Epilogue – Red #2
“Same,” Callisto says from the front. He spins, seatbelt halfway across his body. “Should we drive past the site?”
I laugh, catching the light in his eyes. “Definitely. I’ll let Rose know where we’re headed, because she wants to see it too.”
Reckon passes me my purse, and I type my friend a quick message and send her an address pin. We planned to show her tomorrow, anyway.
A twenty-minute drive brings us to the most recent Wren land purchase.
Callisto climbs out to unlock the builders’ fencing, and we idle in through big mesh gates full of construction site warning signs.
At five in the morning, the place is deserted, only the breeze stirring plastic packaging wrapped around the beams.
Callisto helps me out of the car, and when I rub my bare arms, he shucks his jacket off and sets it over my shoulders.
When the breeze blows, his sleeves plaster to his skin.
The dark tattoo shows under the thin white material, a third clock reaching to his elbow marking the time he finally bonded his omega.
Together, they symbolize his bitterest moments, along with his triumph.
Now, he’s no longer alone, and I love him even more for his struggles.
I take his hand and turn to admire his handiwork. “Wow,” I breathe out, gazing at the massive building laid out before me. “It looks almost complete.”
“Just four weeks to go,” he says proudly. “Or it better be, because Hale’s complaining about his temporary office.”
I chuckle. “He just wants to gripe about everything.”
I walk forward, supported by my men to get a better look.
The complex’s outer ground floor layer forms a distinct horseshoe shape, with spokes leading to an inner center for the administration buildings, which is two stories tall.
The design isn’t exactly a simple one; we poured over the plans for hundreds of hours alongside consultants, talking with Zack about how he’d react to certain doorways and structures in the hopes of minimizing all the future residents’ stress.
A car pulls in behind us.
Rose, her ginger-haired alpha Colt, the musician who ran away when I visited his house, and the golden-skinned former feral, Zane, all get out, keeping her within arm’s length.
When she stumbles on the rough ground, Colt clicks his fingers at Zane, and the dark-haired alpha sweeps her up into his arms and carries her, Rose’s laugh echoing around the construction site.
I grin, their happiness is infectious.
Colt throws his jacket into the car and leads them over, undoing his bow tie. “Nice to see everyone away from the penguin suits.” He rolls up his sleeves and gazes up at the building. “So, this is the place?”
“Sure is,” Callisto says proudly.
“Our big baby,” I add with a chuckle, winking at the OCB agent.
I lean past Zack and wave to Kye, Rose’s more slender alpha. “Hello again. I don’t think we were introduced properly last time.” Mischief seizes me, and I smirk. “You were too busy running away. Something about table sex, if I recall?”
He groans and slaps his hand to his face. “Frick! Did you have to remember that part?”
Rose laughs and wriggles out of her alpha’s grip. “This is Kye. Don’t tease him too much, Red, or he won’t say a word.”
I grin and wave. “Nice to meet you, Kye. We enjoy listening to your music.”
“Thank you,” he says, straightening. As I suspected, mentioning music breaks the ice right away.
A warning quiver shoots through the bond, and I spin to find Zack and Zane staring at each other, Rose’s other alpha curling his hands into fists.
We’d kept them apart by mutual agreement in the cinema and after party, but now both men stand face to face, radiating alpha aura.
Conflicting fear and eagerness roll through my prime alpha as he studies his former kennel partner.
I step to his side and take Zack’s hand. “It’s been a long time since you last saw each other, hasn’t it?” I ask. As I stroke his arm, smoothing his upright hairs down.
Rose slings her arm around Zane’s neck. “Since the kennel cells, right, Zane? But that’s not your life anymore.”
“No,” Zane says tightly. Then, as if he changes into a different person, the tension in his body melts away. He twists his head to kiss his omega’s arm. “We had the same row in prison, too.”
My heart thrills to hear him speaking so well, and I bet his omega is equally proud.
Rose claps her hand to her mouth. “Gosh, I’m sorry. I forgot about that, but yes, you’re totally right.”
With the other alpha relaxing, Zack’s unease in the bond also settles. He slowly reaches out his open hand. “Superior One,” he says. “Let’s not fight. I’m glad to see you again.”
Zane steps in front of his omega. He looks down at Zack’s hand and nods. “Good you found a pack, Kicking Alpha.”
Zack rumbles with a chuckle. No one misses their slow, deliberate movements, both men not fully trusting, but Rose and I exchange teary grins as they peacefully clasp hands and shake.
Like us omegas, they share an origin, even if it’s not entirely pleasant.
And how fitting that they meet like this on the very grounds that will be home to the rest of their kennel peers.
