OBSIDIAN

~Epilogue~

It's been almost two and a half years since I've been here.

Being here...a pack.

My home.

my real home

I don't count the days anymore.

At first I did.

Every morning was a confirmation that I was still here.

That it wasn't a dream.

That everything wouldn't disappear if I blinked too hard.

Now... I'm just living.

I'm standing on the edge of the roof, my feet dangling in the air.

From here I can see almost everything.

The children running between the houses.

The thin smoke coming out of the chimneys.

People greeting each other without rushing.

And, in the distance, the water...always there, always constant.

It’s quiet.

Not that oppressive quiet.

Not the quiet where you can hear yourself too much.

Quiet… good.

“You’ve gotten too comfortable.” Brex’s voice hasn’t changed.

Still calm.

Still direct.

Still… impossible to ignore.

I smile slightly.

“And is it bad?”

“No.” Pause. “But that’s not all you’re made for.”

I roll my eyes.

“Of course I’m not.”

I lean back, resting my hands on my hips.

The sky is clear today.

Too clear.

It reminds me of my first days here.

How everything was… too much.

Too many people.

Too many emotions.

Too many things I didn’t understand.

And I…

was too little.

I slowly get up from the roof, without rushing. I no longer run from things. I no longer skip steps.

I go down the side stairs, each step creaking slightly under my weight. This sound… used to annoy me.

Now it reminds me that I’m here.

Real.

The house is quiet.

Not empty.

Just… sitting.

My steps are automatic to the living room.

And there I find

Sergio.

And of course Colby

"Suicide attempt done?" Colby asked, sitting with his hand on the back of the couch and looking at me with amusement.

"Suck my brother's dick, you little shit" zic ?i ar?t degetul din mijloc.

He looks at me and is about to get up to start a fight that has been happening more and more often since he's become arrogant and self-absorbed.

"Shut up," Sergio tells his boyfriend, and I watch with satisfaction as Sergio gives him the 'No ass today' look.

Sergio doesn't even look at me when he says this, but his tone is clear enough to stop Colby in mid-motion.

Colby sighs theatrically and throws his hands in the air, like he's the victim here.

"Wow, okay. I'm stopping. For the sake of peace," he says, but that smile of his makes it clear that it's not over.

I look at him and arch an eyebrow.

"Your peace lasts exactly as long as my patience lasts.

"

"You mean two seconds?" he replies instantly.

"One," I say calmly.

Sergio rubs his forehead.

“I swear you two are going to kill me one day.”

“Me?

Never, I love you" I say dryly.

“Don’t listen to him,” Colby says at the same time.

For a second, silence falls over us.

She’s not tense.

She’s… familiar.

I approach and sit down on the armchair next to them, stretching my legs without asking permission.

Colby glances at me.

"It's my place.

"

"It's not now," I reply.

Sergio studies me for a few seconds.

And I see the moment.

The moment when the joke fades a little.

"Are you okay?" he asks. Simple. Direct.

I don't answer right away.

Because it's not a superficial question.

Not about him.

"Yes." I finally say.

Then I add, more quietly, "I was just thinking about family. Kids. Future."

Sergio doesn't answer right away. I see him tilt his head slightly, analyzing me in his silent way.

But, obviously… Colby can't keep quiet.

"Family, kids, future?" he repeats, raising an eyebrow. “Wow. What’s next? Are we going to pick a name for your first child, or do you want to get started right away?” I give him a dry look. “You can have kids, why don’t you start now?” he continues, in that annoyingly relaxed tone, like he’s talking about the weather.

I stare at him for two seconds in silence.

Then I exhale through my nose.

“It’s a once in a million chance, you idiot,” I say calmly.

“And besides… I’m a man. It’s weird enough without you adding to it. ”

Colby opens his mouth to respond, but pauses for a split second, surprised that I’ve cut him off so directly.

Sergio, on the other hand… laughs briefly.

Not loudly. Not mockingly. Just… honestly.

“You deserve it,” he tells Colby without looking at him.

Colby sighs dramatically and leans back on the couch.

“I can’t take it anymore. I swear,” he murmurs.

“I’m trying to have a deep conversation and I’m being attacked.

”

“You and deep don’t belong in the same sentence,” I say, leaning my head back.

