown eyes that urged her to answer, but still, she hesitated. Her dad, she couldn't leave her dad. She didn't want to lose her family. Suddenly their attention was taken by a shot fired into the ceiling by George. "Answer the scumbag!" he demanded of her.
"I accept your claim," she whispered to Dylan.
George burst out in a forced laugh, his high pitched echo rang in Dylan's ears. Aiming the gun at Dylan he took a shot. Dylan managed to dodge the bullet, diving in between the rows of chairs and benches as shots were fired after him, lodging themselves in the back of the chairs due to George's horrible and rushed aim. Somewhere between the rows Dylan had shifted, his clothes spread everywhere as the wolf emerged.
George growled loudly, the gun clicked, he was out of bullets. Dylan took the opportunity to leap at the platform, going straight for the Beta. George threw the gun aside, it slid down the platform and landed by Henry's feet. Charging at Dylan, he shifted in midair, his clothes fell off him in tatters as his claws came out.
They met in a clash of claws and teeth. Growls and snarls filled the air. George was bigger, bulkier, his black wolf towered over Dylan as he managed to clasp his jaws around the chestnut-colored wolf underneath him. With a flick of George's neck Dylan was thrown back, he slid on the floor until he banged against the wall. He quickly recovered, scraping his claws against the wood he charged at George.
George sneered, his wolf snorted in anger, he was ready for him. Clashing in the air again, claws flying as they both tried getting the upper hand, both trying to lock their jaws on the other's throat, but both too strong for it to work. Dylan was slightly smaller, but leaner, faster. Once he knew he could not get through the black wolf's defenses he instead lowered his head, rammed into George's shoulder, and found an opening to slip underneath him. He pushed upwards, forcing the wolf upwards until he faltered and lost balance.
Surprise was clear in George's growl when Dylan managed to push him on to his side. Wasting no time, Dylan attacked, his sharp teeth burying themselves in the soft flesh of George's stomach. Blood spilled out onto the floor. But it wasn't enough, George kicked him swiftly on the side of his head, making him let go. Dylan shook his head and huffed in annoyance. George was on his feet fast, too fast, he jumped on Dylan's back, his bite lodged on his neck. Dylan howled out in pain.
AJ ran to her father who caught her in his protective embrace, holding her close. She never wanted this, Dylan had put himself in danger and it was all her fault. She wanted to scream, she wanted to help but couldn't figure out how. She could do nothing but watch and it was killing her.
"Henry?" Penny, dressed in her bathrobe and slippers, came running through the wide-open doors, followed closely by Noah and Clive, the Enforcers. Sleepy and slightly disorientated they charged ahead of her when they saw the fight on the platform. "I heard shots," Penny screamed in confusion, her eyes darting everywhere trying to find the source.
"Stay back," Alpha Winter commanded and the Enforcers stopped dead in their tracks. "Keep your distance," he warned, directed at Penny who struggled to keep herself from running to him.
Dylan grunted and struggled under the heavier wolf, he was out of options, George's teeth would pierce something worse than just his skin in a second and then it would be game over. With a final glance at AJ, seeing the worry etched on her face and the tears that ran down her cheek, he pushed himself off the ground with his final strength, slamming both him and George into the wall behind him. George's claws slid on the floor and he had trouble finding his footing, he attempted to tear through Dylan's flesh continuously, hoping that would be enough. It wasn't, Dylan jumped again, once more slamming them against the wall. George fell back, his head hitting the wall with such force he let go before he knew what was happening, and then he slid to the ground.
Straight away Dylan was on him, not giving him a chance to get back up again. His claws scratched at his stomach, at the little wound he had made earlier, tearing the flesh. With a final blow to the black wolf's chest, George tumbled across the wooden floor, leaving a trail of blood after him. George was shaking, attempting to stand but Dylan couldn't let him get far. With a final howl, he jumped at the Beta, locking his jaws around his throat, biting down until he drew blood and George stopped fighting. George let out a whimper, his eyes rolled to the back of his head, and his body grew limp.
Dylan had won.
George lay motionless on the floor as Dylan stepped back, panting and wobbly from the fight. The black wolf shifted slowly, the human form of George appeared, bloody and beaten, still breathing but not moving.
"Dylan!" AJ screamed and pushed herself away from her father, running to his side as Dylan growled and collapsed on the floor. She took his head in her hands, lifting it softly as he shifted to human. "Are you alright?"
