Epilogue

MIKAEL

D anyal's heat faded, but the bond remained as bright as ever. There wasn't a moment of regret, even when I could feel the lingering resentment and his mistrust that simmered at the edges. I had years to make up for, years to prove myself to him, but it didn't scare me.

It helped that Danyal didn't let it get the best of us, either. He wasn't afraid I would leave at every turn, and he was happy to lean into the soft affection that lingered in his post-heat haze. The cabin smelled like us, and I wanted to keep it that way forever.

Of course, we'd never be that lucky.

At noon on the third day, I could hear tires crunching over rock as a car made its way through the rocky path. Danyal had been lounging on the sofa, but he was on his feet the moment I noticed the visitors, and he took up a defensive stance at my side.

"Ours?" he asked.

They were too far to tell, so I moved to the front door and cracked it open. It took until the car had almost rolled into the makeshift driveway, but eventually I caught a scent I'd recognize anywhere.

"Theo."

He wasn't alone, but he wasn't with Francisco, which sent warning bells in my head, but I supposed he wasn't going to leave Corland undefended. It was just strange to see him without his counterpart. I realized why, though, the moment the Jeep rolled to a stop, and Zane got out.

Danyal was all-but vibrating out of his skin, holding himself almost too rooted to the ground as the pair made their way to the door. I backed up, leaving it cracked, and kept out of the way because I knew this would be a moment.

It was almost a gift to watch Zane come through the door—alive and in one piece. He looked a little worse for the wear, new scars he hadn't had before, but his eyes were clear and focused. He didn't seem to notice me, which I entirely expected, and when he crossed the distance between himself and Danyal, he gathered his brother and held him in a bone-crushing hug.

Danyal let out a small squeak, but he held on just as tight, and I glanced over at Theo with a small smirk. "Was he unbearable on the way over?"

Theo snorted and shrugged. "No worse than I expected. Though I had to fight him about bringing Orion."

My brows lifted. "Orion?"

"We've bonded," Zane said, his voice gruff as he set his brother down.

Danyal's eyes went wide, and he slapped Zane on the shoulder with a grin. "Oh. I fucking knew it."

Zane rubbed the back of his neck looking sheepish, but then his eyes widened, and he glanced between me and his brother. "What the fuck ?"

Danyal swallowed thickly. "I suppose you're not the only one with news."

I waited to see if Zane was going to posture or try the shovel talk, but instead, he just paled. "You wanted it?" he asked Danyal in a low voice.

Danyal nodded, his expression solemn. "We'll talk later, but yes. It wasn't just the adrenaline of the trip."

"But…you went into heat," Zane said. "I can smell it. You haven't…"

"I know," Danyal interrupted, and I could feel his slight humiliation about his brother bringing up his heat cycle in front of Theo. "We made the decision before the heat came on. Anyway, you look exhausted. Do we have to hit the road right away?"

Zane and Theo exchanged glances, then Theo took a breath. "We should. Things are getting intense, and right now, it's total chaos in Corland."

I immediately stiffened. "What's going on?"

"We started with Kor's plan to let some of the spies continue their work, but it didn't last. Someone set a bomb at Zane's house, and he and Orion were caught in the blast."

I sucked in my breath, and Danyal took a step closer to his brother, but Zane held up a hand. "We recovered in a few hours—no lasting damage. But it was obvious things were going to get worse from there. They hit some of our supply stores, and one of them blasted one of the roads in. We started to lay the hammer down, so they incited a riot with footage that Nadya released of…" He cleared his throat and stopped.

"Of you," I finished for him. "I saw it."

Zane bowed his head. "And Bryn."

I jolted at the sound of the lost Beta's name. "He was with you?"

"He was in Kasher's custody," Zane said. "I thought he was dead, but we were able to confirm he survived a killing blow and…and if our last message was correct, he was taken into Wolf custody."

He was the other Wolf, I realized. My heart beat a little faster with desperation to see him, but I knew that was impossible right then. I glanced at Danyal, and his eyes were soft. "All right," I said after a beat. "So, people weren't thrilled with the footage."

"That, combined with the press release about Misha and Kor, and the town went divided. Nearly everyone opposed to my status as Head Alpha—and the idea of Kor's return—have gone. Last we heard, Lior's welcoming them."

I swore under my breath, and both Theo and Zane nodded. "So what?"

"We're rebuilding what they ruined and preparing for a prisoner transport," Theo said.

I realized who it was for. "Kasher." My voice came out on a growl, but it didn't begin to match the tangible fury coming off Zane.

"For now, I'm not involved with him. I can't promise I won't rip him to pieces the moment I get the chance," Zane said. "But we're keeping him in Corland. No one else knows where he is. There have been government agencies searching everywhere. We've had humans officially sniffing around Corland, but with Alexei Kasher's bid for president, they can't start anything."

"Yet," Theo added. "It won't last forever though."

"It won't last long," Danyal added. "You're right; we need to get back." He held his hand to me, and I couldn't help but pull him close. "There's something you two should probably know."

I frowned down at him, then realized what he was saying. "Right. Yes. We have some information."

Zane looked between us, then back at Theo. "We're not going to like this, are we?"

"I don't know," I said from behind a breath. "It turns out we might have some helpful allies—far more helpful than we thought possible."

"Okay," Zane said slowly.

"And," Danyal filled in with some hesitance, "Kasher was working an experiment with Kor's…ah."

"Seed," I filled in, and Danyal rolled his eyes and blushed.

"Semen," he corrected. "He impregnated a woman. Wolf," he added, because it was true. She was just the different sort. "The night I was rescued, she went into labor, but she managed to take off with the baby and her brother."

There was a profound silence, then Zane met my gaze. "Kor has a child?"

I nodded. "He does. A daughter."

He swallowed thickly. "Does he know?"

I glanced down at Danyal who gave me a short nod, then I looked back up at both Alphas. "If he doesn't know already, he's about to."

"That's going to change things," Zane said. He took another fortifying breath, then turned on his heel. "We need to get the hell out of here. I feel like things are going to start happening fast."

He was right. It was in the air—the final battle between us and the humans. And it might last minutes, or it might last years, but there was no stopping it now. I slid my palm into Danyal's and pulled him toward the door. Theo followed, locking it behind us, but just as we got to the car, I crowded my mate against the door and pushed my nose alongside his.

"You and me. It's enough. Right?"

He cupped my cheek and took my mouth in a long, slow kiss. "It's going to be hell," he said, almost like a promise, "but we're going to survive it. Because the two of us, we were meant to."

For the first time in my life, I believed in the future.

The End