“You’re hurting me,” he says dryly.

“You’re surviving. ” I respond in kind.

For a few seconds, everything goes back to normal.

To our dynamic. To the jokes. To the lines.

But Sergio doesn’t let go of the subject.

I can feel him before he speaks.

“Seriously now,” he says, turning slightly toward me.

“Why are you thinking about that?”

I shrug.

It’s not defensive. It’s… honest.

“I don’t know,” I say.

“It just… hit me.” I rub the back of my head lightly, staring into space.

“I mean… everything is stable now,” I continue.

“It’s not that constant chaos anymore. It’s not…

daily survival anymore.” Pause. “And when you don’t have to fight every day…

” I add more quietly, “you start thinking about what’s next.

”

Colby stops joking.

He just looks at me.

Sergio nods slowly.

“Makes sense,” he says.

The silence that follows isn’t awkward.

It’s… mature.

“And?” Colby asks, less ironically now. “Do you want this?”

I lean my head back and stare at the ceiling.

The question is simple.

The answer…

no.

“Not now,” I say. “But… it doesn’t sound impossible anymore.

”

I feel something in my chest as I say this.

Not fear. Not pressure.

Just… reality.

Brex speaks slowly, almost absently

“You’re starting to see beyond yourself.

”

I smile weakly.

“I think… I just want to know that I can have this,” I say.

“That I’m not stuck in one version of my life.

”

Sergio looks at me for a long moment.

Then he shakes his head.

“You’re not,” he says simply.

Colby sighs, but not sarcastically this time.

“God, we’re getting emotional. I don’t like it,” he murmurs.

I throw a pillow in his face.

“Shut up.”

He catches it effortlessly and smiles.

“You’ve softened up,” he says.

“Only because I didn’t beat you today,” I reply.

Sergio gets up from the couch.

“Okay. Done,” he says. “I’ve tolerated enough.”

He stretches a little, then looks at me.

“Are you coming?” he asks.

“Where?” I ask.

“Mom’s in the kitchen,” he says. “And if we don’t go now… she’s going to come after us.”

I make a small face.

“That’s a real threat,” I mutter.

Colby laughs.

“That’s real fear,” he adds.

I finally get up, stretching slightly.

“I’m not coming. I’m going to the big house after My Men,” I say and Sergio shakes his head, walking towards the kitchen with Colby holding his hand.

I step out of the house, the weather is beautiful outside.

For spring, it’s a beautiful season.

The light is warm, but not oppressive.

The wind is light, almost lazy. The trees have begun to come alive again, and the smell of earth and damp wood is everywhere.

There are already children with their parents outside, some in their human form, barefoot, dirty, others in their wolf form, playing or training.

Just life.

Just growth.

I watch them for a second without realizing it.

Something in me… stops.

Not in a bad way.

But as if my body recognizes something that my mind is still learning to accept.

Their normal.

“You look too much.” Brex murmurs.

“I don’t look.” I answer automatically.

“Yes.”

I roll my eyes, but say nothing.

I square my shoulders and start down the main driveway.

My steps are calm.

No rush.

No tension.

Just… direction.

As I move away from the small houses, the atmosphere changes slightly.

It doesn’t become anything else.

Just… deeper.

Quieter.

The trees are thicker here, and the path naturally widens, as if the earth itself knows where they all lead.

“The big house.”

I don’t have to see it yet.

I feel it.

And then it appears.

It’s not imposing in the classic sense.

It doesn’t crush you.

But it doesn’t ignore you either.

It’s there like a presence that doesn’t demand attention, but receives it anyway.

I climb the steps and enter the house, the doors are opened for me by someone who was about to leave and thank me.

I climb the stairs higher, heading towards my lovers' office.

The stairs are colder here.

I don't know if it's the stone or the silence that gathers in the walls of the big house, but each step changes the rhythm of my breathing without me realizing it.

When I get to the top floor, the air is different.

Heavier.

More… full.

Their office is slightly ajar.

I go to the threshold, and knock on the door a little.

"What are my alphs doing?" I ask and smile a little when I enter and Ash looks up, Niko talking on the phone.

I enter the office and walk towards Ash, I walk across the gigantic room and Ash steps out with his chair from the table.

"Come here, baby" he says and taps his feet.

