Epilogue #2

*ELDEN*

I hold the little bundle in my hand, completely stunned. I have been speechless since Flora went into labor and gave birth to him. We expected a long and difficult delivery because Flora is of a small frame and was expecting an alpha pup, but she went through it without many troubles. I sometimes forget her heritage.

“He is so tiny,” I whisper.

Flora is nestled into her bed in the infirmary, shielded from any potential dangers. My betas have made sure that the security is tighter than ever. I hand her our little boy, so she won’t be deprived of him for too long.

“Hello again, my little one,” she whispers. “Look at him and his long eyelashes.”

“Most beautiful baby in the history of babies,” I say seriously.

Flora giggles. “Don’t be silly.”

“He is perfection,” I say with emphasis. “Like his mother.”

She smiles. “Your dad can be so cheesy sometimes,” she whispers to our boy. “We will make sure to protect you, Liam.”

“Thank you for agreeing to the name,” I say quietly.

“Oh, I love the name,” she reassures me. “I wouldn’t have agreed to it if I’d hated it.”

As someone with such an unusual name like Elden, I just wanted to make sure my child had a name he wouldn’t need to constantly spell or answer stupid questions about. Maybe it’s a very common name, but I couldn’t care less. He will make a name for himself one day; he doesn’t need to have a special name like Elden.

I made sure that Flora and Liam could rest without receiving any visitors, but I know my mate. By now, she has recovered some of her strength and wants to show off our baby to those she loves. “Who do you want to see?” I ask her.

“Aunt Elspeth, of course! I bet she is restlessly waiting already! And Geneva! A pity that Emilia’s flight got delayed, but she will be here in a couple of days.” She pauses. “Then, we definitely have to make sure your betas are one of the first to see him. It’s a must.”

She is right, we can’t skip them and invite someone else first. Our hierarchy wouldn’t allow it.

“Oh, and the three elite warriors who restlessly protected me during the last months,” she adds. “With their families. Make sure to invite Erwin in particular.”

“Erwin Medina?” I ask curiously.

“Yes, and he has to bring his son.”

“Dante…” I say thoughtfully. “Of course, but why?”

She smiles at me with that certain look in her eyes, so I know she knows something she can’t openly say. “A feeling,” she says.

“Got you,” I say. Could it be? Liam has just been born, and it’s very unusual for lycans, even those of royal blood, to form any bond so soon, aside from the one to their family. Flora and I were a rare exception. Mates at that age are incredibly unusual. But it’s not the only bond that’s unusual, namely the bond we feel towards our beta. I immediately knew it when I met Vincent. He was the one person for me, that could do the job.

Dante, however, is a child, and it seems he was drawn to Flora more and more the longer her pregnancy went along.

A beta bond, already? Regis asks.

It’s not impossible, I add.

True and we grew our bonds very early too.

It would be much easier that way, than to choose a protector for him until he can choose for himself like I did.

While Flora nurses Liam, I go to fetch Aunt Elspeth and Geneva. Samuel is back in Paris now, but promised he will visit as soon as he can. Instead, he made sure that Geneva could come and stay with us for a while, which I truly appreciate.

Both women have been waiting patiently ever since Flora went into labor, but now are obviously over the moon that they are allowed to meet the new mother with her baby.

They make a beeline right to Flora and Liam, making sure to coo both at her and our baby. Aunt Elspeth helps Flora to go to the bathroom while Geneva holds our little boy. “What a peculiar little baby,” she whispers. “Strong alpha aura, already, as expected from your firstborn child, Elden.”

“I feel it too,” I say.

“It’s your royal bloodline,” she says. “He was always destined to be born strong and with all the qualities to become your heir. Add to that Flora’s strength and you really have an amazing miracle here.”

She hands him to me gently.

“I will protect him,” I say quietly while looking at the bundle in my arms. He is so small and so cute that it makes my chest churn at the thought that someone could ever hurt him. “I will make sure he will be safe,” I say. “No one will hurt him.”

“It’s a gifted child,” Geneva says thoughtfully. “I can feel it already. It’s not going to be easy for him.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes.” She touches his forehead. “There is a very strong and dominant wolf spirit inside him.”

“Regis is dominant, too,” I say.

“Regis was much more in control though, while he is already showing signs of being very strong-willed. He will need some guidance to stay under control.”

For a moment, my mind wanders to Flora and to the scar she is still carrying, and the fact that I am responsible for it because I did lose control. The fact that my little boy has such a dominant beast inside him makes me sad for him, because it means he will need to start battling it at a young age already. But at the same time, I try to tell myself over and over again, that I never had any guidance or help with Regis, and that Liam, on the other hand, will get all the help and love he needs from Flora and me. I will make sure he grows up safe.

History doesn’t need to repeat itself.

A couple of days later, Flora is back in our suite and has a whole entourage surrounding her. Emilia has arrived and happily coos over the baby. I am happy to see her, if also, a little sad that we don’t have as much contact as I had planned to. But I know she went through a lot of trauma, just like Alma, so I will happily take as much as they are willing to give, and be happy for them at the place they are now.

“Is that a ring, Emilia?” Geneva asks while Emilia is holding Liam in her arms.

“I can’t believe it!” Flora exclaims. “You have been here for a whole day now, and didn’t say a word.”

“I didn’t want to steal the spotlight,” Emilia says, looking slightly flustered.

“Don’t be ridiculous! I am so happy for you!” Flora blurts out.

