Epilogue - Elena
Two years later
Sunlight streamed through the bay window of the apothecary shop as Elena walked through the arched wooden door. Birds chirped from their hiding places among the flowers lining the path up to the building's entrance. Her new venture had been several months in the making, and she was eager for customers to finally get to see what she'd spent weeks brewing and stocking the shelves with.
It had begun with a simple whim over a year ago when the clinic kept calling her for help with various paranormal injuries despite her being on bed rest in the final weeks of her pregnancy. Their little town was in desperate need of a reliable supplier of potions and herbs, and the other witches were too busy with their impressive spells and curses to dedicate time to creating basic concoctions for the masses. So why not try to fill that void? Alchemy had always been her calling anyway, which helped shape that initial idea into a firm resolve.
Now, here she stood, surrounded by various tinctures and balms displayed neatly throughout the quaint little shop. Shelves full of bottles lined the walls from floor to ceiling. An assortment of candles littered the front countertop, and handwritten labels identified the contents of jars upon jars stacked in pyramids throughout the floor space. Alongside those were racks loaded to capacity with essential oils and dried plants ready for sale. It smelled wonderful—like freshly harvested vegetables and floral perfume combined with spices. A proud smile crept onto her face as she flipped the wooden sign on the door from 'closed' to 'open.' All that remained was to wait for curious townsfolk to arrive.
Arrive, they did. Customers began trickling into the store almost immediately. Soon, every table was packed to bursting with happy people picking out items they needed, asking questions, and chatting merrily amongst themselves as they browsed the shelves. Most everyone stopped by the front desk briefly to offer well-wishes on her new endeavor. Some brought presents to celebrate the occasion—flowers, sweets, baked goods, and even a few toys for her little girl, Elise, who was currently being watched by Hayley over at their house. Elena's cheeks hurt from grinning constantly all day, overwhelmed and grateful for the outpouring of support from the community. Already, the shop was off to a good start.
By the end of the day, they were already sold out of half their inventory, and Elena had received numerous orders for customized concoctions. She sent her assistant, a younger witch named Cindy, home for the night with instructions to come early the next morning to get started on crafting tomorrow's stock. They hugged, excited about all they'd managed to accomplish today. After waving goodbye, Elena took a deep breath and glanced around the quiet room with satisfaction. It had definitely been a success. Now, all that was left to do was clean up, sweep the floors, lock up for the night, and head back home to spend time with her family.
She was knee-deep in sweeping dust piles into neat little mounds when a large shadow fell over her through the big picture window of the front of the store. The bell above the door chimed its silvery ring to herald a visitor's arrival. Elena jumped at the sudden sound, but before she had time to so much as spin around to face whoever came through the doorway behind her, a pair of strong, familiar arms wrapped tightly around her waist. The broom clattered onto the hardwood floor and skittered away as she leaned her head back, giggling happily up at the handsome shifter standing over her. Her heart, like it always did, skipped a beat at the sight of his crooked smile and twinkling hazel eyes.
“Hey, beautiful,” Ryder greeted her cheerfully as he pressed his lips to hers in a quick kiss. He kept one arm looped around her waist possessively while his other hand reached up to cup her cheek. “Looks like you've been quite the hit in town today.” He gestured vaguely with his chin at the empty tables scattered around them.
Elena laughed and turned around in his embrace, placing a hand flat against his chest. His heartbeat thumped steadily beneath her palm as he held her close and nuzzled his face into her long hair with a sigh.
“It was amazing,” she exclaimed breathlessly with unabashed enthusiasm. “Everyone showed up! People kept stopping by just to chat and hang out in between buying things. I got tons of orders for custom brews. Did you know—”
Her rambling chatter was cut short by another kiss. “I love you,” he murmured fondly between kisses and caresses. She smiled against his lips at those three magical words. “I told you that you had nothing to worry about. Your potions have saved half this town's asses already. Everyone loves you.” She blushed deeply and buried her burning face in his neck. He rubbed her back soothingly as he held her tight.
