The Alpha's Legacy （Epilogue）
"I can do it myself, Killian."
"You can't even see your feet, little mate. Let me."
I let out a heavy, exasperated sigh, sinking back into the plush velvet cushions of the window seat. Outside, the sprawling courtyard of the Shadow Pack fortress was bathed in warm, golden spring sunlight.
Inside the penthouse suite, the most lethal, terrifying Supreme Alpha in the country was currently kneeling on the carpet, gently tying the laces of my sneakers.
Killian's massive, heavily scarred hands moved with impossible delicacy.
He was dressed in his usual dark tactical pants and a fitted black shirt that stretched taut over his broad shoulders, looking every inch the feral god of war.
But the way he looked up at me—his icy grey eyes entirely soft and swimming with absolute devotion—completely ruined his ruthless reputation.
"There," Killian murmured, his rough knuckles lightly brushing against my swollen ankle. "Comfortable?"
"I feel like a beached whale," I grumbled, resting my hands defensively over my massive, eight-month-pregnant belly.
Killian let out a rich, dark chuckle that vibrated straight through to my bones. He shifted his weight, moving from my feet to kneel directly between my knees. He rested his large hands reverently on either side of my stomach, his thumb gently stroking the fabric of my maternity dress.
As if sensing its father's touch, the baby delivered a sharp, violent kick right against Killian's palm.
The Supreme Alpha's breath hitched. His eyes widened, a look of pure, unadulterated awe washing over his rugged features. Even after three years of peace, even after officially marrying me in front of five hundred wolves, he still looked at our family as if we were a miracle he didn't deserve.
"She is going to be a warrior," Killian promised, leaning down to press a soft, lingering kiss directly to my belly.
"She is going to be a menace, just like her father," I teased, running my fingers through his thick, dark hair.
Killian looked up, his gaze catching on the silver, crescent-shaped scar resting perfectly on my collarbone. The mate mark. The permanent, unbreakable bond that had saved his life and crowned me Queen.
He leaned up, capturing my lips in a slow, deep, breathtaking kiss. It tasted of mint, dark pine, and the same terrifying, possessive heat that had consumed me the night he cornered me in this very room.
"Ew! Gross!"
Killian and I broke apart, both of us turning toward the doorway of the suite.
Standing there, wearing a miniature leather jacket and holding a wooden training sword, was my seven-year-old son.
Leo was no longer the confused little boy hiding behind my legs. He was tall for his age, his black hair messy from morning training, and his piercing grey eyes sharp and intelligent. He radiated a calm, controlled Alpha aura that demanded respect from wolves ten times his age.
"It's not gross, it's called greeting your mother," Killian deadpanned, though the corner of his lip twitched in amusement as he stood up to his full, towering height.
"Jax says kissing makes warriors soft," Leo declared proudly, quoting Killian's massive, scarred Third-in-Command, who had taken over training the youth division.
"Jax is an idiot who sleeps alone," Killian countered smoothly, walking over and effortlessly scooping his seven-year-old son up under one arm as if he weighed nothing. Leo shrieked with laughter, completely dropping his tough-guy act.
"Put me down! I have to protect the baby!" Leo demanded, squirming until Killian set him on his feet.
Leo immediately ran over to me. He placed his small hands gently on my belly, his grey eyes turning completely serious.
"Is she being good in there?" Leo asked softly. "If she kicks you too hard, Mommy, you tell me. I'll use my Alpha voice to make her behave."
My heart melted entirely into a puddle. I cupped Leo's cheek, smiling warmly. "She's being very good, baby. She's just excited to meet her big brother."
"She better be," Leo puffed out his chest. "I'm going to teach her how to fight rogues and how to sneak extra pancakes from the kitchens."
Killian stepped up behind me, wrapping his massive arms around my shoulders and burying his face in the crook of my neck. He inhaled deeply, completely enveloped in the scent of his mated family.
"We should go down," Killian murmured against my skin, his voice a low, contented rumble. "The Elders are waiting in the gardens for the spring summit."
I leaned back against his rock-hard chest, looking at my brave, powerful son, and the monster who had become my greatest protector.
Four years ago, I ran into the dark, terrified of the shadows. I thought I had to hide to survive.
But as I looked at the unbreakable empire we had built out of blood, earth, and absolute devotion, I finally understood the truth.
I didn't need to fear the shadows anymore. Not when the King of the shadows belonged entirely to me.