Epilogue
EPILOGUE
Isabel
T he morning sunlight filters through the tall, expansive windows, bathing the new house in a golden glow. I pause halfway down the grand staircase, fingertips trailing over the smooth railing, taking a quiet moment to breathe it all in.
It’s still surreal, even after a year.
The Whitmore mansion is reborn, rising from the literal ashes of the old one. The brothers insisted I be involved in every detail, every decision, from the architecture to the décor, weaving my presence into every room of the house. A home built from trauma but shaped by our shared healing.
I still haven’t figured out who my real family is, but I won’t give up. Julian has been helping me sift through Ebonridge’s archives, searching for any thread that might lead me to the truth. Theodore has been pulling strings, reaching through his network of connections in ways I don’t dare question. Progress is slow, frustratingly so, but at least I’m not searching alone anymore.
And maybe that’s what matters most, because even without answers, I have a family now, in the strangest, most unexpected way. Verónica and Valeria come around often, their presence adding warmth to the house. Ronnie has even grown closer to her adoptive brothers and cousin, blurring the lines between blood and bond until it doesn’t really matter anymore. We’re one big, dysfunctional mess, stitched together by circumstance, by choice, by something that feels an awful lot like love.
I can’t help the scoff that escapes as the memory surfaces of the night we came back to the estate almost a year ago. Theodore , Julian , and Maxwell quietly sat me down, faces serious, and simply said I was free. I could go, if that’s what I truly wanted.
I was furious. Confused . Hurt . How could they think it was that simple?
I’d lost it then, yelling at them like a madwoman, demanding to know how they dared set me free after stealing over half a year of my life—after weaving themselves so intricately into every part of me. My heart. My mind. My soul. They’d broken and rebuilt me, taken everything, only to casually give it all back?
No .
I told them it was too late, that they couldn’t just unravel me and expect me to stitch myself back together without them. I refused to leave, refused to even consider it.
And those three men—those infuriating, complicated, beautiful men—simply smiled at me. Theodore’s mouth curled knowingly, Julian’s eyes lit up with warmth, and Maxwell’s smirk grew wider than I’d ever seen it.
Because they knew exactly what they were doing. It was never really about letting me go. It was about me finally choosing them.
And I did.
Somewhere along the way, I fell for all three of them.
What I have with Theodore is intense, intimate—undeniably a relationship. With Julian and Maxwell , it’s different. They don’t come to me separately; they come as a pair, always moving in sync, always knowing what the other needs. They don’t ask for love the same way Theodore does, but it’s there, deeply rooted.
The lines are messy, blurred in all the ways that should scare me, but they don’t. Somehow , it works.
I love them.
Each brother fulfills a part of me I didn’t know was missing.
“ Are you planning on staying there all night, Siren ?” Theodore’s smooth voice cuts through my thoughts from the bottom of the staircase.
I glance down, finding all three of them gathered there, watching me intently. Julian smiles tenderly, dark eyes full of admiration. Maxwell stands beside him, leaning casually against the wall, his gaze mischievous and inviting as always. Theodore remains poised in the center, the calm, reassuring presence that anchors us all.
I raise an eyebrow playfully. “ Just enjoying the view.”
Maxwell chuckles deeply, shaking his head. “ Careful now, Starling . Flattery will get you everywhere.”
Julian rolls his eyes, nudging Maxwell with his shoulder. “ Behave .”
Theodore steps forward, reaching a hand toward me. “ Come join us. We have a surprise for you,” he announces, lips quirking up at the corners.
“ A surprise?” My brows knit together suspiciously.
Maxwell appears beside me, twirling a strip of black silk between his fingers, eyes mischievous. “ Trust us?”
I hesitate, heart fluttering nervously, but I nod. “ Do I have a choice?”
Julian chuckles, gently turning me around. “ Not really, corazón.”
Maxwell ties the soft blindfold over my eyes, plunging me into total darkness. My pulse quickens as one of them takes my hand.
“ Relax , Siren . You’ll enjoy this,” Theodore whispers in my ear.
My throat tightens, anticipation twisting through my veins as they carefully guide me forward. The cool morning air brushes my skin, and the soft grass beneath my feet signals we’re outdoors. Confusion fills my mind.
Where are we going?
After a few minutes of walking, we finally come to a stop.
Gentle fingers untie the blindfold, letting it fall away. Blinking , I immediately recognize our location. We’re standing at the edge of the forest—the same one they let me run into all those months ago, when I first tried to escape their grasp.
My heart leaps, chest tightening as realization dawns on me. My breathing quickens as I slowly turn to face them, suspicion confirmed by the dangerous, excited gleam in their eyes.
“ You’re not...” I whisper, unable to finish the thought.
Maxwell’s grin is wicked, his eyes sparking with uncontained thrill. “ Oh , we absolutely are, Starling .”
