Page 26

EPILOGUE

S ix months later…

Bella tightened the last bolt on the power coupling and sat back on her heels, wiping her brow with the back of her hand. The mechanical heart of the keep hummed with new life, a symphony of perfectly calibrated parts working in harmony. She’d spent the better part of the morning repairing the auxiliary power system, ensuring it would engage seamlessly if the main grid faltered.

“There.” She gave the metal housing a satisfied pat. “That should hold through the next three storms at least.”

She tucked her tools into the pockets of her coveralls and headed back through the keep. Six months of hard work had transformed the once-crumbling fortress into something magnificent—a waystation for travelers using the new mountain pass that connected the human villages and the Vultor territories.

The trade agreement that Seren and the village council had finally signed had changed everything. Merchants and travelers now passed regularly through the mountains. The keep provided a safe stopping point, offering shelter, food, and minor repairs for those traveling the route.

She made her way through the corridors, nodding to a human merchant who was studying one of the ancient tapestries Malrik had restored. The man bowed slightly, still clearly nervous about being in a structure associated with the Vultor, but the presence of other humans helped ease such tensions.

She headed toward what had once been the stable block, now converted into a workshop and living quarters for her father. He had moved in three months ago, after it became clear that she would never return permanently to the village. Malrik had suggested the arrangement, and her father had accepted with surprising enthusiasm.

The workshop door stood open, and she paused in the doorway, watching her father bent over his workbench. Tools hung from the walls in neat rows, and half-finished inventions covered every available surface. The scent of metal and oil reminded her of their old shop, bringing a smile to her face.

His health had improved dramatically since moving to the keep. The mountain air seemed to agree with him, and having regular work for his hands kept his spirits high.

“Papa?” she called softly.

He looked up, his face breaking into a wide smile. “Bella! Come look at this contraption I’ve been working on.”

She crossed to the workbench, examining the device with professional interest. It appeared to be a small, handheld scanner of some sort.

“It’s for the traders,” he explained, his eyes bright with enthusiasm. “Detects metal fatigue in axles and wheel components. Should prevent breakdowns on the mountain roads.”

“Clever,” she said, genuinely impressed. “The merchants will pay good money for that.”

“That’s what Malrik said.” He set the device down carefully. “He stopped by earlier to bring me these.” He gestured to a stack of small metal components arranged neatly at the edge of his workbench.

She smiled, touched by Malrik’s thoughtfulness. He made a point of checking on her father daily, bringing materials or simply sitting with him while he worked. The two men had developed an unlikely friendship, bonded by their shared love of creating things—and their shared love for her.

“How are you settling in, Papa? Truly?” she asked, perching on a nearby stool.

He considered the question, his weathered hands absently arranging his tools. “I never thought I’d live in a place like this,” he admitted. “A Vultor keep, of all things.” He chuckled, shaking his head. “But I’m content, Bella. I have my work, comfortable quarters, and most importantly—” he reached out to squeeze her hand, “—I have you nearby.”

“You don’t miss the village?”

“What’s to miss? The gossips? The small-minded council?” He shrugged. “I have more interesting conversations here in a day than I had there in a month. Did you know that Seren’s chief engineer stopped by yesterday? We talked about power conversion systems for hours.”

She laughed. “I’m glad you’re happy here.”

“And you? Are you happy with your beast-prince?”

“He’s hardly a prince anymore,” she said, though they both knew it wasn’t true. Malrik might have abdicated his formal position, but the Vultor still treated him with the deference due his bloodline.

“You didn’t answer my question,” he pointed out gently.

“Yes,” she said simply. “I’m happier than I ever thought possible.”

Her father nodded, satisfied. “Good. That’s all a father wants.” He turned back to his work, a signal that the emotional moment had passed. “Now, off with you. I need to calibrate this sensor array before sundown.”

She kissed his cheek and left him to his tinkering, heading outside into the late afternoon sunshine. The keep’s garden spread before her, once overgrown and wild, now partially tamed into orderly beds interspersed with wilder areas. It had become one of her favorite places at the keep, especially since Malrik spent so much time there.

She found him kneeling beside a bed of silver-blue flowers, his broad back to her as he carefully pruned dead blooms. Even from behind, she could tell he wasn’t in full beast form—his silhouette was more Vultor than animal today, though still not like the other Vultor who occasionally visited.

Unlike them, Malrik never fully transformed back to the traditional Vultor appearance. His form remained a blend—more beast than most Vultor would tolerate, more rational than the beast alone had been. The curse had been broken, but it had left its mark on him permanently.

