Epilogue

Levi

The air was frigid, the frozen leaves beneath my heavy boots crunched loudly with every step I took, and my breath came out in white puffs. My cheeks hurt from the cold and the icy sea spray that always seemed to cling to the air felt like daggers piercing my skin.

We hiked through the woods, following an invisible path—or rather, an invisible line . The barest hint of a trail was the only visible sign that this specific route was frequented regularly, but if you didn't know what you were looking for, you'd never find it. As it was, it looked like larger animals came by regularly.

Which, yeah, was kind of correct. Rhett's enforcers patrolled the barrier in shifted form, so the path was formed by the paws of wolves, bears, mountain lions, foxes, and even an honest to god lion.

Inhaling deeply, I could almost taste the magic in the air. It was like a static hum, an electric tingling that intensified the closer I got to the invisible wall of magic that was the barrier.

"It feels stronger today," I whispered, casting a short glance at Rhett who was trotting along next to me, his tongue lolling out of his snout. I didn't know how it was possible with how cold it was, but warmth radiated off of him.

He couldn't answer, not while in wolf form, but he nodded, yipping in agreement.

We followed the path further along, trying to find out if the barrier was particularly strong at a specific location, but the vibrations inside of me were even unless I took a step towards the barrier.

It'd been a fascinating development to find out that mating Rhett had extended his bond with the barrier to me. No one knew why. We'd asked. Gray. The elders. Other packs. No one had an answer besides that it shouldn't be possible.

Alas, here we were, the vibrations inside my chest getting stronger and stronger the more time I spent at the barrier feeling for it, connecting with it. Which was why I spent at least two days a week hiking along the different parts of the barrier for hours.

"Have I ever mentioned that I'm not much of an outdoor person?" I asked my mate as I shivered. It was fucking cold, and Nix swore up and down that he could already taste snow in the air.

Wolfie huffed, and his breath turned into a white cloud in front of him.

Yeah, if someone looked at me now, they wouldn't believe my words. All of my clothes were purchased in the local outdoor store, from my pair of hiking boots to the woolen hat. I could do a photo shoot as the poster boy for outdoor wear right this second.

I even had bear spray attached to my belt. Yes, bears were in hibernation, and Rhett said big predators tended to avoid packlands, but he demanded I always carry some with me—just in case. Because I was human and bear spray wasn't just good for chasing away bears, but apparently worked wonders on shifters, too.

I wouldn't know. I'd never had to try it.

Everyone in this pack was amazing. From the moment they'd found out I was Rhett's mate, they'd been nothing but welcoming. I'd been invited to join the knitting circle, the book club, the gardening club. I'd been asked if I wanted to start playing cards with a couple of guys. Hell, even the teenagers had asked if I wanted to participate in game nights because I was barely older than a teen.

Rhett'd laughed his ass off when I'd admitted that the teenagers' offer had been the one I was tempted to accept the most.

Taking another deep breath, I gently pushed those thoughts away for later. Right now, I had a job to do. As I closed my eyes, I reached out for Rhett and grabbed his fur. The outer layer was coarse and cold, but the undercoat was warm and so incredibly soft to the touch. His warmth seeped into me and the bond between us helped me relax and focus on the task at hand.

I extended my senses, mentally following my bond with the barrier, until I felt the telltale tingling getting stronger and stronger. And stronger. Drawing in a harsh breath, I opened my eyes.

Rhett was watching me intently, warm brown eyes trained solely on me, his massive head cocked to the side.

"Either my bond to the barrier is getting stronger or the barrier is," I whispered. I always whispered during our rounds. I didn't know why, it just… felt right.

The forest was quiet and loud at the same time. There were always animals rustling in the underbrush. I could hear the faint crashing of waves on the shore and the wind rustling through the trees, but the usual noise pollution of civilization was missing.

No cars, no people talking, nothing.

"Can you feel it, too?"

I watched Wolfie close his eyes for a while. It was still weird to see this giant wolf act so human. Well, he was human and my soulmate at that, but still. At least it'd stopped making my brain hurt, but I think part of me would forever be confused at the sight.

