19. Epilogue

JASPER

S pring has finally warmed and the morning air has lost its bite. The river’s water flow increases as the snow at higher elevations melts. It’s my favorite time of year, as the deer bear their calves and the deciduous trees sprout millions of new leaves.

Marigold stands beside me, her hair gleaming and her eyes bright. I smooth my fingers through my mate’s hair, happy she left it loose today. Around us, star-shaped yellow wildflowers bloom - marsh marigolds. Their leaves are glossy green and heart-shaped.

Ahead of us, Hazel and Slate step toward the water’s edge, hand in hand. Confidence ripples off them, reassuring the pack members gathered behind them .

Sienna stands on the opposite side of the creek, within her own territory. Beside her stands a towering wolf I recognize as Orion. His clenched jaw shows a measure of anger, but he stays silent. He was a Zeta when I left the pack, but the way he stands beside my mother gives me pause. Sienna prefers to surround herself with the most vicious wolves, but after losing Ferris, maybe she went for brute strength.

Behind Sienna, my sister Ember stands with her hands clasped behind her. Her smile is a poor imitation of our mothers, sly but also full of violent promises that Sienna hides better.

Ember’s future mate, Hawk, has his arm around her waist, though there is space between their bodies. She’s only six months away from becoming an adult and his claim still stands. I glare at his freckled face. My sister may be unpredictable and dangerous, but saddling her with a mate the moment she becomes an adult won’t help anything.

“So what did you want to discuss?” Hazel demands, raising her chin. Slate’s hands rest on her hips as he stands slightly behind her, a smug look on his face.

“Peace, of course,” Sienna replies.

“That would be at odds with your prior actions, Alpha,” Hazel says.

Slate dips his head and places a kiss on the stretch of her exposed shoulder, right over his claim mark. It’s a reminder and a challenge.

“I hope you will believe me when I say that Ferris was the driving force behind our grievous assault on your territory,” she says. We all know that’s bullshit. “I would appreciate it if we could sit down and outline what restitution we can make. I want to move forward as allies.”

“It takes time to build trust. And you have many years of deceit,” Slate says, his voice low.

Hazel chews on her lip, glancing up at her mate. He nods, ending their silent conversation, and says, “But we will meet with you.”

The tension lowers, though no one truly lets down their guard. Hazel leads Sienna toward the shallow end of this stretch of creek so they can stand ankle-deep and discuss matters privately. Sienna looks as if she’s smelled something disgusting as she steps into the water and I want to laugh.

As the three Alphas speak quietly, I approach my sister. Stepping off a flat rock, I stop a few feet from her. Ember stands stiffly, her obsidian irises cold as she regards me.

“How are you doing?” I ask.

She idolized both of our parents so Ferris’s death must be difficult for her. It doesn’t surprise me that she sees Sienna’s actions as a betrayal, leaving her without a parent she can trust.

Her voice is hoarse and full of malice. “What do you care?”

“He was my father too,” I reply, my tone a soft reminder.

Ember’s nose wrinkles as she sneers. “I believe he said otherwise after you objectively failed the pack. ”

“Are you on speaking terms with mom?” I ask, nodding toward Sienna.

She decides not to answer. Instead, her hand goes to Hawk’s wrist. “Someday I will be Alpha, and you will only be,” she pauses, “what you are now.” Her disdain is a physical weight, but I let it slide off of me.

“Happy?” I supply.

“Pathetic.” She turns her nose up.

There’s no sense in telling her that I’m now Beta. It wouldn’t make a difference, and it’s not the driving factor in my happiness or my sense of success.

“You are still my sister. If you need me, you can call, and I’ll answer,” I say, even though she pretends not to hear me.

Hawk regards me, the same indecision on his face as during our fight to reclaim our territory.

“Take care of her. If you hurt her, I will destroy you,” I growl. He doesn’t flinch, just regards me coolly. It still makes me uneasy to not know this male so close to my sister.

Ember’s hand releases Hawk’s as she turns away. Her nails are a sharp, black manicure against the white of her fingers as her fists clench.

I hope it’s not the last time I see my sister. But just in case, I want to leave nothing unsaid. “Ember, I love you.”

“Eat shit,” she growls under her breath.

Exhaling sharply, I turn away. Marigold’s blue-green eyes are full of concern as I make my way back to her, stepping from rock to rock. “That didn’t sound good. ”

Sighing, I pull her close. “She’s angry. She’s always angry. But her world is upside down right now.” She nods sympathetically. “Honestly, I’m worried what she’ll do,” I murmur against her ear.

