EPILOGUE

EPILOGUE

Eight years later

Plucking a fresh beer from the cooler, Dominic blew out a breath. It was approaching evening, but damn, it was hot. The sun beat down on him like a heavy weight, and he had to wonder if he was the only one who’d been thinking that Taryn’s idea to have a picnic near the lake wasn’t so great. If so, no one had chosen to retreat to the dwelling.

The breeze was light but cool, creaking the branches and bringing with it the scents of warm herbs, sweet flowers, lake water, and the food that was set on the buffet table. Everyone was spread around the clearing. Some stood around in groups, some sat on logs or lawn chairs, others gathered around the various picnic tables.

Mila had been sitting with Lydia, Cam, Rhett, and Grace while burping Lydia’s baby boy, who had one hell of a set of lungs on him. But Mila was now gone, and he couldn’t see her anywhere.

He was about to ask Tao if he’d seen her, but Dominic noticed that the Head Enforcer was glaring up at Savannah, who sat in one of the weathered trees that hemmed the clearing. Her brow was furrowed in concentration, and her thumbs were tapping furiously on the screen of her cell phone.

Tao’s lips thinned. “You’d better not be texting boys.”

Savannah frowned down at him. “Why would I text boys? Boys are dumb.”

“Yes, they are. Never forget that.”

“I won’t—you prove it every day.” She swiped out at the little boy who’d climbed up the tree just to pull on her hair. “Ugh, your spawn is being a pain in the butt again, Tao. And I think he’s been back in the dirty cave near the river—I can smell it on him.”

Sidling up to Tao, Riley planted her hands on her hips and glared at their son. “What have I told you about staying away from the cave? There are bats in there!”

Tao sighed at his mate. “Woman, there are no bats!”

Riley sniffed. “Now you’re just lying.”

The young cheetah at the base of the tree chuffed in what might have been amusement, sprawled on the grass in his animal form as Lilah idly stroked his back while reading a book.

“Any of you seen Mila?” Dominic asked, but they all shook their heads.

“She might be with Jaime,” suggested Riley. “You know how those two can natter on and on for hours.”

He spotted Jaime perched on a log, wiping the sticky fingers of her young daughter. Mila wasn’t with her, but the Beta female might know where she’d gone. Dominic headed her way, the long grass and wildflowers whispering against his shoes with each step. Sunlight shimmered off the grass stems, just as it did the rippling lake water.

Reaching Jaime and her group, it came as no surprise to see that Dante and Hendrix were arguing. Again.

“Stop calling me Popeye!” Dante rounded on his mate. “Jaime, this is your fault.”

She just lifted one shoulder. “Can we help it if it’s an appropriate nickname?”

Standing beside Hendrix, Jaime’s nephew laughed. When Gabe Jr. wasn’t hanging in the security shack with his father, he was trailing after Hendrix.

“I’m looking for Mila,” said Dominic. “Any of you seen her?” They hadn’t. And there was still no sign of her anywhere.

He almost dropped his beer when a little blonde girl nearly crashed into him, singing, “Cujo.” Sofia squealed and ran off as her father’s wolf playfully charged at her. She was as much a born alpha as her parents and older brother. Kye was currently talking with Gabe, Hope, and Taryn near the buffet table as they piled food on paper plates. Kye totally dwarfed his mother now that he was almost as tall as Trey, though not quite so broad. Yet. The kid kept having growth spurt after growth spurt.

Dominic took a swig of his beer and then resumed his hunt for his missing mate. Passing Roni, he felt his lips twitch. She was sighing down at her mate and three sons, who were all gathered around a table with chocolate crumbs and bits of sponge cake on their mouths and fingers.

Roni threw up her arms. “Why do you all do this to me?”

The oldest grimaced and popped open a can of soda. “Sorry, Mom.”

“We were hungry,” complained the youngest, sitting on Marcus’s lap.

Her nostrils flared. “I’m hungry.”

The super-intelligent middle child looked at his mother, somber. “Perhaps you’re pregnant again. Statistics say that—”

“Don’t throw random facts at me, Keane.”

Dominic paused long enough to ask Roni and Marcus if they’d seen Mila, but the enforcers shook their heads. Great.

