Epilogue #2
“I say that like I’m doing my best not to drag you out of here in the next sixty seconds.”
I grin. “Tempting.”
His thumb brushes along my ribs, slow and steady. “You look…” He pauses, like he’s searching for a word that doesn’t quite exist. “Happy.”
That catches me off guard, not because he’s wrong, but because he’s right.
I glance around the room again, taking in the laughter, the movement, the life that’s settled into NightShade like it always should have been here.
Then I look back at him.
“I am. Maybe more than anyone has the right to be.”
His chest rumbles. “You have every right.”
Before I can respond, before I can lean into him the way I want to, the music shifts.
The soft swell of notes lowers into something more deliberate, the melody stretching just enough to signal attention without demanding it outright. Conversations quiet in waves, instead of all at once, a ripple moving through the house that feels practiced.
“If everyone could join us in the ballroom,” Iris’s voice echoes through the house. “I have an important announcement to make.”
Cade groans at the interruption, but there’s warmth in his eyes as his hand slides from my waist to my hand instead. “Come on.”
I don’t argue, but I do pause because I’m missing something vital.
My eyes scan the lobby until I find him, already waiting for me like he knew better than to interrupt my moment with Cade before it was over.
“Archie,” I say, my smile widening. “Don’t you look dapper as ever.”
His tail flicks back and forth as he trots toward me, the little black bowtie at his neck somehow making him look even more pleased with himself than usual.
“Only for you,” he replies when I bend to scoop him up.
Once he’s settled around my neck where he belongs, we head toward the ballroom, and the moment we step inside, I’m taken aback.
The entire room has been transformed from the last time I saw it.
Crystal chandeliers hang overhead, their light refracting in a hundred directions as if the air has been enchanted to hold it longer.
The polished floors gleam beneath our feet, reflecting gold and silver and the subtle flicker of magic that hums along the edges of the room.
Long tables line the walls, covered in deep green fabrics and overflowing with food and drinks that look almost too perfect to touch, while the center of the space remains open for dancing.
For celebrating something that didn’t exist here before.
Supernaturals fill the room—wolves, witches, and vampires—dressed in everything from sharp, tailored suits to flowing gowns that trail behind them like whispers.
Magic clings to some of them more visibly than others, faint glows at their fingertips or sparks that glint along their skin when they laugh, but none of it feels threatening.
And at the far end of the room, there she is.
Iris stands on a small, raised platform that definitely wasn’t there before, a microphone in hand like she was born to command.
The black of her gown seems to swallow the light around her rather than reflect it, the silver at her throat catching just enough of it to draw every eye in the room exactly where she wants it.
“Now that I have your attention…” she says into the microphone, her voice carrying effortlessly across the ballroom. “I was beginning to think I’d have to start throwing things, and while I do enjoy chaos, we wouldn’t want to ruin this special occasion, would we?”
A few scattered laughs swell through the crowd.
I smile before I can stop myself.
“I’ll try not to take up too much of your time,” she continues, which is probably a lie, “but considering the last time I stood in this room for a gathering like this, I think I’ve earned a few minutes.”
The room quiets completely now. Not out of obligation, but respect.
My mom steps closer beside me, her hand finding mine again, and when I glance at her, I see it immediately—the shine in her eyes, the way she’s already bracing for something she doesn’t fully understand yet.
Beside her, Dad smiles at me. “You’re radiant tonight, Rowan.”
But I don’t get to respond before Iris takes over the room again.
“For centuries, the Prescott women have led NightShade,” she says, her voice steady and sure. “But it’s time for that to change.”
Mom’s fingers tighten in mine as she gasps. The announcement a shock to us both.
“For too long, I thought this place—this house, this responsibility—was everything I was meant to protect.” Her gaze shifts, not to me, but to Mom. “And I was so busy holding onto it that I let the most important part of my life walk out the door.”
The room seeps in the silence.
“I can’t get those years back,” Iris continues, her voice quieter now, though it still carries. “But what I do get…” Her gaze finally finds mine. “…is a second chance to choose differently.”
My throat tightens.
Beside me, Mom chokes on a sob—and when I look at her, there’s no hiding the tears now, slipping quietly down her cheeks as she stares at Iris like she’s not sure if this moment is real.
