Epilogue Viol
“Hope, dear, that’s your dad’s hair,” Poppy said kindly.
The fluffy wolf cub paused for a second, staring at her daddy with curious purple eyes, then continued munching on my hair. Her puppy teeth had started growing in, so she teethed on anything and everything she could get her mouth on.
I snorted in amusement. “It’s fine. I’m the one lying on the floor, after all. My hair’s fair game.”
I tilted my head back to grin at Hope. Her upside-down face was just as cute as the right-side-up version.
She spat out my hair and tilted her head back at me curiously.
Then, seizing my chance, I grabbed her and plopped her onto my chest instead.
She giggled, then rolled onto her back on top of me so we faced the same direction.
My heart swelled with affection every second I shared with my daughter. She enriched my life in ways I never imagined. After watching all of my brothers find love and have children of their own, it felt surreal that it had finally happened to me. A secret dream come true.
And it never would’ve been possible without Poppy.
As I smiled at Hope, she smiled back—and every time, it struck me how much she resembled her daddy. She was a little copy of him except for her gleaming violet eyes. Those were mine.
“She has plenty of toys to chew on,” Poppy pointed out. He sat on the floor next to me. He preferred to stay close since Hope was young, energetic, and loved getting into mischief—a trait that, apparently, all canine shifters shared.
He reached over and grabbed a plush toy, one of many from my hoard. This one was a red fox. When Poppy offered it to Hope, she sniffed it before totally ignoring it.
“I told you she hates plushies,” I said with a snort. It was terribly ironic that my own daughter turned her nose up at the object of her dad’s hoard.
“She doesn’t hate them, she’s just indifferent,” Poppy said, congenial as ever. He picked up a lion instead. “Let’s try a different one.”
Hope didn’t look twice at the lion plush. She was far more interested in my t-shirt.
I snorted and gently redirected her. “No way, kiddo. You lost your chance at exploring my clothes when you chewed a hole in my leather jacket.”
Hope licked her lips. There wasn’t a scrap of remorse on her angelic face. No doubt it tasted like stale beef jerky, and I knew she’d take another bite if given the chance.
Poppy chuckled. “It’s a good thing Taylor’s around. He patched it up before you could throw a full-blown fit.”
“I was not gonna have a fit...” Upon Poppy’s amused stare, I muttered, “Okay, maybe a small one.”
“Maybe she’ll grow up to hoard clothes with holes in them,” Poppy joked.
I cackled, imagining the reaction of a certain brother of mine. “Oh, I’m sure Uncle Crimson would love that. But what makes you think she’ll have a hoard?”
“Even if she’s wolf-shaped, she is half dragon,” Poppy pointed out, scratching her chin. “Who knows how she’ll change when she grows up?”
“Fair enough. We’re responsible for producing a lot of half dragons in this family, huh?” I ruffled Hope’s fur, making her squirm and paw playfully at my fingers. “Wonder what they’ll all be like when they grow up.”
Their faces floated in my mind: Crimson, Heather, Lazuli, Kiara, Desiree, Mint, Jaki, Andri... and now, Hope.
Nine children. Nine of the sweetest little kids in the world. And I loved nothing more than watching them run around and play.
Well, not as much as I loved Poppy, obviously.
“By the way,” I said, glancing at my mate. “If all the couples were there when Hope was born, then who was watching the kids?”
“Taylor said Gaius volunteered,” Poppy replied.
“Gaius?” I blurted, shocked. “He watched nine kids? And nobody died? And the house didn’t catch on fire? And nothing of any consequence occurred?”
Poppy laughed. “He’s not that irresponsible. Give him a little credit. He raised all of you, didn’t he?”
I blinked slowly as Poppy’s comment sank in. “Wait. What did you just say?”
Poppy’s eyes widened and he blushed from cheeks to ears, as if guilty. “Uh oh... I don’t think I was supposed to mention that,” he said under his breath.
“Huh?”
“Never mind!”
I furrowed my brow in confusion, unsure of what Poppy meant or why he was suddenly acting cagey about it.
I was about to question him when a yellow dragonet and a polar bear cub ran into the room, screeching with laughter, then barreled into me.
I lifted Hope out of the way just in time before her cousins ran her over in their exuberance.
“Oof. Hey, Andri, Jaki, what’re you boys doing here?” I asked. They carried the distinct scent of baked goods on their fur. “Mm... Is something yummy happening in the kitchen?”
The boys nodded vigorously.
Rorik poked his head into the living room, nodding at Poppy and I. “Hey, you two. We’re trying out the official Mrs. Sara blueberry muffin recipe today. Want to join?”
Poppy gasped. “Oh, yes! She mailed us a copy, didn’t she? She promised she would when I called her. I’m so excited!”
Leaping up without hesitation, he obtained Hope from my raised arms, snuggled her against his chest, then darted to join Rorik in the kitchen. When I didn’t immediately follow, Poppy poked his head out and called, “Coming, my love?”
“Yeah, just a sec,” I replied. Then I faced the twin boys. “What was that all about, huh?”
Andri and Jaki had no input whatsoever. They tumbled over each other, then got bored and wandered back towards the smell of delicious baking.
I shrugged. “Well, whatever. You’re right, boys. Let’s go eat muffins.”
So, all together as a family, we did eat muffins.
And they were pretty fucking awesome.
THE END