Epilogue
Fenris watched Marley lift Selene into the air and soar away.
She was running. From him. He’d listened to her pleas, her claims that she wasn’t leaving him, but how could he believe those words when they felt like pity? An attempt to soften a brutal blow to his heart.
Disappointment and sorrow clawed at his chest.
Her choice shouldn’t have been a surprise. She was loyal to her friends. He was impressed by her courage and the cleverness of her plan.
She hadn’t expected him to change his mind, to spare Natalie.
Neither had he. He was still reeling from what he’d done.
He couldn’t explain precisely what happened.
All he knew was in that moment, as Natalie lifted the poison to her mouth, he had seen with perfect clarity the injustice of her punishment and that he would never have forgiven himself for executing her.
When he believed his attempt to save the witch had failed, that she’d died because he arrived at the truth of the situation a moment too late, he thought it might break him irreparably.
Not only because Natalie’s death was on his hands, but because his stubborn refusal to listen to Selene meant she would never let herself love him.
And he needed her. Fenris needed Selene like he needed to breathe.
He didn’t blame her for leaving. That didn’t make her betrayal any less painful.
He’d been watching the conspirators for some time.
After briefly pursuing Gabriel, Fen decided it would be better to let his packmate go than force him to explain himself.
Gabriel would return when he was ready. When he wanted to share his grief with Fen.
It was a sorrow Fenris didn’t yet understand.
He recognized all too well the depth of loss he’d heard echoing through Gabriel’s howl, but Gabriel had closely guarded whatever feelings he’d held for the witch.
Fen had returned to the garden, ready to comfort Selene as much as he could. Guilt racked him. He’d brought this pain—and his pride, his arrogance—upon her. Upon the one he loved beyond measure. If only he’d acted sooner. If only that vial hadn’t reached Natalie Lyon’s lips.
But Selene was already gone. The place he’d left his mate, Allie, Marley, and Natalie was empty.
In a matter of seconds, Fenris understood what transpired. And he’d tracked Selene’s scent through the garden and into the forest.
Muscles bunching, Fen prepared for the chase.
He couldn’t let her go. It would be no more than a handful of minutes before he caught up with them.
Clearing the wall in a single leap was a simple task for a wolf of his size and strength.
The service road was long and winding, and his speed would easily surpass that of their lumbering vehicle.
Fenris! The shout in his mind reached him a moment before a bronze-furred wolf stalked out of the woods.
Fen’s ears pinned back at Gabriel’s unexpected arrival.
Why are you here? Fen snapped his jaws at Gabriel, a warning for interrupting his hunt.
Gabriel’s hackles rose. To stop you from making a mistake.
You know what’s happened. It wasn’t a question. Fen locked eyes with Gabriel, and it was clear the other wolf had witnessed the escape. What they’ve done.
Let them go. Gabriel bared his teeth.
I cannot. Fenris spun away from Gabriel and rushed toward the wall, but Gabriel surged past him, cutting off his path once more.
You must, Gabriel urged, still bristling. If you don’t, you will lose her forever. You cannot take her freedom. Her choice. You know this.
She is my mate. Fen struggled with the instinct to attack his friend. He didn’t want to hurt Gabriel.
This isn’t the end, Fenris. Only the beginning. I give you my word. When the time is right, I will help you find your mate. Gabriel pawed the earth and growled.
Baring his teeth at Gabriel, Fen asked, Why should I heed your words? What gives you the right to interfere?
Because you are not the only wolf to lose a mate today. Gabriel took a step closer, fur bristling. Natalie Lyon is mine.
Fenris gazed at his packmate. The anguish in Gabriel’s howl when he saw Natalie lying dead in the garden revealed Gabriel’s attachment to her, but a mate?
That extraordinary bond between the witch and one of his guard should have been unmissable .
. . And it would have been, had it been any other wolf but Gabriel, who preferred the role of quiet observer and took great pains to reveal little about himself.
Despite his reticence, over the centuries he’d provided invaluable counsel when Fenris needed it most.
Gabriel was also unflinchingly loyal, a fact he’d proven yet again by remaining silent when Fenris chose to enforce a sentence of death on Natalie Lyon.
Wrenching regret seized Fen’s chest. His unwillingness to bend the law had not only driven Selene away, he had also unknowingly sentenced Gabriel to an eternity of grief.
It mattered little that Fenris had tried to stop the execution in its final moments; he’d been too late.
It was Selene who ultimately spared Gabriel’s heart and soul.
Fenris was forever indebted to her for that.
And now, despite everything, Gabriel sought his pack leader out, not to accuse or berate but to ally himself with Fenris in common cause.
Gabriel’s ability to remain loyal, to forgo righteous outrage in favor of a higher purpose, left Fen humbled and grateful.
That wisdom fought through Fen’s primal instinct to hunt down his mate, reason defeating rampant passion.
So be it, Gabriel.
Will you return with me to the manor? Gabriel’s voice conveyed his uncertainty. He understood how difficult it was for Fenris to back down.
Fen shook his ruff to rid himself of lingering animosity. Yes, I will return with you.
Gabriel trotted into the woods away from the wall that enclosed the estate. Fenris followed. It was easier to walk away knowing he would not face the days ahead alone in his longing. He and Gabriel shared a mission now, and they would see it through.
Fenris clung to the word Selene had finally uttered. The word he’d longed to hear.
Love.
She’d confessed she loved him.
He’d believed. He’d known it in his heart, his blood, his bones. But when she said the words, they’d reached into his very soul. And while the depth of her feelings filled him with satisfaction and joy, it was that much harder to let her go. Because she belonged to him, just as he belonged to her.
But Gabriel spoke the truth. And a wise leader listened to counsel. Now was not the time to hunt.
Fenris knew the day would come when he would chase her, find her, make her his own. Forever. He would wait until the time was right, but when that time came, he would pursue his mate without hesitation.
Selene’s promise was a prophecy. A promise that Fen now made his own. A prophecy he would fulfill.
Not today. Not tomorrow. But someday.