Epilogue
Three weeks later…
Shae’s New and Improved List of Life Goals
Find my happily ever after with Griffin. That’s it. That’s all I need now.
Shae
“Gather round, gather round,” I tell everyone, and we all take seats in front of the enormous screen in the entertainment room.
“Damn it, I should have brought popcorn for this,” Cal complains.
I shake my head at him. “Talk about a lost opportunity. You’re off your game, Cal.”
He grins and flips me the bird.
As I’ve learned, it’s one of his ways of showing affection.
I turn on the screen and pull up the video.
A newscaster comes on the screen and begins their report.
Today, in shocking entertainment news. Bella Divine, not so divine after all? The rising pop star has been keeping a low profile since the arrest of her mother, Margaret Divine, head of Divine Beauty. But earlier this afternoon, she made a surprise appearance at a viral pop-up concert in Santa Monica. What ensued was far more than fans could have ever anticipated…
Footage starts to play of Bella on stage, seemingly singing along to one of ‘her’ songs, when the music cuts out and she keeps lip-syncing for a moment too long. On the screen, the crowd gets restless and begins to mutter in confusion while the panicked stage crew races around on the sidelines.
“Sorry! We’re just having some technical difficulties,” Bella says into the mic in her fake-sweet voice, but her smile is forced.
I grin because of what is about to happen. Griff nudges me in anticipation.
On the screen, I walk out on stage—singing the same song a cappella. The audience watches in hushed silence until I’m done, and then I turn to Bella. “Well, sister dearest, isn’t it about time you told your fans the truth about your so-called singing?”
Her face is mottled and red with anger, and I swear the camera manages to pick up a vein throbbing in her forehead that I didn’t notice in person.
Nice .
“Security!” she screeches. “Have this man removed.”
But no one steps forward.
I turn to face the audience again. “Hello, everyone. I’m the voice behind Bella Divine, and I’m sorry that she deceived you all for so long. My stepsister here has been using my vocals without my permission and claiming them as her own from the very beginning of her career. She can’t sing her way out of a paper bag.”
“That’s a lie,” she cries desperately.
Ignoring the interruption, I continue. “Her mother and my father held me captive for fifteen years, eventually scheming to profit off the voice I have as a half-siren. I only escaped from them a few months ago—that’s why Bella’s world tour was canceled. She couldn’t keep up her act without me working behind the scenes, even if it was against my will.”
“This man is deluded and deranged. Don’t listen to him,” Bella demands.
The camera zooms in on me as I arch an eyebrow at her and turn back toward the audience. “There’s an easy way to prove whether the vocals for her songs are mine or hers. She just needs to sing them, right here and right now.”
Bella takes a nervous step back.
By now, the audience is getting riled up. Some of them appear to side with Bella, while others are voicing support for me. But the one thing that unites them is their desire to hear her sing and reveal who is the liar.
“Shouldn’t we have her prove it to us?” I ask the audience. “If she’s the pop diva she pretends to be, she can sing a cappella for you, and sound like I just did.” I smirk at her. “It should be a piece of cake if you’re the real deal.”
The crowd starts chanting for her to sing and the panicked look on Bella’s face becomes obvious.
Because, of course, she and I both know she can’t hold a tune.
That’s when I swoop in for the final coup de grace. Using my Voice of Truth, I command her, “ Tell them the truth about your music .”
Her body goes rigid, and she tries to clamp her mouth shut, but it doesn’t work. In a humiliating rush, she starts spewing hateful language toward me, admitting that none of the music is hers and that she profited off of my voice and tricked all of her “clueless” fans just to make money.
“You were so cool, babe,” Griff says, nuzzling my cheek.
On screen, the camera pans to the stunned audience, who start to revolt.
It takes less than sixty seconds for Bella’s music career to go down in flames and for her to reveal the true, ugly personality behind the cultivated, innocent facade she had presented to the world.
Bella races off the stage to the soundtrack of the audience booing.
