Epilogue - Robyn

One Month Later

Sydney marched up to the crib to touch her baby cousin's hands. "Careful, Sierra. Baby, you're a baby ."

"Syd, can you help me prepare her lunch?" Aunt Faye called. "We need to get ready for the ritual!"

I snuggled deeper into the couch with Cliff. "I don't want to move."

"Hector will have our heads if we don't attend."

"It's not even your pack anymore."

He sighed as he wrapped his arm tighter around me. "Hey, I don't make the rules."

"You're the Alpha of the Wildtooth Tails. You literally make the rules."

"Yeah, but don't say that too loud. People might think I'm important or something."

I chuckled while resting my head against his shoulder. "Happy One Month."

"Has it been a month?" He adjusted his position next to me, getting cozier. "It feels like it's been three years."

"You hush."

He snickered as Faye wandered into the FROG—which happened to be Sierra's room. "Do y'all want anything? Sandwiches? Crackers?"

Sydney roared as she charged at her aunt. "Crackers!"

Cliff scooped her up and held her in the air. "Syd, what did we say about roaring at people?"

"Uh, that it's loud?"

I chuckled while covering my mouth.

Cliff was good at discipline. He made everything humorous, which spoke to Sydney and made her want to do better. I was amazed at how natural he was at leading her. It was no wonder he became the Alpha. He was born to do it.

"Yes, it's loud," he agreed, "and it's rude . Aunt Faye needs help with Sierra. Can you help her out?"

Sydney kicked excitedly until her father put her down. It was like watching him release one of those wind-up car toys, seeing Sydney take off like that. She spread her arms and made airplane noises all the way down the stairs.

I sighed. "I need more energy."

Cliff nodded. "She's been hyper lately. I don't know why."

"I think it's all the excitement."

"If only she were bigger," Faye joked, "then she could hold Sierra for a while."

Cliff grinned while waving his sister away. "I'll get her and change her. You make sure my kid isn't ruining your kitchen."

Faye gave her brother finger guns and then headed downstairs. Pots and pans clattered from across the house. Something hit the ground. I tried not to think about what kind of mess my daughter was making down there.

And we still had the rest of the day to survive our visit. Yikes .

"Point Pleasant better wake me up," I warned, "or I might ruin the ritual."

Cliff chuckled while lifting his niece from her crib. She fidgeted when he carried her over to the changing station. "Don't do that. Hector is my best friend."

"As long as you're asking nicely, I won't."

"Please?"

I batted my eyelids at him while he did the same to me. Several seconds of dramatic and theatrical attention later, we were snickering ourselves to stitches. Sierra wiggled on the changing station, popped her legs into the air, and nearly took out Cliff's nose when he tried to fix her onesie. Several minutes after that, the three of us joined Faye in the kitchen.

Sydney kicked her feet in a big chair at the table while shimmying her shoulders. "Mommy, are we going to a party?"

"Yes, a big party," I replied while cradling Sierra, "and then it's straight to bed because we have to drive back to Bangor in the morning."

"Can't I stay with my baby, Sierra?"

Chuckles echoed around me. I shook my head, kissed Sierra, and sat her in the playpen near the window. "Maybe when we don't have a shadow problem."

Sydney nodded with a knowing look. "I gotta protect baby Sierra from the mean shadows."

I smiled. "You're so sweet to your cousin."

Sydney folded her arms over her chest. "She's a baby ."

"Yes, I know that."

Faye guffawed while setting up the highchair and getting the rest of lunch ready. I managed to eat a few bites of a sandwich at the behest of both my child and my sister-in- law. Once everyone had a piece of something and hydrated, we headed out into the yard to the clear space right next door.

Hector and a few men hauled a cauldron to the middle of the clear area. Grass grew in random patches, revealing reddish soil that clung to my tennis shoes. Sydney stomped alongside me with a basket on one arm and Mr. Charles in the other. That poor bunny had seen better days.

Chatter floated up from the streets beyond. People came in groups of three and four, filling out the amorphous space around the cauldron. Hector hoisted a bucket and the contents into the cauldron—water. Lots of water. It flowed out of that one bucket until the cauldron was full, and then Faye casually wandered up to the kindling beneath and tapped it.

Whoosh .

Flames engulfed the bottom of the cauldron, inviting light applause from the attending audience. After handing Sierra to Hector, she greeted a couple of the other men who were setting things up for her. A giant tome with a rose next to it and ink pens occupied the only table next to the cauldron. Everything appeared structured and precise, the kind of ritual that got passed down through the centuries from witch to witch.

Cliff scooped up Sydney and propped her on his shoulders. She hugged his head with a giggle. "Pretty Horsey Dad."

"I thought I was free of that title," Cliff jabbed gently. "I guess I have to live up to my name now."

I patted his shoulder. "Please, don't start neighing here."

"Why? Would that be embarrassing for you?" He whinnied briefly. "Wouldn't want to attract attention to a princess . That would be terrible." He blew his lips together and whinnied a little louder, trotting in place.

Sydney was having a blast.

I was mortified.

Faye chuckled while she added turmeric, rosemary, and lemon balm to the cauldron. Along with the herbs went with a basket of parchment squares with names written on them. Like the cherry on top of a delicious sundae, Faye added two petals to the mix and stepped back.

She raised her hands and began to chant. Words from another world spilled from her lips, gibberish at first, but then an enticing song that brought with it an emotional twang. My stomach flipped as my hand sought my mate with a mind of its own. My husband, my Alpha —he was my holy trinity, my one and everything.

Forever, that would remain a fact.

I tangled my fingers in his as we swayed to the music, swallowed by the mirroring of the Silverfang Creek members around us. Each of my limbs felt energized by the music we created tougher, a testament to the connection between packs despite our differences. What kept us unified was our common goal: a safe, secure world where we could thrive.

