Epilogue - Winter

Pack meetings were the same, time after time, three days after Christopher's escape. Nothing to report save for a lack of finding him.

Winter's heart sank every time. Having tried the locator spell again more times than she could count, searching for other things in the basement she might be able to use to get even an inkling of where he might be, she felt hopeless.

But seeing the looks of failure on those around her, she didn't feel quite so alone.

If a pack full of werewolves couldn't locate even one man, how was she ever supposed to compete?

“What are we supposed to do?” Kane asked as they sat around the dining table, Jack at the head looking just as defeated as the rest of them.

“There isn't much we can do,” he admitted, shaking his head, his eyes low to the table as if he couldn't bring himself to meet anybody’s gaze.

Eddie squeezed Winter’s hand as they awaited the orders of their leader.

It still felt odd to Winter. To be allowed into a werewolf pack's private meetings was an honor, yet she still felt a little out of place. Only Eddie’s grip on her was reassuring, as she still felt the eyes of several members watching her warily.

After all she had done for them, she knew it was still going to take some time for them to totally trust her, but it was still pretty damn painful.

“All we can do is stay alert,” Jack said, and Winter noticed the tension in his jaw. The stress this had to be putting on the alpha was immeasurable. She could only imagine how her mother might be responding if this were something to do with the coven.

“Maybe we should widen the search?” Will suggested. “If he's gone back to his pack, we still need to find him. At least then we'll know he isn't still in town.”

“It's too great a risk,” Jack said, rubbing his chin. “His pack lies outside the protection spell. We raised it for a reason. I won't put my pack in danger any more than we need to be.”

“Then what are we supposed to do?” Zander asked. The beta looked just as stressed as the alpha. Both of them had dark circles beneath their eyes, as if they hadn't slept for days.

“We can't go on like this,” Bonnie announced, reaching out from where she sat beside her mate to lay a hand on his shoulder. The alpha looked at her with gratitude at the supportive touch.

“Bonnie is right. There is too much to be done in town to give up all our resources to this search any longer,” Jack said, sighing deeply. “For now, all we can do is go back to normal, or at least as much as possible. Only time will tell exactly what Christopher’s plan is, if he even has one.”

“Christopher always has a plan. That pack is always out to make trouble.” The grumbling words came from Hanson, who sat across the table, his own hand clasping Elena's in a way that almost looked painful. His anger and frustration were clear.

Winter sighed, feeling sorry for him above all others. He, out of all the senior members of the pack, had once been a packmate of Christopher’s, back when Karl Ryker had been in charge. He knew better than all the rest of them put together how dangerous Christopher and his followers could be.

Winter knew from her own experience, but Hanson had been on the inside. He knew the ways these wolves worked.

“That being said, until he makes another move, there isn't much we can do,” Jack announced, and rising to his feet, he sighed, “I want everyone back to usual duties. Return to your homes and go about your business. But stay on the lookout for anything suspicious.”

The other pack members started to nod, grumbling agreement, though none of them looked best pleased about the latest development.

“You're all dismissed,” Jack stated, as if there was nothing left to be said, and several of the wolves started to exit the room. It was only as Winter began to follow Eddie out that the alpha called, “Ed, Winter, stay behind a moment, would you?”

Winter gulped. Was this going to be bad?

After all her failures in helping them find Christopher, was she about to receive some form of punishment from the alpha?

Gritting her teeth, she clutched Eddie's hand just a little tighter, waiting for the room to empty out.

“Is everything alright?” Eddie asked as soon as the door closed behind Layla.

Jack nodded and dropped back down into his seat, as if he had lost all the energy remaining in him. Sighing deeply, he said, “I just wanted an update on Karena.”

Winter breathed a deep exhale of relief.

“I've been keeping an eye on her,” Winter assured him. “So far, I've seen no signs that the potion hasn't taken full effect. I think on that front, we're safe.”

The look of relief on the alpha's face eased Winter’s own worries.

“That's something, at least,” Jack said, his voice tired. “You can go.”

He waved them out as if he barely had the energy to lift his hand.

“You should get some rest too, Jack,” Winter suggested. She was about to continue when she felt Eddie's hand on the small of her back.

“Come on,” her mate whispered in her ear. “He won't listen.”

