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Epilogue - Dahlia

Iwake up to sunlight streaming through the windows, casting golden patterns across the bedroom floor. For a moment, I just rest there, savoring the warmth and the tangle of limbs surrounding me. Evan's arm is draped across my waist, his breath tickling the back of my neck. Leo sleeps on my other side, one hand resting possessively on my hip. Onyx and Axl are sprawled at the foot of our ridiculous custom-made bed, their bodies forming a protective barrier between me and the door.

My pack. My Alphas. Mine.

It's been six weeks since Hammond's facility, six weeks since they saved me, six weeks since we all decided this arrangement wasn't temporary. The world has changed dramatically in that time, both my world and the world at large.

The cure worked. Not just on Mara and the infected shifter we captured, but on thousands of others. Evan used his resources to mass-produce and distribute it globally, while I worked with medical teams to refine the formula. The virus that was meant to destroy shifter-kind has been neutralized, and Hammond's "containment" program was dismantled.

Hammond himself is locked away in a secure government facility, facing charges that will keep him there for several lifetimes. His research has been seized, and his network of collaborators has been exposed. The world knows what he tried to do and what we stopped him from doing.

I stretch carefully, trying not to wake them. My body feels different this morning. Heavier somehow, and more sensitive. I've been feeling off for a few days now, but I've been too busy to pay much attention. Between press conferences, research papers, and establishing our unusual household, there hasn't been much time for self-reflection.

As I shift to sit up, a wave of nausea hits me. I freeze, waiting for it to pass, but it only intensifies when Evan rolls closer; his scent is suddenly overwhelming.

Oh no.

I carefully extricate myself from the tangle of bodies, moving with a stealth I didn't possess before my Omega awakening. None of them stir as I slip from the bed and pad quietly to the bathroom, closing the door behind me before I lunge for the toilet.

After emptying my stomach, I sit back on my heels, trembling slightly. This is the third morning in a row. I can't ignore it anymore.

"Dahlia?" Onyx's voice comes through the door, concerned. "You okay in there?"

"I'm fine," I call back, wincing at how unconvincing I sound. "Just... give me a minute."

I rinse my mouth and splash cold water on my face, staring at my reflection in the mirror. My skin glows with a radiance that has nothing to do with the lighting, and my eyes seem brighter somehow. I place a hand on my still-flat stomach, a suspicion forming that I'm not quite ready to voice.

When I walk out of the bathroom, all four of them are awake and watching me with varying degrees of concern.

"You look pale," Leo says, immediately moving to feel my forehead.

I duck away from his touch, suddenly overwhelmed by his scent. "I'm fine. I feel a little queasy."

"You've been 'queasy' every morning this week," Evan points out. "And you barely touched dinner last night."

"Maybe I'm coming down with something," I suggest, though I don't believe it myself.

Axl sits up, running a hand through his sleep-mussed hair. "Or maybe it's something else."

Our eyes meet, and I see the question in his. He's more perceptive than the others sometimes give him credit for.

"I need to go to the lab," I say abruptly, grabbing clothes from the dresser. "I have some tests to run."

"Tests for what?" Onyx asks, his voice is deceptively casual.

I pull on a t-shirt and jeans, avoiding their gazes. "Just some follow-up work on the cure. Nothing important."

None of them believes me, and I can tell by the way they exchange glances, but they don't push. That's one of the things I love about them. For all their Alpha posturing, they respect my boundaries.

"I'll make breakfast," Leo offers, climbing out of bed. "Something light for your stomach."

"Thanks," I say, grateful for the change of subject. "I won't be long."

I make my escape before they can ask more questions, hurrying down to the lab in the basement of our new home. After the events at Hammond's facility, we decided we needed a place that could accommodate all of us and provide security. Evan purchased this estate on the outskirts of the city. It's twelve acres of wooded land surrounded by a state-of-the-art security system.

The lab is my sanctuary, a place where I can think clearly amidst the chaos of our unconventional relationship. I close the door behind me and lean against it, taking a deep breath.

"Computer, engage privacy protocol," I say.