Epilogue
Two weeks later…
Valrek led the way through the forest, his feet silent on the carpet of fallen needles, every sense alert for threats.
Behind him, Ariella moved with surprising grace for someone more accustomed to water than land—her steps light, her breathing steady, one hand clutching the leather satchel that held the echo-pipe.
Mate.
His beast rumbled happily. Two weeks since the storm. Two weeks since she had chosen them over everything else. And still, every time he looked at her, he felt the same surge of wonder that had nearly brought him to his knees that first night on the beach.
“How much farther?”
Her voice was soft, mindful of the forest around them. A quick study, his mate. His chest swelled with pride.
“Not far.” He paused at a fork in the path, scenting the air. “Korrin said he and Seren will meet us just beyond the ridge.”
“And you trust him?”
The question wasn’t accusatory, just careful. She didn’t trust easily, and after everything she’d been through, he understood why.
“I trust that Seren wants what Korrin says he wants.” He resumed walking, holding a low-hanging branch back for her. “Peace between humans and Vultor.”
He glanced back at her, taking in the way the dappled sunlight played across her pale skin, making the bioluminescent markings on her skin shimmer like hidden stars. “The question is whether Seren will accept us.”
“And if he doesn’t?”
“Then we leave,” he said harshly. “I won’t force you into a pack that doesn’t want you. I won’t—”
“Valrek.” She put a gentle hand on his arm, her touch sending warmth through his entire body. “I’m not afraid. I’m just asking.”
He took a deep breath, forcing his beast to settle.
“If he doesn’t accept us, we continue as we have been. Alone on the cliffs, together.” He turned to face her fully. “But I want more for you. More for Lilani. A community. A home that isn’t built on isolation.”
Her smile was like the sun breaking through clouds.
“I know.” She rose on her toes to press a kiss to his jaw. “That’s why we’re here.”
They continued up the path in comfortable silence.
The forest grew denser as they climbed, the trees older and taller, their trunks thick with moss and lichen. He caught Korrin’s now familiar scent, along with that of an unknown alpha.
Seren.
He’d heard stories about the pack leader—how he had challenged the previous Alpha when the mad wolf had threatened to restart the old wars, how he had taken a human mate and dared anyone to object, how he was slowly building something new in these mountains.
Something that might, if the gods were kind, last.
The trees parted without warning to reveal a small clearing with two Vultor waiting on the rocks at the far side. Korrin immediately rose and came towards them with the loose-limbed grace of a wolf at ease in his territory. His amber eyes swept over them before a smile curved his lips.
“You came.” He clasped Valrek’s forearm in the traditional greeting. “I was beginning to wonder if you’d changed your mind.”
“I don’t change my mind once it’s set.”
“No, I don’t suppose you do.” Korrin’s gaze moved to Ariella, lingering on the pale shimmer of her skin, the delicate webbing between her fingers. “And this must be your mate.”
“Yes. This is my Ariella.”
“I’m pleased to meet you.” Korrin dipped a courteous bow and he bit back the urge to growl at the younger male’s grace. “My mate couldn’t accompany me today, but she sent something for you and your daughter.”
He handed her a small basket, and her face lit up.
“Sweet pastries? I haven’t had these since… For a very long time. Please thank her for me.”
“I will. I hope next time you thank her in person.”
If there is a next time.
Even during the introductions he’d been aware of the other male silently watching them, and Seren finally rose and came to join them as well.
The Alpha was tall and powerful, dark hair sprinkled with silver pulled back from a calm, stern face that reminded him a little of his grandfather, but his eyes held a warmth his grandfather’s had never held.
“Valrek.”
“Alpha.” He inclined his head, not quite submission, but an acknowledgment of Seren’s authority. “I thank you for receiving us.”
“Korrin speaks highly of you. He says you chose exile rather than abandon your daughter.”
“My daughter is half-human,” he said steadily, ignoring the lingering pain. “My former pack saw her as an abomination. I saw her as my child.”
“And you raised her alone. For how many years?”
“Six.”
Something flickered in Seren’s amber eyes. “Six years of isolation. No pack, no community, no support. That takes strength. Or madness. Perhaps both.”
“Perhaps.”
A smile ghosted across Seren’s stern features before his gaze moved to Ariella. “And this is the mate who chose a Vultor child over her own kind.”
She stepped forward, her chin lifting, and he felt a surge of pride at her courage.