“Makenna might know,” said Marcus, taking a sip of his beer.

True. The females were reasonably close. So avoiding the pine cones that peppered the grass, Dominic stalked to the spot where the she-wolf stood with her little family. Sienna and Ryan were engaged in yet another standoff. The gruff enforcer didn’t like that his little girl was growing up, and she didn’t like that he treated her like she wasn’t.

Hands clenched, she grunted at her father. “Daaaaad, I’m not suggesting that I wax my legs or something extreme. I just want a cell phone—most kids my age have one.”

“I don’t care about most kids.” Ryan lifted a hand. “I told you, you can have a cell phone when you’re thirteen.”

“Which is an unlucky number!”

Ryan clenched his jaw. “There is no such thing as luck.”

“There is no such thing as luck,” parroted the little boy clinging to his father’s back.

Arm wrapped around his recently found mate, Zac laughed. “Are you always going to make fun of your dad?”

“Yep,” replied Bastien.

Smiling at their byplay, Dominic tipped his chin at Makenna. “I’m looking for Mila.”

Pausing in eating her handful of wild strawberries, Makenna tilted her head. A line appeared between her brows. “Last time I saw her, she was chatting with Frankie.”

Well, she wasn’t there now, but maybe Frankie could help. Dominic gave Makenna a nod of thanks and crossed to where Frankie was lounging on a lawn chair, rubbing her pregnant belly while her mate massaged her neck. “You look tired,” Dominic said to her. But then, she often did these days.

“I swear, it’s so hot out here, I could just fall asleep,” said Frankie. The rustling leaves on the branch above her head flickered shadows over her face. “It isn’t the pregnancy that has me so exhausted all the time; it’s this kid. For some reason, he or she is nocturnal. Always kicks and wriggles around through the night, waking me up.”

Trick gave her a sympathetic smile. “No rest for the wicked.”

Her brows lifted. “So what, serial killers don’t sleep?”

“Oh my God. It’s just a turn of phrase.”

Frankie made a derogative pfft sound.

“Either of you seen Mila?” Dominic asked. “I can’t find her anywhere. It’s like she just disappeared.”

Frankie’s brows snapped together. “Well, you didn’t look very far. She’s right behind you.”

Dominic pivoted on the spot. Mila was walking out of the trees with Greta. Each was hand in hand with one of the twins. Yeah, twins.

He’d been a mess all the way through Mila’s pregnancy. She was just so slender, he hadn’t been able to see how she could carry two babies at once. Honestly, the pregnancy had been a breeze for her. And she’d gotten through the labor with a calm and steadiness that the pack still marveled over.

The moment Emilia saw him, she beamed. “Daddy!” She rushed over to him on her little legs, her tight curls bouncing everywhere.

He scooped her up and planted a kiss on her cheek. “There’s my Em.” She wrapped her arms around his neck and nuzzled him. Yeah, his little pallas kit was a proper daddy’s girl. “Why do you have dirt on you?”

“It’s a boring story.”

Everything was a “boring story” when Emilia didn’t want to answer a question. He’d wanted to name his daughter Mila or Milena after her mother, but Mila wouldn’t go for it. So he’d suggested Emilia, which was close. He suspected that Mila had only said yes because she was a Game of Thrones addict and liked the actress who played the queen of dragons.

Unlike his twin sister, Dillon didn’t rush over. No, he was a pup who moved at his own pace, no one else’s. He was only six, but he already had the ease and swagger of a full-grown wolf shifter. An old soul, Valentina often called him.

“Dad, I don’t want a sister anymore,” Dillon griped. “Can we swap her for a boy? Or even just a pet?”

“No, we can’t. And you love her really.”

Dillon curled his upper lip.

“I’ve been looking for you,” Dominic said to his mate.

Mila flicked a look at the twins. “I was looking for them.”

“Dillon chased a rabbit into the underbrush and was trying to lure it out,” said Greta, flicking a red ladybug from her top. “Emilia offered to help him. Somewhere along the line, they got into a fight and rolled into a ditch.”