“How did your meeting with the councils go?” she asked softly after a moment of peaceful silence between them. “Was it helpful?”
In the last two years, her mate had stepped back from going off on dangerous missions. Instead, he threw his focus into working with the nearby pack councils to strengthen bonds between groups and encourage cooperation between them. For decades, they had all mostly kept to their own territories, as wolves were inclined to do, and conflict arose easily when the packs had borders near each other. With better communication, it would be easier to spot threats early on and mitigate them before issues had time to escalate. There hadn't been any rogue attacks in two years, but there would always be exiles and deserters wandering about. Keeping track of them together made everybody safer. Now, they were finalizing an alliance agreement between five major packs in the region.
He shrugged nonchalantly. “It wasn't not helpful,” he hedged cryptically with a wry chuckle. “Us wolves are stubborn bastards, so it takes a while to break through all that pride and get them to listen. You know how it is.”
“Mm. I do,” she replied with a laugh, giving him a light slap on the chest in mock reprimand. “And you're the worst of them all. If Elise gets even a fraction of your stubbornness when she grows up, I might lose my mind.” At the mention of their daughter, Ryder's expression softened, and he smiled wistfully.
“Well, if anyone can handle that, it's her firecracker of a mother,” he pointed out with an affectionate grin. “Nobody's ever been so obstinate that you couldn't crack through eventually. You've got the touch of steel hidden somewhere in that sweet exterior of yours, you know. Just look at what you did to me.”
He leaned down to kiss her again, pulling her close once more as if to emphasize his point. She swatted at his arm playfully but leaned eagerly into the embrace, nonetheless. As they stood there looking at each other in the flickering candlelight, a spark of mischief danced in Ryder's eye. Elena arched her eyebrows inquisitively at him as his hand slipped lower and lower down her spine until it rested firmly on her backside. She squeaked in protest at the audacity, giggling helplessly.
“Ryder! Behave yourself,” she squealed reprovingly while feigning offense.
“I can't,” he deadpanned simply, smirking at her with that wicked gleam in his eyes that never ceased to thrill her. “Around you, my wolf instincts completely take over. My wolf doesn't believe in behaving. He believes in ravishing his mate repeatedly in as many creative ways as possible whenever the urge strikes him. Which is always.”
He punctuated that declaration with a swift smack to her backside that made her shriek in mock outrage. He grinned back at her, and she bit her lower lip in response.
“Well, who am I to argue with your primal instincts?” she teased him playfully while wrapping her arms around his neck and stroking the soft hairs there absently. Ryder growled appreciatively and drew her even closer, closing any remaining space between them. She rose on her tiptoes to reach his height, brushing her lips against his lightly and fluttering her eyelashes. “So, what will you do about it?”
Strong arms slipped under her thighs and hoisted her effortlessly onto the countertop, then nudged her legs apart to step between them. He tangled his fingers in her hair and yanked her head back to bare her throat, then dove into nipping kisses along her jawline and neck that made her shiver with anticipation. She kept her arms firmly around his neck for balance as his hands moved down to push up the long skirt she was wearing, and his fingertips trailed slowly up her bare legs underneath. Every inch of her skin tingled and burned wherever he touched. She moaned involuntarily as she clung to him.
“Is that a challenge?” he murmured teasingly into her ear.
“Yes,” she replied without hesitation, tugging his bottom lip between her teeth in a playful nip. Her fingers found the buttons of his shirt and popped one open after another while he caressed her slender thighs with both palms. “I dare you. Show me what your instincts can do.”
A deep rumble of excitement reverberated in his chest as he undid the lacing of her blouse impatiently with one hand. With a low growl, he slipped the other between her legs to cup her warmth possessively. She gasped loudly at the sudden contact and arched forward reflexively, clutching him tighter to steady herself. Her body instantly responded to his touch as he drew slow circles over her panties with one finger, sending spikes of pleasure coursing through her core. She kissed him with renewed ferocity. Every nerve ending flared to life, electrified by pure desire for her mate. This, she would never tire of. He drove her wild every time.
