Epilogue

Holly tappedout the last words of her article and sat back, stretching her arms as she looked out the window. The second-story room she'd converted into an office when she'd bought the house was the perfect place to work. The long dormer with its row of windows offered a stunning view of the bay and brought in tons of natural light. She gazed out at the white puffy clouds that drifted by, stained orange by the setting sun.

A ping on her computer brought her back to her work. It was a company-wide email from Marshall Newman discussing the annual meeting that would be coming up in about a month. She and Pierce would have the perfect excuse to head back to Eugene, and this was bound to be the first annual meeting she truly enjoyed.

Scrolling further down, she spotted a photo of Kyle Freeman. His hair was still the shocking white it'd been when she'd last seen him. Everyone in the company knew about it and whispered speculations about what had happened, but Kyle had never opened his mouth. Marshall proudly boasted about Kyle's article making the front page of not only one of Newman Media's papers but also a nationally recognized paper. He'd been working on an expose of a large corporation near Portland that was covering up their environmental transgressions, and Marshall was excited to announce it was getting such massive attention.

Apparently, the information they'd planted in his hotel room on that fateful night had been more valuable than she or the Glenwoods could've imagined.

A cry sounded on the floor below her. Holly was instantly out of her chair and heading for the door. She even surprised herself sometimes with just how quickly she could react when she knew that little Ruby needed her.

The front door closed before she could get down the stairs. "I've got her. You can go back to work."

"It's all right." She managed to land a quick peck on Pierce's cheek before he headed down the hall to the nursery. "I'm finished, and dinner should be done."

"Dinner?" The back door slid open, admitting Rick. Holly's cousin Dylan, the Alpha of the Brigham clan, was on his heels. "I could use some dinner after that jog on the beach."

Holly lifted the lid off the slow cooker. Grabbing a cutting board and utensils, she lifted the chicken breasts out of the pot and began shredding them for barbecue sandwiches. "Dylan, you're not wearing him out, are you? He's got plenty of work to do around here," Holly teased.

Dylan took off his hat and swept a hand through his thick, dark hair. He set his hat on the breakfast bar with the Cape Cod National Seashore logo showing. "I think he's got more energy than I do. He can sure keep up, even when we get into the rougher spots where most people don't go."

"I told you he'd be a great guide," Holly told her father-in-law. "I'm glad you're finding plenty around here to do, although I hope you're not overdoing it."

Rick edged around her in the kitchen so he could wash his hands. "Never. My father always said you can sleep when you're dead. I'm not going to say that was exactly accurate, but I can understand the sentiment."

Pierce stepped into the room with a sleepy Ruby in his arms. Her dark hair was in fuzzy tufts where she'd rubbed against her sheets during her nap, and she blinked sleepily at the family standing around her. "Maybe so, but you still could've actually retired like you said you were going to do."

"Are you trying to tell me you don't like serving on the fire department with me?" Rick asked with a grin. He dried his hands and reached his arms out. "Let me have that sweet baby!"

Ruby happily went into his arms, snuggling against her grandpa's chest.

"I'm just giving you hell," Pierce admitted. He brushed his hands across Holly's back. "What can I do to help?"

"I need the sauce from the fridge, and you can get the buns out."

Pierce opened the fridge door. "No, Dad, the only thing I want to know about your job is how you have time for it. You've still got several projects going on in the apartment, and you're always here to help with Ruby anytime we need it. You've been out on the beach or working in the yard. Adding a job to that doesn't sound like much of a retirement."

"Don't forget all the energy he expends fending off the local women," Dylan added. "I used to think jogging along the beach would be a great way for me to find the right one, but they're all too busy looking at him."

Pierce grinned. "It's the same way every time we go out on fire calls. We show up and battle the blaze, then this guy takes his helmet off and they're all shocked at the gray hair. He's had more than one of them try to slip them his number. Or worse, they give me their numbers to give to him."

Rick gave both of the other men a scolding look as he cradled his granddaughter in his arms. "It's not like that."

Holly smiled as she put the chicken back in the crock and added the sauce, stirring it to warm it up. "I'm sorry, Rick, but they're right. I can't take you in the grocery store with me anymore."

"What are you talking about?" he asked indignantly.

She laughed. "Don't you remember what happened last week? That woman at the register had her eye on you the moment we got in line. She chatted you up the whole time we checked out and was still trying to talk to you as we went out the door."

Pierce pulled some fresh vegetables from the fridge and began washing them. "Sounds like you're going to have to go make one of these lovely ladies a grandma, Dad."

Rick shook his head, waving off their comments, but he was smiling. "For your information, the only girl who has my heart is this little one right here. Isn't that right, Ruby? Grandpa just wants to be here with his family. I want to spend my free time with you guys."

Ruby gurgled happily at him.

"Exactly," Rick agreed. "And as for the job, working as a regular firefighter instead of the chief is actually kind of like a partial retirement. I get to do all the fun stuff instead of sitting in the office, filling out paperwork and making schedules. There are times when I wonder if I did Hayden a disservice by leaving that burden to him."

