Mateos Epilogue

Mateo"s Epilogue

12 years later…

Our son"s graduation party was in full swing, the backyard of our home filled with family and friends, their laughter and conversations creating a warm, festive atmosphere.

We planned everything and didn"t leave out a single detail. As far as I was concerned, everything was going according to plan.

It had been years since Rylan and I had faced such a crowd, and as I scanned the familiar faces, a sense of contentment washed over me. Everybody came. I didn"t think I had so many people willing to come here.

Our son, Lucas, stood tall and proud in his graduation gown, his eyes shining with excitement as he chatted with his friends. The more I looked at him, the more I realized he reminded me of me when I was young.

I felt a surge of pride, my heart swelling with love for the young man he had become. He took up after me.

As I turned to refill my drink, my eyes landed on a familiar figure, his presence unexpected. Ethan, Rylan"s old friend, stood by the edge of the crowd, his wheelchair a stark contrast to the lively atmosphere.

He was here? I asked myself, feeling slightly surprised. We didn"t invite him. He must have come without an invitation. Since we didn"t have anyone checking if people were invited, it must have been easy for him to "sneak" into the party, even though it wasn"t exactly a secret. He just walked right in.

I felt Rylan stiffen beside me, his hand tightening around mine as he, too, spotted Ethan. I thought he hadn"t and I would have to tell him about my little discovery. One fewer thing for me to worry about.

I knew the sight of him brought back memories, the hurt and betrayal Rylan had endured at the hands of his once-close friend. But I remembered that it had also been his fault. His hands were tied back then. He hadn"t had much of a choice.

I squeezed Rylan"s hand, my eyes never leaving Ethan"s frail form. In his wheelchair, he didn"t look like the person Rylan had shown me on his phone. And, yeah, he had many photos together with the guy.

"Go to him," I whispered, my voice soft but insistent. "You should talk to him. I know he probably wants to talk to you. Why else is here?"

Rylan hesitated, his eyes filled with a mixture of emotions. I was already aware it was going to be difficult, which was why I was planning everything else I was going to say.

"I don"t know, Mateo," he said meekly. "It"s been years and he probably doesn"t remember all the shit that happened between us."

I turned to him, my eyes shining with determination. "It doesn"t matter if he remembers," I said softly, my hand tightening around his. "What matters is that you do, and today is your chance to close a chapter that has remained open for too long."

Rylan bit his lip, his eyes darting between Ethan and me. He didn"t want to do it, but for me, he would do anything. "Are you sure?" He asked softly, his voice shaking slightly. "It might be awkward, and I don"t want to ruin Lucas"s special day."

I cupped his cheek, my thumb brushing away a stray lock of hair that had fallen across his face. "I"m sure, little omega. There is nothing you can do that can ruin this moment," I said softly, my voice steady. "And Lucas will understand. But, I don"t think you need to worry. Lucas is busy with other things."

Rylan searched my eyes, his breath coming in short gasps as he grappled with his emotions. He was probably wondering if there was some way to convince me to drop the subject, but there wasn"t. My mind was set on making him do it.

Finally, he nodded, his eyes shining with unshed tears. "Okay," he whispered. "I"ll try, for Lucas, for us."

Good. He didn"t need much convincing in the end.

With a deep breath, he approached Ethan, his steps hesitant, his eyes never leaving the man who had once been his closest friend. Emotions swirled in his mind. There was a lot to unpack.

Ethan"s eyes widened at the sight of Rylan, his frail form straightening in his wheelchair. What was he thinking was going to happen? Did he think Rylan wouldn"t notice he was here?

"Rylan," he whispered. "I never thought I"d see you again." Probably the understatement of the century.

Rylan"s breath caught in his throat, his eyes searching Ethan"s face, seeing the years that had passed, the toll they had taken.

He probably thought he could come here and figure out what to say, but when it actually happened, all his plans vanished.

"I never thought I"d see you either," he whispered. "But here we are." He really looked so much different from his former self.

Ethan nodded, his eyes never leaving Rylan"s. "Here we are," he murmured. "And I have something to say, something I should"ve said a long time ago."

What was that? I couldn"t help but wonder.

Rylan"s breath hitched, his eyes widening as he realized the significance of the moment. So much was going to be defined now.

"Me too," he whispered, his voice trembling. "I"m sorry about everything that happened. I should have thought better about what I was going to do. I was foolish and rash."

Ethan"s eyes were coated with tears, his frail hands tightening on the wheels of his chair. "I know," he murmured. "And I"m sorry, Rylan. I know I overdid it when I took the penthouse."

Rylan"s eyes softened, his breath coming in short gasps as he processed Ethan"s words. He never thought he would say the things he did.

"I know," he said. "And I"m sorry too. I shouldn"t have gone behind your back and sold those company files. I know it hurt you. Maybe I should have asked you to help me." Rylan took a deep breath in. "I didn"t think you would help me."

Ethan nodded, his eyes never leaving Rylan"s. "Can you ever forgive me, Rylan? I had my reasons, but I still left you without a roof over your head. You and your son could have died because of me," he whispered. "Maybe I don"t deserve it, but please, let"s put the past behind us. For old times" sake."

Rylan searched Ethan"s eyes, seeing the sincerity reflected in their depths. Just like me, Rylan never believed that Ethan would feel any guilt over what happened. We both assumed he always thought he was right and did the right thing.