Sniffing back the emotion, I turn back to the building. “Let’s peek inside.”
Callisto leads us through an open doorway into the outer wing.
Studio-sized rooms open from the curved hallway to the yard, the glass not yet installed.
A separate petition already has the plumbing in for a toilet, shower and basin.
The rising sun illuminates the space outside that will serve as an exercise/outdoor area.
From the plans, I know it’ll be completed with bars and swings.
“We can’t do away with concrete altogether,” Callisto says, pointing to the dividing half-walls between the individual exercise areas, “But I’ve already commissioned a mural artist to come and give them some life.”
“Looks great,” Colt says. “Miles above what Zane and Uno had at our house.” He scrubs a hand through his bread. “You mentioned something about classrooms?”
“Right.” Callisto leads us back inside. “We didn’t want tunnels underground because of the fight ring set up, so we decided on overhead access.
” He points out the stairs on one side of the room.
“They’ll be glass-topped, so the alphas can see the sky, and the only door will be here in the room.
Once they reach stage two, the door will automatically open when it’s time for lessons.
If they choose to follow the skywalk, that’ll take them directly to the classroom. ”
We trail after him into the center building and climb a flight of stairs. Although I manage well on my heels, Zack picks me up and tosses me over his shoulder when my crimson dress keeps catching on building debris.
Rickon grins up at me. “Visiting a building site in a ballgown probably wasn’t our best idea.”
I prop my chin on my hands. “And yet it’s so me.”
He laughs. “True.”
The wide classroom has more traditional cells stacked beside each other so that one person can teach up to twenty alphas at a time, the men contained in the cells along one side of the room—cells that will remain open to their rooms. Still, assuming they grow curious enough to come to lessons, whoever teaches them will have to be a very special person to stand here and face them.
“Well, count me impressed,” Colt declares. “I think they’ll do well here, right, Zane?” He reaches out and squeezes the back of Zane’s neck, and the alpha grins and leans into his touch.
“Good,” his former feral confirms. “Better than prison and kennels.”
Colt nods. “Have you thought of a name for the place?” he asks.
“Yes,” Callisto says. “We’ll call it Fairhaven. This place will become their haven, but they’ll also have a fairer legal process to aid their recovery.”
“That’s perfect,” Rose coos.
We debated the name over and over, but kept returning to Callisto’s first suggestion, the words playing to the sound of ‘feral’ but also promising what kind of home this building will be for the disadvantaged men arriving in a just a few months.
My heart feels full as we finish the inspection and escort the Nesters back to their car, promising to meet up for dinner after everyone’s slept.
I cover a yawn and catch Rose doing the same.
We share a wink, knowing full well we’ll be buried deep in our alphas before we see a wink of sleep.
But that’s our glorious new life, and I wouldn’t trade it for anything.
We wave as their car disappears down the street.
“Seems like Zane’s doing really well,” Rickon muses. He chuckles to himself and then turns to me, hands on hips. “Now, can we please get that dress home?”
“Just the dress?” I ask wickedly.
“I don’t mind at all if you’re not wearing it when we get there,” he says, green eyes twinkling. “Just so long as I don’t have to tell Hannah Sorentito that we ripped it.”
I toss my head back with a laugh. “I have an idea. Let’s come back here later in the week and do a photoshoot in it.” I spread the sides of my skirt wide. “Will be good advertising for Fairhaven.”
“Damn, you’re wild,” he says, shaking his head but smiling. Love swells through the bond as he reaches for my hand. “I’m so glad you’re mine.”
“Ours,” Zack corrects haughtily.
I laugh. “Yeah, I’m all yours,” I reassure Zack, throwing my hands around his neck and sweeping in for a kiss. That’s what I am; a wild, free-spirited, mountain-climbing omega. An idea springs to life from his words. “Our Wild Omega. That’s what the book title will be.”
This isn’t exactly my story; it’s theirs. A story of the voices that sustained me even when I was lost in darkness; men who claimed me long before laying eyes on me.
Rickon, the alpha who accepted me without question and got me this far.
Zack, the darling feral who taught me to overcome fear.
Callisto, the one who taught me to forgive others and myself.
All men who chose to love a wild omega. I tighten my grip around Zack’s neck and reach one hand to Rickon. He takes it and squeezes me in his warm grip, and as I smile at Callisto, a vision of the future flows past us.
Me and Rickon occupied filming an action movie while my other two alphas work here in this building, busy saving the world one feral alpha at a time . . . at least until home time.
Despite my flaws, I rescued my feral and brought him home.
And along the way, I learned that maybe, just maybe, saving the ones we love requires a little wildness.
~ Roll Credits ~