Epilogue
Seraphina
It’s been a few months since we came to Lake Renegade.
Somedays I miss Australia, but being here with our new family, is everything I dreamed of.
Colby and Isla are back in school and thriving.
Oliver is going to college and majoring in internet securities.
When he’s done he’ll work with Sebastiano and Francesco.
Archer hasn’t decided what he wants to do yet.
He said maybe he’ll go to mechanic school, he’s always loved fixing motorcycles and cars.
My parents are thinking of opening a restaurant here in Lake Renegade.
They’ve been talking with the council about it.
As for me? I’m at Lake Renegade Community College.
I figured it would be easier to start there and then transfer to get my teaching degree. I’m really excited for all our futures.
The only hard part is coming to terms with the idea that I will never know why they took my family.
I have so many fucking questions and I want my answers.
But then I think of Sakura and her family.
We were in captivity for about two months.
Her family was separated for eleven years.
Each of them thought they had lost each other. At least my family was together.
In the facility, we found notebooks and computers filled with information about their experiments.
They’re trying to make what they’re calling a ‘super shifter’.
They’re trying to take different traits that they consider superior and trying to inject it into shifters.
When it came to our venom, they were trying to make them immune to it.
But because we kept giving them our non-toxic one, when they would inject them with other venoms, the shifter would either die or get really sick.
They actually experimented on shifters. Killed them for their their experiments.
Apollo and I have gotten closer and I love everything about him. We’ve also moved into our own house, it’s a five minute walk from his parents house. We’ve been planning our wedding. I still can’t believe that something that started so badly ended up with me finding my fated mate.
Apollo
So far in my life, there’s only been one woman that I’ve wanted to hurt.
Maim. Kill. And I’m not allowed to. It’s not fucking fair.
After the cleaners showed up, we tried one more time to talk to Matilda and Paul.
But neither of them would shift back. Matilda bit Eros’ arm when he was trying to unhook her, he punched her and she passed out.
I wish I could’ve done that. Instead I got pissed on by Paul. But at least I got to punch him.
We have the cleaners word that none of them will have any contact with each other. And they’ll never be let out again. While that gives all of us some relief, it’s not the closure any of us really wanted.
We also have all their research and we know a little more about OmniBioCorp.
We will find out who’s at the top of this organization.
We need to get answers for our family. And we need to take out this corporation that is set on making these ‘super shifters’.
That word terrifies me. This world doesn’t need super shifters.
The best part of my life used to be eating and enjoying life. Now Seraphina is the best part of my life. And in a month, I get to call her my wife.
“How was class today?” I walk over to Seraphina as she walks in the door.
The smile on her face is huge and she’s glowing. She hands me an envelope.
“So before you open that, I was in my last class and I got nauseous. I ended up puking in the trash can, so my professor told me to go down to the infirmary and get checked out. I told her it was probably something I ate. She said to just go. So I went. In that envelope is what’s wrong with me.”
What’s wrong with her? “Holy fuck what does that even mean?”
“Just open the envelope.”
My hands start shaking. What if she’s sick? I can’t lose her. I open the envelope and read the paper inside. Then I read it a second and third time.
“Are you serious?” I say as I read it again.
“I made them test me three times.”
I grab her and kiss her. “I thought I was happy before. But this is true happiness. We’re going to have a baby.”
I drop to my knees and kiss her belly.
“I love you both so fucking much.”