Epilogue
CHARLOTTE
Six Months Later
Iburst through Beck’s office door without knocking.
He looked up from the paperwork spread across his desk, his pen hovering mid-signature. “Charlotte?”
“We need to call a meet,” I said breathlessly. “Now.”
His chair scraped the floor as he stood. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing’s wrong.” I couldn’t control my smile.
“Everything is right. Everett and I figured it out.” Words tumbled out almost faster than I could form them.
“We isolated the recessive alleles and identified the suppressor genes that prevent expression in most females. If we knock out the suppressors and introduce the recessive markers through a viral vector, we could induce compatibility in adult females who lack the natural markers.”
Beck came around the desk and cupped my face in his hands. “What does this mean, baby? Explain it in kindergarten terms.”
I took a deep breath. “We think we found a way to create compatible females.”
His eyes went wide. “What?” The word was barely a breath.
“We’d need to test it. We don’t need all the formal approvals required in the human world, which helps, but we still need to make sure this is safe before we move forward.
” I grabbed his wrists, excitement bubbling like a spring inside me.
“But Beck, we think we can edit the genes. It means you don’t go extinct.
It means unmated males have hope. It means—”
He kissed me.
Deep and claiming, his mouth covered mine with a desperation that stole my breath. When he pulled back, love and tears shone in his silver eyes.
“It means you’re saving us,” he whispered.
Tears burned my throat. “I don’t know if this will work. There are so many variables. But it’s promising. Maybe one day, men like Dmitri won’t have to give up on love. They’ll be free to find a woman they care about, and this gene treatment will ensure they can be together.”
He rested his forehead against mine. “You’re incredible. You know that, right?”
“We still have to—”
“I have a surprise for you, too,” he said, lifting his head. He released me and went back to his desk. Opening a drawer, he pulled out a folded piece of paper, then came back to me and held it out.
Curiosity sparking, I took it. The paper was thick and official. Unfolding it, I scanned the text.
“A pilot’s license,” I murmured. My gaze snagged on the photo, and shock tripped through me. I jerked my head up. “Yours?”
Beck nodded.
“When did you do this?”
A smile curved his lips, the expression boyish and a little bashful.
“You’ve put in some long hours in the lab over the past few months.
A few of the guys in the clan know how to fly.
They hooked me up with an instructor who helped me get the hours I needed.
” He rubbed a big hand over his nape, the bashful smile deepening.
“It, uh, turns out that learning to fly a plane is one of the best ways to overcome a fear of flying.”
My heart squeezed. “Oh, Beck…”
He coughed into his fist. “I figured if you want to finish your PhD, you’ll need a fast way to get back and forth to Anchorage. I’d be honored to fly you. I mean, if you feel safe flying with—”
The paper fluttered to the floor as I threw myself into his arms. I buried my face in his chest. His scent filled my nose. Spice and pine and home.
“Thank you,” I whispered.
He stroked my hair. “You don’t have to thank me.”
“Yes, I do.” I pulled back enough to look up at him. “You faced your fear for me.”
“For us.” He kissed my forehead. “Always for us.”
Joy swelled in my chest, the emotion so big I thought I might actually explode with it. I couldn’t possibly be happier. Except…
I tugged his hand down to my stomach. “We can shop for cribs in Anchorage,” I said softly.
Beck went still. He dropped his gaze to where my hand pressed his palm against my abdomen. When he looked back up, his eyes were bright. “You’re sure?”
I nodded. We’d been worried for a while. Two months had passed…then three, then four. I didn’t get pregnant, and doubt crept in. What if Everett had made a mistake about our compatibility? What if I couldn’t conceive? What if Dr. Henry’s blood had damaged something inside me?
But now…
“Everett confirmed it on ultrasound this morning,” I said. “I’m six weeks along. It’s early to announce in the human world, but Everett says shifters are different. I think he was ready to kick me out of the lab today, actually, I asked so many questions.”
Beck made a sound that was half laugh, half sob. Then he speared his hands through my hair and kissed me, his lips so gentle that tears overflowed my eyes and spilled down my cheeks. When he pulled back, we were both crying.
“I love you,” he murmured in a rough voice.
“I love you, too.”
He rubbed his palm over my stomach, holding it against the place where our child grew. “I hope he’s as smart as his mother.”
Tears streamed down my face as I put my hand over his. “And as strong of a leader as his father.”
Outside the window, snow fell in lazy spirals. The forest stretched beyond it, the trees a hidden sanctuary for a species that had teetered on the edge of extinction, its history and magic almost disappearing from the world.
But now Beck and I held the future in our hands.
“We should call that meet,” I said.
A wicked promise danced in his silver eyes. “Not just yet.” Swinging me into his arms, he strode to the door. “I’ve got some important alpha business to take care of first.”
Laughing, I squeezed his neck. “Will I need my glasses for this?”
“Oh, yes, sweetheart,” he said, taking the stairs two at a time. “This most definitely calls for glasses.”