"No," he breathed and gritted his teeth, "No, not at all." Howling out in pain he clasped his thigh. A deep but small wound bled profusely from above his knee. A bullet hole, George had managed to get him. The wound was black, the skin around it darkened fast, veins protruded and seemed to travel up his body at an alarming speed.
"He's being poisoned. Get Dr. Mallard," Penny demanded of Noah. The Enforcer was out the door before she could hurry him along. Turning to Henry she sighed in confusion. "I demand to know what's going on here."
Councilmember Stone, who had been watching the fight with indifference, hissed at Penny. "Your daughter has chosen a wolf not of our pack, she is no longer considered one of us. She is an outsider." Penny gasped, clutching her bathrobe in her hands. AJ heard the words but couldn't concentrate on them, she didn't care, she couldn't. Not at that moment. Dylan was growing cold. She continued to whisper comforting words to him, brushing his forehead, kissing it, promising him he would be alright. His eyes started rolling around, he could no longer focus on her. He groaned in pain, his leg convulsing, his heel kicking the floorboards.
"Of course she is a member of our pack," Henry boomed at Councilmember Stone, "She always has been, that will not change."
"But she chose-"
"I don't care who or what she chose, she is my daughter, her place is here. The same goes for this wolf."
"You cannot accept a new wolf into this pack without a meeting with the Elder Council," Councilmember Stone pressed, her agitated lips quivered again, her brow furrowed even more than usual. "It is not our way, you cannot. I forbid you to take in this drifter."
Alpha Stone had had enough. Rolling his shoulders back, the crick in his neck audible and even more so the low growl so menacing he might as well have been in wolf-form. He stepped towards her, confronting her. His voice powerful and penetrating as he shouted, "Am I Alpha of the Northcreek pack?" Councilmember Stone opened her mouth to argue, lifting her hand for him to calm down but he cut her off. "Am I Alpha of the Northcreek pack?" he demanded again, leaving her no chance to disagree.
She wavered, stepping away from him, her wispy eyebrows high on her head. "You- You are," she conceded, lowering her gaze, rolling her head to the side to expose her throat. "Alpha Winter."
"I am the Alpha of the Northcreek pack, my word is law," he went on, staring down every single member of the Elder Council, they all lowered their gazes. An angry Alpha was not to be messed with. "I decide who joins my pack, and who leaves my pack." He walked the length of their group, sneering at them in turn. They cowered, they huddled together, frightened. "There will be changes here, many changes. Changes that I, the Alpha, will force into place."
Dr. Mallard chose that moment to burst into the Gathering House, his bag over his shoulder but dressed in nothing but his nightshirt. He was followed closely by his son. Dr. Mallard's slippers flip-flopped on the wooden floor, his son's bare feet padded after, as Penny directed them to Dylan and his thigh.
"You again," Lukas calmly said as he sat down next to him, feeling his temperature with his hand and then checking his pulse.
Without hesitation, his father pulled out long tweezers from the bag. "I'm sorry, no time for painkillers, young man," he said and leaned on the knee, trying to hold the leg steady. "Lukas, AJ, hold him please," he instructed. She barely had time to help Lukas hold him down before Dr. Mallard had dug the tweezers into the black wound, digging around for the bullet. Dylan groaned and twisted his body, drifting in and out of consciousness he was unable to register what was going on, the pain jolted through his body and both Lukas and AJ were having a hard time holding him down before Penny stepped in, helping.
"Traditions will change," Henry stated, watching them work on Dylan, "Our ways are outdated, they are archaic. It took me a while to figure it out, but I get it now."
"Traditions are what holds this pack together," Councilmember Stone argued, "You can't change that."
"This pack?" Alpha Winter chuckled darkly, "No. What holds this pack together are the people in it, families, love, and loyalty. No more traditions, no more Elder Council calling the shots, no more bending my views to fit yours."
"You mean to disband the Elder Council?" a startled Council member coughed out.
"Disband?" Alpha Winter questioned, "I mean to exile you."
"The pack will never allow that to happen, the pack needs us," Councilmember Stone hissed at him.
"There's the sucker!" Dr. Mallard exclaimed happily, interrupting them, and pulled out the shiny silver bullet from Dylan's thigh, dropping it in a plastic bag, taking great care not to touch it. "Wolves using silver on each other," he mused, "What has the world come to?" He clapped his hand on Dylan's leg and wiped his brow with a relieved sigh, sharing a look with his son. Dylan's body immediately relaxed, falling back on AJ's lap, exhaling in heavy exhaustion.
But he couldn't relax just yet, Lukas slapped his cheeks, harder when he didn't stir, until his cloudy eyes cracked open. "Come on, man, fight the poison," Lukas urged him, "It'll be gone in a minute, just hang in there."