Our bond pulsed, and then Rhett opened his eyes back up. He didn't say anything, he couldn't, but I sensed him agreeing to me through our bond.

I smiled at him and picked up my pace again. The ocean was close, which meant we were almost done.

"It's still weird coming back here, you know?" I told Rhett, and smiled at him as he cocked his head at me. "The beach, I mean. Or rather, this part of the beach."

God, I was rambling again. But by now, Rhett was used to it.

"I can't help but think about what would've happened to me if you hadn't found me that day. What would've happened if a real wolf had emerged from the woods? Or if no one had found me at all? So… even though I love the view of the Pacific, sometimes it's haunting because I still remember their boat getting smaller and smaller, leaving me alone and desperate. At the same time, the beach is where we first met."

We broke through the tree line, and the view of the ocean opened up in front of me. A strip of sand, dark rocks, huge pieces of driftwood, and the dark bluish-grey ocean stretching behind the beach. The sea spray of the forceful waves hit me right in the face, and a cold shiver ran down my spine.

Wolfie yipped at me, and I pulled the backpack off my back and held one of the straps out for Rhett to take. With the backpack dangling from his mouth, Rhett ran back into the woods to shift.

Meanwhile, I started heading over to a fallen tree that'd been washed ashore a couple of weeks ago.

Climbing on top of it, I looked out at the ocean and took a deep, calming breath as the feeling of desperation threatened to overtake me. I had nothing to be afraid of. I wasn't alone, and I'd never would be.

"You know," I shouted, confident Rhett would be able to hear me over the crashing waves, "It's kind of stupid that you're hiding to shift. It's not like I haven't seen you naked plenty of times."

Though not enough. I wouldn't ever have seen him naked often enough.

I didn't get an answer, or maybe I did, but couldn't hear it. It wasn't that urgent, anyway, just a thought that'd sprung to my mind.

I heard footsteps coming closer and a couple of seconds later Rhett's strong arms wrapped around my waist, and he placed his chin on my shoulder, following my gaze.

"I could shift on the beach," he whispered in my ear. Heat pooled low in my gut as his hot breath fanned over the side of my neck, my mate mark tingling. "But I like not getting hit by the sea spray full force. No one wants to feel as if their dick is attacked by a myriad of tiny needles. If you want to, I can start shifting for you on the beach in the summer."

Tilting my head back, I closed my eyes and inhaled deeply while trying to absorb as much of Rhett's warmth as possible.

"You know, I'd much prefer for you to shift in the middle of the woods for me during summer. On a clearing, far, far away from prying eyes and ears. Somewhere where it's just us. And maybe a blanket—I don't want pine needles to poke me in the butt."

"Why would… ohh." Rhett laughed, but I felt arousal pulsing through our bond. "You want to fuck outside?"

"Not now," I clarified. "In summer. When it's warm. Me warm, not you warm."

My mate's cock pressed against my back, and I had to hold back a giggle as heat pooled in my gut. "Quit it," I said, lightly slapping his arm. "I'm not going to get naked with you now, or I'll turn into an icicle on the spot."

Rhett pulled me even closer to him. "I know," he whispered. "You're always cold. That's why I joined the knitting circle—I have to make sure I can keep you warm. And if I can't do so by sharing my body heat, I'll equip you with knitted hats, scarves, and maybe even sweaters. Oh… and I talked to Gray about possibly getting a couple of sheep."

"Sheep?"

"For wool." Rhett sounded excited.

My heart somersaulted in my chest. "You want to buy sheep so you can harvest their wool to make sweaters for me?" Not gonna lie, at the end of the sentence, my voice went up at least an octave.

But holy shit—who did that?

My mate. That's who.

Tears were welling up in my eyes, but I swallowed them down and just reveled in the warm, tingling feeling that spread through my whole body. Rhett was so thoughtful. So incredibly thoughtful.

