Epilogue

"Are you sure about this?" I asked, swaying back and forth in the sunlight, my baby toddling around the grass in front of the ski lodge. The one that, not long ago, had imprisoned shifter children, now felt like a different place entirely. It was filled with hope and promise.

When King went through all the paperwork for the place, trying to trace it back to the man Sloan only knew as "the new boss," we found nothing that would lead us back to him. There weren't even any cold leads. No leads at all was more accurate. He was still at large, and I hated it. We all did.

While weren't able to catch him, to bring him to justice, it wasn't all for naught. King uncovered something wonderful—this place was being put up for tax auction and slated to be sold for pennies on the dollar. As it was now, it was useless to most people. This area was no longer very touristy, and the mountain it sat on wasn't ideal for skiing. Once upon a time, people didn't travel the distances they were willing to go today to find the perfect slopes. The skiing part of this mountain would remain a part of history, nothing more.

But I didn't want it for that. The problem was, I didn't have any money. When I brought up my idea at a meeting, everyone agreed it was a great idea, and they all pitched in to buy it. Now came the hard part—turning it into the space we needed.

"Yeah, I'm sure. It's time. We can't all be living at the warehouse forever. It's not good for me. It's a constant reminder of...well, before."

Before referred to the breeding farm they rescued me from. I had a weird relationship with that trauma. It haunted me daily, but, at the same time, it was what made me a dad, and no part of me could be upset about that.

"Well, I think it's a great place," someone said as we started toward it. The guys said it was safe structurally, so we could go in. This was our first time touring it. "With lots of potential." Also known as hard work.

I picked up my toddler and put him in my backpack carrier. I liked him having freedom when it was safe. Where we were going was definitely not toddler proof.

I followed Sloan inside, King taking up the rear. He insisted on driving us and coming along. As far as I knew, he didn't have any plans to move here once it was ready, but he was invested.

We entered a big lounge with a fireplace the size of a small condo. At one time, it was probably filled with people sipping their hot cocoa, talking about how fancy they were for being able to afford such a vacation. Times had changed though. Even if the place were still open, the crowds of yesterday wouldn't be here. The time for this kind of a resort had come and gone.

To the right, there was a desk for checking in, and behind it a few offices. We continued on down the hallway, past what had once been a pool. It was now in such disrepair, I doubted it was going to be useful again. On the other side, a laundry facility and some conference rooms.

"I'd like to meet the employer who'd approve of a meeting here," King teased. "I promise. We are going to get a lot of work done, really. Nope. No one on the team skis. Promise."

He had a point.

We explored all the rooms. Each unit had a bathroom and a bedroom, but nothing else was doable. We could make this happen. We would make this happen. This place was going to become Shifter House 2.0. Only, this time, it would be a family—no selling children, no dishonesty, no fear. Just forming our own little pack, for lack of a better word.

"All right, we better go. Everybody's waiting," Sloan said. We wandered back to the car and drove a short way down the road to the state park, where we were meeting the others. Somehow, Pop-Tart had gotten us a bus—a full school bus.

It had been remarkably handy, especially with our current numbers. And today? Between the bus and the vans, we were able to get everybody to the park for our celebration of when the first omegas came to the warehouse. It happened to also be my sweet child's birthday, and the kids thought that was perfect. Apparently, birthday parties were more fun than anniversary parties for the young. Me? I'd take any party that had cake.

As we pulled up, we could hear kids screaming that we were here. I guess they really were waiting for us. We got out of the car, and the kids swarmed us, wanting to know if we could sing happy birthday already. They didn't like hearing that birthday songs and cake came after real food.

Abel and Sally were excited about their part in the meal. Abel was grilling, and Sally was sure to inform us she was the "helper." When she first came, I didn't even think she could talk. Now she was talking nonstop. She was one of the kids I thought who would do well at the new house. There was still a lot to be done on it, but we were getting there.

"Everyone needs a good helper." Tyrus came up to his mate with grabby hands. "Come to Papa," he said, taking his son in his arms.

Seeing Sloan and Tyrus so happy, seeing all of the mates so blissfully happy was everything. It made all that we had been through worth it. I watched as the two of them walked toward the party and couldn't be happier for them. They'd both found their person, the one who made their lives complete.

Once upon a time, that was my dream also, but now I was a father, and there were other priorities.

"You okay?" King asked.

"Yeah, I was just thinking how lucky Sloan and Tyrus are."

My little one ran toward the party.

"Gotta go." I ran after my little sprinter, catching up with him as he reached our family. We might not have the typical family, but we had this, and it was more than enough.