Epilogue
Alexa
“At least your wolf’s spirit can still continue into the next generation. Not now, of course. Mythril will never return to you, but what’s left of her is enough to preserve the seed of Lycan power for your children.”
Marlon shares his thoughts as he walks beside me. His hands are clasped behind his back, as though he’s reluctant to come any closer than a respectful distance. Together, we cross the western border and make our way toward the entrance of the labyrinth cave perched along the cliffside.
“How can you be so sure?” I ask.
“We dragons have a lot of experience with energy that’s passed down through bloodlines.” Marlon furrows his brow for a moment before lifting his head to glance at me.
“Is that why Jo insisted on returning Mythril’s energy to me?” I ask.
“It’s the same everywhere in the world. Anybody who’s different, somebody who isn’t like the rest of their own kind, usually ends up being looked down on. People who don’t inherit an animal spirit in a shifter family are often seen as weak.” He pauses for a moment.
“A Luna can’t be seen as weak by her own kind. Besides, Jo only borrowed your energy. It was never hers to begin with. She’s human.” His words are firm enough to leave no room for argument.
What is the realm of dragons like? Even Mr. Moris says Marlon is more than a thousand years old, yet physically he looks like a middle-aged man.
To me, he appears to be around forty, almost the same age as Mr. Moris.
Apparently, every word he speaks carries the weight of someone who has simply lived too long.
“Here we are,” I say as I lead him into the labyrinth cave.
The cave is still dark, exactly the way I remember it. Spiders and insects scatter along the stone walls as we enter. The light from the entrance is swallowed by the thick darkness ahead, but my enhanced vision gives me enough comfort to see clearly.
When I turn toward Marlon, I gasp and hold my breath. His eyes are glowing gold. He walks past me with an alert posture.
“Marlon?” I frown, surprised by how his calm demeanor has changed.
“Hm... just like I suspected.” His voice drops into a hoarse whisper.
Without another word, he hurries down the corridor and climbing the stone steps as if he knows this cave by heart.
“Wait. We’re going the wrong way!” I say in panic as we move farther from the intersection that should lead us to the exit at the top of the cliff.
“No.” He doesn’t even slow down. “We’re exactly where we’re supposed to be.”
“We could get lost!” I say, repeatedly glancing over my shoulder.
I didn’t bring enough supplies to leave a trail behind us. Marlon never said anything about going inside and exploring deeper. Eventually, he stops inside a dead end chamber. His golden eyes sparkle as he surveys the empty room.
There’s nothing here. Only tall stone walls curving overhead to form a dome. The room isn’t even bigger than my bathroom.
“What is this place?” I ask, furrowing my brow.
“This used to be a portal to the magical world.” Marlon runs his fingertips along the stone wall.
“Every magical territory has the potential to become a doorway to another world. The locations aren’t fixed, but the strongest portals usually appear in uninhabited places or along the borders of magical territories. ”
“So that’s how you got here?” I ask curiously. “Through a border portal?”
He grins at me playfully. “I came through the Demon Market border up in the mountains. Somewhere in the eastern mountains of this world.”
My mouth falls open. A Demon Market? In the mountains? How many worlds are there in this entire universe?
“Alexa, did you bring what I asked for earlier?” he asks.
Snapping out of my thoughts, I reach toward my belt. “Yep.”
I hand him the silver dagger. Marlon draws it from its sheath and studies it for a long moment. Then he wraps both hands around the hilt.
He closes his eyes and takes a deep breath. For a second, I think he’s about to stab himself. Instead, he slices open the tip of his thumb. Blood drips onto the ground while his lips move, whispering words in a language I don’t recognize.
Wind rushes in from the mouth of the cave. The hairs on the back of my neck stand up as the gust circles around Marlon. I have no idea what’s happening, but his magic surges outward until the yellow gemstones glowing.
The short dagger transforms into a sword made entirely of light. He can use it too? A second later, he drives it into the ground at his feet.
Silver light shoots upward and reflects against the ceiling of the cave. Then the beam pierces through the cliff itself and extends into the open sky above us.
“What did you do?” I ask, my head still tilted upward as I watch the light pass through solid rock without damaging the cave.
“I created a beacon.” Marlon studies the glowing sword at his feet. “It recognizes Lucifer’s energy, so it can track traces of that energy in this world. Anybody who’s come into contact with a fragment of it will be drawn toward this portal.”
“You mean your queen? Does that mean dangerous people are gonna gather here?” I ask, frowning.
Summoning the Dragon Queen with a magical relic is a good idea. But if it means bringing the wrong people this close to Silver Moon territory, that’s bad news.
“No.” Marlon looks at me with a small smile as he pulls the sword free as easily as if the stone beneath him were butter.
“I merged the beacon with my own energy. Only people who’ve come into contact with both Lucifer’s energy and mine will be affected.
” The glowing sword shrinks back into a dagger in his hand.
“You don’t have to worry.”
* * *
Seven years later
I can still see the silver light from afar. Marlon is right. The light resembles a beacon, offering guidance to anyone capable of seeing it. I’m one of them, though I’m not sure anyone else besides me can see it.
Marlon has long since returned to the dragon realm, but the light he leaves behind still shines. Even when the evening wind blows fiercely, thunderstorms rage overhead, or the world is swallowed by a moonless night, the beam remains standing tall against the sky.
I sit beneath a tree, gazing toward the western border where that unwavering light faithfully continues its call for the Dragon Queen. Will she really come someday?
“Mommy!”
My daydream ends when a tiny hand tugs on my skirt. The little prince, now five years old, looks up at me with a bright smile spreading across his chubby cheeks.
“Yes, little prince?” I say, bending down to take his hand.
“It’s Daddy! He brought the flowers!”
His voice rings with excitement. He’s overjoyed that his father keeps his promise to bring lupine flowers to Edelweiss Hill.
I turn toward where he’s pointing. Harlow Blackmoore grins as he walks toward us, carrying several stalks of lupine in one hand. He waves the purple flowers enthusiastically in my direction. I wave back with equal enthusiasm and a wide smile.
“Well, little prince, looks like he won your challenge,” I tell my only son. My thumb gently strokes his rosy cheek, still flushed with happiness.
“Hey, baby...” The little prince leans down toward my belly. “Did you hear that? Daddy brought us flowers. He won our dare.”
Both of his tiny hands rub over my eight-month baby bump. He squeals with delight before running toward his father.
Harlow laughs and lifts our little prince high into the air. Their laughter echoes across the hill, carried by the evening breeze, and drifts closer as they make their way back to me.
“Well, hey there, sweetheart,” Harlow says.
“Well, hey there yourself, Your Majesty,” I answer with a chuckle.
“Oh, hell no.” He scowls. “I still ain’t ever getting used to that damn title.”
I laugh because I know exactly what he’s going to say every single time.
For the next hour, my little family and I spend the remaining moments before sunset together on Edelweiss Hill.
We savor every second before Harlow leaves later tonight to lead his troops to the Blood Moon Pack and help Mr. Moris fight off another rogue invasion.
The responsibility of being the Lycan King is enormous. Even though I can no longer help through brute strength, I focus on my role as Luna instead, making sure Harlow always has a home waiting for him with open arms whenever he returns.
Nobody protests the fact that I’ve lost the ability to shift into a Lycan. They know that as long as Harlow and I stand together, we’re unstoppable. And I still have my magic.
In the end, family isn’t defined by blood or destiny, but by love. And that love is what truly makes us strong.