Epilogue
“I bet you can’t hit me with that ball of dough,” eleven-year-old Frankie said, sticking out his tongue.
Twelve-year-old Jannie scowled and squished the cookie dough in her fist. “Dad!”
“Frankie,” Mathlin said disapprovingly. “These cookies are meant for the charity bake sale. They’re not yours to throw at your siblings.”
“Aww.” Frankie made a face, eyeing the twins. “But they threw dough balls at each other!”
“Hey!” Ten-year-old James and Steve made faces at him. “Traitor!”
“I started it,” said eight-year-old Clint. Proudly.
Mathlin sighed, shaking his head fondly.
The pups were a handful, and he loved them all.
Jannie took after him, with her light brown hair and orange eyes, while the rest of the pups resembled both him and Titan—Frankie and Clint with Titan’s dark brown hair and Mathlin’s orange eyes, and the twins with Mathlin’s light brown hair and Titan’s hazel eyes.
They were all amazing. Especially on the days when they decided they could all get along.
“Hey, don’t make a mess in the Twin Buns kitchen, or you’ll all be stuck here helping with the cleanup, and there won’t be any playtime tonight,” Titan said. He stopped next to Mathlin and tugged him close for a kiss; the pups made similar sounds of disgust.
“United by cooties,” Mathlin whispered with a laugh, kissing Titan again.
“Cooties are amazing,” Titan said sagely. With a grin, he brushed his hands through Mathlin’s hair and down his back, claiming him with his scent.
“You should put up a sign,” Hamilton said, riding Wildcart into the bakery. “‘Cooties For Sale’. I’m sure you’ll attract lots of people.”
“No thanks,” Titan said. With the range of magical herb brownies they now sold, Twin Buns was doing well, enough for them to comfortably set aside some savings, and for Titan to hire Hamilton part-time.
These days, Titan was a lot more relaxed now that Twin Buns had established itself.
Mathlin ran a tiny healing business on the side, and between these sources of income, they were living well—what Titan had always wanted for his family.
Mathlin was happy and proud that they had managed to achieve this together.
“I have an idea,” Titan announced. “Let’s get these cookies baked, and we’ll go out for a run in the woods. You can all howl as loud as you like; we can invite the rest of the pack too. Sounds good?”
“Yeah!” the pups cheered. “Moon run, moon run!”
Mathlin laughed quietly, leaning into Titan. “I love it when you rile them up like this.”
“Moon run, moon run,” Titan cheered along with them. In a lower voice, he said to Mathlin, “You love it when I lead the moon runs. You love riding on your throne.”
On the moon runs, the pups ran alongside Titan. Mathlin rode in a custom-made basket harness that Titan wore on his back, so he didn’t have to struggle to keep up with his family. Sometimes Jannie joined him as a cat there, and sometimes she flew above them in her dragon shape.
They had also swapped out Wildcart’s wheels for something more all-terrain so it could join them on these runs.
Whenever it got stuck on the tree roots, one of them would help the cart along.
Sometimes Hamilton would jump out of the trees, trying to scare them.
It was a fun bonding activity; all of them loved it.
Mathlin leaned into Titan, smiling. “I’m happy as a clam on the lam.”
Titan laughed. “On the lam? Who are you running from?”
“People who try to take away the pickup lines,” Mathlin said. “Pickup lines give me life.”
Titan snorted, his shoulders shaking as he buried his nose in Mathlin’s hair. “Alright,” he said. “Time to get all these cookies done so we can frolic in the woods.”
“After the run, we’ll go home to our big, upsized cabin,” Mathlin said. “That new extension feels fantastic.”
Titan rumbled, all alpha pride. “Glad you like it. I just want you to be happy.”
“I am,” Mathlin said sincerely. “You and the pups make me so happy, more than I ever expected.”
His alpha beamed. “Good. You deserve all the fantastic things, sweetheart. I can’t wait to see what our family will do next.”
“Something fun and crazy, probably.”
“Fun and crazy,” the pups cheered. “Swing from the trees and pretend to be monsters!”
“Sure, why not?” Titan said, laughing as he tugged Mathlin even closer. He kissed the many bonding marks he’d left on Mathlin’s neck over the years, wrapping Mathlin in his secure warmth. “I’m in.”
“Me too,” Mathlin said, snuggling into his alpha. “Let’s all be fun and crazy together.”