Epilogue
Lyall
The wind blows cold off the sea, but with Soren’s arm around my shoulders, every part of me feels blissfully warm. As we near the village, I put my arm around his waist, gripping his hip.
“You think people will give us trouble?” Soren asks.
“Wulfric assured me he’d spoken to the villagers and made it clear he would be displeased if anyone provoked us.”
Still, when we enter the village and I sense people’s eyes on us, I can’t keep my hackles from rising. Many of our people still remember the devastation Soren’s father brought to our shores. It will take time for them to accept that their blame was misplaced.
“Welcome home, Soren!” a woman calls from her window.
“Thank you,” Soren says, offering a smile and wave.
A farmer shouts from his pasture, “Aye, welcome home, lad. I always knew you were a good’un.”
To my surprise, we receive quite a few similar greetings on our way to the longhouse. While there are some who cast suspicious or even hostile glares, they heed Wulfric’s warning and do not trouble us.
“Well,” Soren says, squeezing my shoulder, “that was unexpected!”
“Indeed. It is certainly more than I’d hoped for.”
My people can be stubborn, but their hearts are good. It’s my hope that someday Soren will be accepted by most of the village.
A new worry makes my stomach churn as we approach the Alpha and Alpha-Mate’s’ home.
I haven’t seen Gunnar in the month since Soren’s trial.
I was surprised when he voted in support of Soren’s innocence, but I’m no fool.
He may have changed his views, but that does not mean he will see Soren as part of our pack.
Anders has updated me every now and then. Gunnar hasn’t gone berserk again. He even implied our brother has been quiet and calm. Arlo’s doing, I hope. The witch has been visiting often, but Anders is unsure whether they’ve accepted their mate bond.
I pray Gunnar will be able to move on and find happiness.
“Nervous?” I ask.
“A little,” Soren admits. “I know your brother isn’t my biggest fan.”
“He will accept you. Just give him time, aye?” I push open the door. The house smells of smoke from the hearth and freshly baked bread.
“Greetings!” Wulfric says, setting a bowl of pickled vegetables on the table. “You’re just in time.”
The table is loaded with so much food, it’s a wonder it doesn’t break.
My aunt and brothers are already seated.
Jamie’s beside Anders with Jace, and Kieran sits at Wulfric’s side.
My heart lurches when I set eyes on Gunnar.
When he notices me, the edge of his mouth lifts in a smile that strikes me speechless. When’s the last time I saw him smile?
“Lyall. Soren,” he says in greeting, tipping his head.
“How are you, darlings?” Arlo asks, bright and cheerful.
Soren and I take our seats across from them. “We’re well. You two seem to be quite close.” I give Gunnar’s foot a kick beneath the table, grinning when spots of color rise in his cheeks.
He coughs. “Aye, well…”
Aunt Helga swoops in on Soren’s left. “Here you are, dear.” She pours mead into his cup.
“Thank you, Auntie.” Soren takes a sip while Helga flushes with delight, eyes sparkling.
“It’s so good to have you back at our table.”
Soren smiles. “It feels good. Like a part of me remembers what it was like to eat with you all. I missed it.”
Helga frowns. “Will you ever remember?”
Soren shakes his head. “Not everything, no. But it’s okay. I found my way back, and that’s what counts.”
There’s a touch of bitterness in his scent that tells me he’s not entirely truthful. Beneath the table, I take his hand and squeeze, offering whatever comfort I can.
Later, I tell myself.
“Lyall, how is work at the bar?” Kieran asks.
My cheeks warm as I remember dropping a whole bin of dishes the other day. “It is...”
Soren elbows me. “My man is the best barback I have ever had!”
I huff a laugh. “I am not.”
Soren shrugs, patting my hand beneath the table. “You just started! It takes time.”
Regardless, I am more grateful than words can express. Never did I imagine I would be working with Soren again. Living with him. It is as if the gods have finally smiled upon me.
“Pack,” Wulfric says, commanding our attention. “Tonight is special indeed. Our family is whole once more.” He lifts his flagon in Soren’s direction. “Welcome home, Soren.”
Soren ducks his head, smiling wide as the others echo the sentiment.
If my heart were a mug of mead, it would be overflowing with happiness.
After all these years, I have someone beside me at the table.
Gone is the envy that ached inside me every time I witnessed my brothers and their mates. I will never feel alone again.
“To Soren!” Kieran lifts his mug.
Soren blushes furiously but lifts his mug too. We tap our mugs together.
“Hey, wait, me too!” Jace says, picking up his cup of water. “To Soren!”