Dominic groaned. Although Dillon was a pretty easygoing pup and didn’t lose his temper often, Emilia knew just how to get under his skin—and the little cat did it a lot, so the kids frequently fought over everything and nothing. They were extremely protective of each other, though.

“Emilia’s a loser. I’m going to play with Bastien,” declared Dillon. Then he took off.

Emilia’s little nose wrinkled. “He’s the loser.”

Dominic tugged on one of her curls. “Neither of you are losers.” He set her on her feet. “Now go play.” She headed straight to Jaime and Dante’s daughter.

Greta put a hand to her chest. “Those kids of yours melt my heart.”

“Some would say you don’t have one,” quipped Riley, passing by.

Greta sucked in a breath, glaring at the raven. “Some would say you’re nothing but a hussy.”

Riley lifted a taunting brow. “That the best you got, Gretchen?”

“It’s Greta.”

“I don’t care.”

Predictably, Greta marched after the raven, delivering insult after insult.

Dominic curled an arm around his mate and drew her close. “Finally, we’re alone.” The sunlight bounced off her dangly diamond earrings. He’d bought the set for her to wear at their mating ceremony, which had taken place a month after the imprinting bond had formed. The bond had only strengthened over time, and it always seemed to surprise people that he and Mila weren’t true mates—they were just that solid.

Even all these years later, he could remember their mating ceremony well. Could remember how gorgeous she’d looked, how happy she’d been, and how they’d gotten very little sleep that night. And how most of the males from both his pack and the Mercury Pack had persistently hit on her with cheesy lines.

Dominic pressed a soft kiss to her mouth, dipping his tongue inside just enough to give hers a quick, teasing flick. “You taste good.”

“You taste like beer.”

“You get drunk on my taste anyway.”

She laughed. “I thought it was the other way around.”

“It can be both.” A shadow drifted over them, and he looked up to see a feathery cloud. “Want more food?”

“Nah, I’m good.” She glanced at her wristwatch. “We need to head back inside soon. It’s getting late. Frick and Frack need a bath.”

His mouth quirked. “You can’t call our children Frick and Frack.”

“I went halves with you on them; I can call them what I want.”

He chuckled. “Anyway, yeah, we’ll all be heading back soon. Which is good, because I can’t take much more of seeing you in that tank top.” The last time she’d worn it, he’d sliced through the thin straps with his claws, tugged down the tank to free her breasts, and then fucked the petal-soft globes until he blew his load all over them.

He hadn’t realized she’d sewn the straps until she pulled on the top this morning, giving him a wicked grin that said she knew exactly what it did to him to see her wearing it again. Flashes of memories kept flicking through his brain—his cock cushioned between her tits, her nipples hard and dark, her tongue sweeping up the drop of come that landed on her lip.

“Think you can manage not to cut the straps this time?” she asked.

“I can’t make any promises.” Moving his mouth to her ear, he lowered his voice. “Ever played leapfrog naked?”

“Nope.”

“Oh, you’ve never lived.”

“So you want to play a game later, huh?”

“Nah. Really, I just want to have a good, long taste of your plush lips.” He sipped at his beer and then tapped her mouth. “And these ones as well, obviously.”

Mila rolled her eyes. “That mind of yours is always in the gutter.” Probably always would be. If anyone thought that fatherhood would cure him of his cheesy-line-spouting disorder, they were wrong. He was just careful that the kids didn’t overhear. “So do these plans of yours consist of anything other than you going down on me?”

He smiled. “Oh yeah. I’m going to fuck you so hard and deep you can’t take it. But I won’t stop. I’ll keep taking and owning what’s mine.” And maybe he’d include some anal play. “Seriously, I hope you have pet insurance, baby, because I’m going to destroy this pussy later.”

She shook her head. “You really are beyond weird.”

“This is not fresh news to you.”

“You’re right, it’s not.” Snuggling into him, Mila closed her eyes as the cool breeze slid over her, ruffling her hair and clothes. It was hot as hell, but she wasn’t complaining. Despite the heat, it had been a relatively relaxing day. Pressed tightly against her mate as he rocked her from side to side, she listened to the swish of grass, the chirping of birds, and the water burbling. Her cat basked in the serene moment.

