27. Epilogue
Chapter twenty-seven
Epilogue
O pal Several weeks pass, and life is relatively peaceful.
Gryphon and the rest of the Alpha squad managed to track down every Alpha insurgent, imprisoning them indefinitely.
They still don’t believe in the governor’s stance on Rogues, as his Rogue Rehabilitation Regime is as strong as ever.
Surprisingly, many Rogues turned themselves in and volunteered for his program, and many have been secured with packs ever since.
But not all Rogues were rehabilitated in the end, and that is why I vow to live my life to the fullest. I will do it for every Rogue who never made it.
I will do all the things that I was denied before…
Such as going to the beach.
Apparently, I wasn’t the only one who wanted to see the big blue expanse.
It had always been one of Mila’s and Oliver’s dreams, too, and that was how we ended up taking a small trip to the sea.
Now that we are living in a time of relative peace, we can all take a chance to breathe.
So, now I laugh freely for the first time in years as I hold onto Zayden’s hand. He pulls me to the water’s edge, and when he kicks up seawater at my face, I spit it out.
“It tastes like salt!"
Zayden chuckles. “Well, I guess that’s why they call it saltwater .”
The sun is shining high above as I roll my eyes at his response, wearing my wide-brimmed hat to protect my freckled complexion.
The perks of being so fair.
I even have my big Mom bag with my trusty SPF 50 as I lay down a towel on the sand and set up my parasol.
Someone screams next, and Zayden and I startle.
We look to the left of the beach.
Lachlan dips Mila’s head under the salty water, and he cackles like a madman the whole time.
She’s enjoying it, though.
Oliver scolds his Alpha, trying to rescue the Omega, and I smile.
Mila told me she wanted to see the ocean because it reminded her of Oliver’s eyes, and I don’t know who’s more romantic: Mila or Belle.
When I peer to the right of the beach, I spot Belle sitting under her own parasol with Rian.
They’re reading one of her smutty romance books, and I roll my eyes again.
A majority of the Alphas are playing soccer, sans Lachlan, who is playing with Mila in the water.
Magnus and Levi are playing too, and their raucous sounds fill the beach when one team hits the net.
As long as that sandy, dirty ball doesn’t come anywhere near me or my parasol, then I'm satisfied.
I cast my gaze around the beach. “Hey… where are Ella and Brody?”
Zayden shields his eyes, searching for the pair. That’s when he rolls his eyes, pointing his finger.
I follow his finger toward a rocky cove, and there we spy the two lovebirds sneaking off to do the unspeakable.
“It’s just like training all over again,” Zayden sighs, lying down next to me, and now we both just stare at the horizon.
“It’s so big. The sea…” I note.
Zayden laughs. “Yeah, really makes our world seem so small in comparison."
Now we take a moment to appreciate the sound of the waves, and the crying of gulls high in the sky as I shut my eyes.
Damn, now this is living…
I finally understand what it is to be alive, and that’s when I grab Zayden’s hand.
“I think it is time.”
His big, hazelnut eyes find mine, and I take his chin in my hand. “It’s time I became a part of the pack, Zayden.”
The Omega blinks. “Like… right now?”
I think about it. “Why not?”
We rented a beach house after all.
Each pack rented one out for 'alone' time.
“I mean, what better way to celebrate my newfound freedom than at the beach? Just smell that air.”
We both inhale.
Salt, sand, brine, and fresh air.
Perfect.
Zayden’s eyes become molten next. “I will let the guys know."
His eyes lose focus as they talk via their bond, and my heart rate spikes when I realize I am about to become a part of that bond.
It’s finally happening…
Magnus and Levi break away from the soccer game and join us by my parasol.
Reed is MIA.
Wait.
Where is he exactly?
He hasn’t been himself since the injection.
The big Alpha had to spend time in the hospital for a whole week, and he has disappeared into his shell ever since he was discharged.
But I have been checking in on him, poking into his mind via our bond.
I do the same right now, and I sense him in the woods.
“Wait here, guys.”
I get up and wander toward a wooded area of pine trees.
Soon, I find the big Alpha sitting on a rock, twirling a pinecone in his hand. I cross my arms when I stop before him, and he meets my eyes.
“Trouble,” he greets me.
I take another step closer. I grab his cheek, running my finger over the scar that bisects his right eye, and the big Alpha purrs.
“We’re going back to the beach house. It is time, Reed...”
The Alpha looks at me curiously. His white, blinded eye burns with desire, but then he swallows it away quickly.
“I suppose you will choose Magnus or Levi to bite you,” he says.
I shrug my shoulders. “What makes you say that?”
He levels me with a pointed look. “I’m still not worthy of you, Opal. I… I failed to kill the warden for you. I… got myself caught."
“Yeah, you did," I sigh. "But all that matters is that he's gone. Don't beat yourself up over it, Reed. So, come on, smile for Trouble…"
My heart pounds next when the big bear of an Alpha actually smiles at me, and I grip my chest. “Oh my goodness… You smiled!"
But his grin vanishes quickly, and he goes back to brooding. “It was a grimace."
“No, that was a genuine smile. Fangs and all.”
