Epilogue One
The sand was hot against my bare feet.
I had never been on a beach vacation before, or any, actually, but today the sun, the sand, and the sound of the ocean crashing behind me made it the most nerve-wracking thing in the entire world.
“Why is this the scariest thing we’ve ever done?” I asked, as Ransom fixed my cufflink. “I mean, we’ve done some wild shit.”
My heart was slamming against my ribs and had been for the last hour.
Ransom grinned. “I think it’s the first time I’ve been the least worried out of all of us.”
Umbra was on one of the fold-out seats in a neat suit, fingers clasped, eyes shut like he was saying a prayer.
We’d told Shatter we were going to Disneyland, and the lie had stuck unexpectedly well since she had no idea that Disneyland wasn’t on a tropical island. Or that usually, your best friends weren’t flown in for a weekend of your vacation.
“She said beach wedding, right?” I asked. “It was definitely a?—”
“It was a beach wedding,” Ransom confirmed with a grin.
“What if this wasn’t what she had in mind?—?”
“Dusk.” Ransom nudged me lightly. “It’s everything she wanted. Get a grip.”
“What about the ring?” I asked. “There are all these traditions. I don’t think we’re supposed to just use the one we already?—”
“It’s perfect and it’s the one we’re giving her,” he said. “Like any of this is traditional, anyway.”
Umbra chuckled. “She literally can’t wear it face up. It’s the one.”
And, oddly enough, a parting gift from Mord, who had, before he vanished, told Decebal which pocket Eric had tucked it away in.
“Right, but?—”
“I do not owe Mord Sato a favor just for you to get cold feet on the fucking ring.” Decebal’s voice came floating from up the steps. I glanced to see him approaching, dressed in a white button-up and shorts. Upon his head was the most offensive and ridiculous straw hat I’d ever seen. Probably good, since he was pale as death and might burn to a crisp in five seconds flat otherwise.
“I was going to ask if you were nervous, but I think it’s rather obvious,” Decebal chuckled.
I had been having trouble taking a full breath since I’d woken up this morning. She was not far off, in a room somewhere, getting ready with Roxy, unknowingly preparing to walk down the aisle to us.
“Do you think maybe the surprise has gone a bit far?” I asked. “What if she runs?”
She had fled with the ring.
Ransom snorted. “I am pretty fucking sure she’d stress more than you if she knew what was coming.”
“What if she’s upset its not Disneyland?”
“Already got it covered,” Umbra said, straightening his button-up. “Backup tickets booked in case that’s an issue.”
“We’re… going to Disneyland for real after this?” I asked.
Umbra shrugged. “If she wants to.”
“Wait,” I said, a bit offended. “I want to.”
“Well then, guess we’re going.”
“I can’t do it.”
“Yes, you can, girl.”
“N-no, you don’t understand. I really don’t—” I cut off as Roxy seized me. I couldn’t walk down the aisle—aisle, as in a wedding. A wedding—because I’d finally figured it out.
On a beach.
Oh no.
I was going to throw up.
“Shatter. Look at me. You’re going to be fine.”
“Roxy,” I hissed. “Help me. I’m going to cry the whole time.”
“You’re allowed to cry the whole time.”
“No, I’m not?—”
“It’s your wedding. You can do whatever you want.”
I turned at a knock on the door, and it cracked open. I panicked for a moment; if it was one of my pack—they weren’t supposed to see!
But instead, I saw a familiar face and my mouth popped open in shock.
“Aunty…?”My voice was weak, my heart suddenly in my throat.
Aunty Lauren?
She wore a neat skirt and button up with a small brown purse held tight to her chest. She was everything I remembered, down to the gentle look in her kind eyes.
“Little One…” She seemed lost for words.
My hand was over my mouth as Aunty Lauren crossed the room in a strange, stunned silence and pulled me into a hug that smelled like fresh linen. So familiar and comforting. Then she drew back, examining my face, eyes glistening with tears.
“I never thought… our sweet Shatter? Getting married? And…” Her eyes fell on the bond on my neck. It was glittering and silver right now. The bite Dusk had left turned from dark to light, drowning out the other marks around it from Flynn and Gareth.
She stared at it for a long moment, and then her whole expression crumpled and she burst into tears.
“Eugene told me… oh, what you must have done, Little One.”
Right, Uncle had all the pieces.
“You must love these alphas.”
“So much,” I whispered.
Her lips turned up in a smile, and she nudged a few of her tears away. “Shatter, I’m sorry we didn’t believe you. This is everything you deserve and more.”
Before I knew it, I’d grabbed her into a hug again, shaking with... well, I didn’t know what.
Love?
She’d come.
Like my mother might... Like family.
“I don’t know how I’m going to do this…” I whispered, wringing my hands. “They’re waiting out there for me, and I have to go out there and... and do things. And say things.”
The little piece of paper was in Roxy’s hand.
On the flight over, Roxy had helped me write out a little line about why I loved all of my alphas so fucking much.
Vows.
It all made sense now.
But I had to say them out loud, and not break.
“Nonsense,” Aunty said. “You are going to be just fine. I’ve seen you fight through much harder things.”