Soren chuckles and toasts the lad. “Thanks, Jace.”
Arlo coughs, grabbing my attention. “Sooo, not to steal your thunder, Soren, but Gunnar and I have an announcement to make.”
Soren lifts his brows. “Really? What is it?”
I meet Anders’s eyes across the table, his expression perplexed.
Arlo looks expectantly at Gunnar, whose cheeks are red as an apple. He clears his throat, then takes Arlo’s hand. Helga gasps, hands over her mouth and tears in her eyes.
Arlo smiles big and bright. “We’re getting married!”
Wulfric spits his drink across the table. Kieran thumps him on the back.
I look to Gunnar for answers and find his expression carefully guarded. Something’s off.
“That is… great news, brother!” I say, plastering a smile on my face.
“What?” Wulfric wheezes, thumping his chest hard. “Why?”
Arlo frowns. “Well, you see, when two people love each other, they may decide to spend the rest of their lives together!”
Wulfric glares at him. “I am aware of what a marriage entails. It’s just… surprising, is all.” He looks at our brother expectantly.
Gunnar gives him an icy look. “You’ve been pestering me to take a mate, and now I will. Happy?”
I should be relieved, but I can’t help feeling suspicious instead. Gunnar was adamant he would never move on from Leif, and now here he is, announcing marriage to a witch he’s recently rejected.
Arlo puts a hand on his chest with a soft sigh. “How could I resist such a handsome brute?” He squeezes Gunnar’s hand so hard, Gunnar grimaces.
“Should be interesting,” Anders murmurs, not bothering to hide his mischievous grin.
Gunnar clears his throat and reaches for a bowl of beef stew. “Stew, Soren?” He holds the bowl out to my mate. “It always was your favorite.”
A surprised smile stumbles across Soren’s face. “Thanks. It smells great.”
Gunnar remembered Soren’s favorite meal. Not only that, he reached out to him. In his own way, Gunnar’s making amends with Soren. Mayhap one day, they can be as close as they once were.
“Thank you,” I say through our bond.
Gunnar meets my gaze and offers a small smile. “Hush and eat, snowbrain.”
I tuck in, sharing stories and laughter with my pack, and for the first time in years, I finally remember what it’s like to hope.
“So, Arlo and Gunnar. Do you think the Council put them up to this?” Soren plops down on the bed beside me and wastes no time nestling into my side.
I press a kiss to his hair. “It’s likely. The Council did ask them to stay behind so they could talk.” My stomach flutters, like the time I swallowed a butterfly. “If you could get your memories back, would you?”
Soren hums softly, playing with my fingers.
“Yeah, I would. Hearing stories about my life with the pack isn’t the same as remembering them.
I wish I could remember you most of all.
What we were like as kids. The first moment I had feelings for you.
Our mating ceremony.” He touches his neck where the mating mark should be.
“What if I told you that you could remember everything?”
“That would be nice, but—” Soren goes utterly silent, eyes widening. “Wait… can I?”
I can’t help but smile. “Aye. I visited the Council this morning and they told me that if I claim you, your memories should return.”
Soren laughs softly. “No way.”
I press my lips to his forehead. “Yes way. Our bond will be complete. It will undo the spell that stole your memories.”
“All you have to do is bite me?”
I nod and, to my amusement, Soren wrestles his clothes off with such ferocity, it looks like he’s fighting a bear. He’s naked in seconds and sprawled out before me like a delectable feast. He bobs his eyebrows. “Then put your teeth in me, sweetheart.”
I press my lips to the corner of his mouth, drawing in a lungful of his scent. “In time, love. First, let me worship you.”
Soren sighs dramatically. “If I have to…”
Laughing, I kiss him again and again. The joy that sweeps through me from head to toe is so intense, it makes my chest ache. He’s here. Soren is here with me. I found him again, just as I swore I would. A lump constricts my throat, making it hard to breathe.
“Lyall—”
I kiss him, thumbing away one of my tears when it wets his cheek.
“These are happy tears,” I assure him, and then he’s kissing me on my lips, my damp cheeks, along my jaw.
I chart a course down his body with my mouth, finding him hard and eager when I reach his hip bone.
I swallow him down, moaning at the earthy taste that fills my mouth.
“Oh god, Lyall,” he whispers. My scalp stings when he tugs at my hair. I do just as I promised and worship him, every inch. His breathy sighs and groans fill the room. He’s all I can taste, all I can smell. Nothing exists but him, us.
“Come here, sweetheart,” Soren says, panting.
