Epilogue #2
“Remember when he tried to convince that vampire he was already dead?” Priya said, settling into the armchair. “Walked right into the nest covered in flour.”
“Worked, didn’t it?” Rory grinned. “Though I still think my plan was better.”
“Your plan involved actual explosives.”
“Exactly. Much more efficient.”
I felt Felix’s silent laugh against my chest.
God, I was grateful for this. For him curled against me, for these ridiculous stories, for the certainty that we’d go home together tonight. That every night from now on, I’d fall asleep with Felix in my arms and wake up to him stealing the covers and muttering about code in his sleep.
He’d moved in the day we got back to London—literally straight from the airport to my flat. I’d held him all night, whispering promises against his hair. He wasn’t leaving. Not ever.
The next morning, he’d gone back to clear out his tiny Battersea place. My second bedside table now housed a chaotic collection of Felix’s knick-knacks, three different phone chargers, and most importantly, Princess the plant.
I hadn’t quite realised just how lonely I’d been, living in my flat alone. Now, I relished all the tiny things—Felix’s books scattered across my kitchen table, his quiet presence filling spaces I hadn’t realised were empty.
Flynn elbowed Seb, who was scrolling through something on his phone. “Oi, boss. We’re sort of mourning here.”
“Sorry.” Seb slipped the device away, looking sheepish. “I was just reviewing something from White.”
My stomach tightened. White had been feeding us updates about Moira’s situation—currently locked up in some underground German prison while White worked to dismantle what remained of Greywatch.
According to Seb, White wanted to move Moira somewhere closer to home.
Something about concerns over a potential jailbreak attempt.
The Switzerland branch’s destruction had sent shockwaves through Greywatch’s network.
It had been a tremendous blow to their operations, the Swiss facility having held not only the bulk of their research and development, but also most of their assets.
Plus, Felix was able to hand over to White an incredible amount of data he had from hacking into their systems.
It was surely only a matter of time before White called Seb with the news that it was completely over. We hoped.
“Speaking of…” Rory said, turning to Priya. “How’s Isla settling in?”
Priya’s face brightened. “Oh, she’s brilliant. I saw her last night, actually. She’s loving her new university.”
After everything that happened in Switzerland, Isla had needed somewhere safe to land. We’d helped to forge a fresh start for her, and somehow Priya had convinced Emma to let Isla move into her houseshare in Clapham.
“She’s doing medicine again, right?” Felix asked.
“Yup. She’s at King’s,” Priya confirmed. “Says it’s mental trying to catch up, but she’s determined. And Emma’s been helping her with the London stuff—Tube maps, where to get decent coffee, that sort of thing.”
“Good,” Rory said quietly. “She deserves normal.”
I nodded in agreement. Isla had lost everything—her mother, her sense of identity, her entire world. But she was building something new now.
“She always asks after the wolves,” Priya said. “I’ve reassured her that we’ve taken care of them all.”
And then, the mammoth task of returning the wolves to their home cities.
Some had been missing for years. Others, like my father, had been presumed dead by their families. Some of them barely remembered who they even were.
We’d ended up housing twelve of them at the hotel for weeks while Seb and I worked the phones, negotiating with pack leaders across Europe. Most of the wolves had nowhere to go back to. Greywatch had been systematic about targeting the displaced, the outcasts, the ones no one would miss.
The worst part was knowing that releasing them made them targets again. Greywatch might be crumbling, but that didn’t mean every operative had gotten the memo. We couldn’t just dump a hundred vulnerable shifters back into the world and hope for the best.
So Seb had called in every favour he’d accumulated over five centuries, while I’d spent hours on encrypted calls with alpha after alpha, explaining the situation, begging for sanctuary. Some had been sympathetic. Others had demanded payment. A few had hung up on us entirely.
The whole process had taken months.
A grey blur materialised on the coffee table as if from thin air. Freddy landed with surprising grace, clutching something small and dark between his yellowed teeth. The little zombie managed an impressively triumphant expression for a deceased ferret.
“Oh, you absolute—” Rory shot to his feet, panic flashing across his face. “Give that back, you little shit!”
His genuine distress slammed into me like a punch. Not playful annoyance—real fear.
Freddy darted sideways, evading Rory’s grabbing hands with undead agility.
“Give that back!” Rory screeched, voice cracking. “It’s supposed to be in my pocket!”
I lurched forward and snatched the object from Freddy’s jaws, staring down at a small velvet box. Square. Dark blue.
I looked up, meeting Priya’s gaze across the room. Her mouth had snapped shut, eyes wide as dinner plates.
“Give it back, Kit!” Rory held out his hands, practically vibrating with panic.
I slowly handed it over, my brain struggling to process what I’d just seen.
Rory snatched the box and bolted across the room, feet thundering up the basement stairs.
Theo stared after him, looking more gobsmacked than I’d ever seen him. His mouth worked soundlessly.
“Was that a—” Flynn started.
“Shh!” Priya cut him off sharply.
Felix hissed in my ear, “Go and talk to him!”
I slowly got to my feet, feeling like I was in a play but had forgotten all my lines. The basement had gone silent except for Freddy’s satisfied chittering.
I climbed the stairs, following Rory’s scent through the hotel to find him in reception, standing miserably beside Dolly’s desk with his forehead pressed against the wood.
I pressed my hand against his back, feeling the tension coiled in his shoulders.
“Rory,” I said softly.
He didn’t lift his head. “Is everyone laughing at me?”
“What? No. I think they’re… concerned.”
“Teddy?”
“Um… he looked a bit… confused.”