Bella didn’t mind. She loved him in any form.

She approached quietly, admiring the play of muscles beneath his skin as he worked. His form today was somewhere between beast and Vultor—his skin a deep slate grey, with patches of dark silver fur across his shoulders and down his spine. His hands ended in claws, but they moved with delicate precision among the fragile blooms.

As if sensing her presence, he turned, his yellow eyes finding her instantly. They still glowed when his emotions ran high, but now they usually shone with contentment rather than rage or hunger.

“Finished with the power coupling?” he asked, his voice a low rumble.

“All fixed,” she confirmed, moving to join him. “The next storm can rage all it wants—we’ll keep our lights.”

He made a sound of approval, setting aside his gardening tools as she approached. When she reached him, he pulled her down to sit beside him on the stone bench, his arm settling comfortably around her waist.

“Your father’s device is promising,” he said. “I’ve arranged for the next Vultor trading party to test it.”

“He told me. He’s thrilled.” She leaned against his side, enjoying the warmth of his skin against hers. “You’ve been good to him.”

Malrik shrugged, a gesture he’d picked up from her. “He is your blood. And he has valuable skills.”

“Mmm, very practical,” she teased, knowing there was more to it than that. For all his lingering beast instincts, Malrik had developed a genuine fondness for her father.

He growled softly, but there was no heat in it. “Would you prefer I be impractical?”

“Sometimes.” She traced a finger along the line where fur met skin on his arm. “You look more Vultor than beast today.”

“Does that disappoint you?” There was a hint of real concern in his voice.

She shifted to face him, cupping his cheek in her palm. “Nothing about you disappoints me. But sometimes…” She bit her lip, suddenly shy.

His eyes flashed. “Sometimes?”

“Sometimes I miss the beast,” she admitted. “The wild part of you.”

A slow, dangerous smile spread across his face, revealing the sharp points of his fangs. “He’s never far from the surface.”

“I know.” She leaned closer, her lips brushing his ear. “And I know exactly how to bring him out, too.”

Before he could respond, she sprang to her feet and darted away, throwing a challenging look over her shoulder as she headed for the tree line at the edge of the garden.

His growl followed her, low and primal, sending a delicious shiver down her spine. She ran faster, laughing as she plunged into the cool shadows of the forest. Behind her, she heard the distinctive sound of transformation—fabric tearing, a guttural snarl, the heavy thud of paws on earth.

The beast was loose.

She ran with purpose, following a familiar path through the trees. She wasn’t truly trying to escape—they both knew that—but the chase itself was part of the game. She ducked under low branches and vaulted over fallen logs, her heart pounding with exhilaration rather than fear.

She could hear him gaining on her, his massive body moving with surprising stealth through the underbrush. Only the occasional snap of a twig or rustle of leaves betrayed his position. He was toying with her, letting her maintain the illusion of escape while steadily closing the distance between them.

She burst into a small clearing, a secluded spot carpeted with soft moss and dappled with late afternoon sunlight. She had barely taken three steps into the open space when a massive form crashed through the trees behind her.

She whirled around, breathless and laughing, to face her pursuer. He stood at the edge of the clearing, fully transformed into his beast form. Eight feet of rippling muscle and dark silver fur, eyes glowing with primal hunger, claws extended and fangs bared in what might have once seemed a terrifying snarl.

To her, it was a smile.

“Caught you,” he rumbled, his voice deeper and rougher in this form.

“So you have,” she agreed, making no move to run further. “What will you do with me now, beast?”

He stalked toward her, each step deliberate, his gaze never leaving hers. When he reached her, one massive paw-like hand came up to cradle her face with his usual gentleness.

“Mine,” he growled, the word both possession and promise.

“Yours,” she agreed, reaching up to tangle her fingers in the thick fur of his chest.

His kiss was hungry, demanding, the beast’s passion untempered by Vultor restraint.

She clung to him, returning his fervor measure for measure, her hands sliding up his chest to wrap around his neck. He scooped her up as if she weighed nothing, lifting her so they were eye to eye.

“I want you,” she murmured against his lips. “I need you.”

He made a rumbling noise of agreement, his claws shredding her clothing with careless strength. The cool forest air caressed her bare skin, quickly replaced by the heat of his body pressing against hers.

He carried her to a soft patch of moss beneath a towering tree, laying her down with a tenderness at odds with his fearsome appearance. He settled beside her, his massive frame dwarfing hers, but she felt no fear. This was her beast, her mate.