He crushes the pine cone in his large hand, and I gulp.
Damn. Those hands of his truly are strong.
That’s why I want them all over my body in the beach house in the next hour.
So, I start stalking away. There’s only one way to entice an apex predator like Reed.
I will give him the thrill of the chase so he can feel the adrenaline spiking in his veins.
It's the only way he comes to life these days.
“Well, you coming, Reed?” I ask, breathlessly.
He grunts, and that means "no" in Reed language.
So, with a dramatic gasp, I drop my towel, and his head shoots up.
All I am wearing is a skimpy bikini as I saunter through the woods back to the beach house.
I hear him stifling a growl behind me.
Looking over my shoulder, I give him acome-hither expression and then… I run.
I am in danger after all.
The Alpha continues to resist, growling and snarling on his rock, but then he gives in to the chase and pursues me.
I pick up the pace, weaving through thin pine trees as I rush back to the house. I even ditch my flip flops because those things are not designed for running.
The beach house soon looms into view.
The Alpha is still chasing me, growling like a real bear, and holy fuck…
I think I may be in actual real danger now.
“Not so fast, Trouble!”
His voice comes from the other end of the bond as I push through the back door of the kitchen, racing up the stairs to our temporary nest.
To my relief, Zayden, Magnus, and Levi are already waiting for us.
Now I turn around at the last moment, letting Reed push me down onto the sunken bed.
The room is half floor, half bed with blackout curtains and dimmed lights, and it’s the perfect nest.
Now Reed pins me down to the bed as he growls above me, and our eyes meet. His pupils dilate, and then he leans down and sniffs my neck.
I start unzipping his pants, setting him free, and when his massive cock brushes against my entrance, I sigh.
Damn. He really is big.
I can’t wait for him to stretch me out.
In one swift motion, Reed is deep inside me, and his large hands grip my hips as he thrusts into me hard.
My nipples pebble as they brush against the solid ridges of his chest, and it doesn’t take me long to come.
Reed isn’t too far behind as his roar shakes the beach house from its very foundations, and now I open our bond, wanting to feel his orgasm along with mine.
Holy fucking shit.
Now I am roaring with Reed as his seed fills me, and then his knot stretches, reaching places inside me that I never even knew existed.
So fucking big.
I give the others permission, and now Magnus and Levi come closer.
“Bite me. All of you.”
I couldn’t decide in the end.
Now Levi finds a place by my pulse. Magnus's teeth hover over the warden’s old wound.
Reed chooses the juncture of my shoulder, and when they all sink their teeth into me, my vision whitens.
Then, I sense two new streams of thought.
“Now it will be like the warden was never there…” Magnus whispers inside my head.
Tears fill my eyes.
Levi wipes one from my cheek. “It’s done, Opal. You are now officially a part of our pack.”
I really am. And it is the most freeing, liberating sensation I have ever felt.
But it won’t be complete until I hear him.
“Zayden?”
“I’m here.”
I look across to find his hazelnut eyes, and I grab his hand.
"How does it feel, Opal?”
I think of a response. “It’s the same feeling I get when I look at the ocean. A whole new world of possibilities opens up right before me. It’s… overwhelming…”
Zayden grins, running his finger over my bottom lip as he kisses my cheek. Then he nestles down behind me, using his slick to coat himself.
“And it’s more than you deserve, Opal.”
I grin. “Good. Because I want you to make me pregnant, Zayden. I think it’s time. Let’s start a family. Those four boys and four girls we want.”
Zayden buries his nose in my hair, then enters me from behind . “We will have our own squad of Omegas.”
“Or Alphas,” Magnus corrects.
“ Acute Alphas,” Reed chimes in, who's still buried deep inside me.
Magnus rolls his eyes. “Oh, that will be the day.”
Reed shows Magnus his teeth. But then he smiles and ruffles the other Alpha’s hair. " You could handle an Acute son or daughter…”
Levi speaks now, “Or, we could have Betas…”
We all stop.
It's true.
Our children could have any designation.
But we would love them all regardless.
I look at Levi. “At least with the Beta Trials commencing, they won’t feel so left out.”
The Beta Trials are doing well. No more inequality amongst designations, and Betas are finally happy. For now…
Of course, not every Beta will match with a pack right away, but these things take time.
Many Betas are settling into their new packs as we fuck, and now everyone gets to have a chance to experience this…
Freedom.
Whether they be Omega, Beta, or Alpha.
Because we are all one and the same.
Zayden bends forward, nibbling my ear as he fucks me hard. "I love you, Opal."
"And I love you, too, Opal," Magnus whispers as he kisses his bond mark on the back of my neck.
"We're all in love with you, Opal. Even Reed," Levi says, kissing his bite mark, too. "You were exactly what our pack was missing all along."
Now I peer at Reed.
He shows me his teeth. "Aye, he's right. I love you, Trouble. You saved me after all. I will never forget it."
A smile curves my lips. "And I love you, too. All of you…"
Now they drown me in all their scents as they take turns fucking and knotting me, and we never left the nest again for the rest of that trip.
It looks like I got the happy ever after that I never believed was possible for an Omega like me in the end.
And I am going to cherish every moment.