“I’ll be retiring at the end of this month and moving to Solara to be with my family,” Iris continues, throwing another surprise at us.
“Would have been nice if she asked me first,” Cade rumbles, but I sense his approval through our bond.
My Mimi might be kooky and infuriating, but I wouldn’t take her any other way.
“A new family line of Hollowborn will be announced next week. One that will take my place,” she adds. “Tonight, however, is about celebrating change and only good things to come. So, raise a glass with me to magic, mischief, and not screwing it up this time!”
The room erupts into a roar of joyous cheers, but Mom and I are frozen in place as Iris makes her way to us.
For an old woman, she weaves through the crowd quickly, ignoring those who try to congratulate her on her retirement.
When she finally faces us again, she grabs both of our hands.
“I love you both more than my own life. I know I don’t always make sense, but I hope this does.
I’ve missed too many years with both of you, and I’ll be damned if I miss a single minute more than necessary now that I have you two in my life.
” The left side of her mouth quirks. “Whether you like it or not.”
I half laugh and cry as I throw my arms around her. “Oh, I like it. I like it more than I can find the words to tell you.”
Mom joins me in the hug, the three of us a sobbing mess together until Cade and my dad tug at our arms.
“Maybe less tears and more celebrating tonight?” Dad offers lightly.
I nod and lean into Cade, soaking up his warmth and calm to counter the absolute shock I feel right now.
My mom still can’t speak. After all I’ve learned, though, I’m not surprised. Iris wasn’t there the way she needed all those years ago, but I have no doubt that will never be a problem again.
I don’t realize I’m still crying until Cade’s thumb brushes beneath my eye, catching a tear before it can fall onto my dress.
“You okay?” he murmurs.
I nod, even as my voice betrays me. “Yeah.”
More than okay.
Around us, the room begins to move again—softly at first, then with growing ease as conversations resume and music swells back into place. Nothing feels forced or uncertain.
Just…right.
I stay with Cade, my head resting briefly against his shoulder as I watch my mom finally start to laugh through her tears thanks to whatever Iris just muttered to her, and everything that once felt fractured finally settles into something that makes sense.
Looking up at Cade, I tap into our bond. I’m not sure what to do with all of this.
He glances down at me, his brow furrowed. All of what?
Love. Family. Rightness. I let out a small sigh. It was always just me and Mom. Now…
I don’t even know how to tell him because it’s everyone. Our family here, our pack, us. Hell, even Wolf, who’s become more like a silent but valued partner now that I’ve come into my own. One I never want to live without.
There’s so much that’s been brought into my life, all because I got blown up by some idiot trying to play a prank on my grandmother.
You better get used to it, he says, and I can hear his smile without needing to look back up. I’ll never let you feel alone again.
I’m going to hold you to that.
Across the room, I catch a glimpse of Bram leading Liz toward the dance floor, her hand in his, her expression somewhere between amused and intrigued as he spins her just slightly off balance before catching her again.
I smile. Some things don’t need to be said to be understood.
Mom and Dad join them, holding each other close, whispering words meant only for the two of them.
Archie’s cold nose presses to my cheek. “As much as I love being here with you, I’m going to go see what’s happening outside.”
I grin. “Oh yeah? You have a hot date waiting out there?”
I’m completely joking until he replies, “Something like that.”
“Excuse me?”
But he’s already slipping out of my grip and jumping to the floor.
“Archibald Prescott,” I snap. “Get your furry butt back here.”
His tail flicks with extra sass, and I throw my hands in the air. “That little brat.”
Cade merely grabs my hand, ignoring the ferret gossip. “Dance with me.”
That has my attention going right back to him, grinning. “I thought you were going to drag me out of here.”
“That was earlier.”
“And now?” I press, just because I can.
His lips curve. “Now I think we stay.”
I let out a soft breath, the rest of me softening.
“I think you might be right.”
His hand slides to my waist as he pulls me into the movement of the room, the music wrapping around us as easily as the bond between us does now—steady, unbreakable, ours.
And as I look around at everything we fought for…
Our family.
Our home.
Our future.
I realize something I once thought impossible.
We didn’t just survive that hell.
We took all that was good and built something better for all of us.
And now, we get to keep it.
Thank you so much for reading The Ashmark series!