Epilogue
Six Months Later
Sera
I collapse into my chair behind my desk, looking at the disaster that is my office.
There are wedding and coronation things everywhere.
Not to mention piles of gifts from the packs that aren't able to travel to the royal pack for the ceremonies that are happening tomorrow.
I can't believe in less than twenty-four hours, I'll not only be Kael's wife, but I'll officially be the queen of our kingdom.
It feels so surreal.
I never expected a life like this after I ran from my old pack that day.
I expected a life as a lone wolf in some human city, not here with a fantastic mate and so much more.
I have friends and people that I consider family.
I still miss my mama and father, especially with my wedding and coronation looming.
I wish they could be here. Fate can be both cruel and kind at the same time. This is definitely one of those times.
Looking around the room, I decide I need a break.
I head to the kitchen, where I find Franklin, or Angry Chef, as I still secretly think of him, at his new favorite workstation.
After discovering who I am, he was apologetic and offered me his favored workspace to make amends.
I told him it wasn't necessary, but he insisted.
He also ensures that the space is well stocked with everything I need to bake my mama's cinnamon honey-buns.
Though I think that's more because he always gets one and savors it.
I've caught him trying to replicate the recipe several times, but he can never get it quite right.
It amuses me to no end because the secret isn't dedication and skill as a pastry chef, as he thinks, but rather love and a little dose of magic.
Not something that can be replicated… well, until my daughter is born.
I place my hand on my lower stomach, smiling to myself.
I sensed my pregnancy this morning, and I'm eager to share the news with Kael.
It's killing me to wait, but I want to surprise him tomorrow.
It'll be a wedding, coronation, and the gift of the future of our kingdom all in one.
I just have to manage to keep the secret for one day.
Which is hard because Kael and I hardly ever close our bonds these days.
We like to be able to peek in on each other whenever we want.
I've carefully kept that thought locked away in a box, along with the image of what my wedding dress looks like.
It's as good an excuse as I could come up with for why I'm being so secretive today, as it was my final dress fitting.
Thank the Goddess he bought it; otherwise, my surprise would be ruined.
"Shouldn't you be preparing for tomorrow?" Franklin asks, causing me to jump.
"Sorry, Queen Sera. I didn't mean to startle you."
"It's fine. I was lost in my thoughts. I need a break from all the madness going on around here." I wave a hand at all the desserts and the humongous cake Franklin has been working on for days.
"Instead of relaxing, you're going to bake?"
I smile. "Baking is relaxing for me."
"You could always let me bake them for you while you kick your feet up."
I laugh. "Good try, Franklin. Not happening today or any day."
He shrugs with a big smile. "Can't blame a guy for trying."
"Shoo or I won't share."
That has him turning tail and rushing toward his own work once again.
I smile to myself as I gather the ingredients and begin making the much-loved treats.
After the first few times, I learned to triple the recipe quickly because everyone in my inner circle comes running as soon as they hear I'm baking.
I act put out by it, but really, I love it.
I love sharing something so special with everyone I care about.
I feel Kael in my mind as soon as his meeting with his advisors is over.
He's been as busy as I have been in the lead-up to tomorrow.
It's not every day that the king is married and a queen is crowned.
I send a pulse of love and happiness through our bond, and he returns it with his own.
It doesn't take him long to find me. I smile when he wraps his arms around me from behind and kisses my mate mark.
"You should be resting," he scolds.
From across the room, Franklin shouts, "Told you so."
I roll my eyes in exasperation. "Baking is relaxing for me."
Kael nips and kisses from my shoulder to my ear. "You didn't kiss me before you left the offices."
"You were busy with the council. I didn't want to bother you."
He growls low in his throat. "That doesn't matter. You broke a rule."
I sigh because I know I did, but I still can't find it in me to interrupt his important meetings, no matter how many times he reminds me that I'm the most important thing in his life.
It feels wrong to me. This means I frequently break the rule, and punishments occur regularly.
Not that I mind too much. I've found that I love spankings, even those considered punishments.
I feel so loved and safe when he holds me accountable.