* * *
Maxwell
The past year has been a fucking whirlwind.
When Isabel told us she’d stay, that she wasn’t leaving after everything we’d done, the relief I felt nearly knocked me off my feet. Relief wasn’t something I was accustomed to. Neither was attachment. But somehow, this vile little creature had clawed her way under my skin and settled herself there permanently.
It was a strange feeling, something I could only call love. It was a deep, consuming need, growing stronger every single day. It’s wild to think about how effortlessly she broke down every defense I’d carefully built.
And the nights when she joins Julian and me in bed are my favorite, even if all we do is lie there, tangled up together. Her soft breath against my neck, Julian’s steady heartbeat grounding us. The simple closeness alone is enough to unravel me.
Fuck . I’ve gone soft.
I shake myself back to the present, focusing again on Isabel’s face. She looks like a deer caught in headlights, chest heaving. There’s fear in her eyes, but it’s the exact kind I love. The kind I can mold, shape, transform into the sweetest desire.
I’m unable to hide the devilish grin spreading across my lips. “ Run , Starling . Let’s see how far you make it this time.”
Isabel bolts, flying into the darkness like her life depends on it.
We wait, counting slowly, letting some distance build between us. Finally , Theodore nods, and we move forward into the dense forest. The trees loom overhead as dusk stretches its darkening fingers through the branches.
My eyes scan the trees. Isabel still doesn’t really know her way around these woods, and I can’t help but grin. She’s stubborn, relentless, and it’s fucking intoxicating.
Just then, a tiny movement catches my attention: a flash of her hair whipping behind a thick oak.
I grin wide, excitement racing through my veins. Gotcha .
“ Oh , Starling . Come out, come out, wherever you are. These woods are dark, and there are monsters outside,” I call out, my voice dripping with twisted delight.
A sinister chuckle escapes my throat as I casually twirl my knife between my fingers, stepping forward slowly, savoring every delicious moment of her fear.
We whirl around just in time to see Isabel’s figure dart through the shadows, slipping past us like a ghost.
“ There she goes,” Julian growls eagerly beside me.
I lunge forward, heart hammering wildly as I chase after her, Julian and Theodore fanning out on either side. Twigs snap sharply underfoot, blending with our ragged gasps, creating an intoxicating symphony of fear and excitement.
She turns abruptly, and I can hear her footsteps ricochet to my left, then right, teasingly close yet always just out of reach. Theodore’s low chuckle rumbles like distant thunder, Julian’s steady breath pulses behind me, the rustle of their movements weaving seamlessly with mine. We’re closing in on her.
“ Keep running, Isabel ,” Theodore’s taunts. “ You know how much we love this game.”
Her startled cry rings out, bouncing chaotically through the darkness, sending another burst of adrenaline racing down my spine.
“ Run , little Starling . Fly , fly, as fast as you dare. The deeper you go, the closer the snare.”
She’s ours. It’s only a matter of time.
* * *
Julian
I move through the shadows like a silent predator among the trees, heart pounding with excitement as we close in on Isabel .
It’s almost unbelievable that a full year has passed since the night we ended the nightmare with Celeste . Since then, everything has changed, especially me.
I was always the quiet one, the observer. I expected Isabel to overlook me in favor of Theodore’s strength or Maxwell’s madness, but somehow, I found myself woven deep within her heart, a place uniquely reserved just for me. Maybe it was because I took care of her, cooked for her, drew her likeness again and again, capturing every soft curve and stubborn tilt of her chin on paper. Maybe it was because I saw her differently in a way my brothers never could.
She’s now permanently etched in my life—and on my skin. A few months into our new normal, I tattooed her name over my chest, directly above my heart. A testament to her permanent place within me.
I’ve only loved three people in my life—my mama, Theodore , and Maxwell —and now, Isabel makes four. I’d do absolutely anything just to see that beautiful smile she sometimes hides behind her tough exterior.
A sudden crack of a twig breaks me out of my thoughts, drawing me back to the chase. My heartbeat quickens, ears tuned to every small sound in the darkening forest.
We burst through the trees in perfect unison, and Isabel cries out in surprise, stumbling back as we surround her. Theodore blocks her escape, and I step forward, my gaze locked firmly on her.
She tries to wriggle away, but her movements lack conviction. She’s breathing hard, cheeks flushed deep crimson.
She’s exactly where she wants to be.
“ Oh , corazón,” I whisper gently, reaching out and brushing my thumb across her flushed cheek. She leans into my touch instinctively, even as she trembles. “ Did you think we’d go easy on you?”
Isabel lets out a shaky breath.
Maxwell moves behind her, tilting her head back gently, exposing the vulnerable curve of her neck. Theodore steps closer, eyes dark and possessive.