"I don"t think I should be saying this because you only did what you did thanks to my foolishness, but I still forgive you, Ethan," he whispered. "And I"d like to think we can be friends again. I mean, if we can"t, that"s understandable. "

Ethan"s eyes widened, his breath catching in his throat as he processed Rylan"s words. There was still so much to unpack, but for now, that was good. It went better than I thought it was going to.

"Thank you," he said. "Maybe we can be friends again. We"ll have to wait and see"

Rylan took a step forward, his hand reaching out to squeeze Ethan"s shoulder gently. It was a lot of progress. I didn"t think I was going to be seeing what I was.

"And Rylan," Ethan said softly. "I want you to have the penthouse back. It can be yours again, and I want you to enjoy it. You and your family deserve it."

Rylan shook his head, his eyes filling with fresh tears. "No, Ethan," he argued. "It"s yours. I don"t deserve it after what I did to you. I ruined our company."

Ethan hesitated, his eyes never leaving Rylan"s. Finally, the latter nodded, his eyes shining with gratitude. "Thank you," he whispered. "It means more than I can say."

Did I just really hear that right? We were going to have the penthouse back? I couldn"t believe it.

As the graduation ceremony began, Rylan and Ethan joined the crowd, their conversation a backdrop to the celebrations. I stood by Rylan"s side, my hand in his, our fingers entwined as we watched our son receive his diploma, his face shining with pride and excitement. It was all happening in our backyard.

The day held one more surprise as, upon returning home, Rylan and I decided to throw an impromptu party, our way of celebrating Lucas"s achievement and the closure we had found with Ethan.

We had planned everything, but not that one thing. Rylan enjoyed having everything under control, but sometimes, he could also appreciate the beauty of something unexpected occurring.

The night was filled with laughter, music, and dancing, as the backyard of our home transformed into a festive haven. To be honest, I should say that it looked nothing like our backyard.

Rylan and I danced under the stars, our bodies moving in sync, our eyes never leaving each other"s. Even after all this time, we were so much in love we couldn"t even remember that there was an entire world around us.

As the party died down and our guests bid us farewell, Rylan and I retired to our bedroom, our steps heavy, our eyes shining with the excitement of the day"s events.

Even though we didn"t say it explicitly, we were planning on doing one more thing we didn"t plan to do.

I pulled Rylan into my arms, my body surrounding his, my hands roaming his familiar form. He gasped, not thinking that I was going to be exerting so much strength. And, to be honest, there was still a lot more where that came from.

"Today was perfect," I whispered, my lips brushing his hair. "Our son graduated, and you and Ethan can be friends again. It"s a day to celebrate in the wildest way you can imagine."

Rylan nodded with a big smirk. "It"s a day I"ll never forget," he whispered, echoing my thoughts. "Everything we wanted to do, we did. It all went perfectly."

I pressed a soft kiss to his lips, my hands tightening around him. He ground back against me, needing more of my body.

"It really showed how much we love each other," I purred. "And tonight, I want to celebrate that with you in the best way possible, little omega."

Rylan"s eyes widened, a soft blush staining his cheeks as he understood what I meant — and it really couldn"t be different from what he was already assuming. "I love you too, Mateo," he whispered. "And tonight, I"m yours, completely. Do whatever you want to do to me."

Whatever I wanted to do? He didn"t need to say it twice.

With gentle hands, I undressed him, my lips trailing down his neck, my teeth nipping at the sensitive skin there, earning a soft moan from him.

Despite us both having aged over these twenty-two years, our desire for each other remained the same. It was as strong as it was before.

I wanted to take my time, to explore every inch of his body, but the need burning within me demanded more. I kissed a path down his chest, my tongue swirling around his nipples, earning a sharp intake of breath from him.

He pushed himself against me, his hands roaming my body. He wanted to explore as much of me as possible.

"Please, Mateo," he whispered, his hands tangling in my hair, his body arching into mine. "I need you inside me. Now."

How naughty he was. I growled, my hands tightening on his hips, my teeth nipping at the soft skin of his inner thighs, my tongue teasing, tasting. Rylan cried out, his legs wrapping around my waist, his body offering himself to me, his trust in me absolute. He couldn"t get pregnant again, but that wasn"t why we were doing this. We were doing it because we loved each other so much.

With a gentle touch, I entered him, my body claiming his, our bond strengthening with each thrust. Rylan cried out, his hands tightening in my hair, his body moving with mine, our skin slick with sweat as we moved together, our breaths coming in short, sharp gasps.

I could feel his hands exploring my muscles, kneading, massaging, and doing everything else he was allowed to do. He was so desperate to have more of me.

The pace quickened, our hearts pounding in unison, and our eyes locked. We were both panting so much.

"Mateo," Rylan whispered, his voice shaking, his body arching off the bed, his release coating my stomach. He was unable to last another second. To be honest, I was surprised he lasted as much as he did.

I growled, my body tightening, my release spilling into him, our bodies joined like so many times before, but it was still different.

We lay entwined, our breaths evening out, our hearts slowing to a steady rhythm. I held him tight, my arms pressing against him slightly, my lips brushing his hair, my voice echoing everything I was thinking. "I love you, little omega."

"And I love you too, my big alpha."

He groaned slightly, chuckling. "I know you do."

End of Book 1