Rory finally straightened, turning to face me with red-rimmed eyes. “It’s his father’s wedding ring,” he whispered.
“Oh.” Understanding slowly dawned.
“I forgot it was still in this jacket pocket. I’m such an idiot.”
I forced him into a hug, squeezing him tight against my chest. His whole body shook, and something fierce and protective roared through me. This wasn’t the reckless kid who I’d dragged to London anymore. Yet I’d never stop wanting to shield him from hurt.
“His mum secretly gave it to me the other day,” Rory mumbled into my shoulder.
“And… you were going to propose?” I asked extremely tentatively.
“I know it’s stupid. Wolves don’t get married.”
“That’s not true. They do.”
“Yeah, legally, on paper. But not the whole rings and ceremony bit.”
“Well, that’s the fun bit, anyway. Plus, Theo’s human. Plus, we can do whatever the fuck we like. We’re miles and miles from the Highlands.” The old pack rules didn’t apply here. We’d both left that world behind for good reason. “Nobody’s going to judge you. Nobody down there is judging you.”
Rory laughed shakily. “Are you joking? I just caused such a scene.”
“Priya’s got them all under control. We’re going to go back down there, and they’ll all pretend nothing happened. And then… when you’re ready, you can give it to him.”
Rory nodded against my chest. “Thank you. For saving me. Like always.”
“Anytime. I sort of owe you one after Switzerland.”
The words felt inadequate, and my throat tightened.
How could I explain that watching him panic over a proposal ring—watching him care so much about getting it right—filled me with something that felt like pride mixed with relief?
That seeing him this happy, this settled, this hopeful about the future made every sleepless night I’d spent worrying about him worth it?
Rory pulled back, eyes suddenly bright again. “Hey, why don’t you propose to Felix? Then we can have a double wedding.”
I raised my eyebrows. “I think Felix would spontaneously combust at even the idea of having to do that.” The thought of Felix’s inevitable deer-in-headlights expression almost made me smile.
“Nah, he’s a changed man after his adventure with me!”
We went back down, Rory pulling his face into a bored expression, though he glared at Freddy, still perched smugly on the coffee table.
The others had the good sense to continue their chatter as we rejoined. Rory went straight to Theo’s side, melting into the arm that opened for him, and I just caught the whispered, “Are you okay, baby?”
Felix cocked his head at me to ask if everything was okay, and I nodded, settling back onto the sofa beside him.
“I’d love to hear more stories about Issac,” Theo said, his voice carefully neutral as he rubbed Rory’s shoulder.
Flynn raised his hand tentatively, cheeks flushing red. “If it’s okay… could someone tell me how Issac died? I’ve always been too afraid to ask.”
Seb squeezed Flynn’s shoulder, expression darkening.
“We don’t talk about room 303 for a reason, Flynn,” Priya said softly.
Flynn recoiled in shock. “What happened? Did he die in that room?”
“No,” Seb said. “But we trapped the demon who killed him there.”
We all fell silent, remembering that horrible, horrible night.
The wine glass almost slipped in my hand.
Three years, and I could still feel the way the hotel had shaken, the screams echoing through every floor.
The smell of burnt flesh and ozone. Rory’s broken sobs.
The summoning circle, still smoking, carved deep into the floorboards with symbols that made your eyes water just looking at them.
The thing that came through had been ancient. Hungry.
“Kit?” Felix’s voice pulled me back to the present. His hand found mine, fingers threading through mine with gentle pressure.
I blinked, realising everyone was staring at me. My breathing had gone shallow, and cold sweat prickled along my spine.
“Sorry,” I managed. “Just… remembering.”
Priya reached up and plucked a photo from the corkboard, studying it with a soft smile. “You know, I think this is our only photo together.”
She turned it towards us. The image showed Issac with his arm slung around Priya’s shoulder, his usual cocky grin splitting his face.
Priya held Freddy in her arms—but this wasn’t the manic, destructive creature we knew now.
In the photo, Freddy was nestled peacefully against her chest, his tiny grey body relaxed, eyes closed in what looked almost like contentment.
“Aww,” Flynn said, leaning closer. “Freddy was so much nicer alive.”
Priya shook her head. “No, he’s dead—well, undead—in this photo. Look at his bony tail.”
Flynn squinted at the image. “Huh. I’ve never seen him cuddle anyone but Rory.”
“Yeah,” Priya’s voice grew quieter. “Freddy only went truly feral after Issac died.”
Flynn stared at the current version of Freddy, who was methodically nibbling his way through our bowl of mixed nuts. “Huh.”
Freddy swallowed a cashew with an audible gulp, then turned his yellow eyes directly towards Flynn. He squeaked once—a sharp, deliberate sound—and then, bizarrely, winked.
Flynn flinched. “Rory, I’m sorry, but he bloody gives me the creeps.”
But Rory didn’t reply. He stood frozen beside Theo, staring at Freddy as if he couldn’t look away. It was as if he’d decided Freddy was an especially complex puzzle he needed to solve. And Rory did not like especially complex puzzles.
In a blur of grey, Freddy suddenly launched himself into the air with theatrical flair, landing squarely on top of the corkboard.
Photos of Issac scattered beneath his tiny claws as he perched there like some demented gargoyle, yellow eyes gleaming in the lamplight.
Every person in the room turned to stare at him.
The basement fell completely silent except for the distant hum of the hotel’s heating system.
And then, Freddy did something truly remarkable, even by Freddy standards.
Something we’d all remember for a very long time.
He opened his mouth and said, “Did you miss me, bitches?”
The End