They tore each other's clothes off haphazardly between heated kisses and gasps of breath. Neither wanted to break contact even for a second. They knew each other perfectly by now—every curve and edge of each other's bodies carved into their muscle memory like a map to follow. His lips traveled down to her chest, and she tipped her head back to give him access to all of her. He found her nipple between his teeth and nibbled gently, making her whimper in delight while his dexterous fingers continued working his magic between her thighs.
With one hand digging into his broad shoulders to steady herself against the onslaught of sensation he wrought upon her, she raked the other through his golden blonde hair feverishly. Fire spread throughout her body until she was aching and throbbing and ready to explode. It was torture. Blissful, exquisite torture.
Smirking up at her, Ryder lowered himself down to kneel in front of her spread legs and dragged his teeth over her inner thigh. Then he seized hold of her lace panties with sharp teeth and tore them apart effortlessly in one fluid motion. She barely had time to register surprise before his tongue flickered inside of her and sent fireworks bursting through her core. A loud cry escaped her lips as she wrapped her legs tightly around his shoulders, leaning back on her elbows to prop herself up on the counter.
“Oh, that feels so good,” she moaned as his tongue explored every crevasse within reach.
Each lick and flick left her shaking helplessly on top of the wooden surface as the sensations threatened to tear her apart completely. His fingers dug roughly into her hips and kept her anchored in place, and his breathing became ragged and labored while he tasted her eagerly.
“Ryder, I need you,” she breathed urgently after only a few moments. She tugged impatiently at his messy blond locks to coax him up to face level again, desperate to feel him inside her. “Now. Please.”
Without missing a beat, he leaped up to stand in front of her, planted his palms firmly on either side of her on the countertop, and pressed his naked body flush against hers. His hard length entered her slowly and fully in one stroke, and she wrapped both her legs and arms around him tightly to draw him deeper into her core. He grunted at the increased pressure and began moving in and out of her with long, deep, deliberate thrusts, each more intense than the last, hitting the exact right spot over and over again.
It took no time at all for them to fall into the perfect rhythm they had developed. Nothing felt better than having this man inside her. Even after two years since they'd officially become mates—two years of relentless intimacy—the mere touch of his skin on hers still sent her reeling into ecstasy. Within minutes, she was riding the cresting waves of her orgasm. Her vision blurred and exploded in colors as she cried out his name. He held her shuddering body close against him, and she felt him tremble and writhe in his own release with her.
She let out one last contented sigh into his neck and squeezed him tighter before allowing their muscles to finally relax with limp satisfaction. He chuckled against her neck and slumped against her, resting his weight on top of her on the wooden surface as they both tried to catch their breaths. It took them several seconds to recover before they dared loosen their limbs from each other enough to disentangle and untwine.
“You're incredible. Every damn time,” Ryder murmured huskily as he straightened up and stroked her cheek gently. “Have I told you lately how beautiful you are?” She smiled shyly back at him as he lifted her chin gently and planted a tender kiss on her forehead.
“You can say it a few more times to make up for all the years you spent pretending not to notice,” she suggested teasingly, sticking her tongue out playfully.
“You're beautiful,” he repeated emphatically without a trace of irony, helping her down off the counter onto shaky feet. “Come on. Let's go get cleaned up and go pick up our daughter. We have some celebrating to do. All three of us, as a family.”
Elena nodded in agreement. They hurried to gather up their discarded clothing strewn haphazardly all around the store. As she watched him dress beside her, she marveled once again at how lucky she was to have this gorgeous, stubborn, wonderfully imperfect shifter as her mate. She leaned over to brush the lopsided golden bangs out of his sparkling hazel eyes, smiling up at him. This was a future she never imagined she could have, but she was eternally grateful for it. There was nowhere else she would rather be than by his side.
Sometimes, dreams really did come true.
*****
THE END