Epilogue
VERONICA
“Ms. Paolo? Are you ready?” Professor Karmody said, giving me a kind smile.
Far different from the angry scowls and threats he’d given me three years ago when he’d unwittingly been under Virgil’s thrall spell.
It had been a long time since then, and the professors had all apologized profusely for months even though it hadn’t been their fault. I’d forgiven them easily.
Nodding, I cleared my throat. “I am.”
“Let us begin.”
I’d been preparing for the test since coming to the Freedman Academy five years ago.
Most people took the test when they were younger than me.
I needed to show my proficiency in magic theory, history, and practice.
I’d been terrified of this moment, but now that it was here, confidence filled my veins.
I recalled what Declan told me that morning.
“You do what you can. Trust yourself and believe in yourself. You’re fucking brilliant. I don’t have any worries.”
He’d said that while holding my hand and running his thumb across the wedding ring he’d put on my finger a year before. Now, I needed to take his words to heart and do all I could to pass. Once I did, I would be a graduate and be a full member of the coven.
Karmody crossed his arms, “Explain to me, in detail, the best way to perform a binding spell on someone.”
As the words came out of his mouth, I had to suppress a grin. I had this in the bag.
“Yes, Professor,” I said. “The first thing you must do is…”
“You passed?” Declan said as I came striding out of the academy two hours later.
I’d stepped out with a stoic look on my face, almost a frown. My plan had been to try and make him believe it had gone poorly and surprise him, but the anxious look on his face broke my resolve, and I couldn’t help the huge smile that cracked the facade.
“I did!”
He and Wendy whooped and hugged each other before they wrapped me in an embrace. Wendy was actually taller than me now, thanks to a growth spurt last winter. She was going to be like her uncle in the height department.
“I knew you’d do fine,” she said, releasing me.
Declan kissed me, the soft, loving touch to my lips pulling every ounce of remaining stress out of me. “I’m so proud of you,” he said. “I knew you’d do it. In fact…” He glanced at Wendy, who returned a mischievous grin. “We’ve got a surprise for you back home.”
“A surprise? What kind?” I said, frowning at them.
“Come on,” Declan said. “You’ll see.”
Neither he nor Wendy would give me a hint on the drive back to the house.
“Did you get me a cake or something?” I said.
“Not telling,” Wendy said, though the smile on her face told me she was absolutely bursting to tell me.
“Are we going on a trip?”
“Just wait and see,” Declan said.
When we pulled into the driveway of the three-bedroom home we’d moved into after getting married, I opened my mouth to ask another question, but that was when the scent hit me, and I gasped.
Turning to Declan I said, “No way. Are you serious?”
Before he could do more than grin, the front door of the house swung open, and six people streamed out. The members of my pack who had survived The Scourge.
I leaped from the car and shifted, sprinting toward them.
The pack members shifted as well, rushing forward to meet me.
We jumped upon each other, sniffing, licking, and rolling on the ground, playing like we were all children.
I hadn’t seen any of them since the wedding.
The fact that they’d made the long trek up from Arkansas for this day meant the world to me.
Eventually, we formed a circle, then threw our heads back and howled at the sky. The sound was the echo of home, of family. I couldn’t remember a time I’d been this happy other than when we’d rescued Wendy and when I married Declan.
“All right,” Declan called, clapping his hands. “Let me get the grill going. Every party needs good food.”
Wendy played hostess while Declan cooked. I spent most of the afternoon basking in the joy of being with my pack and having become a full member of the coven.
While Wendy told my pack about her kidnapping—which she’d done at the wedding but loved telling whenever she could—I slipped into the in-law suite that Declan had turned into his office.
It was much cleaner and more organized than what I’d seen at his old place.
He’d chosen to continue his career, and helping those in need gave him purpose and fulfillment.
He’d flourished, and a lot of the old sadness had melted away to fully reveal the man I’d fallen in love with.
In the corner, his fiddle leaf fig tree stood tall and healthy.
The thing had grown huge, and the office was the only room where it didn’t get in the way.
Walking over, I ran a finger gently across the biggest of the leaves.
“Man,” I whispered. “You’ve gotten big.”
“Are you ready to eat?”
I whirled around. Declan was leaning against the doorframe, grinning at me.
“Yeah. I was just admiring your plant. It’s really grown.”
He nodded. “I think that plant is kinda like me in a way.”
“What do you mean?”
“Once it found the right place, it was able to really be itself. To grow and thrive. That’s what I have with you.”
I smiled at him. “You mean an old dog can still learn new tricks?”
“Who are you calling an old dog?” he said with mock indignation. “I’m in my prime, and you’re the canine in this relationship.”
Moving forward, I reached out to take his hand, enjoying the warmth of his palm on mine.
“Are you ready? Everyone’s probably waiting for us,” I said.
He pulled me close and looked into my eyes. “I’m ready for anything as long as I’m with you.”
As he led me from the office to join our friends, I glanced back at the plant.
We’d finally both found a home. Together.
Ready to dive into another story filled with grit, heat, and emotional redemption?
Meet Michelle and Grayson in Howl if You’re Guilty—a locked-mansion paranormal whodunnit.
This one’s got tension, strength, and a chance to play armchair detective.