Epilogue

As the golden rays of the setting sun filtered through the dense canopy of the forest, we gathered in a clearing deep within the Clover pack territory. It was almost summer, a babbling river just a few yards from us, birds chittering in the air, and there was only one thing I was absolutely certain of in this moment.

I was so nervous I might shit myself.

Shifters and fae had come in droves, hundreds of them packed tightly into the clearing, some standing on rocks and boulders, climbing trees just so they could get a good glimpse of the ceremony.

Ourceremony.

Callan looked calm and confident, but I had gotten very good at reading our bond over the last six months, and he was also freaking out, not that he would ever tell anyone that, myself included.

Heat burned in my veins as I looked at him, the mating moon in the sky starting to rise as the sun went down. It would be a few hours before it was at its most effect, but just the hint of it had a natural flush on my face that had nothing to do with the weather.

At the center of the clearing stood a simple wooden altar, adorned with fresh greenery and hand-picked flowers. Lily and Nia had done a beautiful job.

They split time between Clover and faerie, but they wouldn't have missed this for the world. I spared a glance at them where they stood, front and center next to Oliver and Eldrin, and I smiled.

After a lot of research and discussion, Oliver had found a way to leverage Lily's mate bond fertility, with the help of a very generous water fae donor. Her baby bump was adorable, her hand permanently resting on the swell.

She glowed, more than she usually did, and I couldn't have been more happy for them. Nia's head was adorned with a simple crown, which she'd made when she melted down a ghastly throne she had found in Tantaii's castle. She'd turned it into something beautiful, an intricate golden circlet with simple yet elegant jeweled accents.

She made a wonderful queen.

Wolfe stood at the altar with us, wearing a simple black suit that hugged him in all the right places. He looked good, the stress of Nexus pack never quite leaving him, but he'd done a wonderful job so far of turning them around. Still, I don't know if his work would ever truly be over.

I stood across from Callan, my heart aflutter with so many feelings I didn't even know where to start. I swallowed hard as I looked at him, knowing if I puked in front of this many people I would never live it down.

He wore a suit of pure midnight black, the depth of the color making his eyes pop more than I'd ever seen them. I hadn't known what was normally worn at a shifter mate ceremony, but Lily had taken pity on me and taken me shopping.

White wasn't the go-to color for shifters, given how after the ceremony we would all get naked and run through the forest as animals, and that was an easy way to ruin your clothes.

Instead, I'd opted for a flowing, forest green gown, the same shade of green as the night Callan and I had first connected under the mating moon. The short sleeves fluttered lightly in the gentle breeze, my hair cascading around my shoulders in loose curls that Lily had expertly styled.

"Brothers and sisters of the pack, and our Fae counterparts," Wolfe began, his voice carrying through the forest with ease. "Today, under the watchful gaze of the mating moon, we gather to witness the union of these two souls. A bond that transcends realms and lifetimes, a bond broken only in death. Written in the stars, and woven by fate."

He turned his gaze to first Callan, than me, his expression softening as he looked at us with pride. Despite Wolfe's presence, Callan's eyes never left mine, and a blush crept up my cheeks at his intensity. "Callan, alpha of the Clover pack, and Rowan, beta of the Clover pack. True mates. You stand before us today to pledge your love and loyalty to one another."

Old Rowan would have turned around and run at words like that. Run as far as my little bunny legs would take me. But I wasn't that girl either anymore. I wasn't Olette, I wasn't the Rowan that avoided everything.

I was someone else entirely now, and the thought at spending forever with Callan made warmth spread throughout my entire body. From the tips of my toes to the very last hair on my head.

Wolfe reached out, his hands clasping a shimmering silver cord of rope. "Let this rope be the physical representation of the bond you share together. An unbreakable testament to the strength of your love and the power of your union."

He draped the cord around our hands, his touch gentle but firm as he weaved a pattern between us, tying our hands together with a light flourish. He stepped back slightly, looking to Callan first. "Callan, do you accept Rowan as your mate? For eternity, and whatever may come after that?"

"I do," he said, and I found it hard to breathe. Never in a million years did I think I would have been standing up here with him like this.

"Great!" he exclaimed, rousing a chuckle from everyone watching. "And Rowan, do you accept Callan as your mate? For eternity, and whatever come after that?"

I paused before answering, licking my lips slightly before I smiled wide at Callan. At my mate. At the man who had chosen me, even when thought we'd never be together. When he thought there was another mate out there in the world, waiting for me.

He was mine.

"I do," I answered finally.

The silver cord began to glow with a soft light at my words, and Wolfe raised his gaze to the heavens, his words sounding more like a prayer than a blessing. "May their love shine as brightly as the fates themselves."

With that, Wolfe lowered his hands, his eyes meeting ours briefly, filled with love and admiration. Then he reached out, his hand coming to undo the rope around our wrists and setting us free. "You may now kiss your mate."

Callan didn't hesitate, leaning forward, his arm snaking around the small of my back and pulling me flush against him. He didn't need the mating moon to get me all hot and bothered, but it didn't help as he pressed his lips against mine. He demanded I surrender, his tongue entangling with mine as the rest of our audience jeered and laughed, celebrating.

When we finally came up for air, I looked out at the crowd with my face blushing brightly, so full of happiness I thought I might explode. I looked out at my family. The people that had gathered to watch us, the love and support radiating from everyone as they welcomed our pairing with open arms, no matter what our pasts looked like.

This was where I was meant to be.

Finally, I was home.