Epilogue
Andrew
Jesse has called again to complain. Apparently Cole is still being Cole, which means Jesse is still threatening to mail us his pelt on a regular basis.
I told him we didn't have room for it. He said, make room.
Marion got on the phone after that and told me Jesse is doing great and to ignore him when he whines.
Jesse yelled behind her “Mother! I am an Alpha! I do not whine!”
I tell my mother I love her, hang up, and grin at my mate.
We’re at a pizza place called Cheese Louise, and it's exactly the kind of dive we were looking for. Red vinyl booths, checkered tablecloths, a jukebox in the corner playing fifties music.
We’re here in this Colorado mountain town working with a couple of local packs to improve their crop yield, and in return, they’ve set aside acreage for us. One of the packs specializes in construction, and we’re trading our services in exchange for them building a new house.
Henrietta and I are sitting at a table near the window. A few pack members start filtering in—Silas and Dorcas first, then Coral and Danny with their new baby girl cradled against Coral's chest. The rest of the pack are working on clearing land on our new property.
The baby is two weeks old and has Coral's dark curls and Danny's serious expression. She's perfect. And watching Danny lean over to adjust the blanket around her makes my chest tight in a good way.
I can’t wait to start making babies with my beautiful mate.
Everyone settles around the table. The server brings out our pizzas— two large Hawaiian, extra pineapple.
Silas stares at it. "What is that?"
"Is that... pineapple?" Dorcas asks.
"On pizza?" Coral’s eyes widen in horror. She looks down at her daughter. “Look away, Suzanne,” she whispers to her.
Danny shakes his head, his brows pinching together. "That's just wrong."
"Pineapple is a fruit," I say with a shrug. "Pizza has tomato sauce. Tomato is also a fruit. This is just fruit on fruit. It's basically a fruit salad."
"She's right," Henrietta nods vigorously. "It's health food."
“Did we know this when we agreed to let him be our Alpha?” Silas groans.
“Now, now,” Dorcas says, casting a horrified look at our food choice. “It could be worse. Somehow.”
Danny pats his wife’s arm reassuringly. "I will order pepperoni and sausage. Pizza for normal people.”
I grin. "Okay. More for us."
“That was your plan all along, wasn’t it?” Henrietta says to me.
“You know me too well.” I fold my hand over hers and squeeze it gently.
Henrietta
I do know him well, the boy who cared for me from the time I was young, the man who was willing to give up so much for me. And every day I love getting to know him better. His taste in music, in movies…his taste in bed when I take him my mouth.
The steady, reassuring sound of his heartbeat and his breath beside me, strong, protective, loving.
I feel so much lighter these days. The tension, the constant uncertainty, are gone. We’re welcome here.
Yes, knowing the truth of what my father really was hurts, but it’s also freeing. I’m done living in the past. I have a present and a future that are so much more important.
I look around the table. Silas is already flagging down the server to order something without pineapple. Dorcas is cooing at the baby. Coral and Danny are debating toppings. Andrew's thumb is tracing circles on the back of my hand.
For the first time in fifteen years, I'm not waiting for the other shoe to drop. We're not guests. We're not under someone else's protection. This is our pack. Our town. Our terrible pizza choices.
We're home.