It's a reminder that I'm his and he's mine.
"I know, Daddy. I'm sorry."
He shakes his head. "Yet you break the rule consistently."
He kisses me softly, letting me know he's not actually mad and that my punishment later will be more like a funishment. I can't hide my excitement as I finish making the honey-buns. By the time they are finished, all our closest friends are in the kitchen talking and laughing with me and Kael.
I'm chatting with Saint's mate Isabeth about the wedding. She's one of the Omegas we rescued from my old pack. In fact, she's the Omega that Brand held the knife to. Every time I see the small scar on her throat, anger fills me. Isabeth sighs when she notices me looking at it.
"You need to let it go, Sera. You saved us all."
It's my turn to sigh. "I know, and I'm so glad we got there before anything worse could happen. It just makes me so mad that the jerk got off so easily."
Isabeth laughs loudly at that, making everyone turn to us. "You think being boiled from the inside is getting off easy?"
Kael and Saint both come over and wrap each of us in their arms.
"What's going on over here?" Kael asks, even though I know he's already plucked the conversation from my mind.
"Sera's still blaming herself for not making Brand and the others suffer more."
Saint chuckles. "Trust me, they suffered dearly. We all saw what you did to them. They got exactly what they deserved."
I lean back into Kael's loving arms and pout. "I still think they should have suffered longer."
Isabeth pulls me out of Kael's arms and hugs me tight. You did exactly the right thing for me. Stop doubting yourself, she says in our packlink.
I hug her back. I know that logically. I'm just feeling extra protective right now.
She pulls away and looks at me curiously. I give her a minute shake of my head, and she nods. She'll find out tomorrow with the rest of the kingdom, definitely not before the soon-to-be father.
We sit around the table eating and laughing.
It's just the break from the stress I needed.
Once the sweet treat has been devoured, Kael excuses us to our rooms. We spend the evening cuddling and talking about the future.
He mentions pups, and it takes everything in me to keep from spilling the exciting news.
I'm practically bursting with the need to tell him.
Instead, I go for distraction and attack him with kisses.
The rest of the night is spent making love and, of course, a firm spanking for breaking the kissing rule.
Not that I'm complaining, because what girl would when the spanking comes with orgasms. I'm pleasantly exhausted when we finally fall asleep.
Kael
I wake up to my mate in her favorite spot on my chest, sleeping soundly. I run my hand up and down her spine, loving how she snuggles into me, humming in pleasure at my touch. I know the moment she wakes up because she kisses me right above my heart like she does every morning.
"Good morning, love."
"Morning, Daddy."
"Are you ready for today?" I ask.
She lets out a long breath. "I'm ready to be your wife…"
"You're going to be an amazing queen. You're already an amazing queen. This is just a formality."
"Ugh, I know. It just feels like a lot of pressure since we're making everything so official. Like, after today, the only out is death!" I say with a tiny bit of hysterics.
He chuckles. "Or we pass the throne to our son or daughter."
She looks up at me wide-eyed, and I wonder if she's going to confess that she's pregnant or not.
I know she's been hiding it from me for at least a day.
I felt her burst of happiness through our bond and the image she projected of a little girl with her beautiful blonde hair and my dark eyes.
She quickly pushed the thoughts away and put a curtain around them.
Too bad for her that I've known for over a week now. My wolf sensed our pup before I did.
I'm so damn excited to be a father that I can barely contain it.
I've kept it under wraps solely because I was unsure how Sera would feel about it.
While we've discussed having children, it was always something for future us to decide.
As soon as she realized she was pregnant, and after feeling her happiness, I was ready to run to her and share in the joy.
However, she cut off those thoughts, so I decided to wait and see what she was up to.
Knowing she's happy about the future prince or princess is enough for now.
"Yeah, I like that idea much better than the whole death thing," she says with wide eyes.
"Me too."
There's a knock at the door, drawing us out of our conversation. Sera jumps up from bed and rushes to the door, but quickly turns around and runs back to the bed, tackling me, then kissing me deep and hard.
"No spankings on our wedding day," she says breathlessly.