Proposal

Greg’s POV

Anna and I had been on the run for what felt like a lifetime, but it had only been a few weeks since we’d left the pack behind.

The decision we had made, the defiance against my brother Cole, and the betrayal of everything I’d ever known hung heavy on my shoulders. But despite the dangers and the constant feeling of being hunted, I’d made my choice. I’d chosen Anna, and I’d chosen this life together, whatever that would mean.

After escaping Cole’s most recent attempt to end us, we knew we couldn’t keep living in hotels and abandoned places. We needed a real cover, a place where we could blend in, a world where no one knew our names or the blood-soaked history we were trying to escape. I had more than enough money stashed away in offshore accounts—funds that had been quietly accumulating over years of strategic investments, profits from side businesses I’d kept hidden even from my own brother.

So, when we found a safe space far enough from any supernatural territory, I pulled the money out and decided to immerse us in one of the bustling human cities.

It was a strange transition—from the wild forests and ancient palaces of our kind which had wonderful technology to the modern concrete jungle of human life which had mediocre technology.

Skyscrapers, traffic, endless streams of people—none of whom had any idea who we were or what we were running from.

I bought a house on a quiet street, tucked away in a suburb where the neighbors were nosy but harmless. It was an old, Victorian-style place, a little rundown but full of charm and history. I bought a new car, too—a sleek black sedan that was a far cry from the flashy Bugatti I’d left behind. Here, I needed to be invisible, just another face in the crowd.

We spent our days pretending to be normal. I found us low-paying jobs—pointless, mind-numbing work that barely paid two thousand dollars a month between us. But it didn’t matter; the job was just for show.

With nearly a billion dollars sitting untouched in my account, we were far from struggling, but we couldn’t afford to draw attention. We lived simply, cooking our own meals, keeping to ourselves, and blending into the mundane rhythm of human life.

Our neighbors, curious as ever, stopped by one afternoon. It was a couple in their fifties, friendly but inquisitive. They looked at the house, at our modest jobs, and couldn’t quite piece together how two young people like us could afford this lifestyle.

“Nice place you’ve got here,” the man said, tipping his hat as he leaned on the porch railing. “If you don’t mind me asking, how do you afford all this?”

I looked at Anna, and for a split second, I saw the worry in her eyes, the fear that they’d see right through us. But I’d been trained in deception my entire life. A quick, easy lie rolled off my tongue.

“Inheritance,” I said smoothly, taking a sip of the wine I was nursing. “My family left me enough to keep us comfortable.”

The couple nodded, satisfied with the answer, and after some polite small talk, they left us alone. I watched them walk away, feeling the tension in my chest loosen slightly. Anna came out and joined me on the porch, sitting beside me as we shared the quiet evening together.

We sat in silence for a while, the twilight deepening around us, turning the sky a dusky purple.

I could feel the weight of everything we’d been through settling between us—the danger, the betrayal, the constant threat of Cole’s vengeance. And yet, despite it all, this was the most peace I’d felt in years.

Anna poured herself another glass of wine and looked at me with that mischievous smile I’d come to love. “Can you believe we’re here?” she said, leaning back and stretching her legs out. “I mean, a fox and a wolf, hiding out in the human world like we’re in some kind of movie. It’s crazy.”

I chuckled, swirling my glass thoughtfully. “Yeah, it’s crazy. But it’s ours. And for now, that’s enough.”

We lapsed back into silence, enjoying the simplicity of just being together. For the first time in a long time, I wasn’t thinking about war, betrayal, or my brother’s threats. I was just a man, sitting with the woman he loved, and for that moment, it felt like enough.

But as the stars began to dot the sky, an idea took root in my mind—something I hadn’t allowed myself to consider until now. I turned to Anna, the words forming before I could stop them. “You know, we could get married.”

Anna blinked, caught off guard. She laughed, almost choking on her wine. “Greg, are you serious? Now, of all times?”

I nodded, setting my glass down. “Yeah, I am. We’ve been running, hiding, and fighting for so long. Why not take something for ourselves? Why not make this real?”

She stared at me, her eyes wide with surprise, but there was a softness there too—a longing that mirrored my own. “You really think we could do this? A wolf and a fox? It’s never been done before. Our kinds aren’t meant to be together.”

I shrugged, reaching for her hand. “Maybe not. But we’re already rewriting the rules, aren’t we? Why not be the first? We’ve defied everyone else; why not make our own path?”

She looked down at our intertwined fingers, then back at me. The doubt and fear I’d seen there so many times before seemed to fade, replaced by something brighter, something hopeful. “Greg,” she whispered, her voice thick with emotion. “I never thought… I never imagined… Yes.”

I felt my heart leap, a wild, untamed joy filling me up from the inside. I hadn’t planned a proposal, hadn’t even thought about a ring, but as I pulled a simple silver band from my pocket—one I’d picked up at a local shop on a whim—I knew this was right.

I slipped the ring onto her finger, and she laughed, tears glistening in her eyes. “You’re insane, you know that?”

I grinned, pulling her close. “Only for you.”

We kissed, and it felt like the world had melted away, leaving just the two of us in our little corner of the universe. For once, I wasn’t Greg, the outcast wolf, the rogue prince. I was just a man in love with a woman who’d defied everything to be by my side.

We stayed like that, wrapped up in each other, as the city lights flickered on around us. Anna rested her head on my shoulder, her fingers tracing the outline of the ring. “So, what now?” she asked, her voice soft.

“Now,” I said, staring out into the night, “we keep going. We stay one step ahead of Cole, and we build a life—our life. Together.”

She nodded, and for the first time, I felt a true sense of purpose.

No matter what came next, no matter who hunted us, we would face it together.

Anna and I were rewriting the rules, one defiant act at a time. And nothing, not even my brother’s wrath, could take that away from us.

The doorbell shattered the dream evening we were having as we looked at each other, our hearts pounding.