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Chapter Thirty-Four
Nervous was not a word in Raine's dictionary. In fact, he despised the word. Nervous implied weakness and fear, and as Alpha he was far from weak. But right now, at this moment, Raine was scared as hell because tonight he was going to ask Noelle to be his mate, to be his wife forever. Nervous didn't even begin to describe how he felt. He was irritated with himself because he knew that Noelle loved him and wouldn't say no, but the doubt was still there.
"Come on, man, pull yourself together," he muttered, pacing back and forth in the dark. It was late afternoon and Noelle was with the other women having a girl's day.
Fletcher and Finn had both checked in on him, but he had growled menacingly and shooed them away. There was no way he was letting anyone see him this way. Gods, you would think he was a green lad, the way his knees were knocking and his palms were sweating.
"Rainey Painey!" he heard Jed croon loudly, "dinner time!" Raine groaned and ran a hand through his hair roughly. The guys had agreed to treat the women to dinner tonight, meaning they were going to cook it from scratch. Apparently it was time to get started. He took one last deep breath and shook his arms, letting them hang loosely from his side.
An emotionless mask was slipped over his face as he left the dark confines of his room to face the lighted hallways. He was determined to make sure that no one saw through his calm façade. The men knew something was up, but they also knew better than to tease him. At least, most of them did.
"Hey loner boy!" Jed grinned, when Raine entered the kitchen quietly. "How was your day confined in the dark? Make any new discoveries, or did you cry yourself sick with fear?"
Raine shot him a glare and flipped him off. His lips twitched when Paxton hit Jed upside the head in irritation. "What are we making?" Raine growled emotionlessly.
Fletcher placed a large cookbook on the table and pointed at a recipe, "Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo with garlic bread, a salad and canned peaches." He grinned proudly, pleased that they had come to an agreement over a recipe.
"Can we make it?" Raine asked warily. He'd never seen his men cook anything from scratch. Occasionally they barbequed some steaks, that was about all they could do.
"Of course we can," Fletcher scowled. "I know how to cook. If you're worried about it you can make the salad."
"Nah, he'll probably screw that up too," Paxton laughed softly.
Raine looked at him with a raised eyebrow. He let his eyes slowly take in Paxton's appearance, from the dark jeans, black t-shirt and frilly pink apron. "You're one to talk. Why the lovely pink apron, cupcake?"
Paxton scowled while the other men laughed. "He got the short straw," Finn chortled.
Raine realized everyone else had on an apron that wasn't quite as feminine. Jed's said, 'Kiss the Cook' of course. Sighing in resignation, Raine grabbed the plates and silver wear. "I'll set the table," he growled, opting for the task that wouldn't involve talking.
About an hour later the men had everything ready, all they needed now was the women. They drew straws to see who would have to fetch them. Paxton drew the short straw again. He growled angrily under his breath and started to untie his apron, but Fletcher stopped him. "Uh uh," he teased, "you have to keep the apron on when fetching the women."
"Fuck that," Paxton snarled.
"All in favor of leaving the apron on, raise your hand," Fletcher smiled, looking at the men. Everyone raised their hands—Jed raised both—and laughed at Paxton's expression. "Majority rules," Fletcher said with a shrug.
Cursing under his breath, Paxton left to get the women, while the rest of the men did the last minute touches. Raine had to admit the dinner smelled amazing. His men had surprised him, and he couldn't wait to see the women's faces. Especially Noelle's. Everything about this evening needed to be perfect.
When the women entered the dining room, Raine had eyes only for Noelle. Whatever the women had done today made her look even better than he could have imagined. Her skin was rosier and her eyes stood out against her skin, drawing him in. Gods, he could drown in them forever.
She blushed prettily when she caught Raine staring at her in awe. They had experimented with hair and makeup today while gossiping. It was a much needed reprieve from the recent events. Noelle didn't think she looked too different, but apparently Raine did, and he liked it.
The men pulled out chairs for their women and served dinner with a teasing air. Once the meal was portioned out they joined them at the table and waited for the first bite.