"Not just for wool. It started out that way, yes, but when I started reading up on it, I actually discovered that keeping sheep might be really beneficial for the pack. For one, we wouldn't just get wool, but milk and possibly even meat, too, even though I'm not so sure about eating the sheep we keep."

I smiled. If Rhett was the one responsible for keeping the sheep, there would be no slaughtering them. I'd seen him tend to his bees and plants. He was so gentle with both, taking care of every single plant with incredible care and patience. There was no chance in hell he'd ever slaughter a sheep after he'd been emotionally invested in caring for it.

"That sounds like a good idea. Hey, I know of a guy who makes amazing soaps. He has this one soap with honey and sheep's milk that does wonders for my skin. So… if we start keeping sheep around, maybe we could look into making sheep's milk soap to sell at the farmer's market or online? It could be another stream of income for the pack?"

One moment, I had my head resting against Rhett's, the next he was carefully turning my head and kissing me, his lips searingly hot against mine.

"I love you, Levi," he whispered against my lips, his hot breath fanning over my face. "I love you so much. I've loved you since the first time we met, but my love for you keeps growing with every second that passes. I can't believe I lucked out like this, finding someone who always supports my ideas, no matter how ludicrous they sound."

Smiling, I pressed my lips back to his, enjoying the tingling that spread through my body, and the way of our bond pulsing in my chest.

"I love you, too. And I'll always support you. But if you think about it, your idea really isn't that ludicrous at all. The pack already keeps chickens and bees, after all. What's a couple of sheep more?"

Rhett laughed. "I guess you're right."

He faced the ocean again and stared out at the open sea for a while, keeping quiet, seemingly deep in thought. I wasn't worried. I could feel him practically brimming with excitement.

"Have I mentioned that keeping sheep is amazing for biodiversity? I've read all about it. It's truly fascinating. For example, they eliminate up to six thousand seeds with their feces a day, which, obviously, is amazing to distribute locally growing plants naturally. Also, they keep the grass short and…"

Laughing quietly, I squeezed the arm he'd still wrapped around my middle. "You really thought this through, huh?"

"Yes, of course."

"Perfect. So, what do you think? Shall we head back home and start putting together a presentation for Grey?"

Because I would do everything for this man—even creating PowerPoints on why keeping sheep for their shit was a good idea.

Rhett made a step back, so I jumped down from the tree trunk and slid my hand into his bigger—and much warmer—one, lacing our fingers. Lightly squeezing, we turned our back to the ocean and started walking back towards the forest.

The ATV was waiting for us a couple of miles ahead, and I didn't doubt we'd drive straight back home to cuddle up on our couch and work on a presentation we didn't really need, because Gray was Rhett's best friend and knew him well enough to know that Rhett wouldn't even propose such an investment without having a plan. I didn't care. Rhett would feel better if he had a written proposal or presentation ready, so that's what we'd do. Maybe we could watch a movie later in the evening.

Passing the tree line, I followed Rhett, trusting he'd lead the way. There were no paths here, just miles upon miles of wild woods. The scent of moss hung in the air, and the wind rustled through the remaining leaves that refused to fall.

Suddenly, a tidal wave of ice water crashed into me. I heard myself gasping, as panic spread through my body, lighting every single nerve ending on fire, every muscle tensed, just waiting to react to a threat I couldn't even see.

"Rhett?" I gasped, clutching my chest with my free hand. I'd never felt like this before.

My body wanted to run, wanted me to turn to the left and make a run for it, to give chase, to hunt…

"Yes," Rhett growled, his eyes flashing. "I feel it, too. There are intruders in our territory—and they don't have good intentions." A vicious snarl escaped his throat and his body began convulsing as his shift took over. "Call Gray!" he ordered, his voice barely human. His hand slipped from my grip. His clothes ripped, and within a second, Rhett was gone, and Wolfie was standing in his spot, tilting his head to the sky and letting out an ear-piercingly loud howl.

Goosebumps erupted all over my body, and a shiver wrecked me at the same time.

I fumbled for my phone, punching the lock code in, while one sentence was playing on repeat in my mind:

What the hell was happening.

The End