I take a few steps towards him, slowly, without rushing.

The floor is softer than it seems, and the sound of my footsteps is lost in the silence of the room.

When I reach him, I don't sit down immediately.

I look at him.

"And if I don't come?

" I ask calmly.

Ash tilts his head a little, as if he's seriously considering the question, although the answer is obvious to both of us.

"I'm coming." he says simply.

It's not a challenge.

It's an observation.

A brief smile escapes me, almost involuntarily.

"Specific arrogance of an alpha."

"Realism. " he corrects immediately.

Niko laughs briefly into the phone, without getting involved, but enough for him to feel like he heard.

I leave my gaze on Ash for another second, then I release the tension from my shoulders and sit on his feet, exactly where he had tapped.

I don't rush.

But I don't hesitate either.

Ash immediately places a hand on my waist, steady, natural, as if my place there had already been decided long ago.

"Better." he says softly.

I glance down at him.

"You're unbearable."

"I know."

Niko finally hangs up the phone and sets it on the desk, breathing lightly.

Then, he comes to my side and kisses my temple.

"You seem stressed, what happened, honey?

" he asks and caresses my face. I cling to his touch, loving the way their affection is beyond words.

He rests his palm on my cheek longer than would be "normal" in an office full of papers and important decisions.

But here... nothing is quite normal.

Niko looks at me closely, as if trying to read what I'm not saying.

"You seem stressed. What happened, honey?

" he repeats more slowly, his fingers gently caressing my jawline.

A small sigh escapes me.

Not from fatigue.

From… safety.

Ash, under me, tightens his grip on my waist a little, not holding me tightly, just enough to make me feel like I'm where I need to be.

"It's not stress," I murmur.

"Mhm.

" Niko says, clearly unconvinced. "Tell that to your face.

"

I roll my eyes, but I don't move away from his touch.

"Just... the day." I say vaguely.

Ash looks up at me.

"The day doesn't make you like this.

" he says calmly.

I look at him for a second.

"You like to contradict me, don't you?

" The corner of his mouth turns up a little.

"Only when you're right and you don't admit it.

"

Niko laughs briefly and rests his forehead against my temple for a moment, like a reflex gesture, intimate, not demonstrative.

"He's tired." he says more to Ash than to me.

"I see him." Ash replies immediately.

Then, without asking me twice, he moves his chair closer and pulls me closer to him.

I lose my balance for a second and end up deeper on his legs.

"Like this." he says. "Stay."

"Are you ordering my position now?

" I mutter.

"I'm making you more comfortable.

" he corrects. "And besides, I've put you in many positions in bed that you liked.

"

I look at him, and I roll my eyes but the truth is that he only has a little more time to touch me and I'm hard.

Niko strokes my hair, slowly, as if he has all the time in the world.

"Have you eaten today?" he asks suddenly.

I look at him.

"No."

"Mhm.

" he says, as if he's just confirmed a serious case.

"I knew it."

Ash sighs lightly.

"Someone will bring her.

"

"You don't have to.."

"Yes." they both say almost at the same time.

I stop.

I look at them one by one.

Niko smiles slightly, warmly, as if he finds it amusing that I pretend to have a choice.

Ash touches my fingers lightly.

"It's not a negotiation.

" he says, softer than his tone, but just as firm.

Silence. Then a small smile escapes me, involuntarily.

"You're impossible."

"We know." Niko answers immediately, and kisses my temple again.

Ash moves his face a little closer to mine, his gaze remaining calm, fixed.

"But you're here." he says softly.

And it doesn't sound like possession.

It sounds like concern.

My shoulders slump, without realizing it.

"Yes..." I murmur.

Niko lifts my chin slightly with two fingers, forcing me to look at him.

"And you're fine here." he says simply.

It's not a question.

It's a promise.

Ash squeezes my waist lightly once, like a final point.

"Give me a kiss, baby" he murmurs and I rest my hands on his neck.

"Cheap or expensive?" I whisper in his ear and he laughs softly.

"The most expensive possible, I can afford it" he whispers in turn and takes the first step.

He kisses me slowly, but it gets messy and hungry.

He runs his tongue around my mouth like he doesn’t do this every day, and that every chance he gets he goes and finds something new.