It wasn't until they had left the room, the door firmly closed behind them that Winter asked, “Why?”

Eddie smiled almost sadly at that. “Jack takes everything to heart. To him, Christopher's escape is his failure and his alone. It's part of being alpha.”

Winter cringed. Somehow, she felt she knew somewhat what that weight might feel like.

Since the first locator spell had failed, she had been feeling much the same way.

“Now,” Eddie said, gripping her hips and pulling her in close. “You heard Jack. He told us all to go home.”

Smiling like a little schoolgirl, feeling a little giddy, Winter wrapped her arms around Eddie's neck. “Your place or mine?”

Eddie scowled at that. Picking her up into his arms, he growled, “The shop is your mom's place. You belong here now. You belong to me, with me.”

Winter's heart skipped a beat.

She had never liked the thought of belonging to anyone before. Not until now. Just hearing those words from his lips made her quiver.

And as he started to walk, carrying her in his arms as he had taken to doing at least once a day, Winter asked, “Where exactly are you taking me?”

“Where do you think?” Eddie growled playfully, and a thrill ran through Winter. Whenever he picked her up like this, they always ended up in the same place: bed.

Arriving there quickly, Winter found herself on her back, Eddie on top of her.

“I could get used to this,” Eddie growled playfully, kissing hard.

“Don't get too used to it. We'll have to get out of bed sometime,” Winter chuckled.

“Not anytime soon,” Eddie responded, already helping her out of her jeans.

“My mom will kill me for not opening up the shop the last few days,” Winter told him, but all thoughts of responsibility quickly left her mind as Eddie’s hand landed between her thighs.

“You can worry about that later,” he told her, gently dipping a finger inside her. “For now, I want you to forget everything.”

Unbuttoning her blouse with one hand, he placed a kiss upon each of her breasts.

“Um…I could get used to this, too,” she admitted. Never in her life had she had so much sex. And so much good sex at that.

Was this what being mated to a werewolf was like for everyone? It seemed their libido was as high as their metabolism.

And as Eddie's kisses traveled south, Winter quivered with desire.

“You smell so damn good,” he growled against her stomach. “I need to taste you.”

Winter lay back, closing her eyes as she enjoyed the way Eddie's breath tickled her flesh.

When his mouth came down between her thighs, adding to the pleasure of his finger already inside her, she lost herself to the sensation.

“Fuck,” she whispered through gritted teeth, feeling him smile against her clit even as he started to lick and caress, moving his finger in time with his tongue.

The sheer pleasure of it had Winter curling her fingers in the bedsheets, biting her lip to stop herself from screaming.

In a house full of werewolves, there was no way she could allow herself to be loud. Yet, it seemed Eddie had other ideas.

He pushed her body harder and harder, increasing the pleasure until there was nothing else she could do but tip back her head and moan louder than ever before.

Panting for breath, gasping moans between every deep lungful, she was transported to a world where nothing else mattered.

All she cared about was Eddie between her thighs, rocking her world in a way she never knew existed.

She came over and over again, feeling herself grow moister and moister until she wasn't sure she could take anymore.

And just when she thought it was all over, when she thought her heart would give out with the pleasure of it, he stopped.

Disappointment gnawed at her stomach like an unwanted visitor until Eddie came down on top of her, his own clothes gone in an instant.

“Fuck, Winter, I just can't get enough of you,” he admitted, gently rubbing the tip of his cock against her already sensitive folds.

Needy for him, Winter gripped hold of his buttocks and urged him inside her, gasping when he filled her fit to bursting.

“Ahh!” she cried, and as if urged on by the sound, Eddie started to thrust.

His movements were passionate, rough, yet affectionate, and Winter tilted her head back further to expose her throat.

As if he knew exactly what she wanted, Eddie leaned down and nibbled at her flesh, kissing and licking her neck in a way that made her entire body light with a pleasure that was mind-blowing.

Again, she came, her insides clenching so hard around his cock she actually thought she might hurt him.

“Ahh!” Eddie groaned in her ear, and she knew he felt it too.

Wrapping her arms around him, Winter dug her fingernails into Eddie's back, scoring them down his flesh over and over as groaned with such pleasure, she was sure he loved it.

