Epilogue

Epilogue

ALASTAIR

“She’s what?”I scream at the man speaking on the other end of the open phone line as I pace the small space behind my desk. After the news he just shared, I couldn’t stay seated, my wolf is agitated after what she fucking did to him. So, I put the call on speaker and pace, attempting to expel some of the aggressive anger.

My newest spy inside Riley’s small circle informs me that my little wolf is feeling better after her more than two-year drug and alcohol stint and is now preparing to take back the pack. As if I’d allow that, the notion is nearly laughable. Except, he also tells me that Grace is alive, which can only mean one thing. For that alone, I am not laughing, instead, my heart is pounding.

“That’s not possible. I saw her fucking body. I know she’s dead. I fucking watched them put her body in the ground.” They hadn’t had a clue I was there that night. It was the night I met her man, the human. What a joke. I informed him that should he continue down his current path with Riley, I would tear his body apart, one piece at a time with minimal bleeding. Every time he passed out due to pain, I’d pause and wait for him to wake so he wouldn’t miss a moment of our entertaining time together.

“I know the fucking prophecy. I fucking burned her body to ash because of it. This can’t be happening. Why is this fucking happening? Why now, after all this time?” My voice and panic rise with each pronouncement.

“Listen, I don’t know the how and whys of what’s going on. All I know is what I saw, and what I saw was Grace standing in the middle of the fucking living room. How she got there or how she came back from the fucking dead, I don’t know. Something else I do know, though; is I’m done being your errand boy. I’m not doing this anymore, Alastair. I won’t spy on Riley.”

I place my hands in the middle of my desk and lean it. “Is that right?”

“Yeah, I’m done. You can do whatever the fuck you want to me, send your boys back out here to finish the job they started, I don’t fucking care. But I won’t hurt her anymore.”

I’m prepared for this moment; I knew he’d go soft spending time around her. So, I pull up a message I have saved on my phone and hit send. In the silent moment that stretches between us on the phone, a nearly inaudible beep of an incoming message echoes through the speaker, and I respond to his declaration. “I do believe you just received a message, son. You may want to change the tune of your song after seeing that. Go ahead and check it, I’ll wait.”

A heartbeat passes, and a string of curses spill from the speaker on the desk from the other end of the line. “Sweet music to my ears. Now, do you want to change your stance on the matter? I really am a reasonable guy, you see, and I am willing to give you a second chance here. But, son, there will not be a third.”

“Fuck you, Alastair. If you lay even one finger on either of them … I swear to the gods.” I do believe he is mad. The smirk that plays across my face is devilish.

“Just do your job. I promise, if you do that, they will continue to live quiet and stable lives. With the mountain of medical bills being taken care of and regular weekly stipends for living expenses. If you want them to continue to be taken care of, you will stay near Riley and report back to me. On the other hand.…” I let the threat hang in the air, let his imagination run wild with worst case scenarios of what I’ll do to those he loves. I always get what I want. Right now, that’s Riley. We have unfinished business to take care of.

Riley and her mates will return in

Mortals and Mayhem | Book Two