Dylan groaned, finally able to focus on the young doctor. "We have got to stop meeting like this," he croaked when he recognized him. "You are a welcome sight."
"Probably," Lukas said with a shrug, "I suspect I'm not exactly who you want to see right now, though."
"No offense, Dr. But not by a long shot." Dylan huffed out a strained laugh and reached for AJ above him. "There she is," he breathed, curling his hand around her neck, pulling her down to see her better. "There's my Allie." AJ laughed and wiped her tears furiously, trying not to cry on Dylan.
Henry turned from the scene, eying the Elder Council one by one once more. "Tell me, Dr. If I disbanded the Elder Council," Henry started, clasping his hands behind his back, an amused smile playing on his lips. "Would you still follow me?"
"I follow the Alpha," Dr. Mallard said without hesitation, "If my Alpha goes against the Elder Council, then I go against the Elder Council."
"And, young Dr?" Alpha Winter pressed.
Lukas gave a crooked smile, pushing his messy dark hair from his face. "I follow the Alpha."
Henry nodded and turned his attention to his Enforcers. "Noah? Clive?"
They responded in almost perfect unison, with a shrug and their bulky arms crossed over the chests. "You're our Alpha, we follow you."
"Penny, my love?"
Blinking back her proud tears, Penny nodded furiously as she answered, "You're my Alpha, always will be." The Elder Council coughed out their disappointment, hissing out their frustration but was unable to voice their opinions.
"That leaves you, wolf." Henry walked over to Dylan, hovering above him. "You are one slow reader, Dylan. I had given up on you."
Dylan chuckled, reaching for AJ's hand and squeezed it. The pain was receding, his body returning to normal again. The silver was leaving his bloodstream and he could think once more. "I'm sorry. I was a little distracted, I-"
"I don't need to know," Alpha Winter quickly burst out, and with a pointed look at AJ he stated again, "I don't need to know."
"You could have just told me what you wanted me to know, Alpha Winter."
"My daughter chose you, I didn't. You can forgive a father for wanting to test his daughter's chosen mate." Henry shrugged with a grin. "Let's not forget you were a drifter, a lone wolf. I had to know if you were worthy, I could not just give my daughter away to a homeless wolf, running from place to place. You had to prove yourself to me."
"Fair point," Dylan breathed as he sat up.
"I thought you said you didn't know how to fight." AJ nudged him gently.
"I try not to," he answered, taking her hand, intertwining their fingers. He kissed the tips of hers slowly, savoring the moment, the calm after what he had just been through. He didn't care that her father was there, or her mother for that matter. He had been certain he would never see her again, certain he would lose her, or face death in the form of George Anderson's sharp jaws. "But sometimes it's easier when you have something to fight for," he added.
"And George did not?" AJ questioned dubiously, "He had a whole pack to fight for apparently." The word left her with a bad taste in her mouth.
"Yeah but I had something better to fight for," Dylan pressed on.
"It's the biggest pack in the state," AJ continued, completely oblivious to where he was going with this.
"For fuck's sake, Allie, you are the worst person in the world to say 'I love you' to, do you know that?" Dylan snapped with a laugh. "I fought because I love you, idiot." He started laughing harder once he had said the words out loud. He had been so scared of those three little words, but after saying them it all felt so easy, like they were meant to be out there and not confined in his chest.
"You love me?" She heard the words but had a hard time believing them. She had dreamed of him saying exactly that to her since the first kiss that they shared, but never thought she'd actually hear them. She couldn't breathe anymore, she wanted to burst.
"I've been beaten up twice, and quite badly, I attacked a wolf much bigger than me, with barely a chance at winning, I even got shot with damn silver for you, if that's not love then I don't know what is." He squeezed her hand, pleading with his eyes. "Please don't ask me to prove it again, I am so sore."
AJ laughed. "I love you, too, dumbass," she coughed out. Forgetting her parents, her surroundings, she lunged at him, wrapping him in a crushing embrace as she kissed him deeply, with no intention of ever stopping, no intention of ever letting him go. Not caring at all that his body was caked in blood, both his and George's.
"That all very well, but it does leave one question," Henry interrupted, trying hard not to watch as his daughter kissed this naked man on the floor, "Would you follow me?"
Dylan looked at AJ, her shy, hopeful smile melted him completely and he pulled her close to his side. Laughing he shook his head, sure he had turned as insane as George. "I swore I would never petition to join the Northcreek pack," he mumbled and ran his fingers through AJ's hair gingerly. "But, I actually believe I would," he said, turning his attention to Alpha Winter again, "I will."
