EPILOGUE
Ember
The furs are warm beneath me, the cave washed in amber light as the early sun rises above the frozen sea beyond the ice wall. The world feels hushed, suspended between night and day.
“Ugh,” I groan, rolling to my side and tugging a pillow over my face.
A familiar weight settles behind me. Thorn’s voice rumbles against my shoulder. “Come on, love, it’s almost time to leave.”
I groan again. “Go without me.”
His hand slips over my waist, warm and possessive, pausing where my body has begun to change. My belly is small but undeniable now. His touch lingers there, reverent.
“I could, but I won’t,” he murmurs, placing a kiss against my neck. Then his hand dives between my legs. “I’ll wake you up, but then we must head out for the trials, or we’ll miss the feast.”
“Mmm,” I mumble as he slips a finger inside me.
This will be my first Mating Trials as an Alpha’s mate, and I happen to be three months pregnant. I’m exhausted all the time, and not looking forward to the long, cold journey. But I can’t let Thorn go alone, not again. Not ever again.
Thorn sinks lower between the furs, and my legs, and soon I’m wide awake and moaning his name.
The Aurora caves hum with movement when we emerge. Wolves embracing and murmured goodbyes echoing through the ice halls. The scent of fur, fire, and anticipation fills the air.
Roman bounds up with arms full of books. Tala and Bane are not far behind him. Tala’s swollen belly is bigger than mine, and Bane keeps her tucked carefully under his arm. I’m surprised he allowed her out of their cave to say goodbye. He’s become quite the overprotective mate.
The priests might have been onto something about the prosperous and fruitful unions of the 100th season. Although we waited a year to mate, I consider us one of those unions formed during the 100th season.
“Are you two ready yet? I’ve been ready to leave since midnight,” Roman groans.
“Who says you’re coming?” I combat with my hands on my hips, making my belly stick out more.
“Thorn.” He sticks his tongue out at me. “Plus, I have to return all the priest’s books.”
“You know the Ancient Castle isn’t a real library, right? You’re not supposed to take the books.”
“Wise said it was okay.”
“Sure,” I mumble noncommittally.
Thorn leans into my ear. “It’s fine, we’re not participating this year. We’ll have plenty of time to keep an eye on him.”
“We can watch him, if needed,” Tala offers. Tala and I became quick friends here at Aurora pack. With our closeness, Bane has grown close to Thorn as well, which is a new development for Thorn, but I think it’s helped.
“No, it’s fine. Thank you, though. Don’t give birth without me.”
“I’ll try,” she jokes. Bane pales beside her.
Both Thorn and I craved a family, and now we’re growing our own. Thorn walks forward toward the cavern, and stops before the cave opening, voice echoing, “All right, all my unmated line up. The pace will be light due to Ember’s condition, but we’ll make it there before the feast.”
I take my place beside Thorn with Roman beside me, looping his satchel over his head before shifting.
I shift into my red wolf form, and Thorn straps extra furs around my middle. For a big Alpha, he’s become somewhat of an overprotective cinnamon roll. With that, he shifts into his white wolf, and after a glance over at me, we start off on our journey back to the Ancient Castle.
Despite all his worrying, we only stopped twice, and our pace was steady. We arrived with perfect timing on the day of the feast. Breathless and achy, I wait in the foyer, the rest of our pack behind us as the priest greets us.
He welcomes us and goes over the rules for the new arrivals. Glancing around at all the eager and nervous faces of Aurora pack, my pack. I realize how lucky I am to be on this side of the trials.
I’ve been through them twice, and each time almost destroyed me. I can’t imagine experiencing this eleven years in a row. I sneak a glance at my mate, his long, pale hair is tied back and wispy around the halo of his face from our journey. Feeling my eyes on him, he turns and winks.
Afterward, we are led to our quarters on the first floor.
Roman grabs a room across the corridor, and the rest of the pack files down the hall.
I have noticed a shift in the pack since I arrived at the Aurora caves.
There is no more dissent like I experienced during the first two trials with Olcan, and then Lucia and her crew.
If anything, the young wolves look more hopeful.
They know the trials work, they see Thorn and me together.
They see the change in Thorn, and the change in the dynamics of the pack.
Thorn opens the wooden door to our room, the fire is roaring in the hearth and there’s extra furs on the bed. It appears having a mate has some advantages, or maybe they heard about my condition.
“Take a rest, my mate.” Thorn guides me to the bed. I sit on the edge, and he takes my feet in his hands and begins to rub them. I am exhausted, but something’s weighing on me.
“I can’t believe you endured this for eleven seasons. I think I would have given up.”
He snorts. “You give up, I don’t think so.”
“Why do you say that?”
“You survived losing your parents. You raised your brother with nothing. You won the Chase two years in a row.” His hands tighten gently around my ankle. “You don’t know how to quit.”
“Maybe you’re right.” I shrug. “Still, I don’t think I would have been able to handle the nerves, the rejection, the waiting, the fear…”
His head twists to the right and he shoots me that sexy smile. “You were worth every second. I would do it all over again in one hundred more seasons, just to find you again.”
Emotion wells in my chest, heavy and warm.
I lean back into the furs, Thorn’s presence steady and sure as he climbs in beside me. For the first time, returning to the trials doesn’t feel like something I have to survive.
It feels like something we’ve already won.