As he rubbed his cheek against hers, Mila drew back slightly and scraped her fingers over the stubble on his jaw. “You need a shave.”

“You can take care of that for me tomorrow.” His mate still worked at the barbershop through the week, just as she still sang at the Velvet Lounge on weekends—it hadn’t taken long for the Mercury Pack to fix up the club, adding fresh security measures. And since Emilia was proving to be just as talented a singer as her mother, it wouldn’t surprise Dominic if his daughter one day started performing herself.

Even though Mila moved to the pack, Vinnie still considered her part of his pride—and, by extension, Dominic and the twins. Although Dominic had ceased feeling threatened by Joel’s presence a long time ago, he was glad that he and Adele had returned to Joel’s pride shortly after the battle. They apparently had kids of their own now.

Dominic didn’t mind being considered part of Vinnie’s pride. The only person in the pride he really had a problem with was Alex. It wasn’t that they didn’t get along. In fact, he considered the wolverine a good friend. The issue was that Alex still turned up in Dominic and Mila’s bedroom whenever he felt like it, and no one had yet worked out how he kept sneaking past their security.

It had been more unnerving the morning Dominic had woken to the sight of her wolverine uncles gathered around the bed shortly after the twins were born.

Isaak had instantly complained, “You did not give the babes Russian names. Why is this?”

All in all, though, Dominic liked his in-laws a lot. “Oh, your mom called. She—” Hearing Emilia scream in fury and Dillon let out a battle cry, he turned and saw his children fighting over what seemed to be a pine cone.

Mila sighed in sheer exasperation. “There are several other pine cones all around them.”

After breaking up the fight, she declared she was heading back inside with Dominic and the kids. Everyone else decided to do the same, so once everything was packed up, they all returned to the dwelling.

For once, bath time went without incident. Soon enough, she and Dominic were tucking the twins into their beds in the room next door to their own. That didn’t go without incident, since Emilia threatened to fart in Dillon’s face while he slept. And why would she want to do that? “Because,” was Emilia’s response.

Retreating to the room she shared with Dominic, Mila let out a sigh of relief. The space hadn’t changed much when she moved in, since she hadn’t brought a lot of stuff with her. But her little touches had made the room less masculine.

Over the years, it had become more their space as opposed to a room she’d merely moved into. Knickknacks they’d collected sat on the dresser. Family photos now hung on the walls. Pictures of the twins as babies had been framed and set on the shelves.

She kicked off her shoes. “I’m gonna take a shower. Want to join—” Hands gripped her hips and yanked her back into a hard body. “Well, hello.”

Dominic swept her curls aside and kissed her nape. “Unless you want the straps cut again, take the tank off.”

Mila’s brows lifted. “Not wasting any time getting started, are you?”

“No. I’ve been thinking about stripping you all day.” He swirled his tongue over a freckle on her nape and then blew over it. “Take it off.”

Mila shivered at the feel of his cool breath on her neck. “I need a shower.”

“You can shower after. Now, arms above your head. Good girl.” He bunched the bottom of her tank in his hands and peeled it off, baring all that bitable flesh. He hummed, his lips grazing her cheek. “I like this bra.” Black. Silk. Lacy. “But it’s gotta go.” One-handed, he flicked open the clasp and whipped it off.

“Smooth, GQ.”

With a soft chuckle, Dominic swept a hand up her sleek back and knotted his fingers in her hair. “Mouth.” She turned her face to his, her lips parted, and he took her mouth. Greedy. Possessive. Almost savage. She sucked on his tongue, and he groaned, deciding she’d be sucking something else later.

Mila reached back and tangled a hand in his hair as he pinched and tweaked her nipples. Her nerve endings sprang to life, and each tug on her nipples sent a spike of pleasure straight to her clit. Yeah, that felt good. As did the hands now squeezing and plumping her breasts.

She melted into him, hissing as he scraped his teeth over her shoulder. He knew every one of her buttons. Knew how to make her crazed with need. Knew how to make her so desperate she begged.

Her cat purred, rubbing against him to mark his skin with her scent. Staking her claim. Warning off other females. Making sure he knew who he belonged to.