“There are no harder things,” I wailed.
“Shatter, look at me,” Roxy’s voice, and her orange and Christmas scent, swept over me. “Take a breath. We’ll be here the whole time.”
The moment Shatter stepped from between the trees just up the beach, everything else in the whole world faded away. Her golden eyes were wide and her grip was like a vice on Roxy’s arm as she approached, lips parted in shock.
Music had started, but I couldn’t really hear it. None of my senses were working right.
Shatter wore the most beautiful cream-white dress, loose and free enough to match the beach we were on. It billowed in the wind as tears streaked her face. Her feet were bare, delicate golden jewellery adorned her wrists and ankles, along with the beautiful shimmer of gold Roxy had painted upon her at the ball, emphasising every bite upon her skin. In her hands was a bouquet of tropical flowers, and her hair was loose, with petals woven through it, glossy honey brown waves rustling in the wind.
It took a lifetime for her to reach us, and during that time, I saw her first tear fall. Roxy helped her find the right place to stand before stepping back, taking the bouquet with her.
The turnout was small, just my pack, Roxy, Shatter’s Aunty Lauren, and Decebal.
Our perfect little world, all here.
We didn’t need any more.
The officiant began to speak, but I couldn’t take my eyes off her, barely registering the words he was saying. My omega was trembling, and whenever she dared peek up, I saw the glittering tears that were flooding her cheeks.
The officiant seemed a little concerned, but no one else understood.
When it was her turn to speak, Roxy handed her a folded piece of paper and then had to help her open it since her fingers were shaking so badly.
This part, they could see, with her quivering lip and glassy eyes, but it was only a small piece of what she was. The other half, the part of her spirit that lit the bond, that part was a thousand times more than what the world would ever know. She was so bright and full of joy that I wasn’t surprised she was shaking. I don’t think there was any physical manifestation in the world that could truly reflect who she was right now.
But that was okay, because we knew.
Tears still tumbled from her cheeks, smudging the ink on the piece of paper as she tried, again and again, to speak her side of the vows. And finally, when she was finished, I plucked the handkerchief from my breast pocket and handed it to her, and she wiped away her tears before I stepped forward.
“Oh—I uh…” The officiant seemed thrown.
I didn’t know why.
This was perfect.
Everything was as it should be.
It was then that I realised that, despite all of her attempts, Shatter hadn’t managed to speak a single word. Yet everything she’d meant to say had come through the bond already. I took Shatter’s hand in mine, finding the ring from my pocket.
The first piece of three.
A thousand demons I’d faced in my life, and every battle was worth it to get to this moment, yet never had my hand trembled as much as it did right now.
Oh. Well, fuck we couldn’t both be shaking.
Her delicate fingers blurred in my vision and the ring wouldn’t stay steady. I tried to take a breath.
This was important.
She needed me to pull myself together.
Her other hand took mine, steadying it somehow despite her own nerves, and I looked back into golden eyes that glittered with a thousand joyful tears in the setting sun.
My chest unwound, my breath came again, and finally, my head steadied. I slipped the ring onto her finger, suddenly captivated by the way it looked. The first part of the hexagon pattern, unfinished and waiting for completion.
For my brothers.
I felt a broad smile on my face as I lifted her, drawing her into a kiss.
The officiant was saying something, but I didn’t hear much, just a rushed “You may kiss…”
The words vanished as my lips met hers.
Her fingers wound through my hair.
When I leaned back, she was clutching me desperately, eyes bright, and tears finally clearing.
“I love you, too, Little Nightshade.”
I don’t know if I’d been able to take a full breath of air since the moment I’d seen her in that white dress. It was beautiful, cream white, and thin enough to flow in the light wind, with two thin straps that left all her bites revealed—bite’s she’d embraced with pride.
Even from here, I could see mine; a mark that was once black, now pearly white and glittering in the sun.
I hadn’t seen anything in the world with such beauty as when I stared down the aisle at my bride.
After Umbra had kissed her, Dusk stepped forward, pulling out his third of the ring. I’d never felt him more anxious than as he slipped it onto her finger where it slotted right into place beside Umbra’s.
He cupped her cheek and she leaned into that touch.
“You are our missing piece, Shatter,” he breathed. “You fought for us when we couldn’t, and you became the one that made us whole.”
Her smile was breathtaking as Dusk leaned down, and with more tenderness than I’d ever seen, he pressed his lips to hers.
I was last.
I stepped forward, drawing her into my arms, feeling her shaking.
“I can’t wait to spend the rest of my life with you,” I whispered. A life that, without her, I wouldn’t have. “You saved me, Little Reaper.”
My lips brushed hers, and every shift of my skin on hers was like static. When I drew back, she shifted, tilting her head to the side just a little. I reacted on pure instinct, my teeth brushing her neck over the shimmering silver, and then I bit down, offering her the final bite she would ever need.
My bond.
My bite.
My wife.
And of course, because the wedding couldn’t possibly end any other way, upon our connection her scent detonated in the air like a blast of confetti. She drew back, eyes wild, pupils blown wide as she stared at me.
“Oh…” In her dazed eyes I could almost see the heat haze taking hold. “Oh, bother.”