Page 176

Epilogue

Despite everything that was going on, somehow, we all ended up back home around the same time.

Buddy was at my heels, having licked and nuzzled and squirmed his way onto my lap for much of the meeting with Ophelia.

Now he just trotted in front of us, tail curled tight, ready to go where we were—home.

Ophelia had made some calls, let people know we were back, and as it was now well into the night, that we would catch up with everyone once we’d had a chance to sleep.

Brandon and I walked into our house, then started opening windows and letting the place air out just before the pack started to arrive, Buddy’s feet clicking on the floorboards until he found his bed and curled up in it.

“Mum came by the Mess,” Slade said after giving me a kiss on the cheek as he came inside. “She wants us over for dinner tomorrow, lunch as a fallback. I think she’s intending to bring us breakfast.”

“Mine too,” Aaron said, scratching his neck ruefully. “With the mating marks and being through the portal, they feel like they’ve missed too much, and Mum’s not one to let things go.”

“We won’t see mine for a bit at least. Doc’s got my dads resting in her surgery away from the women, and Mum’s with them,” Finn said.

“Mine are trying really hard to be cool,” Brandon said, getting off the phone. “I think Mum laid down the law. She knows some of what happened from my visions, but I won’t be able to hold them off for long.”

“I saw my brothers down at the Mess,” Hawk said. “Sorry, love, each one of them wants us to come around for dinner, and then there’s Mum and Dads.”

“Not mine,” Jack said with a lift of his chin. “Mum’s been in meetings with Nan.”

I felt a flutter in my chest. Of anxiety? Of pressure? Of feeling like people wanted pieces of me I didn’t have to give? I didn’t say a word, but my pack moved closer in our bright white kitchen, arms interlacing as they surrounded me.

“Jules—”

“We can?—”

“It’ll be?—”

“We’ll hold a family dinner with all of the relevant people in the married mess. We’ll give it all over to the Mums to organise, and then all we have to do is turn up,” Finn said. “After we’ve had a chance to recharge.”

I sagged within their arms at that and then just relished that feeling. This was a pack, where you could collapse in a heap, knowing there were a bunch of people there to catch you and hold you until you could bring yourself to stand again.

We all drifted over to the bathroom after that. Probably because we all stank. Medieval times might have guaranteed organic food and facilitated the rise of despotic regimes, but internal plumbing left a lot to be desired. The last real wash I’d had was the cold bath in the Uldariel village.

“Fuck, hot water…” Slade groaned as he got under the spray.

“And having an actual shower, rather than a dip in the river,” Aaron said, turning the taps to start the next shower head going.

“Sleeping in a goddamn bed,” Jack said, stripping the last of his clothes off.

“I don’t even care if you blokes snore at this rate.

Sleeping on something other than floorboards is all I want.

Well…” His eyes opened a crack as he regarded me, then Hawk, his hands working soap into his groin.

When I looked across at Hawk, I saw both of us noted the thickening there with interest.

Could we do this? Sex? After seeing a mass slaughter, attempted sacrifices, the cavern closing in, Max, Sylvan… For a moment, the guys were obscured, and all I saw was Sylvan rugby tackling Lonan into the Black Wolf’s mouth.

“Stop.” My eyes jerked up to see Finn standing on one side of me and Brandon on the other. “Don’t overthink this, don’t indulge in survivor’s guilt. You have a pack, and it's in one piece. The only appropriate response right now is relief, love, and pleasure.”

Finn was using a hint of his alpha tone on me, but I didn’t feel the pulse of his will. Rather, it was more like a psychic hug. He saw me, held me, told me it was all going to be OK, and for once, I could believe him.

“C’mon,” Brandon said, unbuttoning my shirt. “It’s time to join them.”

“It’s time, like I stink, or ‘it’s time’, portentously delivered in a seer-like fashion?” He just smiled at me as he pushed my clothes off, and Finn dropped down to unbutton my pants. “Brandon?”

He didn’t answer me as his hand and Finn’s steered me towards the shower, and I grabbed Hawk’s as I passed and dragged him under the water with us.

Then it all got kinda messy. Soap was distributed, rubbed on flanks and up ribcages, between thighs and along backs.

We were one big octopus of hands washing each other, not especially efficiently, but plenty sensually.

Finn broke first, pushing me into Slade’s arms as his lips dropped to mine.