Snaking his hands over his mate’s delectable skin, Dominic snapped open the fly of her shorts and let them puddle on the floor. The sight of the black lacy thong adorned with little red bows made him swallow hard—it was one of his favorites. Especially because it only took a little tug on those bows to untie them, making the thong fall away. It was like unwrapping a present.

“It’s a real good thing I didn’t know you were also wearing this little scrap of lace today, or my cock would have been so painfully hard, I doubt I could have walked without limping.”

Untying the knots on her thong, he let it drop to the floor and cupped her pussy hard. “Mine.” He slipped his finger between her warm folds, rubbing her clit just right. And there was that smoky little moan he loved. “Let’s see if we can get you to make that sound again.” He caught her clit between two fingers and slid them forward, stroking both sides of the little nub. “Yeah, there it is. Good girl.”

He kept on playing with her clit, his eyes drawn to the way her breasts heaved with each ragged pant. His head spun as the heady scent of her need drifted up to him and poured into his lungs. His cock thickened even more. Raging hard, it pushed against his fly and dug into her back.

Dominic dipped his head and grazed her pulse with his teeth. “Shall I let you come before I fuck you?”

“You’d better.”

“Hmm. Not sure you deserve it. You knew I’d be rock hard all day if you wore that tank, but you did it anyway. And as we were at the picnic, I couldn’t even sneak off somewhere with you and do something about it.”

Mila’s breath caught as he clamped his mouth over his claiming mark and sucked. “You liked that, though. Delayed gratification is your thing, not mine.” She was a cat, after all.

“There’s delayed gratification, and there’s plain teasing your mate for your own amusement.” He slid his hand up to her throat and collared her, brushing his thumb over her pulse. “You made me wait, so why shouldn’t I make you wait?”

“Because I’ll stab you in the balls if you do.”

His lips twitched. “No, I don’t think you will,” he said, herding her toward the plush chair. “But just in case you’re tempted to try it . . .” He bent her over the arm of the chair, smiling at her outraged gasp. “There, that works.” Before she could start cursing or complaining, he drove two fingers inside her, grinding his teeth as her tight pussy squeezed them. “So hot. So ready for me.” But he wanted her pussy to be dripping with need for him.

Mila’s eyes fell shut as her world narrowed down to the two fingers tunneling in and out of her. They sometimes paused to swirl around or trace little circles over her G-spot, but then they’d go back to plunging deep.

Her pussy throbbed and ached for more. Need was roaring through her. Fast. Wicked. Electric. It licked at her skin until her nerve endings were on fire. “Dominic—”

“You need to come, I know.” He’d felt her arousal build. Felt her anticipation prickle at her patience. She was aching for more—he could sense that too. And he loved knowing and feeling what he did to her.

He thrust his fingers faster, harder. Pushed her toward an orgasm he had every intention of denying her. Just when it was about to sweep over her, he withdrew his fingers.

“Son of a bitch.”

He brought his hand down hard on her ass. “Not nice.”

“Ask me if I give a f—” Mila inhaled sharply as the thick head of his cock pushed inside her, stretching her quaking inner walls. Oh God, this was what she needed. His long, thick shaft slowly sank into her, filling her up.

He gripped her shoulders and slammed home, sending the breath whooshing out of her lungs. Jesus. And then he was roughly jackhammering into her pussy. Fuck, she was going to be sore later. Not that she cared. Not when it felt so damn good.

She tried pushing back to meet his thrusts, but his lower body pinned hers in place, forcing her to take what he gave. Her moans mixed with his throaty little snarls and the sound of his balls slapping her ass.

Dominic scored his nails down her back, groaning as her inferno-hot pussy greedily clasped and squeezed his cock—just as he’d known it would. Over the years, he’d learned how much pain she liked with her pleasure. Learned what little tricks made her breath hitch and her inner muscles grip him like a vice. She knew some tricks of her own, but she truly didn’t need to use them. Honestly, just the succulent scent of her need made him half-crazed for her.

