Epilogue

I married my wolf on a warm summer evening six days after Christmas. Ashworth and Eli had created magic in their garden, somehow managing to keep the roses at their best despite the withering heat. Fairy lights twinkled like stars through the greenery, lining the path through the garden and ringing the half-circle seating area at the bottom.

Aiden waited in the middle of that circle, wearing suit pants and a deep blue shirt that matched the color of his eyes and the bridesmaids' dresses. I only had two—Belle and Jaz. Aiden's two brothers—Michael and Dillon—were the groomsmen.

We didn't have many guests. Belle's parents and siblings were all here, of course—they were my other family, closer to me than my real family, and I simply couldn't imagine them not being here. Mom was here, too, looking happy and relaxed, sitting next to Eli, the two of them chatting like old friends. Aiden's entire family was here as well, even his mother. She'd recently thanked me for saving Aiden and had apologized for her attempts to turn the pack against our marriage, but had avoided any reference to actions beyond that. I guess I couldn't expect miracles, and it was a step in the right direction. She and I would never be friends, but at least I no longer had to worry about her causing future problems for me with the pack.

Katie was also here, her whole body radiating with happiness, luminous threads of wild magic dancing around her, signaling the connection between her and Gabe. He might not be able to leave their clearing, but she'd found a way for him to witness the wedding.

"Well, are we ready to go?" Ashworth asked. "Or are we planning to be fashionably late and make the lad sweat a bit longer?"

I glanced at him, laughing. He'd insisted on wearing a dress suit, shirt, and tie because it would be unseemly to give his adopted granddaughter away in anything else, apparently, and though he had to be hot, he seemed unfazed by the heat.

"If we make him wait too much longer," Belle said, "he's likely to race up here, sweep her off her feet, and carry her down to the celebrant."

"Because that man was not made for waiting." Jaz paused, amusement touching her lips. "Though I guess it depends on the situation, doesn't it?"

"Indeed, it does." I took a deep breath to settle the silly nerves fluttering in my stomach and then nodded. "Let's get this show on the road."

Dillon, who was now as tall as both Aiden and Michael, despite only being fourteen, offered his arm to Jaz, and the two of them walked out onto the patio and down the steps. He still limped, but finally seemed to be at peace with his disability.

Belle did a final check of my dress—a simple sheath style with a plunging neckline, made of a material that shimmered like the rainbow threads dancing through the garden—then caught my cheeks and dropped a featherlight kiss on my lips.

"You look stunning," she whispered. "I'm so happy for you."

I gave her a fierce mental hug rather than a real one, knowing she'd scold me for mussing the dress or my makeup. "It'll be your turn next."

She laughed. "Not for a few years yet. I'm planning for your daughter to be my flower girl."

I grinned. "Have you told Monty about this long engagement you're planning?"

"Not yet. But he wants to get a house and new car first, anyway, so I can't see him complaining."

She stepped back, slipped her arm through Michael's, and the two of them headed out. Leaving me and Ashworth.

I smiled, took his hands in mine, and squeezed them lightly. "Thank you for everything you've done for us. Thank you for being here for us. Thank you for becoming the grandfather and father I never really had. I know you are going to be the absolutely best great grandfather our daughter could ever have."

"Ah, lass," he said, blinking rapidly. "You're going to make a grown man cry."

"Before you do, let's get out there."

I released one hand and turned to face the garden. He cleared his throat and then, as one, we stepped out onto the patio and followed the twinkling line of fairy lights down to the bottom of the garden. Aiden's gaze followed me every step of the way, warm and loving.

When we reached the end of the seats, Ashworth kissed my cheek and then sat down beside Mom. I walked the remaining few steps toward Aiden alone and stopped in front of him.

"You look glorious," he murmured.

I smiled. "So do you."

He caught my hands in his and then glanced at the celebrant, who immediately began the ceremony. It was a simple thing—a promise to cherish each other always, to honor and sustain each other, in sickness and in health, in poverty and in wealth, and to be true in all things until death alone parted us. We placed the rings on each other's fingers, the celebrant declared us married, and as the cheers began, we kissed.

Then Aiden whispered, his breath warm against my lips, "You are my heart and my soul, my reason for living, as necessary to me as the air that I breathe. I love you, Elizabeth Grace, and I cannot wait to spend the rest of my life with you and our many, many children and grandchildren."

I half laughed, blinking back my tears of happiness, and then kissed him again, long and slow.

This wolf—this stubborn, sometimes frustrating, big-hearted, beautiful wolf—was mine, now and forever.

Who'd have thought, all those years ago, that the frightened teenager who'd left Canberra as a powerless failure would not only come into her own, magic wise, but also find the family she'd never really had and the love of a man who she absolutely adored, and who in turn adored her?

Fate, it seemed, played a long game and held her cards as close to her chest as the wolf in front of me. But in the end, both had come through.

Spectacularly.

"Shall we go celebrate?" he asked softly.

"We should."

He twined his fingers through mine, and as one, we headed into the throng of well-wishers.

Taking the first steps toward our long and happy life together.