<h4>Chapter 536: A beautiful anklet</h4>


    "Yes, I’ll marry you, Sage Nightshade."


    Katelyn extended her hand, her eyes shining with happiness, epting his proposal without hesitation. Without wasting a moment, he slid the glittering diamond ring onto her finger. Holding her hand, he reverently kissed her knuckles and then stood up.


    At that moment, golden confetti burst in the air, raining down over them. Katelyn, wanting to formalize themitment fully, pulled a second band out of the box he was still holding and slid it onto his fourth finger. "Now, the proposal isplete," she said with a beaming smile.


    "No," Sage refuted softly, his hand cradling the back of her neck. The next second, he covered her mouth with a passionate kiss, moving his other hand to her waist and drawing her close against him. Katelyn immediately reciprocated the kiss, smiling into it. Silver (her wolf) was leaping with joy as she connected with Nyko (Sage’s wolf), who was clearly feeling the exact same euphoria.


    Pulling back slightly, they hugged each other tightly, luxuriating in the warmth of their bodies and the pleasant, heightened scents of their pheromones. Before she could fully process the current moment, firecrackers burst open in the night sky above the terrace, painting it with vibrant, colorful sparkles.


    "You prepared so much for me," Katelyn whispered, turning to the sky. Her mouth opened in awe as she enjoyed the spectacr disy bursting brilliantly in the air.


    After enjoying the spectacr fireworks show, Sage grasped her hand and kissed it again. "Katelyn, I’ve booked a suite for us in a hotel nearby," he exined softly. "Since we both have had some wine, it will be better for us to stay the night there. But if you truly want to go to my home, then I can call the chauffeur," he said, his eyes searching hers for an answer.


    "Let’s stay in the hotel tonight," Katelyn stated, feeling the romance of the moment and acknowledging the distance to Sage’s house. "The home is quite far from here."


    "Ahh, one important thing I forgot to give you!" Sage eximed, his eyes lighting up as he immediately recalled something. He turned to his left and picked up a massive bouquet of red roses with a ribbon-wrapped gift box lying next to it on a small side table. "These are also for you," he stated, presenting them to her.


    Katelyn took them from him, still smiling broadly. "You prepared another present for me," she murmured happily. "I’ll open it at the hotel," she decided, then inhaled the pleasant scent of the fresh roses.


    "Let’s go then," Sage pronounced, taking her hand in his. Their fingers intertwined, and they left the restaurant side to enter therge, luxurious hotel building.


    As he unlocked the door to the suite, Katelyn walked in first, followed by him. Now alone in the intimate space, she suddenly felt a ripple of nervousness. She looked at the bed, which looked surprisinglypact in the spacious room, and sat down gingerly on the edge.


    "Isn’t the bed too small for us?" Katelyn frowned, lowering the bouquet and her purse to her left as she checked the size of the gift box.


    "They ended up giving us a honeymoon suite," Sage answered, a slight smirk ying on his lips.


    "What?" Katelyn gazed up at him, her eyes wide with surprise and a blush rising in her cheeks.


    "Why did they do that?" she murmured, still slightly flustered by the name of the suite, but quickly diverting her attention to the gift box. She unwrapped it and found a delicate, beautiful anklet inside.


    "I never wore an anklet before," she observed, holding the jewelry up.


    "That’s why I bought it," Sage pronounced in a low voice. "It will look beautiful on your ankle." He gently took the anklet from her, his gaze focused, and got down on his knees on the soft rug to make her wear it.


    Katelyn felt a sudden rush of heat traveling through her body whenever his fingers would brush against her skin. A fierce fire ignited that went deep down inside her, making her gulp visibly.


    "It’s done," Sage said, finishing the sp. He lifted his head to meet her eyes and saw her licking her lips nervously, her anticipation mirroring his own.


    <i>’I have to hold back. I need to take it slow,</i>’ Sage told himself sternly, watching her reaction. However, his internal resolve cracked instantly. "Fuck! I can’t!"


    The next moment, he stood up decisively, leaned down, and cupped her face with both of his hands. His lips pressed against hers for a more passionate and firmer kiss this time, erasing all thoughts of slow pacing.


    The inviting, sweet scent of her pheromones enveloped him in its magic, demanding he im her fully.


    For Katelyn, the feelings were identical, magnified by the Mate bond. Though a small part of her wanted to resist the speed of the moment, the intense connection made it impossible. The gift box slipped unnoticed from her hand and fell somewhere onto the rug as she instinctively brought her hands up to clutch his shoulders. His knee had already gently separated her thighs, and in a smooth motion, he lowered them both onto the soft mattress of the honeymoon suite.


    They stopped kissing after a moment, both inhaling deeply, though their faces remained intoxicatingly close to each other’s.


    "Why did you stop?" Katelyn looked intently into his eyes, her hands resting on his chest as he held her gaze.


    "I love you, Kate," Sage confessed again, his voice husky. "Say it. Say you love me too."


    "I love you too," Katelyn responded, the words flowing naturally, sealed by their mate bond and theirmitment.


    Sage’s face instantly buried itself in the crook of her neck, showering soft, gentle kisses there, breathing in her scent deeply. "If you weren’t by my side, then this phase had been difficult for me. Now, I have you, I have nothing to fear." He lifted his eyes to meet hers. "You’ve changed something in me and I like it."