Brutally hammering into her, Dominic traced the bud of her ass with the tip of his finger. “I want this again.” He’d taken it many times over the years. Claimed it as his own over and over. And he’d come to learn that she had a quick trigger when it came to anal play. “Don’t come until I say you can.”

Mila gasped as a wet fingertip circled the bud of her ass and then gently pushed inside. Her claws sliced out, tearing into the upholstery of the chair. He drove his finger deep into her ass over and over. Soon he added a second. Not long later came a third. The whole time, his cock kept on slicing into her pussy, winding her tighter and tighter until every nerve ending felt raw.

God, she was so close. Swept away by the feel of his cock slamming deep, the bite of his claws on her hips, and the feel of his fingers thrusting into her—

His hand came down sharply on her ass. “Come.”

Mila’s head snapped back as white-hot pleasure fired through her shuddering body, trapping a scream in her throat and making her eyes go blind. He snarled as her pussy clamped down on his thrusting, swelling cock.

While she was caught up in her orgasm, Dominic withdrew his cock and sank the thick head into her ass, groaning at how hot and tight she was. Her body briefly resisted the invasion, but then he smoothly and slowly buried himself balls-deep. “Fuck.”

“Move, move, move.” Because Mila couldn’t guarantee she wouldn’t come again before he was done. Especially when her pussy still tingled from her orgasm. Gripping her hips, he pumped his cock into her ass. Deep. Fast. Hard enough to feel good but not hard enough to hurt.

Soon, he upped his pace. And it started to happen again. Tension built low in her stomach, hot and wicked. Her thighs shook. Her pussy quaked. Her sensitized skin prickled.

Sensing she was close to coming again, Dominic gentled his thrusts a little. “Tell me. Say it, Mila. Say it and I’ll make you come.”

She licked her lips. “I love you.”

Satisfaction settled over him. “And I love you, baby.” He fucked her harder, faster. “More than anything.” He shoved two fingers into her pussy and smacked her ass hard. Her orgasm rippled along their bond just as it swept her under. “That’s it, Mila, come for me.”

Her pleasure spiked down their bond, heightening his own. His orgasm tightened his balls and shot out of his cock. Snarling her name, he slammed deep as he pumped rope after rope of hot come inside her.

All hollowed out, she slumped over the chair, trembling and breathing hard.

Panting, he pressed kisses along the back of her shoulder, gentling her. “Time for that shower.” It did his ego some good that she remained half-dazed throughout the short but thorough shower. When they slipped in bed, he pulled her flush against him. “You good?”

“Hmmm.” Mila smiled as his hooded eyes glimmered with sheer male satisfaction when they dropped to her claiming mark. The sight of it always put that smug look on his face. His possessiveness of her hadn’t eased even one iota over the years. He and his wolf were as territorial now as they were when they first claimed her.

Feeling his cock, hard and insistent, press against her, Mila smiled again. “I wonder if you’ll ever lose that quick recovery time.” She sure hoped not.

Mouth curving, he rolled her onto her back. “It’s a gift.” He licked and nipped his way down her body, relishing every moan and lazy sigh. He had a pussy to eat. As he kissed her belly, where his kids had once grown, he said, “I want more.”

“Huh?”

“I want more babies with you. But not twins again. I only want you carrying one at a time. Got it?”

She snickered. “I’ll see what I can do.”

“That’s what I like to hear.” Positioning himself between her thighs, he used his thumbs to part her folds. “Such a pretty view.”

When he just kept on staring, she lifted a brow. “Can you get on with things, please?”

“That would be rude. Your pussy’s talking to me.”

She frowned. “What?”

“It’s saying . . .” Moving her folds as if they were lips, he added, “Dominic, oh mighty sex god, would you please lick me.”

She laughed. “You are so fucking whacked.”

“But you love me.”

“Yeah, I love you.” And when his mouth sent her tumbling into another climax mere minutes later, she thought she loved him even more.

Settling at her side once again, he pulled her close. “Sleep, Mila.”

She would have done exactly that, but then a thought occurred to her. “Shit. Forgot to brush my teeth. I’ll be back.”

“Could you just do one thing first?” he asked as she stood. “I just need you to get down on your knees and smile like a doughnut. Hey, don’t walk off. It was a simple request.”