"No," Pierce said as he brought the chopped veggies to the table. "I was just on the phone with him yesterday, and I almost couldn't get him to talk about anything else. He's always enjoyed being on the department, but this just might be the role he was destined for the whole time."

Holly scooped the meat onto a platter and brought it to the table, smiling. Fate had brought her and Pierce together. Once they'd found a way to make their relationship work, everything else seemed to fall into place—not just for the two of them but for everyone else. Rick was invigorated by the salty air, the abundance of ways to spend his time, and the chance to care for Ruby. Hayden was no longer surrounded by his immediate family, but he'd stepped into his own as fire chief for the Eugene-Springfield Fire Department. The photo Holly had dug from the ashes of the Westbrook house now lived in a new frame on their mantel, a reminder of the past.

Even Dylan seemed to enjoy the new friendships he'd formed with Pierce and Rick, and she loved having him over more often. At least she knew he wasn't dining alone while he waited for the chance to meet his mate. "Are you joining us, Dylan?"

"The way that smells, I don't think I can say no." He washed his hands and took a seat at the table.

As they all got settled, Ruby let out a loud squeal. The baby shook as dark fur burst out all over her skin. Her tiny baby fingers turned into long claws and she shook her head as her muzzle formed. She let out a shriek again, although it sounded much different now, coming from her bear form.

Rick laughed as he moved her around in his arms to help accommodate the baby's new physique, and Ruby smacked her paws on the edge of the table. "I guess I'm not the only one you can't take to the grocery store. She's been doing that more and more often!"

"A perfect little cub," Dylan said with admiration. "I'm impressed that she can do that so early and with so much ease. You won't have to teach her how to shift at all."

"Just that she can't do it in public," Pierce noted. "She's got some very strong shifting genes in her."

"She does." Holly had been making a sandwich for Rick since his hands were full, but she stopped to admire her baby girl. Life had changed so much for her over the past year, and it was better than she ever could've imagined. Pierce's job meant that he was often gone at odd hours, and her own job occasionally took her away from home to research an assignment. They couldn't always be together as much as she would like, but they were truly making it work. When she'd visited Eugene, she knew there was a home she wanted desperately to come back to. Holly had even felt a bit selfish in telling Pierce she wouldn't stay in Oregon with him, but now she knew it was all for a good reason. This home—the one they'd created there together—was exactly what she'd craved in life. She not only had family surrounding her and a wonderful mate at her side, but an adorable baby girl.

Ruby let out her funny little squeal again. It was usually a sign that she was going to shift back into being a human baby, but not this time. Her body changed, but not into pink cheeks and chubby little toes. Her ears went from round to pointed. The deep brown on her muzzle changed to gray, and her body grew more lean and lanky. Her claws shrank, and her next squeal came out as a yip.

"Whoa! That's quite a tail there!" Rick exclaimed as he held onto the wolf pup.

Dylan dropped his fork. "I didn't know she could do that!"

"Neither did we," Holly admitted.

Pierce caught her eye from across the table. "I guess she's just like her mother."

She smiled at him and returned to her dinner, still in awe that such a young child would be capable of something like that. Pierce was right, though. Ruby was just like her. It was strange and magical to be both a wolf and a bear now that Pierce had marked her. She was still getting used to having two beasts inside her, but it was work she was willing to do.

When they'd finished dinner and cleared their plates, Dylan thanked them and headed back home. Holly saw him to the door, and when she turned back around, Pierce was watching her. "What?" she asked with a laugh.

"Well, the way Dad's been talking about it, I thought maybe you and I should take a run on the beach.

"I'll stay with Ruby," Rick offered. The infant was already asleep in his arms as he rocked her in front of the television. "I can handle her no matter what kind of animal she wants to be."

"Are you sure?" Holly asked.

"Go on," he urged, shooing them toward the door. "Get out of here."

Pierce took her hand as they stepped out the back door and ran down the sandy pathway to the beach. The Brigham clan owned most of the houses along this stretch of the Cape in Truro, meaning they didn't have to worry about being seen.

As they reached the flat of the beach, Holly let out her wolf. She stumbled a bit on her long, gangly legs and balanced herself with her tail. She felt strong and mighty as a bear, but her wolf felt light and free.

That was much better, Pierce commended her as they trotted along, just on the edge of the surf. You're getting good.

I'll have to catch up with Ruby, she cracked, still amazed by what their little girl could do. She's going to grow up to be something special.

She already is. Pierce slowed as they reached the dock. He turned onto it, walking out to the edge and sitting down. Just like you.

Holly joined him, inhaling the salty air and soaking in the very last rays of the sun just before it slipped past the horizon. She leaned against Pierce, enjoying the feeling of his fur against hers. Looking out over the ocean with her mate at her side, she never would've imagined experiencing all this when she'd gone to Eugene. It was an adventure she'd written about several times, but only in her private files.

It was the story of the century, but she wouldn't share it with anyone.

THE END