“A member of my own kind who only saw me as an asset. An animal to be displayed at dinner parties. Lilani was worth a hundred of him.”
A long silence stretched between them, broken only by the rustle of leaves in the mountain breeze.
“I see,” Seren said at last, his gaze lingering on the mating mark on Ariella’s shoulder before turning back to him. “And you wish to join my pack? To bring your halfling child and your… unusual mate into our community?”
“Yes. But only if it is a place where we are all truly accepted,” he said firmly.
Seren sighed, a sudden hint of weariness on his face.
“I have done everything I can to make sure that is so, but feelings do not change overnight and there is a lot of history between humans and Vultor. However, you have proven your worth through years of isolation and hardship. Your mate has proven hers through sacrifice and courage. I would welcome you both—and your daughter—into my pack.”
A pack. After all the lonely nights and the desperate wondering if he would ever belong anywhere again. He’d told himself he was doing this for Lilani, but he hadn’t realized until just that moment how much he wanted it as well.
“There are conditions,” Seren continued, a hint of wry humor in his voice.
“I’m trying to build something new here.
Peace with the humans. Trade partnerships.
I need allies who share that vision. You live on the cliffs between our territory and a human settlement.
That position could be valuable—a bridge between worlds so to speak. ”
“A bridge,” Ariella repeated softly. “I like that.”
“And not just between human and Vultor. Korrin tells me there are other exiles scattered across the region, warriors who fled or were cast out, surviving alone in the wilderness,” Soren added.
“One is rumored to be living on the far side of this mountain range, though no one’s been able to confirm it. ”
“You’re trying to find them?” he asked.
“Every one we can reach. The pack grows stronger with each warrior we reclaim. And the stronger we become, the better position we’re in to negotiate with the human villages.”
A compassionate outlook but also a practical one. His admiration for Seren increased. He shot a quick glance at Ariella and she smiled at him, clearly agreeing.
“There is one more thing,” he said. He reached for the satchel, his fingers brushing hers as she handed it to him. He opened the flap and withdrew the echo-pipe.
“Ariella found this in a deep-sea trench near the coast.” He held the instrument out for Seren’s inspection. “It responded to her voice. I have made some inquiries but so far we have discovered nothing that explains it.”
The Alpha’s amber eyes went wide.
“That’s impossible.” He took the pipe with reverent hands, turning it over to examine the ancient carvings. “The echo-pipes choose their wielders, yes, but they’ve only ever chosen Vultor. Never humans.”
“But I am not entirely human,” she said quietly. “My voice can do things no other human voice can do.”
“The Song.” Understanding dawned in Seren’s eyes. “You have the gift of the old sea-singers. Not Vultor-born, but Vultor-touched.”
“I don’t understand.”
“Neither do I. Not fully.” Seren gave the echo-pipe back, deliberately handing it to her and not to him. “But we have archives, records of the old times. If the answer exists anywhere, we’ll find it.”
“Thank you.” He clasped the Alpha’s forearm once more. “For everything.”
“Don’t thank me yet.” But Seren’s eyes were warm. “The hard work is just beginning. Go home to your daughter. Build your bridge. And when the time comes—” His gaze moved to Ariella. “—sing us a new song.”
They walked quietly back down the mountain.
The sun was setting by the time they reached the cliffs, painting the ocean in shades of copper and gold. Lilani was waiting at the cave entrance, practically vibrating with impatience, and she launched herself at Ariella the moment they came into view.
“You’re back! You’re back! Did you see the other wolves? Were they scary? Did they have big teeth? Did you—”
Ariella scooped her up, laughing. “So many questions! Yes, we saw them. No, they weren’t scary. And yes, they have big teeth, but they’re friendly.”
“Really?” Lilani’s eyes went wide.
“Really.” Ariella kissed her forehead. “And guess what? They want us to be part of their pack. All three of us. And they sent pastries.”
The squeal of delight that followed could probably be heard back at the settlement.
He watched them—his mate and his daughter, tangled together in the dying light—and felt something he hadn’t felt in twenty years.
Peace. Not the absence of conflict. Not the exhausted surrender of someone who had simply stopped fighting. But true peace—the deep, settling kind that came from finally being where you belonged.
One month later…
Lilani’s laughter rang out across the rocks like wind chimes caught in a summer breeze.
“Watch me, Mama! Watch!”