Epilogue Chance
It was supposed to have been a normal night at Z’s Place, a little bullshit, a little trash talk, maybe a few rounds of whiskey to prime the pumps before the real chaos started.
I’d been back less than a week, and already the world was a funhouse mirror of old memories and new rules.
The only thing that hadn’t changed was the way the bar smelled.
beer and fried food, the faint electric tang of neon and cheap vinyl.
But none of that registered. Not the regulars, not the wolves clustered at the end of the bar, not even Drake’s endless stream of one-liners as he hustled the shuffleboard.
Every nerve I had was locked onto a single, shrill frequency, the one that tracked Frankie across the room, lit up under the can lights like a goddamn star.
For her, it had been ten years. For me, it might as well have been ten minutes.
The last time I saw her, she was yelling at me on my front porch, mascara running, voice shot to hell.
I’d made it cruel on purpose, the only way to break the spell before I went under.
Tell a woman you only ever wanted her for the sex, and you’ll get every bridge burned in record time. I’d hoped she’d hate me forever.
It didn’t work.
She’d changed, but not in the ways that made it easier.
Her hair was longer now, the wild brown curls tamed into something sleeker, but the smile was the same.
Her body had gone softer in the places that mattered, and she wore it like armor.
She was a queen. A goddess. Laughter poured off her in waves.
She didn’t look at me once, not even a stolen glance.
My hands shook around the glass. I gripped it tighter, but the tremor only got worse. I knocked the rim against my teeth, slopping whiskey onto the bar top. I cleaned it with a napkin, slow and deliberate, eyes never leaving her.
At some point, Zaden wandered over and leaned his elbows next to mine. "You’re staring like a serial killer," he said. "Should I call the sheriff, or are you going to drink yourself to death?"
I'd barely taken two sips of my drink. The mating bond was a goddamn supernova in my chest, blasting everything else out. I’d heard all the stories, the legends about fated mates and instant connections, but I’d never believed in any of it.
That was for the old world, for the dragons who cared about legacies and bloodlines. Me? I liked my life unencumbered.
But the dragon inside me didn’t give a shit about my plans. It only cared about Frances Marie Grimes.
Zaden slid my glass away and replaced it with a new one. "You want to tell me what’s wrong with you, or do we play twenty questions?"
I wiped my mouth. "Nothing’s wrong."
He snorted. "I’ve seen you eat a goat alive and not blink. But you look like you’re about to faint because a girl won’t talk to you."
"It’s not a girl," I said. "It’s Frankie."
He gave a low whistle. "Well, damn. That explains it. Thought you two were done-done?"
"We are," I said. "She doesn’t know I’m awake yet."
"Are you sure about that?" He nodded toward her table. "She’s been keeping her back to you all night. That’s deliberate."
I looked. He was right. Frankie threw herself into the conversation, gesturing big with her hands, making the whole table laugh. But she never turned even a degree in my direction. It was like I didn’t exist.
The realization landed a blow to my sternum. I pressed my hand against the bar, trying to ground myself. The bond only got louder, more insistent.
A few seats down, Ashton was watching me with that quiet intensity that used to make me want to hit him. Drake was at his shoulder, pretending to watch the game on TV but glancing over every time he thought I wouldn’t notice.
I leaned in to Zaden, dropping my voice. "I think I’m in trouble."
"Is it the mate bond?"
"Yeah."
He grinned, teeth sharp. "Congratulations, asshole. You get to experience the worst best thing in the universe."
"I can’t even talk to her," I said. "I ruined it."
Zaden shrugged. "Fix it."
I shook my head. "You don’t get it. I did everything possible to make her hate me. For her, it’s been years."
"So?" He clapped my shoulder, too hard. "The bond doesn’t care about time. And if it’s real, neither will she."
I wanted to believe him.
The night swirled around me. Wolves, humans, even a couple of witches, nobody looked twice at the four dragons clustered at the end of the bar.
Ashton stepped in. "Let’s take a walk, Chance." He didn’t ask. He just steered me toward the back, past the stockroom and into the alley. The air was cold and clean, a shock to the system after the haze inside.
Drake and Zaden followed, boxing me in. I didn’t like the look in Ashton’s eye. It was the alpha look, the one that meant an interrogation was coming.
"Why do you look like someone just told you your dog died?" Ashton said.
"Leave it," I said.
"No," he replied. "You’re scaring people. What’s going on?" He crossed his arms, waiting.
Zaden gave me a subtle nod. "Go on, get it out."
I stared at the ground, then at my hands, which were shaking worse now. "I was with her. Before the last sleep. Frankie."
"Yeah? We know you two dated and broke up," Drake said. "And?"
"I left her," I said. "It was bad. I made it bad on purpose. I told her for me it had only been for fun. That she was too weak to handle a real relationship. Told her she was boring in bed."
Zaden winced. "That’s rough."
I shrugged. "It was the only way to make her go. I didn’t want her to spend a decade pining for a sleeping man, and she would have. She's loyal to a fault."
Ashton’s jaw ticked. "You could have told her the truth."
I glared at him. "She'd have spent a decade pining. And I had no idea she was my mate then. If I had, I would've claimed her and not slept."
Drake cocked his head. "But you’re awake now. Why not talk to her?"
I almost laughed. "Because she hates me, Drake. I made sure of it."
Silence. Zaden leaned in. "But you can’t let go. Can you."
"No," I said. "It’s the bond. It’s different now. I can’t breathe when she’s in the room. I can feel her heartbeat from across the bar. And now it's too late."
Zaden squeezed my shoulder. "You have to tell her, man. Otherwise the bond’s going to eat you alive."
I shook my head. "How do I explain? ‘Sorry I ripped your heart out and stomped it, but turns out you’re my one true mate and I’d like a do-over?’"
Drake laughed, a low bark. "That’s exactly what you do."
I shoved him, but he didn’t move. Ashton put a hand between us. "Take a breath, Chance. You don’t have to solve it tonight."
I stared up at the night sky. For a second, the old anger came back, a hot, wild feeling that made me want to burn something. But underneath it was something worse. Hope. "I’m going to fuck it up," I said.
"Probably," Zaden said. "But you’ve got to try."
The bond thrummed through me, pulling me toward her, even now. I could hear her laugh, sharp and musical, floating through the back door. I wanted to go to her, to beg her to forgive me.
Drake’s grin widened. "You’re so fucking screwed, dude."
He was not wrong.