77. Epilogue- Clara
I come home ready for a cozy night in with my pack, but the moment I walk through the door, I’m presented with the Halloween costume I planned to wear last week and told to go upstairs and change immediately.
It’s a flurry of half-baked alpha explanations before I find myself in my omega suite, costume in hand, with a strict one-hour deadline to get ready. Those scheming alphas. What on earth could I need a costume for in November?
Still, I put it on, style my hair in the updo I’d planned for Halloween night, and carefully apply my makeup. When I step back to look in my full-length mirror, I can’t help but smile.
I’m dressed as a woodland faerie in green tulle and lace, with sparkly overlays that shimmer in the light.
Silk flowers climb spindly branches along my bodice, and my curled hair is threaded with more tiny blooms. I love the way I feel in it.
In the few minutes I have left, I check on all my plant babies before the guys say I can come back downstairs.
When the time is right, I descend the stairs from my omega suite and then down from the second floor. The downstairs is dark. I halt halfway, my mind flashing back to the note Finian left me a few nights ago .
You’re safe. He’s gone.
It had clearly referred to the Deputy who, sure enough, had been rumored to have taken a transfer to a station somewhere in Texas.
I still have no idea how Finian could have pulled that off.
But now, in the darkness of the house, unease coils in my stomach.
A phantom hand brushes the back of my neck, and I stiffen, breath catching, ready to scream, before the scent of bread surrounds me.
I lean back into the solid body I know isn’t really there, feeling the ghostly weight of him wrap around me.
“Boo, Darlin',” Finian whispers in my ear just before the lights blaze on and a crowd in my living room yells,
“Surprise!”
I squeak and clutch my chest. They nearly give me a heart attack.
The entire downstairs is still decorated for Halloween.
I hadn’t had the heart to take it down. But now a banner has been added, “Happy Halloween” in big purple letters.
The room is filled with the girls from my book club, their packs, friends from the Café.
Even Stella is here, looking as grumpy as ever.
Music kicks up—the “Monster Mash”—and in the middle of it all is my pack, all looking at me like I’m the brightest star in the sky.
Bram is dracula, fitting his horror background. Victor is frankenstein, after his namesake. Jack is a skeleton. The white paint practically glows in the light from the chandelier. And Dagan is a dragon with metal scales.
I make my way down the stairs, but Bram and the others meet me at the bottom.
“What is this?” I ask, unable to keep the grin off my face.
Bram smiles right back. “We know how disappointed you were to miss Halloween.”
I s tart to protest, but he holds up a hand. “I know bonding was important, but just because we did something big doesn’t mean you can’t be sad about missing something you love.”
He’s right. If I’m honest with myself, I was disappointed. Halloween is my favorite. It’s fun and strange and magical.
“So,” Bram continues, “we got together and had a town meeting—”
“You had a town meeting?” I nearly screech-whisper.
“We had a town meeting,” he repeats, unruffled. “And it was agreed we’d do a Halloween: Part Two.”
The doorbell rings, and Bram lets me go. The other guys grin as I head toward the door. Victor hands me a bowl of candy and winks, while Jack opens it to reveal a gaggle of children in adorable costumes, all shouting an off-key chorus of “Trick or treat!”
Happy tears prick my eyes. Not just because I didn’t have to miss Halloween after all, but because of the lengths my pack, my friends, and my town went to for me.
I pass out candy, then turn back to the living room, now full of friends laughing, dancing, and eating appetizers Jack and the other pack cooks made.
After a few more rounds of trick-or-treaters, I hand the bowl to Winnie, who immediately starts giving out massive handfuls. She’s definitely my softest friend.
I walk over to where my pack is talking with the Night Pack. When they see me coming, the Night Pack drifts toward the Evergreen Pack, leaving my alphas to me.
“ Enjoying yourself, my omega? ” Dagan signs.
I wrap my arms around his middle, and he begins to purr, loud and steady.
“The best,” I say. “How did you even get trick-or-treaters?”
“We put out the word around town. A post-trick-or-treat bash at the Ember House, costumes welcome one last time. Kept it hush-hush from you. Cali p osted at the library. Bax put up flyers when you weren’t at the Café and took them down when you were. Same thing at Dandy Stuff.”
My brain snags on the first part. “The Ember House?”
Jack grins. Dagan and Victor wear identical mischievous smirks, and Bram just shrugs in his low-key way.
“It’s a little old-school,” Bram says, “but considering we have an alpha from the 1900s in our pack, we thought it was fitting. Bonding presents have gone out of style, but we hoped you’d like the idea.”
“You bought the house?” I squeak.
“No,” Victor corrects, “ you bought the house. It’s in your name. Wouldn’t be much of a gift if we bought it for ourselves.”
I stare at them all. “You can’t just buy me a house! That’s insane.”
“ Clara, ” Dagan signs, “ Victor and I have over ten million subscribers. Bram’s one of the best-selling authors in the country. Jack is a premier ethical hacker—for now.”
For now? I look at him. He just shrugs.
“We’ve all been living well below our means for years. We talked it over, and I’ve decided to retire. To help around the house, and help you organize your book events.” Jack explains. Finally, he’s willing to explore the dream he’s always been denied.
My brain feels ready to explode, but I still manage to ask, “Book events?”
Bram hands me an envelope. “My agent’s Romance contact loves your work. She wants to talk to you about a possible book deal.”
I squeal so loudly everyone turns to look at us. Clapping a hand over my mouth, I try to contain myself.
“Guess they told her I’m gonna need a new waitress,” Bax teases.
I stick my tongue out at him as a round of applause and cheers break out, my cheeks burning red.
As I look around—at my friends, my family, my mates, and my house—surrounded by the warm scent of baked bread, I know I’ve found my spookily ever after.
Outside, the wind rattles the last of the autumn leaves against the windows, moonlight slants through the trees and a candle flickers out in a grinning jack-o-lantern.
***
Thank you for reading A Pack of Pumpkins!