Epilogue
SKYLAR—TWO MONTHS LATER
“Therapy. Both of you.”
Tammy stares at me and April, her arms crossed as we lounge on her couch. We share a blanket, an oversized fluffy throw covering both of us.
“Huh?” I look at Tammy with my mouth full of cheese. An extravagant charcuterie board is on the coffee table in front of us, loaded with meats, fancy cheeses, and different crackers.
We were both digging in when Tammy entered the living room, observing us as we snacked.
“I know neither of you have made appointments yet. And it’s past time for both of you.”
April glances at me, then back at her mother sheepishly. “I know,” she says. “I’ve reached out to some providers, but I haven’t heard anything yet.”
April’s been out of the hospital for almost two months, and her first few weeks were spent regaining her health. A healthy flush has returned to her cheeks, and she’s not as frail as before, but she’s still on the mend.
Her situation was a lot like mine. John Briggs handed her off to another O dealer, where she was kept like me.
After the press conference aired, the dealer became spooked and abandoned her in an industrial park.
She went through suppressant withdrawal as well, but didn’t have the violent reaction I did. She was kept on a heavy dose of suppressants at the hospital, and her body responded well.
My pack just happened to trigger my Heat.
After April was rescued, Vincent, River, and Landon paid another visit to John Briggs, who was willing to help them this time.
I didn’t ask how they convinced him.
But they were able to find April’s captor, and with another arrest, almost all the cases are closed.
But the effects of what April went through remain.
She’s jumpy. She startles at loud noises, and flinches if someone moves too fast.
I do the same thing, and everyone has started to notice.
Including Tammy.
“Reaching out isn’t enough,” she says to both of us. “There are plenty of resources for you.”
Part of me wants to tell her I’m almost thirty years old and she can’t bully me into seeing a therapist, but she’s right.
April and I had discussed me going to therapy even before we were taken.
And if she does it too, I won’t be alone.
“Alright,” April says softly, reaching for her phone. “I’ll make some more calls today. For both of us.”
“Good,” Tammy adds gently. “I’m not trying to be an overprotective mother, but…”
I smile at her. “I appreciate it,” I say earnestly.
I appreciate when someone is willing to fight for me.
“Also, the boys are coming over for dinner,” Tammy adds.
I snort. “They’re not boys, Tammy,” I say, and April chuckles. “They’re grown men.”
I don’t mention that Vincent is barely ten years younger than her.
“Still, they’re my boys. They helped bring you both back.” Her smile widens, and I grin back.
Sunday dinners at Tammy’s started once April was well enough to eat full meals. I was nervous the first time we all visited Tammy, but seeing my pack interact with her and April assuaged my worries.
They’re my family. Landon always brings flowers for Tammy, while River and Vincent bring either drinks or food.
It’s so wholesome and surreal that I have to remind myself that this is my life.
I truly have a pack and a family that loves me.
“You should make some of those cookies they like,” April tells me with a smirk, and I smack her arm.
“I should never have told you that,” I grumble. “Pervert.”
“I’m not the one who put my own slick into my macarons,” she says, shaking her head. “That was the craziest story you’ve ever told me.”
“What did you do?” Tammy asks from the kitchen. “Do I even want to know?”
“Not really,” I blush, while April buries her face into the couch pillow, snorting with laughter.
I really missed her. The fact that she can even sit next to me and smile after everything she’s been through is a testament to her character.
Tammy takes a phone call and heads upstairs, while April wipes at her eyes.
“It’s not that funny,” I grumble, sending her into another laughing fit.
“I can’t believe your shoes really flew off,” she gasps, her face turning red. “They flew off!”
“I got hit by a car, you asshole!” I smack her with a cushion, but she won’t stop giggling. Then, I’m chuckling with her.
When we calm down, she looks at me, her light brown eyes gentle. “I’m sorry I’m laughing so much,” she admits. “It’s just…better than crying about everything, you know? Because I could do that for a very long time.”
I nod. “Me too. Don’t apologize. It’s a miracle you’re even here with me.”
“Nah,” she shakes her head. “No, it’s not.”
I frown. “What do you mean?”
“As stubborn as you are? You were going to find me. I knew you would.”
Tears form at the corners of my eyes. “You did?”
She nods. “You hold grudges. You wouldn’t rest until you found the fucker.”
“I thought you said holding grudges was one of my bad habits.”
“This time, it was helpful.”
“Imagine that.”
She rolls her eyes. “Imagine.”
I can’t helpbut smile when I answer the door.
My pack dressed to impress.
Landon’s in his usual white-button up and grey tie, while River wears a fitted dark green shirt I’ve never seen before that matches his eyes. Vincent is in a grey blazer with dark jeans.
My mouth waters as their scents envelop me.
Mine.
These men belong to me, and I belong to them.
“Hey, baby,” River says, smirking as his eyes rake down my body. “You look nice. Haven’t seen you all day.”
Vincent huffs and steps around him to pull me into his arms. “I missed you,” he murmurs in my ear, and I smile.
Landon greets Tammy with a hug and presents her with a bouquet of azaleas and pink roses. She grins and kisses him on the cheek, and my stomach flips.
She’s already treating them like her sons.
River goes to April and hands her a dark bottle.
“I heard you like whiskey,” he says to her, and she raises an eyebrow.
River is convinced April doesn’t like him, and it’s almost comedic the way he keeps trying to win her over.
“She’s basically your sister,” he had told me. “I need her to like me.”
April looks over at me. “This is like, a two-hundred-dollar bottle of alcohol.”
River shrugs. “Yeah, well, it’s good shit.”
“You know you literally saved my life, right?” April asks, amused. “And even if you didn’t, you treat Skylar the way she deserves to be treated. So, you’re fine in my book.”
River scoffs. “I know that,” he insists, his face flushing. “I’m just trying to be nice, okay?”
“Ah,” Landon says. “Yes, the you ‘trying to be nice’ phenomenon.”
I shoot Landon a look and he raises his hands in apology. April notices the exchange and shrugs. “Look, I’m never going to say no to whiskey,” she says. “Especially if I don’t have to pay for it.”
River’s shoulders sag with relief, and I smile.
“Do you need help in the kitchen?” Vincent asks Tammy, who nods.
“Sure. You want to chop up some garlic for me?”
April turns to me. “How are they so whipped already?” she asks me quietly, as I take the whiskey bottle from her.
My eyes widen as I recognize the label. River really did go all out for this.
“Honestly? I don’t know,” I reply, as my Alphas follow Tammy into the kitchen. “I really don’t.”
I toy with the ring on my finger, and she notices. “I’m truly happy for you,” she says. “I mean it. I’ve never seen you like this.”
“What, hungry and riddled with trauma?”
She narrows her eyes. “No, you dork. At peace. Dare I say happy.”
I hear the chatter from the kitchen. River and Vincent are bickering about garlic, while Landon gives them a lecture on the difference between saffron and paprika.
Tammy’s laughter echoes into the living room.
I look at my best friend, who I never thought I would see again. I see her strength, even though she’s been through absolute hell.
We’re still healing. It won’t be easy, but I know in my heart April and I will get through this.
We both survived.
I think of the pack that saved my life in more ways than one.
How they’re teaching me what it’s like to be truly loved and cherished.
I feel our mating bond in my heart, their scents swirling around me to make me complete.
“You could say happy. I think that would accurately describe it,” I say.
April smiles.