Chapter 283: Starlit Engagement

Vivian’s POV

I could not stop crying. I tried to, swiping furiously at my wet cheeks with the back of my hand, but it was completely pointless. The tears just kept coming, thick and fast. They were not from sadness, nor even entirely from shock, but from the overwhelming swell of emotion building up inside my chest.

They say you can tell when someone speaks straight from their soul, and Zahliver was not just speaking words he was offering his entire being. His usually piercing eyes shimmered with uncertainty and raw hope as he looked up at me from where he knelt. His immense alpha power did not shield him now; he was open, exposed, entirely human in that one breathtaking moment.

"Y-Yes," I choked out, my voice trembling with emotion while my lips stretched into a watery smile. "Yes."

Relief and joy collided on his face, twisting his features into a smile that cracked something deep, tender, and aching inside of me. It was not just any ordinary smile. It was the kind of expression that promised absolute devotion. The kind of look that ruined you for anyone else in the world.

My inner wolf sniffled dramatically. Bah. About time, she muttered in my mind, though her radiant joy shone brightly right behind her usual snark.

He opened the small velvet box, revealing what had to be the most breathtakingly unique ring I had ever laid eyes on in my life. The silver band glistened under the starlight, crafted intricately like a network of delicate vines twisting together in perfect harmony. Tiny flecks of rare colored stones euclase, alexandrite, taaffeite, and heliodor sparkled from their places like stardust caught in ivy.

At the very crown of the band, the silver vines transformed into tiny clawed prongs, holding a mesmerizing gemstone securely in place. The center diamond was simply impossible to describe. It shimmered in shifting hues, flashing blue one second, violet the next, and then something entirely otherworldly. I blinked hard, my breath catching in my throat. It reminded me so much of Zahliver’s eyes intense, endless, and wild. The way the gem glowed, almost as if it were alive, sent a shiver straight down my spine. There was something truly magical about it.

Zahliver took the ring out with steady hands and reached for mine. I could not move a muscle, not even as he slipped the weighty band onto my left ring finger the most important finger of all. His eyes lingered on my hand for a quiet moment before he brought my fingers up to his lips, brushing a reverent kiss across my knuckles.

When he finally looked back up into my eyes, I stopped breathing altogether.

His gaze had gone darker, burning with something intensely primal possessiveness, adoration, and that dangerous edge that always made my knees turn to jelly. It was a claiming kind of look. A forever kind of look.

I dropped my gaze back down to the ring, utterly spellbound by its shining beauty. As if sensing my quiet awe, his deep voice broke the silent night air.

"Only the best for my woman," he said, his voice deep, gravelly, and thick with emotion.

He rose slowly to his full height, and in that instant, I felt the full, crushing presence of him return Zahliver the Alpha, the Lupus Deus, dominant and overwhelming in every possible way. My heart kicked into a panicked, frantic rhythm, as if warning me that no amount of mental preparation could ever truly ready me for the man who now stood before me.

Each slow step he took toward me made my breath hitch. I remembered what he had said earlier in the day that I could take him however I pleased tonight. But judging by the heavy heat burning in his gaze, I knew he was not going to just stand still and let me take the lead for long. And maybe... deep down, I did not want him to.

"Vivian..." he whispered, his voice a low, vibrating rumble in the dark.

My lips parted as I let out a soft gasp. "Huh?"

He was standing so close now that I could feel the intense heat radiating off his skin. Gently, he cupped my face with both warm hands, his thumbs stroking softly across my cheeks as he leaned down. His lips brushed against mine in the lightest kiss so faint and gentle it made my head spin.

"Your heart is beating like crazy, love," he murmured against my mouth.

Then he whispered just one single word, featherlight against my skin.

"Breathe."

Dear moon goddess, have mercy on me.

I reached upward, one of my hands clutching tightly to the side of his sweater while the other grasped his solid shoulder, holding onto him like he was the only physical thing keeping me grounded to the earth. He trailed soft, lingering kisses down the curve of my cheek, then lower, brushing them gently down the skin of my neck. Every single touch left invisible sparks in their wake, and my head spun wildly my thoughts and my emotions all hopelessly tangled up in him.

"My mate... my fiancée... and very soon, my wife," he murmured, his voice rough with emotion. The words rumbled from deep within his chest, and suddenly his strong arm wrapped securely around my waist, pulling me flush against his hard body. "I really like the sound of that," he growled, low and possessive.

My fingers tangled deep into his dark hair, gently tugging his face down to meet mine.

"I love you," I whispered, the words barely more than a soft breath against his skin.

Some of that heavy, primal intensity finally faded from his eyes, softening into something warm and soul-deep. Love. Unwavering, fierce, and all-consuming.

"I love you too," he said simply, and then dipped down to capture my lips in a deep kiss. It started off soft and slow, mirroring the honest words we had just exchanged, but it did not stay gentle for long. Heat flared up fast and overwhelming the kind of heat that makes it impossible to think straight or catch your breath. We kissed each other like we could never get enough, like we never would.

By the time we finally broke apart, both of us were breathing heavily, our foreheads pressed tightly together in the dark, completely drunk on each other.