Chapter 37: I Love You

Zander POV
I felt a sense of extreme happiness after I woke the next morning. Memories of the night before came flashing through my mind. I smiled while picturing Cleo. She was so damn beautiful. I wished she was still with me.

I knew I had my full health back, and all my wounds had completely healed. I just felt like my usual self again and didn't feel any pain of the big battle anymore.

A realization hit me. I would never love anyone like I loved Cleo. It had always been her that I was meant for. I rejected the idea of a mate for the longest time but knew I needed her. Being my mate wasn’t the only reason I wanted to be with her.

Cleo was someone I fell in love with because of who she was as a person. I saw leadership, kindness, love, and strength from Cleo. It made me feel lucky that she was my destined mate and no one else’s.

I wanted to search for her around our cabin. I’m sure she hadn’t traveled far from it. I kind of missed the huts I had made. That was luck that the hermit knew of an abandoned cabin and led us to it.

I found Cleo standing outside by a tree, and she held a thoughtful expression. What was she thinking about? Slowly, I approached her and waved.

Cleo waved back and moved from the tree to give me a gentle hug. “I’m glad you’re back to your healthy self. I was so concerned when you weren’t healing very fast. It was like your healing ability had been weakened after the battle.”

Cleo’s hug made me smile. She wasn’t afraid to give affection to me anymore. I hugged her back and smelled a hint of fruity perfume lingering on her. It fit her well.

“I think you helped my healing yourself. It wasn’t my ability at all,” I said.

Cleo gently shoved my chest and said, “You’re just being nice. It wasn’t all me.”

I pulled her towards me and gazed deeply into her beautiful eyes. Cleo’s heart raced as I felt it against my chest.

It was too hard resisting teasing her. I traced a finger across her lower lip and down her jawline. Cleo’s heart rate sped up, and I felt it as our bodies were stuck together.

My fingers slowly traced down to her collarbone and went back up to cup her cheek. I risked a kiss to her neck. Cleo gave a gasp of pleasure, and I kept pressing my lips against her neck and sucked on it gently. She moaned.

I wanted to control myself but couldn’t anymore. My lips sucked harder on her neck. She’d have a mark there later. I wanted to show her how much I loved her. Seconds later, I went back to kissing her neck and became more urgent with my kisses.

My hands slowly went down to her waist, as I felt the feminine curve of her body.

Cleo’s hands wrapped around my neck, and she stroked her fingers through my hair. I had to stop kissing her neck, or I’d forget what I actually planning on doing.

I pulled away and she was panting a little. It was such a sexy sound. I resisted the urge to carry her to the cabin and make love to her again. We hadn’t done that since the night before. Kissing her so intensely on the neck made me feel quite turned on.

I brought my lips towards her ear and whispered, “I’d like to thank you for helping me recover. Can we go for a walk?”

Cleo’s face was flushed and she asked, “Where? You do remember we’re in the middle of the woods, right?”

“There’s nothing like a walk in the woods. It’s very calming. We should go.”

Her face didn’t give any sign of amusement. She was also a little red in the face. I smirked knowing I caused her to be that way.

Cleo finally glanced up at me and said, “Okay. I’ll walk with you, but don’t try any funny business.”

“I would never. I’m a gentleman,” I told her.

Cleo laughed happily and I picked her up and spun her around. She continued to laugh and said, "Don't hurt
yourself. You really shouldn’t be picking me up so soon.”

“I’m fine. Don't worry so much Cleo."

Cleo gave a shocked look and said, “You actually called me Cleo. I’ve hardly heard you call me by my actual name.”

“So, you prefer being called princess?”

Cleo shook her head quickly and ruffled my hair. I smiled down at her and set her down gently.

I went to hold her hand and almost expected her to swat me away. When Cleo let me hold her hand, it made me have the stupidest grin on my face. Why did she make me forget to be cool?

I led her to a river with a beautiful view of mountains in the distance, and there were wildflowers around the bank of the river. The water looked crystal clear and streamed along quietly. It was the perfect setting for romance.

Cleo needed to know how much I loved her and ached to stay with her. We had been through too much and had a lot of chemistry. Cleo and I were just right for each other. A gut feeling told me Cleo was “the one.”

Nobody else would compare to her. Cleo was someone who made me only want her. I’d choose her over girls in our pack who had a thing for me. They weren’t even close to what I wanted.

I motioned for Cleo to sit on a huge rock. She sat down and had a curious look on her face.

A few seconds later, I moved close to her and got down on one knee. Cleo’s eyes stared back at me in pure shock.

“Cleo, I can’t be without you any longer. Would you marry me? I’m willing to run away together. We can start our own pack, and you can still be the Alpha.” I added, "I love you more than anything in the world."

I thought it was perfect, since Maurice believed I was dead. No one would bother us ever again. We could have a new life together, and it could be better than our former lives.

I’d make her so happy and give her anything she wanted. She would never feel unloved or underappreciated either. I’d shower her with affection every day. Cleo would be begging me for more than just kissing too.

Cleo was about to talk when I spoke up again. “I’d forget about getting my revenge if it meant I could be with you, Cleo.”

My heart pounded trying to burst out of my chest as I waited for Cleo to answer.