EPILOGUE OF THE WHOLE SERIES #2
"It’s all good, nothing happened," he says with an easy smile, then turns to Rain and Skye.
"What’s up with you two? You’re so serious today." He tilts his head.
Rain really does look serious, and he steps closer.
"You know… I’ve had time to think about some things from our childhood. The way we treated you. I wanted to apologize, Storm."
Skye nods firmly.
"I agree. Some of the stuff we did wasn’t right. I hope you can forgive us."
A strange expression crosses Storm’s face, somewhere between being touched and embarrassed.
Then he says, "Hey, don’t worry about it, I’m sorry too, for all the times I roughed you up.
I could have been a better brother. A lot of things could have gone differently, and…
more importantly, I’m sorry about, you know…
the thing with your exes. That was a shitty thing to do. I hope you forgive me."
He looks genuinely ashamed. I can’t believe this conversation is actually happening. A perfect moment too, River’s wedding, the whole family together, but I never thought my sons would ever reach this point! The conflict, especially between Rain, Skye, and Storm, seemed deeply seated.
Suddenly I notice Winter walking over.
"As for the ex thing," he says, "honestly, no harm done in the end. Finn found his True Mate, his story had a good ending too. Everything fell into place like puzzle pieces, Storm."
Storm scratches the back of his head, embarrassed and a bit flushed.
"So what, should we do a cheesy group hug now? Kumbaya and all that cringe?"
Skye laughs, but interestingly, both he and Rain step forward and hug Storm from both sides. Winter joins too, a little awkward since it’s not his style, but Storm pulls him in by the arm.
"Oh, brothers," Storm says, voice a little rough. "Congrats on all your badass True Mates. And on the kids. And mine is coming soon too to join the tribe!"
"We need to see each other more often, like a real family, not only for weddings," Rain adds firmly.
"I’m in, especially since we all live so close," Winter adds with a smile.
I stand a little distance away, my heart swelling with pride and joy, watching my sons finally find their way back to each other. Maybe to anyone else this group hug and kumbaya stuff would look funny, but to me it means everything.
Then someone else approaches the group… Sun.
He stops shyly, like he’s embarrassed to attach himself to their cluster of happiness.
"Hey, perhaps you guys can pull me into that cringey group hug too?"
Storm laughs out loud.
"Of course, little bro, come here," he says and wraps his youngest brother into his arms too, the group hug a massive constellation now.
Then a moment of silence falls.
"Wait, what’s that smell?"
Storm’s nose is the best among all of us since he’s a purple alpha, so I’m not surprised he’s the first to catch it. I noticed it earlier but held my tongue.
"What smell? Did someone fart?" Little Lake asks, staring up at them with a face covered in glitter he smeared on himself. "It wasn’t me, I swear!"
Everyone laughs except Sun, who’s blushing.
Storm zeroes in on him.
"It’s you. You smell like vanilla."
Now, a heavy silence falls. All the brothers look at Sun with wide eyes.
"Seriously?" Winter raises his brows.
"For real?" Skye asks.
Sun nods.
"Yeah."
"Wow. A real miracle. Turns out True Mates can make anything possible, even between two alphas," Rain murmurs in awe.
"Damn," Skye says. "That’s awesome! And here I thought a pregnant beta was the rare thing."
Winter nods. "Same here, until I met Sariel. I know it can get a lot more complicated."
"And yet here we are," Sun grins. "It’s just the first month, but everything points to… I’m going to be a dad. Or a father. Whatever the name."
It’s almost too much happiness for my poor heart.
All my children found their destinies!
They chose their paths and built their lives, and seeing so many relaxed, smiling faces around me makes me think of only one thing…
Where it all began more than forty years ago, when I came to Aiden’s home, bruised, crushed, hopeless, carrying nothing but trauma. I didn’t believe in any kind of future.
I turn when I feel a presence behind me…
…and meet the handsome face of my fated mate, Aiden.
For me, it all started with him.
Like a quiet spirit, he stands in the shade with a soft smile, but he’s not looking at our children.
He’s looking at me.
And then he reaches out his hand.
"Come on, let’s take a walk along the beach."
We walk in silence for a bit, and of course I keep wiping tears when he’s not looking.
We stop at the sandy beach, but turn toward the lawn where the tables stand, laughter and kids’ shouts drifting over.