"Oh my word," Ingrid moaned, "this is heavenly." She quickly stabbed another forkful of chicken in her mouth and shuddered in ecstasy.
Tamsin eyed it warily, poking at the chicken and noodles with her fork, before giving Fletcher a skeptical look, "You made this and you're sure it's edible?"
He frowned and pointed at Ingrid, "She's hasn't died yet, has she?" He shook his head in mock disappointment, "Gee Sin, thanks for the support. Just because you can't cook, doesn't mean I can't."
Ingrid choked on the chicken when she started to laugh, "He has a point Sin. You can't cook anything. Not even mac n' cheese." The girls laughed, adding in the different situations they remembered where Tamsin's cooking skills were lacking.
"Remember that one time we told you to make soup? We said to put the can of soup in the pot and then heat it on the stove, but you never took the soup out of the can. You just set it in the pan, expecting it to cook by itself!" Delilah giggled.
Tamsin scowled, "I was fifteen, give me a break!"
"It's alright pumpkin," Fletcher grinned, "I'll do the cooking in this relationship."
"Does that mean I get to wear the pants?" she teased lightly.
Fletcher's eyes flared with heat as he recalled their previous conversation. "I think we've already had a discussion about what you can and can't wear." She blushed and looked away in embarrassment.
"Alright children," Jed said loudly, "Save the nasty for the bedroom, please." Fletcher flipped him off and turned to talk to Violet to his left.
Dinner was actually a relaxing event and something everyone needed. It was a chance for them to be happy again, to experience the joys of life. Theo and Sage's funeral had been early this morning, but they had made a pact to be happy the rest of the day. They refused to degrade Theo and Sage's sacrifices by moping around the house. The pain was still fresh, but determination and justice had taken over.
When dinner was finished, they all convened to the movie room, much to Raine's distress. He had been conveniently distracted during dinner, but now that they were sitting in silence in the movie room, his nerves were starting to get the better of him. Sweaty palms and a pounding heart were only the beginning of his problems.
Noelle snuggled up close to Raine and rested her head on his shoulder. She was dead tired, but she would never tell him because she knew that if she said anything, he would demand that they head back to the room and sleep. She just wanted to be with him, awake, even if it meant struggling to keep her eyes open. Today had been a tiring day, from the heart-wrenching funeral, to the amazing dinner. On top of that, she felt like everyone knew something she didn't. The women had continuously looked at her out of the corners of their eyes and tittered and the men kept grinning like idiots. She was getting annoyed.
"Noelle?" Raine breathed softly against her face. She shivered in delight and pressed herself closer to him.
"Hmm?" she murmured happily.
"Do you," he paused to clear his throat, "do you want to head back to the room?"
She had to keep herself from rolling her eyes. Silly man, of course he noticed that she was tired. "I'll be fine if you want to stay and watch the movie."
Raine sighed, "That's not important. If you want to go back to the room, we can go. I'm not even watching the movie." He paused and shifted slightly, "What movie are we even watching?"
She laughed lightly, "Alright, let's go back to the room them. I'm pooped." He made a noncommittal noise in the back of his throat as he picked her up in his arms. "I can walk," she protested, but was hushed by the other occupants in the room. "Sorry," she whispered.
Raine carried her out of the room, grunting when everyone wished them an overly exaggerated 'good night'. Her eyelids were drooping as they headed to the room and when he set her on the bed she could hardly keep them open.
"Noelle," he murmured softly, "kitten, I know you're tired, but I need to talk to you about something important."
Her eyes shot open with worry at his words. "Is something wrong?" she asked, fear closing her throat up. She was awake now. Whatever Raine needed to say, she could tell that it was important.
"No," he quickly reassured her, "nothing is wrong. But I need to ask you something important."
She frowned, leaning back slightly, "Ok. I'm listening." Noelle watched as Raine paced then stopped and stared at her then resumed his pacing. He did this a couple times before she started to lose her patience. "Just spit it out already!"