"This is preposterous," Ava Stone growled, stomping her foot on the floor. "You need us, you can't exile the Elder Council."
"I already have," Henry said with a shrug.
"We are all former Alphas of this pack, we have served this pack with our blood, sweat, and tears," another member piped up.
"You could have fooled me," Henry stated indifferently. "Clive, Noah." He motioned to the Beta lying on the floor. "Take him to the clinic, let Dr. Mallard patch him up. Then inform him he is to be gone before daybreak. I will not have him on our territory. He is shunned from this pack. And afterward, send the Omega to me, I want a statement out to the other packs before lies and uncertainty starts spreading, they should know the truth." The Enforcers nodded, picking the rag doll that used to be their Beta off the floor and carried him from the Gathering house. Dr. Mallard followed, patting his Alpha on the back, giving him an approving smile, as he went with his son. "The same goes for you four, you should go pack now. Come morning I want you gone," Alpha Winter told the former Elder Council. They shuffled their feet, snarled at him, but still left.
"Henry," Penny exclaimed and threw herself around his neck, kissing his face all over once she got near enough. "I have never been so proud to call you my mate." Henry wrapped his arms around her, lifting her high in the air with a chuckle, kissing her deeply as he lowered her again. "And you-" Penny shrieked happily, running to Dylan who was trying to stand up with AJ's help. "-You'll come home with us, get a decent meal and a warm bed."
"A bed not in AJ's room, mind you," Henry interjected sternly, giving Dylan a piercing stare. "You're not mated yet."
"Henry, they're in love," Penny sighed at her mate, shaking her head.
"We'll have pups before a mating if you let them carry on-"
"You have no idea how great that sounds," Dylan said in all honesty, interrupting them, and with that saving AJ who was blushing furiously at the conversation. "But with all due respect, I'm not Allie's mate, and I won't be either. I'm releasing you from that stupid claim," he told AJ, "You are not bound to me in any way."
AJ stiffened, almost dropping him. Her heart crawled into her throat and she felt sick. "You- You don't want me?" she asked in a whisper. He had to be kidding her, why would he ride in there like a knight in shining armor, saving her from a fate worse than death, only to drop her heart on the ground and stomp on it? And after saying that he loved her!
"Allie," he breathed, "I love you. You mean the world to me. There is nothing I want more than to mate you. You have no idea." He kissed her then, pulling her close to him. "I would die a happy man if I mated you tomorrow," he continued after he broke the kiss, still holding her close.
AJ couldn't help but break into a huge silly grin. "I love you too," she whispered. Her heart had been picked up from the floor, dusted off and was now doing leaps and bounds in her chest. "But I don't understand, why wouldn't you then-?"
"Because you don't want a mate," Dylan said without hesitation. "What do you want?"
AJ laughed, throwing her arms around his neck. "I want to do things," she agreed, resting her forehead against his, "You know that if I was to accept a claim from anyone, anyone in the world, it would be you. But I can't have a mate now. I love you, but I do have things I need to do first."
Henry cleared his throat, gaining their attention. From his back pocket he produced a piece of paper, he unfolded it carefully and scratched his chin as he read it over before handing it to AJ. "Someone threw this out by mistake," he said, "I thought it might be important."
AJ looked down at the acceptance letter from Columbia University in her hands, barely able to believe what was happening. "You're letting me go?" she asked.
"Letting you?" Henry coughed out, "I don't think I can possibly stop you." AJ could feel her tears running down her cheeks for the umpteenth time that night, she couldn't wipe the wide grin from her face if she tried. "But," her father raised his voice in warning, "You better come straight back here when you graduate. You get your ass back here as fast as you can. You promise me that." His voice broke and AJ could tell he was trying to keep his emotions under control. "Just- Just get back here, and we'll take things from there when you do."
AJ nodded furiously. "I will," she mumbled, wiping her nose with her sleeve, trying to stop crying but it was no use, the floodgates had been opened. "I will." She turned to Dylan. "And will you visit?" she asked hopefully.
"Try and stop me." He gently wiped her cheek with his thumb, catching a few tears on the way. "And then, once you're rich and successful, maybe, if you're very lucky, perhaps, I'd consider thinking about accepting a claim," he joked with a crooked smile.
"You horrible, old man," she mumbled snaking her arms around his waist as he folded his around her shoulders. "And then after you've maybe, perhaps, considered thinking about my claim?"
"Well, there's always Venice, isn't there?"
– THE END –