I give him one last lick and then crawl up his body. He grabs the nape of my neck and hauls me in for a kiss. I could drown in this man, spend hours making love to him again and again, and still my hunger for him would never be sated.
He rolls onto me, blanketing my body with his. Piece by piece, my clothes come off.
My heart races with anticipation when he grabs lube from the end table. I fold an arm behind my head, unable to wipe the smile from my face. “Get me ready for you, love.”
Soren bites his lip and slicks his fingers. He sweeps his gaze down my body and shakes his head. “Fuck. You’re so beautiful.”
Heat blooms in my cheeks. “You’re the one who—gods!”
Slick wet heat engulfs me from tip to root. Soren worships me with his mouth, with his fingers as they curl inside me again and again. He brings me to the cusp of completion but always backs off before I can claim my release. It’s the sweetest torture, and it feels as if it lasts hours.
“Please, love. Oh gods, please.”
The sound Soren makes goes straight to my aching cock. Then my knees are over his shoulders and I’m folded nearly in half. Above me, Soren bites his lip, eyes closing in bliss. He pushes in, and the exquisite pressure reduces me to gasps and whimpers as I surrender to him.
“Okay?” Soren’s breath is hot against my damp skin. His forehead rests against mine.
“Aye,” I whisper, but it’s so much more than okay.
His lips taste like salt when he kisses me, and then he’s moving, slow and deep, and gods, he’s everywhere. He’s all I can feel, taste, and smell as he fills me and fucks me, faster, deeper.
Growls rumble low in my chest. I cover my mouth. “Sorry.”
Soren shakes his head, lifting my leg higher. He slides in deep and strikes that spot inside me that has my balls tightening dangerously. “Don’t hide from me. Let your wolf out. I want to see him.”
Fur prickles over my arms, and my fangs sharpen.
“Fuck, you look so sexy like this, all riled up and wild,” Soren says.
“Close,” I say in warning as my fangs sharpen. “I… I can’t hold it back.” I don’t want to hurt him, but gods, I need to bite him, to claim him as mine once again.
Soren’s eyes darken, and he leans in, peppering kisses along my collarbone. “Bite me. Fuck. Put your teeth in me, sweetheart.”
My eyes roll back as his thrusts lose all rhythm and he pounds me into the mattress.
My claws bite into the sheets. I can’t hold back any longer.
A snarl tears from my throat, and my fangs sink into his warm, salty skin.
Coppery blood dampens my tongue. Soren’s body spasms and with a shout, he’s spilling inside me.
The bond between us erupts with the pleasure of his release, and I arch up against him as I come messily between us.
We catch our breath. Soren’s emotions rush through me, like a ship breaking through the waves. His joy, pleasure, love—it consumes me. Above me, he shudders, pressing his face into my chest. The salty scent of his tears mingles with our sweat.
Oh gods. Did it not work?
“Soren. Love, it’s all right.” It’s strange that I can’t feel his grief or sorrow. No, all I feel is… joy, warm like sunlight on my skin.
His shoulders heave with laughter, his arms holding me tighter. “I’m fine! So much more than fine.” Soren lifts his head, smiling brighter than I’ve ever seen. “Hey. Hey, Lyall. Ask me something only Past Me would know.”
My throat thickens. Could it be…
“Where did I ask you to be my mate?”
Soren bites his lip, eyes bright. “The tree we used to climb when we were kids. We’d race each other to the top. I always won, remember?”
I shove his shoulder. “Aye, but only because I let you! I carved something on the tree. What was it?”
“The rune for journey. You said that’s what our lives together would be. A journey.”
Tears sting my eyes. “What were your vows when we were handfasted?”
Soren’s throat bobs. He takes my hand and holds tight. “I thanked you for giving me a family when I was lost, a friend when I was alone, and a love I would always fight for.”
I rub my thumb over his cheek, wiping away a tear. “You remember.”
He kisses the palm of my hand, eyes closed tightly. “Everything. All of it. Gods, Lyall. I never thought I’d find someone like you.”
I pull him into my arms, showering his lips, his cheeks, his forehead with kisses. “But you did. We found our way back together, my love.”
Soren claims my lips in a kiss that takes my breath away. Between kisses he whispers again and again, “I love you. I love you.”
Long ago, I promised I would find him. The longer I searched for him, the more I feared it wasn’t a vow I could keep. Yet here we are, our hearts and souls made one, Soren’s body warm in my arms.
I found him, just as I promised, and this time, nothing but death itself shall ever part us again.