Epilogue - Ava #2
Sophie howls too, a small, reedy note that has several people laughing, and when Ronan lifts her up so she can see the fire properly, she wraps her arms around his neck and beams at him with excitement.
The fire is meant to burn away the old and usher in the new.
Standing there with my mate and child, I feel something inside me fall so completely into place.
I never thought I would find peace here again, in this pack that once banished me.
I never thought I would see myself reflected in the eyes of the pack, not as an outcast or as the daughter of traitors. But here I am.
After the ceremony, the whole village green explodes into celebration.
There are picnic tables strung with garlands of wildflowers, the scent of barbecue drifting over the grass, and a sound system perched on top of a hay bale blasting a playlist of classic pack anthems. Kids race each other around the perimeter, faces painted with butterflies and wolves.
The adults cluster in loose circles, beer bottles sweating in their hands, arms slung around each other’s shoulders, laughter carrying bright and clear above the music.
There’s a sense of giddy relief in the air, as if the pack has been holding its breath for months and is only now remembering to exhale.
I marvel again at the speed of Sophie’s transformation. Only weeks ago, she cowered at strange voices in case it was my parents, flinched away from too much attention. Now she is in her element, and for the first time in years, so am I.
Ronan is never far from either of us, moving through the crowd with the effortless magnetism of a true alpha. He shakes hands, claps backs, and even hugs a few of the older, more grizzled wolves, who are smiling and enjoying themselves.
As the afternoon wears on and the band begins to set up, I lean against Ronan, and his hand immediately finds my waist. I had wondered how I would get him alone to share my news, but I have an idea.
Standing on my tiptoes, I whisper into his ear, “Do you think anyone would notice if we slipped away for an hour?”
The look he gives me is pure heat, and I can tell he likes my plan. If anything, I wonder if I’ll have time to tell him before he devours me. Something crosses his features, and he frowns, “What about Sophie?”
I chuckle, “Emily is looking after her.”
His eyes go wide, and he barks out a laugh. “You’ve already asked my sister.” Then, pulling me closer, he adds, “I can’t wait to get you alone.”
The warmth of his breath sends a shiver up my spine, even as I try to keep my composure with half the pack watching his every move.
I glance around and realize that nobody is paying attention—not really.
Starcreek is a living, breathing thing tonight, pulse thrumming with happiness, and we’re just another part of it.
With a nod to Emily, who gives me a sly wink as assurance that Sophie will be just fine, we slip away from the bonfire and cut through the trees toward the house.
The door swings shut behind us, and before I can even turn, Ronan has me pinned between the wood and his body, one massive hand braced above my shoulder, the other already sliding up my thigh beneath the hem of my dress.
His mouth claims mine in a kiss that’s ferocious hunger, and I taste the familiar wildness building within him.
The rest of the day, the laughter in the clearing, the music, the safe warmth of the pack, falls away until it’s just the two of us.
There is only the heat of his mouth, the sharp drag of his teeth at my lip, and the hard line of his thigh wedged between my legs.
He breaks the kiss to press his forehead to mine, panting, his words low and ragged.
“You have no idea what you do to me, Ava.” His hands fumble for my waist, grip bruising, and then he’s hiking me up so my back scrapes the door.
My legs lock around his hips by instinct, and he grinds into me, hard enough that I gasp.
He pulls back long enough to look at me, really look, and there’s something almost reverent in the way his gaze travels over my face, my heaving chest, the trembling bare skin of my thighs where my dress has ridden up.
His voice is hoarse, barely more than a growl.
“I can’t wait. You don’t know how much I want you. ”
My pulse thunders. “Then don’t wait,” I say, reckless and needy, and the words set something wild loose in him.
He doesn’t bother with finesse. His hand is between my legs, hot and rough, dragging the fabric of my panties aside and sliding two fingers inside me without warning.
My head snaps back against the door with a dull thud, a gasp torn from my lips.
I’m already wet for him, more than ready, and he groans as he feels it. “Fuck, Ava,” he says, voice breaking.
He fucks me with his fingers, as I stare into his eyes that are so dark and intent that I feel myself unraveling against him, heat pooling low in my stomach.
I rake my nails over his biceps, leaving half-moons on his skin, and it spurs him on so much that he fucks me harder, his fingers curling inside me, until I’m shaking, desperate for more.
He yanks his hand away, leaving me empty and wanting, and I make a small, strangled noise, which he swallows in another brutal kiss.
With his free hand, he fumbles for his zipper, and I suddenly feel him pressed against me, demanding entry.
He grabs my ass with both hands and lifts, pinning me higher against the door, and then he’s inside me, all at once, thick and perfect and so deep it takes me a moment to adjust.
He rests his forehead on mine for a moment, seemingly trying to recover himself before he begins to fucks me, lifting me with every thrust, using the leverage of his arms and the braced line of his body to drive himself home again until I’m cumming on his cock, shuddering around him, every pulse and spasm of my body drawing a deep, animal sound from his chest. I claw at his neck, gasping his name, my vision white-out bright as the orgasm overtakes me.
He doesn’t stop, his hips unrelenting, fucking me through the aftershocks.
When he senses I’m coming down, he changes his grip, one hand sliding up my back to cradle my skull as if he’s terrified I’ll break.
“You’re mine, Ava,” he says, so fiercely that I almost sob, and then he pulls me off the door and carries me straight down the hall, my legs still wrapped tight around him, his cock still buried deep.
He hauls us into the bedroom, slamming the door with his foot, and falls with me onto the mattress.
He doesn’t let me catch my breath. He wants more, and so do I.
He flips me onto my back, shoves my dress up over my hips, and spreads my thighs wide with both hands.
The way he looks at me, filled with hunger, is almost more overwhelming than the way he fills me, driving into me with every ounce of strength he has.
I’m still trembling when I begin to cum again, and the next moment I feel his cock swelling, his movement erratic as he groans out his release, his hands gripping my thighs.
Falling onto our side, he pulls me close, laughing. “Is that what you wanted, love?”
I shake my head, grinning, and I feel him tense, “Actually, no, that’s not why I brought you back here. Not that I mind, though.”
I know I’m teasing him, and I can feel him thinking it through behind me. “What did you want, then?” he asks, confused.
I take a deep breath. “To tell you that you got your wish…” I reach around and bring his hand to my belly. “We’re on our way to a house full of pups.”
He immediately shifts behind me, rolling me onto my back and propping himself up on his elbow, searching my eyes.
“Are you—” His voice cracks, and he laughs. “You’re sure?”
I nod. “It’s early, but yes, I’m sure.” My voice trembles, and suddenly I’m overtaken by the urge to cry with joy. “I wanted to tell you after the ceremony. I didn’t want to take away from your day.”
He just stares for a moment. There’s a sort of awe in the way he looks at me, then, and I realize I’ve never seen him look so unguarded, so purely happy.
He leans in and kisses me softly, his palm still pressed to my belly, his forehead touching mine.
“You didn’t take away from anything,” he says, voice husky.
“You made it better. You make everything better.”
His voice is rough with emotion. “I love you. You and Sophie and”—he breaks into a grin—“whoever else you give me.”
I close my eyes and let the promise settle between us.
I’m home.
*****
THE END