"Ungh," he groaned. His hair was sticking up at odd angles from his fingers constantly running through it. He shot her an agitated look before speaking in a low, fierce voice. "I know that we haven't known each other for very long, but I know without any doubt that I love you and that you are my mate. When you told me that you love me, it felt like I was finally home. Like I had found my other half and I could start living my life, because before you, I merely existed."
Noelle gasped softly when he came closer to her and knelt down on one knee, "I realize that there is a lot of crap going on right now, but I want you to take this moment and be selfish. Think only of us. Not about being the Vessel, not about the Hunters, or the demons or any other crap." He pulled out a ring from his pocket and held it up for her to look at. Tears pooled in Noelle's eyes, and she gave up the struggle to hold them in when he kept talking.
"I love you and I will always love you. I want you to be by my side forever and always. I want to grow old with you and have kids that look just like you. I want to experience everything with you, because I know that no matter what the situation is, I'll get through it with you. I want to have grandchildren with you and know that we will always be there for each other. I want to always be there to protect you. So I guess what I'm trying to say is," he paused and took a deep breath, "Noelle, will you be my mate and my wife?"
She covered her mouth with a shaky hand and let the tears fall down her face. Her heart was pounding in her throat and her nerves were at their highest senses. "Y-yes," she cried happily, holding out her left hand for him to place the ring on. Noelle hadn't expected a proposal from Raine, so this had come entirely as a surprise. She knew that she loved him and always would, but she hadn't thought about marrying him because of everything that was going on. But she realized, that this was the best time to consider it, because they needed each other more than ever right now.
"Oh thank God," Raine said hoarsely, slipping the ring onto her finger. He kissed her hand softly before grasping her face between his hands. Using his thumb to wipe away her tears, he leaned in and kissed her softly on the lips. "I love you."
"I love you too," she said sweetly against his mouth. The kiss turned fiercer, as he wrapped his arms around her waist and lifted her up when he stood. Her legs went around his waist and her hands locked in his hair, but all she could think about was the feel of his lips against hers.
They broke apart, panting heavily and laid back on the bed, side by side. Raine pulled her into his arms, resting his chin on her head. "Is it alright if we make wedding plans later? I was thinking we could have a traditional human wedding and the Splynutí duší ceremony at the same time. If that's alright with you."
"I'd like that a lot."
"Raine?" Noelle asked after a moment.
"Yes, kitten?"
"If I become your mate, does that change anything with Ayumu's bond?" She waited a tense moment before Raine sighed.
"No, I'm sorry, kitten, it changes nothing. I wish I could help, but like I told you, only death can sever the tie."
She turned and snuggled against his warm chest, "It's alright. I was just curious." She tried to sleep, but there was still another question on her mind. Noelle cleared her throat delicately, "Uh Raine, one more question?"
His laugh rumbled through her as he kissed her temple, "Of course, what is it?"
"Early today, Delilah told me that Jed said Theo wasn't her mate. He refused to say anything more on the matter, other than only I could give her the answer why, through Ayumu. Do you know what he was talking about?"
His arms tightened on her and a low growl pierced the silence, "I don't know why Jed said that, but if he did, he certainly wasn't lying. Sadly, I don't know if Theo was her mate or not. I was too preoccupied with other things to look into it. Maybe Ayumu has the answers, but I don't want you talking to him unless absolutely necessary, okay?" Noelle nodded against his chest and yawned. "Goodnight, kitten," he smiled softly.
"Night," she whispered sleepily. Her eyes drifted closed slowly, but she struggled to remain awake for a few more seconds. 'Ayumu', she called out in her mind, 'we need to talk. Can you make it less painful than last time though?' She could have sworn she heard a low chuckle of amusement before sleep took over.
When she opened her eyes, she was back in the dark living room where her first 'visit' with Ayumu had taken place. "Welcome back, luv," a husky voice whispered. Noelle turned to look in the direction of the couch and noticed that there were two men instead of just Ayumu.
"Who are you? Who is he?" she demanded nervously.
"You don't remember me?" the other man asked wounded, "I am Hadrian."
Ccq!�6