Was that too much to ask for?

Above, the sky expanded with infinite darkness. Tiny holes of light flickered on, one by one, a milky cosmos that dazzled my senses. Cool air swirled silently past me, taking some of my hair and spreading it over the bridge of my nose. I closed my eyes, giggled, and wrinkled my nose.

Cliff slid his hand around my waist. "This is the ritual that told me what I already knew."

Goosebumps flushed my arms at the sound of his voice in my ear. I focused on the way the flames licked the giant cauldron, watching the orange and red flutter up and scurry back in rapid bursts. Faye chanted louder, her voice cresting above the masses as her hands reached impossible heights.

The performance seemed to last forever. Sydney eventually fell asleep on her father, causing him to cradle her in his arms so she wouldn't slip from his shoulders. About ten minutes later, he handed her to me as Faye ladled a spoon into the cauldron. Some of the chanting continued around us.

Then, silence.

Crickets and critters chirped in the trees, a noise that felt distinctly unique in the growing darkness around us. It seemed as though the shadows were moving in, convening on this one location where this beautiful ritual that celebrated love occurred. Faye turned the petals over in her palm, grinning as she glanced at Hector.

"The next mates are Naomi Frazier and Danny Turner."

Hector blankly studied the crowd that turned into a cheering ocean. Sierra jolted from her nap, and Sydney snapped awake. The splitting sound disturbed me as well, and I was hardly tired. My attention was invested in this Naomi and Danny couple. I felt Cliff touch my lower back, and then he directed me a few feet forward to meet Faye and Hector.

As the crowd proceeded with their celebration, Faye angled her voice to our circle. "Naomi isn't here. Have you seen her?"

Hector hummed. "I've got my eyes peeled."

"Naomi?" Cliff chuckled. "You mean Normal Naomi? Matched with a biker Alpha?"

My eyes widened. "A biker Alpha?" I gasped. "You're kidding. Tell me more."

"I don't want to gossip, but…" Faye examined a few people drawing close to us. She flashed a professional smile and gestured to the left—a few white tents had been erected at some point that hosted trays of food. "Help yourself!"

People raised their drinks, cheered, and shook hands with Hector. This was a completely different scene than the posh parties we typically hosted in Bangor. Of course, all that was changing. It was just a matter of time before we started doing more rituals like this one.

I wasn't opposed to that.

Once the coast was clear, Faye leaned toward me. "Danny is the Alpha of The Red Canines. They're a biker gang in Athens, West Virginia."

"Like a real gang? With guns and everything?" I glanced at Cliff, who nodded. "Wow."

"Yeah, this might be bad news," Hector admitted while patting Sierra on the back. "I think we're going to have to really talk about this one with Naomi. I don't want to put her in danger."

Cliff chuckled. "You weren't worried about sending me up to Maine."

"Well, we didn't know Bill was possessed, so…" Hector smiled apologetically. "It ended well, didn't it?"

My mate hugged me under his wing and rubbed Sydney's back. "I'd say it's not the end at all. Far from it."

Happy sounds bubbled from me. "I'm melting again."

Sydney sighed and rubbed her face against my shoulder. I cradled the back of her head and started to rhythmically bounce her like I did when she was an infant. For a second, I got a flash of anger, a reminder of the thing that had been lost to time and space. At this point, Cliff and I had talked multiple times about his absence. We made jokes about it. We wrote loving letters to each other about that time.

So much processing had gone into those three years. Did I really want to ruin that right now just because I was tired ?

I looked up at Cliff. "Do you want to put her to sleep?"

His smile was crooked as he held out his arms. "Yeah, I'd love that."

And just like that, the tension dissipated. The anger and shame fell away. One choice was all it took for me to turn it all around, just like what Cliff had done by showing up on my lawn back in July. He made a choice to turn it all around. I could learn a lot from his grand display of affection.

I could learn plenty from the smaller gestures, too.

Around us, the celebration ripened, a lovely ode to the testament of fated love. Our children fell back to sleep as we flowed with the crowd, moving with the music that livened the party from the people playing string and wind instruments on the other side of the cauldron. Dancing soon engulfed the masses. More music came after that.

Time stood still for a moment as I drank it in. The people, the music, the weather, the stars—everything impressed me. Skin to skin with my child and hand clasped with that of my mate, I felt like a new woman, a new wolf who was coming into her fur. Life went on regardless of the challenges, and I could move with the wheel or be subject to it crushing me.

I smiled at Cliff. "Do you want to bring this ritual up north with us?"

"Yeah?"

"Yeah, why not? I think people could use some structure after how things went with Bill and the others."

He nodded. "I think that's a spectacular idea. What makes you vote for it?"

"It just seems like something…" I gazed at the spirited dancers. "…hopeful to do. I mean, if we hadn't been matched, we wouldn't have gotten a second chance at our relationship."

"None of us are getting out of this alive, so I say we go for it."

I beamed. "My feelings exactly."

He held my chin with his forefinger and thumb, holding my gaze with an intense stare that enhanced the brilliance of his eyes. There sat the rest of the cosmos made of the stardust from those ancient planets and stars. In those eyes was part of my world, the rest living inside our daughter, who slept peacefully in my arms.

No shadows would ever touch her again. No harm would come to our door. For this was so much more than a second chance. It was a calling to learn and grow together, to heal from a past that could have been an eternal wound. This calling would make an example of us to our pack, who needed to see love as a verb instead of an idea. This calling would bond us, strengthen us, and adhere us beyond this physical life.

Because we were more than just a couple. We were mates. And mates were fated to be forever.

*****

THE END