I feel him getting completely closer, losing all that alpha rigidity for a moment and just being…

him.

My breathing changes slightly.

Ash keeps a firm hand on my waist, as if to make sure I’m not going anywhere, even though neither of us are moving in that direction.

Niko, next to us, sighs slightly in amusement.

“In the office, though…” he murmurs, but there’s no seriousness in his voice.

He doesn’t stop us.

He doesn’t really try.

Ash pulls away just long enough to look at me for a split second, his eyes calm but deeper than before.

“You started it.” he says softly.

A small, almost lost smile escapes me.

"I didn't start anything."

"You answered.

" he corrects immediately.

Niko laughs briefly and turns to the desk, as if to give us "work space," but his voice remains in the room.

"If you argue, know that I win anyway.

"

I rest my forehead on Ash's shoulder for a second, breathing more slowly.

The tension from before... the one on the roof, on the road, in my thoughts.

.. melts away little by little, without realizing exactly when.

Ash relaxes his hand on me now, but he doesn't let go of me.

"You're jealous, aren't you Niko?" He asks and I look at Niko who has gone to his desk a little further ahead.

"Me?" He asks offended and opens his laptop.

He presses something but then moves his gaze back to us, more precisely to Ash.

"You're going to suffer at home, Ash. Just wait until I finish the deal.

.." Niko says, the corner of his mouth turning up and his hand now being at his throat.

Ash doesn’t seem at all bothered.

On the contrary.

He relaxes his jaw a little, as if Niko’s remark is just another part of the day, not a threat.

His hand remains firm on my waist, but his gaze slides to Niko, calm, calculated.

“That sounds like an empty promise,” he says quietly.

Niko raises an eyebrow, in no hurry to return to his laptop.

“Really?”

He runs his fingers along the edge of the desk, slowly, as if he has all the time in the world.

Ash smiles very slightly.

Not cute.

Not warm…controlled arrogance from an alpha who knows exactly where to press.

“If it were real, you wouldn’t be talking now,” he says simply.

Silence. Not heavy. Just charged.

Niko pauses for a split second.

Then he laughs softly, briefly.

“I like it when you act brave.” he says, without raising his voice.

He tilts his head slightly towards me, as if he’s just now remembering that I’m there, caught between them.

“See him?” Niko says calmly. “He looks like this when he tries to provoke me, but fails.”

A small smile escapes my eyes involuntarily.

Ash senses my reaction and tightens his hand lightly on my waist, like a silent warning.

“I’m not trying.” he says immediately.

“Yes,” Niko replies instantly.

“You just don’t realize it when you do it.

” I say a little more seriously

Ash doesn’t blink.

“And you realize it all too well when you do it.”

Niko looks at him for a few seconds.

Then he looks at me, smiling.

I rest my head on Ash’s shoulder for a moment, exhaling slowly.

“You two are tiring. You say you’re not nearly 21 or even older in werewolf years.

”

Ash answers immediately, without thinking:

“But stay.”

It’s not a question.

It’s not a joke. It’s just the truth, plain and simple.

Niko closes his laptop a little more slowly than before.

“And it’s going to stay.” he adds, more quietly.

For a moment, that small tension between them dies down into something stable.

Controlled.

Almost… familiar.

Ash rests his forehead very lightly on mine, a brief, almost imperceptible gesture.

"Okay." he murmurs..

It sounds like everything is already in place.

I look at them.

At the desk.

At the light.

At their perfectly ordered chaos.

And I realize that I'm not looking for anything else.

I can't wait for it to be over.

I can't wait to run away.

“So this is it?” I ask slowly.

Niko raises an eyebrow.

“What exactly?”

I tilt my head a little to the side.

“This.”

Ash squeezes my hand lightly.

“Yes.” he says simply.

Niko smiles vaguely.

“And if you don’t like it?”

I look at him for a second.

Then at Ash.

Then back to the office.

“I don’t know.” I say honestly. Pause. “But I think I’ll stay.”

Silence.

But this time he doesn’t say anything.

Because there’s no need.

Ash rests his forehead very lightly on mine, again.

Niko gets up from his desk and walks over to us, approaching Ash and me.

He stays with Ash’s hand in his and his gaze fixed on me.

And the office stays like this:

full, alive, calm.

Home.