Darkness Unleashed by Belinda Boring

amaze me.
    Finally she spoke. “I guess I’m surprising myself, as well. I thought I’d be angry, but that kind of slipped away after I destroyed the urn. I know my head’s a mess right now, but there’s also bursts of clarity.”
    “ Clarity?”
    “ Yeah. It’s hard to explain, but it’s as if when I became your mate, our mating bond granted me the courage to face the challenges that would come with marrying an Alpha. I hadn’t realized it, until just now, while I was waiting for you. It’s easy to focus on the bad . . . on all the danger that seems to find us. No one would fault me for complaining. We’ve been married for such a short period of time and it feels like we haven’t had a real chance to breathe. But even before the wedding, there was something that threatened to tear us apart. While you’re my Prince Charming, Mason, this hasn’t exactly been a happily-ever-after.”
    “ And we all know how much you love your romance books,” I teased; interested to see where the conversation was going. Her voice had taken on a serious tone, one that conveyed her thoughtfulness.
    My joke made her laugh. “I do. I’m sure I’m not the only one who fantasizes about how perfect life will be once a girl finds her true love, but I’m also a realist. That’s where my moment of clarity is rooted.” Pausing long enough to move and readjust herself, she rested on her elbow, staring into my eyes. She’d never looked so certain. So beautiful. “I married an Alpha. I married you, the man that turns my insides upside down with a mere look. The minute I saw you at my door, I knew deep in my heart there would never be anyone else. I’ve seen what life as a mate to an Alpha can do—the challenges, politics, and drama that naturally follows. But still, I chose you. If I wanted a life less complicated, I would’ve settled for someone else. If I weren’t prepared to face the unknown, I would’ve politely declined your invitation for a second date. I knew what my future would be like and I still said yes.”
    It was as if she’d reached into my very soul and found that insecurity I’d always tried to ignore. It was the reason why I felt overly protective and why, even now, I beat myself up for failing to keep her safe. A part of me had always felt selfish for claiming Darcy as my own, knowing that who I was and my place within the Supernatural community would, no doubt, make her a target for those striking against me. There was always someone wanting to overthrow those in power—I’d seen it with my father. It was the nature of the beast to balance between maintaining a peaceful existence and a thirst for dominance.
    “ Would you say yes if you’d known about Amber?” I asked, brushing my finger across her cheekbone and down her jaw.
    There was no hesitation. “Don’t get me wrong. I never want to go through that again, but I would say yes to anything, if it meant you were mine. Perfection is overrated, Mason. It’s predictable and I have a feeling I would drown in its daily boredom. I love you and our life. I love knowing that even if the worst happened, I wouldn’t be alone. While our life isn’t perfect, you are.”
    “ And you got all this from a burst of clarity?”
    She leaned in and feathered a light kiss over my mouth. “Yes; and while the rest of my head is noisy with uncertainty, I’m going to hold on tightly to this.” This time the kiss she placed on my lips was firmer. “I’m going to hold on tightly to us.”
    “ I love you, sweetheart,” I choked out as the lump in my throat made it almost impossible to swallow. She’d ripped away the fear I’d refused to acknowledge and shone a bright light into the shadows. I didn’t need our connection to know she meant every single word. It simply was, and my heart confirmed it.
    Looking into her eyes and seeing her return the depth of my own emotions, Darcy gently reminded me why I loved her, why I’d fought hard to make her my wife. There