An instant later, the footage shifts and we see a handcuffed Bella being put into the back seat of a police car outside the performance venue.
The newscaster returns to the screen.
You saw it here first, folks. Bella Divine has been using someone else’s vocals and claiming them as her own. Police have arrested her on fraud charges, and we’ve just learned that her manager is wanted by police in connection with those charges. Reports are coming in that fans are demanding their money back, the music label has dropped Ms. Divine, and lawsuits are being considered. In the meantime, it remains to be seen if any further connection between her and the illegal operations of her stepfather and her mother, Margaret Divine, will come to light…
I turn off the video and everyone erupts into cheers. With a jaunty flourish, I give them a little bow while Griffin beams at me; the pride emanating from him is overpowering.
Emma grabs me and gives me a fierce hug. “You fucking did it. You were finally able to get even with that evil, wretched little phony.”
“I have to admit, it was a lot more satisfying than I imagined. Exposing and humiliating her in front of all of the fans she’s deceived really was the sweetest kind of revenge.”
“What’ll happen now?” Ruby asks.
I shrug. “Not sure if the fraud charges will stick, but the fans could mount a class-action lawsuit, demanding refunds for tickets and music purchases. All I know is that she won’t be able to continue her career as a pop superstar and she won’t be able to profit off my voice anymore. I’m pretty satisfied with that.” I grin. “It’s starting to look like she’ll be charged as an accessory to my imprisonment, but I’m not sure what’ll happen with that yet.”
“What about her earnings?” Emma asks. “She’s made a crazy amount of money off your voice.”
“I’ve got a lawyer looking into whether we have any grounds to sue for some of those profits. For now, all of her accounts are currently frozen.”
Cal whistles. “Shit, bro. What are you gonna do if you somehow get a big chunk of that money?”
I glance at Griffin and smile before turning back to everyone. “If that happens, I’ll donate all of it to Otherkind shelters like the one I stayed at when I escaped. There are lots of folks like me out there in need, people who’ve been abused and exploited in the worst possible ways. I’d want to give that money toward helping them. I could never keep it anyway. For me, it’s too tainted. But if it can help others in need, then I’ll be satisfied.”
Harper nods approvingly. “A most fitting solution.”
“Thank you, Harper, for your brilliant suggestion on how to lure Bella out and get even.”
Harper waves a hand dismissively. “Think nothing of it. People really ought to know the film classics. Maybe then Bella would have smelled a trap.”
I snicker. “Not bloody likely.”
“Well, your situation was far too reminiscent of the classic musical Singin’ in the Rain for me not to get inspiration for this final and well-earned act of retribution.”
I hadn’t seen the movie before Harper mentioned it to me, but he gave me a pass since I wasn’t allowed much access to movies after my mother died. We all ended up watching the film musical together in this very room one night two weeks ago, and thus Revenge Operation: Siren in the Rain was born.
Everyone jumped on board to help me. First, we spread misinformation to Bella and her team that I was missing and presumed dead. She bought it hook, line, and sinker, and immediately scheduled her first show in months. Her team was planning to have her use pre-recorded music for all of her shows. But Cal’s magic helped throw a handy wrench in that plan at the show.
Detective Monroe had also been investigating Bella behind the scenes. Initially, because the detective wanted to make sure Bella wasn’t involved in some of her mother’s illegal beauty products, but the paper trails instead led to some shady shenanigans in her music career, which is why the LAPD had been outside waiting to pick Bella up the moment she left the event. Turns out, she and her manager were stealing money on top of everything else. I don’t know all the details, but Bella’s in hot water and her manager is MIA.
I look around this group of wonderfully weird misfits, and my heart is full to bursting with love.
“I want to thank you. Each and every one of you helped me bring this about. I couldn’t have done it without you. I love you all.”
“We love you too, sweetie,” Ruby says, sniffling back tears.
“Once a member of MEOW Squad, always a member of MEOW Squad,” Dallas says. “We’ll always have your back, Shae.”
I laugh, fighting back tears of my own.