“Gods be damned. I wish I could stay inside you forever,” he growled in her ear and Winter's insides thrilled with delight. She most certainly loved the sound of that.

And it was with great pleasure she realized, we have the rest of our lives together.

How long that would be, she didn't know, but she was determined to enjoy every last second of it.

“Eddie!” she cried as she came again, and that seemed to be his undoing.

His thrusts became more erratic, his breathing far more labored, and she knew that soon it would all be over.

Closing her eyes, she gripped his buttocks once more, urging him deeper inside her as she cried, “Harder!”

He did just that, rocking back and forth harder and harder inside her until she screamed with ecstasy, her thighs slick with her own juices.

“Ahh, fuck! Winter!” Eddie snarled in her ear as he came deep inside her, his body shuddering as if he could barely hold himself up with the fire of pleasure that ripped through his entire body.

Afterwards, during the peaceful bliss, Eddie dropped down onto the bed beside her and pulled her close. As he wrapped his arms around her, she nuzzled her face into his chest, breathing in the scent of him and smiling with delight.

He's mine, all mine, she thought, inching closer, yet unable to get quite close enough.

In the silence of the room, Winter listened to his heartbeat, to his rapid breathing as it began to slow, and she realized that her own was following in the same rhythm. Was this what it meant to be mates? To be one?

Sighing as if in deep relief, Eddie reached down and hooked his fingers under her chin, forcing her face up to look at him.

“You know what all of this means, don't you?”

Unsure, Winter scowled at him. “What?”

Her breath still came in short bursts and the single word was all she could manage.

“From now on, no matter what happens, we're on the same side. I'll always protect you,” he said, and as he finished, he pressed his lips to her forehead, causing her to quiver all over again.

The affection in the gesture warmed Winter's heart immeasurably.

Giddy with pleasure and so happy her heart might burst, she couldn't help but laugh. “I'm the one who cast the protection spell. Technically, I'm the one protecting you.”

At that, Eddie's eyes blazed. For a second, Winter thought he might be angry. Werewolves were prideful, masculine creatures. She wouldn't have put it past him.

But just when she thought he might snap at her, he instead started to tickle her mercilessly. They rolled about the bed as Winter attempted in vain to get free of his tickling fingers.

The sensation of it on her skin after making love caused her to grit her teeth, and yet, no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't stop from laughing.

Nor could she catch her breath until finally, Eddie eased off his tickling and pulled her close once more.

Hooking his hand under her chin, he kissed her hard and looked her in the eye, his own blazing as he said, “I guess I'll have to settle for us protecting each other.”

Winter snuggled into him then, her smile still giddy with the bliss of everything. “You're right there. I'm not just going to sit back and let you have all of the fun.”

Eddie grumbled at that, holding her close, the muscles in his arms bulging around her. “This world is a dangerous place, Winter. Especially for us supernaturals.”

“I rather think the humans might argue with that statement if they were even aware we existed,” Winter chuckled, and again she thought of Karena.

The spell had worked. But just how long would it last for? She was unsure. Maybe it would last forever.

She had to ask her mother about that as soon as she returned home.

For now, though, she didn't want to think of anything but Eddie.

Life was too short, even for witches, and she was determined to enjoy these little moments while she could.

They never knew when Christopher might choose to rear his ugly head again.

“Once all of this ugly business is over,” Eddie began, rolling onto his side to hold her even closer, nuzzling his face into her neck and kissing her just beneath the ear, “we'll start a proper life together, the way it was always meant to be.”

Winter's heart skipped a beat.

Meant to be, she thought. Yes, that was exactly what this was. No matter how their relationship had come about, she couldn't help but think now that this had always been in the cards for her. So what if protecting the town had been the thing to bring it about?

None of that mattered now. What mattered was the fact they had found each other.

Pulling back to look him in the eye, she laid her palm gently against his cheek and whispered, “I wouldn't change any of it for the world.”

Eddie pulled her close and kissed her hard as if to reaffirm her words. “Nor would I, though I do wish I had found you sooner.”

His words thrilled through Winter, and not for the first time, she was relieved that many witches believed in reincarnation and souls that were always destined to find each other. With that knowledge warming her heart, she whispered, “Maybe in the next life, but for now, let's just enjoy what we have left of this one.”

*****

THE END