Epilogue 2
EPILOGUE: FOREVER HUNTED
Maya
The forest is alive with the sounds of the hunt.
Laughter, rustling leaves, the thunder of paws and feet against the earth, the crisp, cold air laced with anticipation.
A year ago, I had no idea what I was getting into when I joined the Sweetheart Wilds Festival.
I didn’t know that choosing a red ribbon meant choosing a mate.
I didn’t know that a growling, golden-eyed wulver would chase me down and change my life forever.
But this year?
This year, I run for him.
I run for the thrill of it, for the way my pulse pounds, for the delicious tension that coils in my stomach knowing what’s coming.
For who’s coming.
The air is thick with magic, with the scent of wulvers tracking their prey, with the heartbeat of the Wild itself.
And somewhere, out there in the dark?—
Ronan is coming for me.
I slip between the trees, ducking under branches, my breath coming faster, sharper, but not from exhaustion.
From excitement.
From knowing what’s about to happen.
A deep, rumbling growl vibrates through the night.
I shudder, biting my lip, my heart slamming into my ribs.
He’s close.
Too close.
I try to pick up speed, but I barely make it three steps before?—
I’m caught.
Plucked from the ground, my feet leaving the earth, strong arms wrapping around me like steel and fire.
I yelp, a breathless laugh escaping me, even as my back collides with the solid warmth of his chest.
Ronan snarls against my ear, his teeth grazing my throat.
“Found you, little red.”
He doesn’t wait this time.
Doesn’t tease, doesn’t play.
He pins me against a tree, pressing his massive, furred body against mine, his heat chasing away the bite of the winter air.
I arch into him, gasping, already aching for him, already ready to give myself up completely.
But first?—
I look up at him, searching his gaze, feeling my heart swell so full I think it might burst.
And then, softly, breathlessly, I say the words I’ve been holding in for too long.
“I want forever with you.”
His body goes still, his golden eyes flashing bright and burning in the moonlight.
A slow, deep growl rumbles through his chest, reverberating through me.
And then, he’s on me.
Mouth claiming mine, hands gripping my thighs, hiking them around his waist, his body pushing into me, taking what’s his.
And when he finally locks us together, when his knot fills me completely, when his vows are whispered against my skin between snarls and groans and shuddering breaths?—
I know this is it.
This is home.
This is forever.
And I wouldn’t have it any other way.
Thank you for reading Wanderlust with Wolves.