Gods. Love has turned me soft—and yet, I wouldn’t have it any other way.
“So what now?” Cal asks, a hint of challenge in his voice. “Are you and Griffin gonna ride off, or should I say sail off, into the sunset and live on that island with your mom?”
I arch an eyebrow at him. “Well, we do intend to visit the island on a regular basis, but for now, I plan to stay right here and help out as an active member of the team. After all, we still have Divine Beauty’s suppliers to take down and a connected trafficking ring to bust; more innocent people to rescue; and plenty of bad guys to put behind bars.”
A slow grin spreads across Cal’s face. “Fuck yeah, we do!”
I’m momentarily startled when he gives me one of his bro hugs that he usually reserves just for Griffin.
Well, damn. I’m kinda touched.
Griffin wraps his arms around me, the warmth of his touch soothing me deep inside the way it always does. He noses at the mate mark on the back of my neck, something he’s taken to doing an awful lot lately.
That’s okay, because I love it.
I’m even starting to like it when he gets overly excited and ends up licking my face.
I’ve decided you have to be weird to be part of MEOW Squad, so I’m
embracing it.
Our mate marks are proof of our commitment to each other, and I think they’re more beautiful and profound than any ring or piece of paper could ever be.
“You’re sure this is what you want?” Griffin asks.
His eyes are hopeful when I turn in his arms to face him.
“It is. I want to help others like me. Regaining my freedom and meeting all of you gave me a new purpose in life, and I want to make the most of it. This power I have, the Voice of Truth, feels like it was meant to be. It’s our team’s new secret weapon, and I intend to use it to force the criminals we capture to confess to their crimes, the whereabouts of their victims, and anything else we need to know.” I cup Griffin’s cheek. “I know it won’t always be easy, and I’ll never forget the trauma that I endured, but with you and the rest of the team at my side, I know I’ll have the support I need to make a difference.”
“I love you so hard,” Griffin whispers fiercely.
I don’t hesitate to reach up and give his big, fluffy ears a good rub, making him squirm with pleasure and produce happy, whimpering noises the whole while.
“Not again,” Cal moans dramatically. “Get a room, you two.”
I hear Emma and Ruby giggle from where they’re sitting, holding hands.
“Let them have their fun,” Dallas says. “It’s cute.”
Harper shakes his head in amusement. “Ah, to be young and in love.”
Note to self–you still need to find out how old Harper is.
“Thanks, Cal,” I say cheerfully. “Heading to our room is a great suggestion. Or better yet, how about to the ocean?” I waggle my eyebrows at Griffin. “Evidently, getting even really makes me want to get laid.”
“Gah!” Cal cries.
“Race you to the water?” I ask my mate, ignoring Cal.
Griffin’s eyes glitter with pure joy and sparks of growing desire. “You’re on.”
We jump up from our seats and hurry through the house, making a beeline for the patio exit leading down to the beach.
Once there, we gallop across the sand, laughing and tossing our clothes every which way as we go, until we dive naked into the gentle waves.
I pull Griffin to me. “I love you forever and always, Wolf Boy.”
“Ditto,” he says with a grin.
Under the moonlight, we kiss one another as if we have all the time in the world.
Because we do.
He and I have forever—and I know it’s going to be magical.
Hi, it’s me, Magic 8-Coin! Watching Griffin and Shae adorably bumble their way to a happily ever after sure was a lot of fun, don’t you think? Those two kids were a hoot—and awfully darn cute! I look forward to popping in on them and the rest of MEOW Squad from time to time. After all, there’s still some folks on that team of misfits who need to find their fated mates…
But for now, I have to get moseying. I’ve got another troublesome pair to knock some sense, or at very least luck, into. Teremie (not Jeremie) and Kade are rocking some seriously combustible vibes with all their UST.
I can’t wait to see what kind of ridiculous trouble and dangerous situations I can help them get into. They’ll be able to figure out how to deal with them, right?
After all, love that doesn’t face some hardships is hardly worth the earning.