I wanted this. It was selfish, almost wantonly so after what had just happened, but I guess that’s what human brains are like.

My conscience felt like we should hold a vigil for Sylvan to honour what he did, but everything noble and nice was pushed aside for just this—connection.

I might have this all snatched away tomorrow.

We’d been led around by the nose since I arrived, something I wanted to explore further with Brandon.

The White Wolf said I was her conduit now, so who knows when she’d want us to ride to the rescue again?

I kissed Finn back with everything I had, felt the burn of our venom as our tongues tangled.

Then I was passed on to Slade, who tipped my head back to kiss my neck, then twisted me around to face him, Finn hard and heavy against my hip.

“You’re OK, princess,” Slade said, pausing for a second.

His hazel eyes burned into mine, as if the intensity of his gaze would reassure me.

And it did. I could see it there, plain as day, no matter what kind of life we’d lead, he’d do everything he could to make that statement true, for me and for the pack.

He dropped his hand to stroke across my stomach before going to my hip.

And any child we chose to bring into it.

I answered by kissing him, my heart seizing as I felt the rasp of his beard against my hands, then he folded me against his chest and just held me for a minute, letting me listen to the rapid thud of his heartbeat, and I felt the strong throb of our bond through the skin to skin contact.

Then I felt another hand on my shoulder.

I saw the raw expression on Aaron’s face as soon as he took me in his arms. It was such a strange thing, as the world I’d come from had more in common with the Volken and their macho male bullshit.

So to see someone as big and strong as him trembling when he touched me, smoothing the water from my face before tugging me close.

He didn’t kiss me or stroke me, he just held me with the vise-like strength of his arms. “You’re safe…

” he whispered, more to himself than me. “You’re safe.”

“It’s OK, love.”

We both looked to see Brandon with a hand on each of our shoulders, the kind of radiant look on his face that made him look like he was lit from within.

“You don’t know…” Aaron’s words trailed away as he watched our lover. “Do you?”

Brandon wouldn’t answer. He just smiled as he drew me into his arms, kissed me deep and slow, then rested his forehead on mine for a moment when we were done, before doing the same to Aaron, looking as smug as a cat.

“Hey, stop bogarting the babe.”

I looked up to see Jack hovering at my shoulder, his grin broad and bright as he saw my cranky expression. He pulled me out of Brandon’s grip, spinning me and dipping me down low, as if we were ballroom dancing not naked in the shower.

“Babe?” I growled.

“Honey, sweetheart, darling, or love. You’re mine now, right?”

There, hidden deeply behind the shiny exterior was that lingering thread of doubt, so I put aside my objections to dumb pet names for a second and just relished that what he said was true.

“I am. I’m not going anywhere, hopefully ever again. This is it, this is us.”

Jack blinked momentarily, as if he couldn’t quite believe it. We’d have to work on that.

“Alright, Chuckles,” Hawk said, prising me out of his grip. “You’ve got your daily affirmation of love out the way.”

“From Jules, but you’re not off the hook,” Jack shot back.

“Neither are you,” Hawk rumbled, but he turned me towards him, sheltering me deep in his arms. He didn’t make any further moves, though I could feel his thick length pulled up tight against his stomach.

He just held me until I felt the sigh shudder through his body.

His breath seemed to come out harder, more strangled after that, as if holding me was making things worse rather than better.

I reached out and placed a hand on his chest, which was quickly covered by his.

Something hard and desperate struggled behind his eyes, so I took a deep breath and tried to look deeper into the bond.

I saw me, looking a whole lot more amazing than I would have looked, running like the wind across the cavern floor.

I saw rocks the size of house blocks—that was definitely an exaggeration—smashing to the ground around me.

Then there was the Black Wolf, looming as big as a skyscraper, with a muzzle full of razor-sharp teeth.

He snarled as I approached, his head snaking down to eat me whole.

Then the view shot to Hawk, running with everything he had, his muscles powering on, shaking with the effort, his face pulled back in a mask of agony as he kept sprinting but just got further and further away.

“No!”

I jolted back to reality as Hawk pushed me back against the wall. His grip was firm, not painful, but I could see now the effort it took for him to keep it that way. As his fingers flexed, I saw the claws pushing through his fingertips.

“Hawk…” Finn said in a low growl, but I shook my head.

“It’s OK, isn’t it, Hawk?”