Epilogue

Afew weeks later.

The wedding ceremony had gone by in the blink of an eye for Aaden. Before he knew it, he and Lilith were married and then they were surrounded by all their friends and families, their clansmen and women, everyone they loved and held dear. The great hall of Castle Stewart had been decorated with banners and flowers, Laird Stewart sparing no expense for his daughter's wedding, and the tables that had been set up for the guests seemed to buckle under the weight of the platters set upon them—roasted meat and pies and sweets, all of it laid out for the celebration in honor of the couple.

Laird Stewart's band, the very same one Aaden had talked into helping him when he had serenaded Lilith, were now playing a jovial tune and some people danced in the area that had been cleared for them, a blur of color and limbs. Though Aaden had spent most of the evening with Lilith, she now stood across the room, talking with her sister excitedly about something Aaden had no hope of hearing from where he sat at the head table, next to his mother. Just seeing her, though, had a warmth spreading in his chest, as though he were standing right next to a burning flame.

She was always beautiful, but that day, she looked particularly radiant in her blue dress, her neck and wrists adorned with jewels, her hair spilling like ink down her back. Aaden could not stop watching her, his gaze drawn back to Lilith over and over again, even when he talked to someone else.

"Ye love her very much."

It wasn't a question. His mother could tell just by looking at him, just by seeing the way he was looking at Lilith. When he shifted his gaze to her, she smiled and reached over to stroke his hair, fussing over him just like he remembered her doing when he was a boy.

"I dae," Aaden said, even though he didn't need to confirm it. "I never thought I would find a lass like her."

"I'm glad ye did," his mother said. "Ach, I'm so proud o' me laddies."

Next to her, Evander smiled, leaning a little closer to her. There was still a bit of a strain to it, as though smiling pained him still, and he followed their mother around like a puppy, always fearful that something had happened to her when she was not in his line of sight, but he seemed to be getting better with every passing day.

"I'm very proud o' ye, Evander," their mother added. "Ye're already doin' so well. Ye'll be the laird our clan needs."

"If ye need help with anythin' at all, all ye need tae dae is ask," Aaden told him and he truly meant every word. Though Ruadh had prepared him for the day he would take on the mantle of the laird, Aaden didn't know how good o a job he had done, and now Evander had few trusted men who could guide him in his first years as the Laird of Clan MacEwan. The death of his father had left everything in disarray, and along with the lack of gold and the debts, Evander had a difficult road ahead of him. But he didn't have to go through it all alone.

"Thank ye," Evander said, tilting his head in a gesture of gratitude. "But I must dae this alone or at least try, at first. Faither—" He stumbled over the word, but then quickly recovered, taking a deep breath. "He taught me some valuable things, but I willnae be like him and I must learn tae lead the clan on me own."

Aaden nodded. He could respect that, this desire to carve his own way, to rise up to the circumstances without anyone's help. Still, his offer would stand if Evander ever needed him.

"Excuse me."

Laird Stewart's voice cut through their conversation and the three of them turned to look at the man. He was glowing with happiness and Aaden knew it was all because when he looked at his daughter, he saw that she, too, was happy.

Aaden pushed his chair back, under the impression that the laird wanted to speak with him, but the man was only looking at his mother.

"I wanted tae ask if I could perhaps have the next dance," he said, offering her his hand.

Aaden froze. For a moment, he could only move his eyes, glancing at Evander behind their mother's back. He, too, was just as shocked as him, his eyes wide.

"A dance?" their mother asked, blinking in surprise. Just when Aaden thought she would never respond, she smiled and took the hand offered to her, following Laird Stewart to where everyone else was already dancing the night away.

The moment they were gone, Aaden's and Evander's gazes met once more and they both burst out laughing, trying to stifle the sound behind their hands. It took them a while to get back their composure, chuckles still escaping them every few moments, but when they did, Aaden slapped a hand on Evander's shoulder and stood.

"I'll find Gilchrist," he said. "An' ye, ye should try an' see if ye can find a nice lass now that ye're a laird."

"I think I'll stay away from lasses fer a while," Evander said, much to Aaden's surprise. "I think it's best if I focus on the clan."

Well… who would have thought Evander would ever say such a thing?

"Aye," said Aaden. "Aye, I think ye're right."

The celebrations were only just starting, it seemed to Lilith, even though it had already been hours since the feast had begun. She had spent the first part of the evening with Aaden, the two of them going around the room to greet their guests and then dancing a few songs, before they separated, Lilith drawn to one end of the room and Aaden to the other. They still seemed to orbit each other, though, their gazes drawn together every now and then, searching.

"Evander is doin' well, it seems," Lilith said as she and Freya looked over to him where he now sat alone, both Aaden and his mother having left. Any other day, Lilith would have sent someone to keep him company, fearing that if she left him alone for too long, he would start thinking about his father, but now he seemed serene, content with being left alone for a while.

It hadn't been long since Lilith had hated the mere sight of him, resenting him for every lie he had told her sister, but now her heart had softened. He, too, was one of Laird MacEwan's victims. He had been raised by a terrible, cruel man, and yet he had still managed to come out better than he could have.

Lilith hadn't forgiven him for everything just yet. If she had been the one to be wronged, perhaps she would have been more willing to forgive him, but instead, he had wronged her sister and that was a harder thing to forgive. And yet she couldn't help but think of him as family now, as a little brother who needed her to look after him.