He explored her with all his senses, burying his nose against her neck to breathe in her scent, then flicking out his tongue, longer and rougher now, to taste her skin, teasing her mating mark and sending shivers of pleasure down her spine. He trailed that rough, wet heat over her collarbone, down between her breasts to the curve of her stomach.

She tangled her fingers in the thick mane of fur around his head, urging him lower. He growled softly, his breath hot against her thigh as he pressed his mouth to her core. The first lap of his tongue tore a cry from her throat, the sensation intense and overwhelming. He continued his ministrations, each stroke sending bolts of pleasure through her body.

“Malrik…” She gasped his name, arching into his touch. “Please, I need you inside me.”

He growled and flipped her over onto her hands and knees, claws dragging lightly down her sides. The feel of his massive chest covering her back, the heat of his breath against her neck, made her moan in anticipation.

She could feel his cock, hard and ready, pressing against her thigh as he positioned himself behind her. With one powerful thrust, he buried himself deep within her, filling and stretching her to her limits. She cried out at the sudden intensity, pain and pleasure mingling in a heady rush.

He held still for a moment, giving her time to adjust to his size. Then he began to move, his hips rolling in a primal rhythm, each stroke hitting a spot deep inside that had her seeing stars. His massive body surrounded hers, protective and possessive all at once.

He leaned closer, his fangs grazing her mating mark as he drove into her again and again. The growls rumbling from his chest vibrated through her, heightening the sensations coursing through her body.

She could feel the pressure building within her, a wave of ecstasy cresting higher with each of his powerful thrusts. She pushed back against him, urging him on.

“Mine,” he growled against her skin. “My mate. My Bella.”

“Yours,” she gasped. “Always.”

With a roar, he slammed into her one final time, throwing them both over the edge into a blinding climax.

The sun had dipped low in the sky when Bella woke, still curled against Malrik’s side in the forest clearing. He was back in his Vultor form, though patches of fur lingered on his shoulders and arms.

She stretched, feeling pleasantly sore and languid, the aftereffects of their lovemaking still humming in her body.

He watched her, his yellow eyes hooded and content. “Mm, you look thoroughly pleasured, my Bella.”

“I am,” she said, smiling lazily. “Though I fear we’ll have to find our way back to the keep without clothes. You’ve ruined mine.”

He chuckled, a low, rumbling sound that she felt in her bones. “Perhaps I’ll just carry you back and scandalize everyone.”

“Mmm, the great and powerful Malrik, parading through the halls with his mate in his arms, naked as the day she was born.”

“My mate,” he echoed, his voice growing softer. “I still cannot believe you chose me. That you could love this broken, cursed thing.”

“You’re not broken or cursed,” she said, propping herself up on one elbow to look down at him. “You’re beautiful and strong. A little wild, yes,” she added with a smile, “but that’s part of your appeal.”

He huffed a laugh. “Careful, mate. You’ll give me a bigger ego than I already have.”

“Good. You deserve it.” She traced the line of his jaw, marveling at the contrast between his soft fur and hard muscle. “I love all of you, Malrik. Every side, every form.”

His eyes darkened, and for a moment she thought he might transform back to the beast and ravage her again. Instead, he pulled her down for a long, lingering kiss.

“As I love you,” he said when they finally broke apart. “With all my being.”

She sighed contentedly. “We should probably head back before my father sends out a search party.”

“Agreed.” He stood in one fluid motion, then scooped her up into his arms, cradling her against his chest.

“Malrik!” she protested. “You said you wouldn’t parade me naked through the halls.”

He grinned down at her. “I lied.”

She tried to look indignant, but his mischievous grin was infectious. “Just try not to traumatize anyone,” she said with a theatrical sigh.

He carried her to the edge of the forest, where the keep’s outer walls rose high overhead. The sun was sinking below the horizon, painting the sky in brilliant hues of pink and orange. He paused to watch it with her, his eyes reflecting the fiery glow.

“I never tire of seeing this through your eyes,” he murmured. “Before, it was just the sun setting. But now it’s…” He trailed off, at a loss for words.

“It’s beautiful,” she finished for him. “Like a promise of a new day to come.”

He nodded, holding her a little closer. “I used to dread the dawn. It meant another day alone in the darkness. But now… Now I welcome it. Because I wake with you by my side.”

She leaned her head against his chest, listening to the steady beat of his heart. “I never thought I could be this happy,” she whispered. “That I could find a place where I truly belong. With someone who accepts me just as I am.”

“As I love you,” he echoed, kissing the top of her head.

She could feel him smiling against her hair, his joy matching her own. This keep, this wild land, this half-beast prince—this was her home now. Her happily ever after.