Unlike the first time, when we caught her and carried her back home, tonight, we have no intention of keeping things quiet.
Tonight , the entire forest will hear exactly how well Isabel fits into our twisted little family.
* * *
Theodore
After everything that happened—the truth, the blood, the headlines screaming the names of Vanguard’s most powerful— I banished every man who stood against what I believed in, every coward clinging to rituals and gods no one should’ve ever worshipped. Vanguard was never meant to be a temple for sacrifice—it was supposed to be a legacy of influence. Of power, yes, but not the kind that bled women dry under candlelight.
So , I tore it apart.
Latibulum Noctis is gone, and I won’t let it rise again. Slowly , Vanguard is becoming the vision my brothers and I always dreamed of, back when we thought the world could still be shaped by our hands.
A place for men who want to build, grow, and succeed. A club for the sharp, the brilliant, the ruthless—in business and in ambition. With just enough pleasure to keep things interesting.
Since then, Isabel has returned to The Black Quill , and damn, if she hasn’t started lighting more fires across Ebonridge than I ever could. Every week, another truth is unburied, another secret laid bare. She’s not just changing the narrative—she’s rewriting the whole damn book and people are finally listening.
The Whitmore name may not belong to us anymore, not in the way it used to. But we still carry it, Maxwell , Julian , and me, because we’re the ones who’ll make sure it means something different now.
We can’t change where we came from, but we sure as hell can decide where we’re going.
I snap back to the present, my pulse pounding in my veins as I watch Isabel tremble deliciously between Julian and Maxwell , her flushed skin glowing beneath the dusk’s fading light.
A whole year, and this woman still consumes my every waking thought. The obsession that once felt dangerous and twisted has blossomed into something even more profound. I’m irrevocably bound to her, tangled in her spell, desperate for every little piece of Isabel that she’s willing to offer me.
It’s love, though it goes far beyond anything that simple word could ever capture.
She’s mine. Ours . And I intend to keep it that way—forever.
I can already picture it: a lifetime filled with her smiles, her laughter, even her fiery temper. More than anything, I ache to see her belly swell with my babies. The thought sends a primal possessiveness roaring through my blood, an instinct so fierce, it almost frightens me. Isabel round and glowing, carrying my children—my heirs, my legacy—is something I didn’t know I needed until her.
And I will make it happen. She’ll be mine, fully and completely, marked in every way possible. I’ll never let her slip away.
I shake myself from the intoxicating vision and lock eyes with my siren. Her pupils dilate under my stare, her breath quickening, as if she can feel every raw thought flooding my mind.
“ Tonight , we’re going to make sure you never forget who owns you.”
Her eyes widen, and her lips part with anticipation.
Julian swiftly spins Isabel around, pressing her back roughly against the harsh bark of the tree. Her breath catches sharply as Maxwell pulls a rope from his pocket and secures her body to the trunk, binding her wrists tight enough to hold her in place.
She squirms slightly, testing the strength of the rope. She isn’t going anywhere, not until we’re finished with her.
I step closer and lift the silk blindfold toward her face. Isabel’s eyes flare with sudden panic, but she stays silent, accepting her fate as I plunge her into darkness.
“ Stay still so we can take exactly what we want from you.”
She trembles under my touch, and I impatiently tear her shirt down, exposing her tits to the cool night air. I nod at Julian and Maxwell , who immediately close in, their mouths claiming her nipples roughly.
Isabel gasps, moaning sharply, surrendering completely to our control.
I swiftly pull down her pants, my fingers slipping between her folds, and I smile darkly.
She’s ready.
“ Your cunt is already weeping for us, Siren .”
I whip out my painfully hard cock and grip her hips firmly, rutting into her wet pussy, claiming her in the way I know she craves.
Isabel screams, and the sound is music to my ears.
“ You’re mine, Isabel ,” I whisper harshly against her ear, each word punctuated by my hips. “ Ours forever.”
“ Yes . Yours ,” she breathes.
Julian and Maxwell hold her firmly in place, their mouths still locked onto her tits, fueling her desire, making her tremble between us. They lick, suck, and nibble on her nipples as I pound into her mercilessly. She’s lost in sensation, trapped in the sweet agony of our control.
“ I’m going to fill you until there’s no doubt left,” I growl roughly into her ear, tightening my grip on her hips. “ Until every part of you knows exactly who you belong to.”
I fuck Isabel relentlessly, driven by the primal need to claim her.
I drive us toward the edge until I feel her body tighten, her pulse racing wildly beneath my fingers. Isabel cries out, “ Please , don’t stop. Please ,” as her climax washes over her in waves, and I follow close behind, her name a fierce growl on my lips.
As she collapses into us, breathless and trembling, I press a gentle kiss to her shoulder, whispering softly, “ You’re my forever, Siren .”
* * *