"He is," Freya confirmed. "He even came tae me an' apologized."

"He did?" Though Evander had apologized to Lilith, she had thought that perhaps he would find it too difficult, too humbling to apologize to Freya, as well.

"Och aye," said Freya. "He said he is very sorry fer how he treated me an' that he behaved terribly an' that he understands if I never forgive him."

"An' what did ye tell him?"

"I forgave him," Freya said. She wasn't one to hold grudges, after all. That was Lilith's specialty. "I feel bad fer him, he's already been through so much. I didnae want him tae think that I hate him on top o' everythin' else."

Even so, Lilith knew Freya would never reconsider marrying Evander. There had been no discussion of it, Freya finding it only natural to cancel the engagement and Evander putting up no resistance.

"What will ye dae now, then?" Lilith asked. "I'm nae sayin' that ye must wed, but dae ye still wish tae find a husband?"

"I dae," said Freya with a small smile. "Dinnae fash, I havenae given up on love. I'll find someone, eventually."

"Well, I certainly hope he will be better than the last one," said Lilith.

She had barely managed to end her sentence before Cameron slid up next to them. He was dressed in his formal attire, his wide, brown eyes twinkling under the light of the candles—eyes that, predictably, only looked at Freya.

Ach, Freya, the best option fer a husband is right in front o' yer eyes!

However, as Freya looked up at him, taking his hand to let him lead her towards the other dancers, Lilith instantly noticed the way her cheeks reddened, her lips parting around a soft gasp. They walked off together, and Lilith couldn't help but laugh, shaking her head to herself.

Perhaps finally Freya would come to her senses.

"What is so funny?"

Aaden's arms wrapped around Lilith's waist and he pressed himself against her back, holding her close. Lilith leaned against him with a content sigh, letting her eyes fall shut for a moment.

"Naething," she said. "Or, I suppose we will see."

Aaden gave her a curious look but said nothing. He only craned his neck to kiss her, the gesture little more than a peck on the lips.

"Aaden!"

It was a voice Lilith had come to know well in the past few days, ever since Gilchrist and his entourage had arrived at Castle Stewart. He was there with his wife, Kyven, and their baby boy, and his brothers, Brayden and Tynan. Their friends, Elliot and Fiadh, were there, as well, all of them there to congratulate the couple.

"I cannae believe ye're finally married," Gilchrist told Aaden as he grabbed him by the shoulders and pulled him into the seat next to him. Kyven looked at him with fond exasperation, giving her husband a gentle push.

"Dinnae tease him," she said. "It's his weddin' day."

"Yet more reason tae tease him," Glchrist said. "This is the very man who insisted he would never wed. This is the man who told me he loved his freedom too much tae wed, an' look at him now."

"Well, people change," said Aaden with a small shrug. "Perhaps I was a fool tae insist."

"Or perhaps I managed tae tame ye," Lilith said with a wicked grin. "Everyone thought o' ye as untamable, but it wasnae that difficult."

"I think it was I who tamed ye," Aaden countered. "Did ye ken they used tae call her Snow Lass because she was supposed tae be cold an' unapproachable? Nae one thought they could tame the Snow Lass."

"Dinnae make the mistake o' thinkin' ye've tamed me, husband," Lilith teased. "Simply because I married ye, it doesnae mean anythin' will change."

"Ach, I have yet tae melt yer snow heart, I see," Aaden said, standing once more to pull her into a crushing hug, lifting her off the floor despite her many protests.

"Aaden!" she shrieked, her legs flailing underneath her. "Put me down!"

"Nay," said Aaden. He hardly even seemed to struggle to hold her, even as she tried her best to dislodge her arms from his grip and push him off. "I think I'll hold ye like this until I manage tae tame ye. If ye'll excuse me, I'd like a few moments alone with me wife now."

Everyone at the table laughed as Aaden carried Lilith off, and after a few moments, she resigned herself to her fate, sagging against Aaden. He adjusted his grip on her and grinned from ear to ear, the expression so infuriating that Lilith wanted to either slap it off his face or kiss him until he forgot how to do anything else.

"Ye're infuriatin', dae ye ken that?" she asked as Aaden carried her through the corridors and out into the courtyard. "Where are ye takin' me?"

Aaden hummed, giving her no response to her first question. "Ye'll see."

After a few minutes of walking, Aaden came to a halt and Lilith looked around her to see that he had taken her to the lake. That first night they had shared rushed back to her, the memories making her blood simmer hot under her skin, her lust flaring. It was only then that Aaden put her down, though he still held her even as her feet touched the ground.

"I would never dream o' tamin' ye," he whispered in her ear, his warm breath tickling her skin. "I like ye like this, feisty."

"Then at least that means yer nae a fool," Lilith said, tilting her head to capture his lips in a kiss. Her arms reached up, wrapping around Aaden's neck, and she pressed her body closer until they were flush together. "Nay wise man would ever think o' tamin' me."

They kissed again, slow and unhurried, even though Lilith knew they would eventually have to return to the festivities. The world inside the castle felt far away now, though, and the only thing that mattered were the two of them, that moment they were sharing together.

Lilith never wanted to leave, and she realized that she would never have to. They were married now; nothing could tear them apart.