“It’ll be okay,” she reassures me.

“I hope so. My father controlled her, and now with only my mother… I don’t know.”

Her hands tighten on my biceps. “You’ve done everything you can. Nothing that happens is on you.” Her words help, but it’s her sweet smile that breaks through my worry.

“Jasper,” Hazel calls. She signals me to come over.

I stride toward them, slowing as the shallow water ripples around my ankles. Sienna’s smile thins as I approach.

“You know our Beta,” Hazel says with a vindictive smile. “Jasper, could you take some notes for us? I’d like your feedback.”

“Of course,” I say, pulling out my phone. She doesn’t need notes from me, but she wants Sienna to see my new position. To show her that she was wrong. I busy myself typing into my notes app, resisting the urge to look up at my mother.

“Sienna, please continue,” Hazel says.

She pauses for a moment before continuing to list her proposal. Every time Hazel interrupts her and asks my opinion on something, I can see her seething.

After the second polite disagreement, Slate says, “I think we need to revisit this tomorrow. I’m not sure we will get much more accomplished today. It’s getting late.”

“If you insist,” Sienna says, bristling. “I’ll expect your call.” She addresses only Slate, clearly done with Hazel and I.

“Thank you, have a good evening,” Hazel says softly. Sienna tosses her hair and leads her wolves away.

“I think this calls for a celebration. Game night at our house?” Hazel says.

“After pack dinner,” Slate adds, taking her hand as we cross back to our side of the boundary.

“Let me check with Marigold, but I’m sure she’ll be happy,” I say, going to my mate as we reach our companions.

“Alright, let’s head home,” Slate says, raising his voice for our entire team. With sure steps, he leads the way up the hill and into the trees.

Marigold squeezes my hand, her body brushing against mine as we walk. It’ll take at least thirty or forty minutes to walk back, but the company is so pleasant, I wouldn’t mind if it was longer.

“How’d it go?” Marigold asks.

“Well, I think. It’s hard to tell,” I say, thinking. “Hazel and Slate kept Sienna off balance, so that was good.”

She grins at me viciously. “I hope they knocked her on her ass.”

Chuckling, I raise her arm and kiss her knuckles. “You’re a violent little thing.”

“I think you like it,” she purrs .

“I like everything about you,” I reply, my voice low. Her back muscles tense as she shivers lightly. Our steps have slowed, putting us at the back of the pack. Gently, I tug her to a halt.

“What?” She cocks her head, looking between me and our packmates disappearing between the trees.

“Nothing,” I say. Marigold wrinkles her nose. “When we get back, it’ll be dinner and then Hazel invited us over for a game night. If I have to wait hours to taste you, I’m going to lose my mind.”

“Oh,” she says, a faint blush staining her freckled cheeks.

She’s eager for my mouth, slipping her hands around my neck and up into my hair. Our kisses are playful and heady. My blood tingles and sparks, like she’s an electrical charge.

With little pushes, she walks me backwards until my back hits a tree. Her hands tug at my shoulders until I scoop her up under her thighs. With my arms busy lifting her, I’m at her mercy as she slips her cold fingers under the neckline of my shirt and trails her hot mouth down my throat.

She pauses on my circle of scars, the mark of her claim. I can feel her deep satisfaction through our bond.

“I want to take you home,” I breathe. Holding her tight, I push my back off the tree and spin until she’s pressed against it. Her eyes glow blue-green, her lush mouth open in surprise. I lean down, trailing my lips over her ear. “Or maybe I’ll fuck you up against this tree. ”

“As appealing as that sounds, we should go, or we will miss dinner,” she says breathlessly.

“We can eat at home,” I reply, licking her throat. She shudders.

“But I want to go to game night,” she manages to say, the words uneven.

“Alright,” I say, ceasing my torture. Her feet lower to the leaves and I take a half-step back. Mild disappointment swirls between us, and I’m unclear if it’s mine or hers.

Hand in hand, we resume our walk.

“You know what would make game night better?” I ask.

“What?”

“If we got some pickles.”

She snorts, shoving me back. “You’re ridiculous.”

“What? They’re a good snack,” I jest. Her giggle is my favorite sound in the world.

“Okay, let’s go,” she grabs my hand and pulls me forward. Laughter echoes between us as we half-jog half-walk back for the pack dinner.