Emilia turns to look at me as if she is scared of my verdict. “Both you and Tobias deserve it. I am really happy for you.” I assure her. Tobias might have been my mom’s mate, but went beyond himself to be there for her, despite my father trying to break him.

“Maybe soon we will have more baby news,” Geneva jokes.

“Don’t you think I am slightly too old for it?” Emilia asks.

“As a lycan? Don’t worry, you have much more time than regular wolf shifters,” Geneva says. “No reason for excuses.”

“Well, if it were up to Tobias…”

“I knew it,” Aunt Elspeth snorts.

After a while, Emilia leaves the others and joins me, telling me a bit about Alma and Minnie. “I don’t meet with them a lot, either,” she says, “because we aren’t in the same pack. But they are doing well. Alma found her second chance mate, and he is a real loving and sweet man, eager to protect her and to be a dad to Minnie.”

“Then, I don’t need to worry anymore?”

Emilia grows serious. “You did more than enough for everyone around you,” she says. “For people you didn’t owe anything to. Your father wronged them, not you, and believe me when I say that they are truly thankful for what you did for them. I certainly am.” She pauses. “Oh, your great-uncle wants some pictures. Mind if I take some?”

“Not at all,” I say, just so happy that I can share my happiness with others. I make my way towards Flora, hugging her while she is holding Liam. When Emilia shows me the picture she just took with her new digital camera my heart skips a beat.

Despite everything that happened to us, Flora and I managed to come out of it stronger than before, and now, even have our own little family.

Flora looks at me thoughtfully before a grin spreads over her face. “If it were up to Elden,” she says to the others. “I bet he has similar plans as Tobias.”

“Well, the more the merrier,” I say seriously.

Flora smacks my arm but laughs. “Let me get used to our first one before trying for the next.”

“Going by how fast the first one happened, I bet there is not going to be much trying involved,” Vincent intervenes, frowning when we stare at him. “Oh shoot, I said the silent bit out loud, didn’t I? That’s usually Calvin’s part!”

Geneva chuckles. “I guess it’s time to leave the young family alone for a moment and prepare dinner.”

When they are gone, I make sure to hug Flora. “Tired?”

“A bit, but at the same time, I love the chaos.”

“I know,” I smile. “When is Liam’s surrogate brother dropping by?”

“Dante will come later,” Flora says. “See, I told you?”

“You knew it,” I say. “And I am happy. It means our little one will have a protector and beta from very early on. They can grow up together and build a solid friendship and foundation for their relationship.”

“Did you talk to Aurel already?” she asks further.

“Yes, he will leave the youth warrior training and join the regular one,” I say. “Also, Vincent offered to keep an eye on him and mentor him. Any plans with him already?”

“I am not sure yet,” Flora says thoughtfully. “But I think I might have seen something in him that I truly feel drawn to.” She pauses. “He is very young though, and we all know how hard it was to take up so many responsibilities early on. I want him to have time to grow and become his own person, but I think I will want him as my support sooner or later.”

“As your gamma or your bodyguard?” I ask.

“Hm,” she hums. “Let’s see.” For a moment she has that distant expression on her face again. “Someone else wants to meet our boy,” she says happily.

“I was expecting that,” I say with a smile. “I will check on the others in the meantime, so that you can have your privacy.”

When I leave the room, I feel a sudden warmth surrounding me and small dots of lights dancing around me. There is a part of Flora I will never truly be able to reach out to, a part she can’t openly discuss or share with me, but it doesn’t matter. It’s who she is, and I am incredibly thankful for that. I am sure my life without Flora would have been much grimmer.

“Did Flora want to rest a bit?” Emilia asks me when I join the others.

“Yes,” I say. “She wanted a moment to herself. Also, we will have more visitors soon. Janice will come, and Jace, but also our little beta.”

“I can’t believe your tiny, little baby already has a beta,” Vincent mutters. “Can’t even talk or walk yet, but he already got that one right.”

“He clearly has the charisma of his father,” I say earnestly.

The others laugh while Vincent rolls his eyes at me. “Yeah, right, let’s hope he will also have your modesty.”

Before I can answer, I can hear light footsteps approaching, and a dark-haired boy with green eyes peeks into the room. “I know I am early, Alpha,” he exclaims, blushing furiously. “But I couldn’t wait.”

“You can help us with dinner,” Geneva says. “The luna and her son are resting.”

Dante looks bummed, but when Vincent pulls him along to help put together a little playhouse, he and Calvin bought for Liam, he is all happy again. The way the bond to our betas works is so fascinating, even more so to see it at such a young age.

“Where is Beta Calvin?” Emilia asks when we are finished with our dinner preparations for the evening. Flora and I usually eat with the pack, but after Liam’s birth, for the first couple of weeks, we want to stay a bit more private.

“He took over Vincent’s duties for the day,” I say.

“He volunteered,” Vincent calls towards us while showing Dante how to put the wooden pieces of the little house together.

“I don’t think this type of gathering is to his liking,” I chuckle.

“I am certainly not complaining if it means I can join you instead,” Vincent says.

“Come everyone,” Geneva commands. “Dinner is ready.”

“I will go and pick up Flora,” I say. “If she is too tired to join us, I will eat with her.”

Before entering our private living room again, I make sure it’s silent and I am not disturbing anything. When I come inside, Flora is sitting in a rocking chair, gently rocking Liam who is deeply asleep. I need a moment to take in this peaceful picture, and to realize that this is my mate and my baby, and that it’s all very real.

This is my life.