"I still need to visit your nephews’ tables, and Gabriel, Hunter and Veyron too. I wanted to congratulate them on their fated mates—" I start, but Aiden squeezes my hand.
"Wait, I wanted to tell you something."
He touches my face gently.
Then he says simply, "Thank you. You built an entire world, Lake. We had nothing, and now we have everything."
Touched, I lay my hands on his chest.
"Yes, we do. Everything. That day when I came to your house, I was a shadow, broken—"
Aiden shakes his head.
"No, don’t say that. You were never truly broken, Lake. I see it differently. You were like a seed waiting to sprout. Even then you had a strength inside you, small like a cedar seed, but it grows into a giant tree. That strength was already there."
My smile is probably wistful.
"What is a seed if it never gets the chance to grow in good soil? Everyone keeps thanking me and calling me the center of this home, but that’s not the truth. If it weren’t for you, none of this would have happened. Your quiet support and your strength kept me afloat."
I let out a long breath.
"When River ran away, when we discovered what really happened to Bay, when Winter was lost on this island, I would have fallen apart completely.
But you gathered me back together every single time, pulling me out of the dark, always quietly, never asking for gratitude, never wanting the spotlight, never needing attention, going unnoticed by everyone, yet always standing by my side.
Like my pillar, the architect of all of this.
" My lips tremble. "Thank you for your love and your support, Aiden, and for the wonderful family I have because of you. "
I smile, he leans in, and our lips meet in a kiss full of love.
"Dad! Fa!" Rain calls from a distance. "The show’s starting, come on!"
Aiden takes my hand, and we walk back between the tables. On the stage where the wedding vows took place, Snow and Bay are standing with microphones in hand, and Bay has his guitar slung over his shoulder.
They start singing, and it takes my breath away, because their voices blend perfectly, two deep, beautiful tones.
And then something incredible happens.
Jordan really outdid himself and gathered all the equipment we needed. My other sons start bringing their old instruments onto the stage, the ones that were still lying around in their rooms, the little ones they used to practice on, and one by one they jump up onto the platform.
River joins them too, carrying his old violin that had been waiting for him all those years in his room.
He starts to play, and every eye turns to him, because no one plays like River.
His sensitivity and passion shine through his music.
Other instruments quiet down when he plays, and his red hair falls around him like a cascade. His biggest fan, Archer, stands in front of the stage, staring at him like he’s looking at a rising star.
River’s talent burns bright, but not for long, a moment later Skye joins him with his own violin, smiling as they play a short duet. Then Rain steps up with his banjo, and Winter with his bass guitar. Sun joins Snow and Bay, singing in his pure baritone.
Only Storm shakes his head and raises his hands in surrender, even though Jordan brought him his old plastic keyboard.
He’s the only one who managed to resist our family’s musical tradition.
Instead he claps along, keeping the rhythm, and Damien stands beside him.
They hold hands, swaying to the music. Damien looks like he’s about to give birth any second now, his belly so enormous.
Eventually Aiden and I join in too, adding our voices to the chorus. All of us sing together and the atmosphere is just magical, a full-on family jam session.
At the end, Nathaniel, who had also been playing guitar, sets his instrument aside, grabs his camera, and says, "Guys, this is too good to miss. A family photo, what do you say? We can fit everyone!"
Everyone enthusiastically agrees. Right away the place turns chaotic, but we start arranging ourselves in front of the stage covered in colorful flowers.
I get pulled straight into the center. My sons’ arms wrap around me and tug me between them. River presses close and kisses me hard on the cheek.
Finally everyone finds their spot for the picture.
But this won’t do. I wave Nathaniel over.
"Hey, get over here. Without you this family isn’t complete," I say.
Jordan steps out from behind the tables and says, "I’ll take the picture. Go, Nate, get in there with them."
My adopted son joins the group, and it turns into the perfect arrangement.
All my kids, finally gathered together. Despite all the chaos, the photo comes out amazing.
We’re all in it, and the thing that makes me happiest is that every single face is…
smiling wide! It’s a memory I know I’ll carry in my heart for years.
Behind me, I hear the quiet whisper of my True Mate in my ear.
"We’ve made it, Lake."
"Yes, we did!"
THE END
Thank you for reading my book!