Page 65 of Beautiful Madness

“It changed all of us,” Iwhispered, then lifted my hand somewhat sluggishly to touch his lips. “I wasterrified of what you were going through.”

“There was pain,” he told me. “ButI don’t care about pain. The worry over my pack and you…” He hesitated,remembering. “Especially you. That was the trial, and it was brutal.”

“I missed you, Jared. Sofucking much.”

He pulled me to him with a handat the back of my head, and finally, he kissed me. A soft, warm kiss that heldthe promise of things to come, and despite being totally wiped out, my bodyresponded.

Soon.

“Marry me, Kait,” he murmuredagainst my lips.

But I knew what he’d seen, andI had to be sure he understood that what he’d seen hadn’t been a fluke. That heknew I was a shapeshifting wolf demon with an angel’s voice. That I absorbedother creatures’ power.

Even when I opened my mouth towarn him that I was something of a monster and who the hell knew what mighthappen in the future, all I could say was, “There is madness inside me, alpha.”

He only smiled, and the fiercelight of love in his stare never dimmed. “It’s a beautiful madness, and you areexceptional. I’m well aware that ours is not and will never be an ordinary union.”He laced his fingers with mine and for a few seconds, stared down at mydiscolored and dimly glowing hands, quiet. “Marry me, wolf.”

My heart was overflowing withemotion. I understood, as he did, that our marriage would not be what wasnormal for wolves. I would not live at Shadowfield, I would have my ownjourney, my own home, my own “pack.” I would not be the alpha’s wife who stayedjust slightly behind him as he ruled her and the wolves under his care.

But I was his woman, as he wasmy man. He was my mate, and we would make it official.

“Yes,” I said, smiling. “I willmarry you.”

Aaron stopped the car. “We arehere,” he said. “Kait, the council would like to—”

“The council will wait,” Jared growled.

I bit his chin, gently. “Let’srun through the woods of Shadowfield before we deal with the pack and thetraitors and worry about the elders. I’d like to shift and heal with my matebeside me.”

Aaron’s shock at the sight ofme had made me aware of how I must look, and though I’d physically been sort ofnumb since Jared had carried me from the charger’s cave, pain was beginning towash over me in waves.

I needed my wolf. No psycho orshapeshifter or angel or demon. Just my wolf, my moon, and my alpha.

And I wanted my damn hair back.

But Max was waiting when weleft the car, and the shock on Aaron’s face was nothing compared to Max’s.There were wolves behind him, and the wolves’ doctor was on one side and hishousekeeper Nell on the other.

Wolves from both packs crowdedthe area to welcome their alpha home, but there were only two warriors insight. The rest were running through the city with Remy and Zach, searching forwayward daywalkers. Some of them would be guarding Eli and Lennon, and I knewJared would not deal with those two until every single pack member was presentto see it.

They all fell silent when atlast their alpha stood before them—but Max’s silence was because of myappearance, and it didn’t last long. He threw himself at me, both horrified andpissed off, and Jared’s first impulse was to stop him, as though Max couldpossibly hurt me.

He put out a hand and stoppedMax in his tracks. “Don’t touch her,” he said, but very, very gently.

I squeezed Jared’s arm. “He’sfine,” I told him, and bloody and half naked—and apparently hideous—I pulled Maxinto my embrace.

“They wouldn’t tell meanything,” Max cried, pulling back finally to wipe his nose on his sleeve. “You’realive, though you don’t look it.”

“Thanks, Max,” I said dryly.

“Kait?” Jared said.

I smiled. “Talk to your people.I’ll talk with Max, and we’ll run after.”

He nodded and strode toward thecrowd of patiently waiting wolves. Even as he walked, several of his warriorstrotted into Shadowfield and fell into place at his back.

A car pulled up behind Aaron’sand I glanced over my shoulder to see my mother, Lucy, and Sam climb out.

Max craned his neck, somewhatrelieved to see them. “Joe,” he said, finally. “He’s always the last to showup.”