Epilogue Merry Christmas #2
I laugh and scoop him up effortlessly, holding him in my arms so everyone can see him properly in all his adorable puppy glory.
He's eight months old but still small enough to hold comfortably without my arms getting tired.
His golden fur is soft and fluffy and smells like puppy shampoo from the bath we gave him earlier.
His brown eyes are bright with puppy energy and curiosity about everything.
"Yes, this is Biscuit!" I announce loudly to the camera as the comments go absolutely wild with puppy emojis and heart eyes.
"We adopted him today from the Oakridge Animal Shelter!
He's eight months old! He's a golden retriever mix!
He's perfect and sweet and smart and we love him already and he's going to be the best pack dog ever!
He already claimed all of our beds as his! "
Biscuit licks my face enthusiastically, his tongue warm and slobbery. The comments fill with crying emojis and messages about how adorable he is and requests to see more puppy content.
"And you guys," I continue, my voice getting more emotional and thick with gratitude.
"Thank you so much for sticking with me through everything these past few weeks.
The court case is officially over. We won.
I'm free. I'm officially legally bonded to my real pack.
And none of the lies Kael spread were true.
None of them. Harrison Gregory Markif himself—one of the best lawyers in the entire state—proved everything in court with actual documentation and evidence.
It was epic. Charlotte's going to post the official court recordings on her website so you can all see exactly what happened and how thoroughly we destroyed his case. "
The comments flood with congratulations and celebration messages and people saying they knew I was innocent the whole time and people cursing Kael and people saying justice was served.
"But tonight isn't about dwelling on the past," I say, grinning widely at the camera.
"Tonight is about celebrating! Because at midnight—" I check my phone.
11:57 PM. "In three minutes, it officially becomes Christmas Day.
December 25th. And at 12:01 AM Eastern Time, Grayson's debut romance novel goes live on and Barnes & Noble and Apple Books and everywhere books are sold around the entire world! "
I turn the camera toward Grayson, who waves awkwardly at the screen, clearly not used to being in front of the camera despite living with someone who livestreams regularly.
His cheeks are pink from cold and embarrassment. His gray eyes are nervous but excited. His whole body language screams 'please don't make me do this but also I'm thrilled.'
"His book is called 'Knotty Christmas Wish' which yes is a play on words," I explain to the camera, barely able to contain my excitement and pride.
"And it's about an Omega who gets snowed in at a luxury lodge with three Alphas during a massive blizzard.
And it's loosely based on us. On our actual story.
On how we really met. And it's absolutely beautiful and romantic and steamy and perfect and I cried reading it multiple times.
Pre-orders have been insane. Over two thousand copies already sold before the book even officially launches.
His second book, 'The Omega's Nest Cafe,' comes out in May and already has over a thousand pre-orders even though he tried to keep it secret! "
The comments absolutely explode with people saying they already pre-ordered both books, people asking desperately for direct links, people saying they can't wait to read it, people congratulating Grayson enthusiastically, people asking if he'll write more.
"Link is in my bio!" I tell the camera loudly. "Go buy it right now! Support independent authors! Support romance novels! Support omegaverse fiction! Support Grayson because he poured his heart into this book!"
I'm so proud of him.
Someone in a professional-looking coat approaches us from the side.
A woman in her forties with a fancy camera hanging around her neck. She's smiling warmly.
"Excuse me," she says politely. "I'm Sarah, photographer for the Oakridge Gazette. We're doing a feature on midnight Christmas celebrations around town. Would you folks like a photo in front of the tree? It's almost midnight. Perfect timing for a Christmas photo."
"Yes!" I practically shout, startling Biscuit who barks in response. "That would be perfect! Our first Christmas as an official pack! We need a photo for our Christmas cards!"
"Wait, we're sending Christmas cards?" Nash asks.
"Yes! I already ordered blanks online! We just needed a photo!"
"You ordered Christmas cards without asking us?" Theo says with amusement.
"I was optimistic about our future!"
"That's very presumptuous," Grayson teases.
"Shut up and get in position! It's about to be midnight!"
I tell my TikTok followers that we're taking a quick photo and to hang on. The viewer count has climbed to almost 900 now.
The comments are still flooding in with support and excitement and love.
We rush together in front of the massive Christmas tree. Sarah the photographer positions herself a few feet away, adjusting her camera settings and checking the lighting. The tree glows brilliantly behind us, lights twinkling in every color, ornaments reflecting the glow.
I stand in the middle because I'm shortest and need to be front and center.
I bend down and scoop up Biscuit with both hands, holding him against my chest. He's still small enough to fit comfortably without overflowing from my arms, his little golden body warm and wiggling with excitement. His tail wags against my coat.
Nash positions himself directly behind me, tall enough that his head will be clearly visible over my shoulder. His arms come around my waist, holding me steady. His motor-oil-leather scent surrounds me, mixed with the crisp winter air.
Theo moves to my left side, standing slightly angled so his face is visible. His gunpowder-pine scent is strong and reassuring. His hand rests on my shoulder protectively.
Grayson takes my right side, mirroring Theo's position. His maple-honey scent completes the pack scent cocoon around me. His hand finds my other shoulder, warm even through my coat.
My vanilla-caramel scent mingles with all of theirs, creating that perfect pack blend that smells like home and safety and belonging and family and love and everything I've ever wanted.
My pack.
My family.
Mine.
Sarah positions her camera, checking through the viewfinder.
"Perfect! You all look wonderful! The tree is framed beautifully behind you! On three, say 'Merry Christmas!' Ready?"
We all nod, grinning at the camera. Biscuit barks as if he understands what's happening.
Somewhere in the distance, church bells start chiming.
Midnight.
Christmas Day.
December 25th.
The official launch of Grayson's book.
The official start of our first Christmas as a real pack.
"One!" Sarah counts.
The town square lights seem to glow brighter.
"Two!"
Snow starts falling gently from the sky, perfect timing, like something from a movie.
"Three!"
"MERRY CHRISTMAS!" we all shout together, our voices mixing and overlapping and creating this perfect harmony of happiness and joy and celebration and love.
The camera shutter clicks. Flash goes off. The moment is captured forever.
Our first Christmas. Our first pack photo.
The beginning of everything.
Sarah takes several more photos, giving us different instructions.
"Look at each other!" "Now look at the puppy!" "Everyone laugh!" "Now a serious one!" "And one more silly one!"
We follow her directions, laughing and joking and being completely ourselves.
Biscuit licks my face at one point, which makes everyone crack up. Nash makes a ridiculous face that has Theo elbowing him while trying not to laugh. Grayson pulls us all closer together for a group hug photo that probably looks chaotic but perfect.
When Sarah finishes taking what must be at least twenty photos, she shows us the preview images on her camera screen.
They're absolutely beautiful and perfect.
The tree glowing brilliantly behind us. Snow falling like glitter caught in the lights.
All of us smiling genuine happy smiles that reach our eyes.
Biscuit looking adorable with his mouth open in a happy pant.
Pack complete and whole and real and together.
"These will be in tomorrow's paper," Sarah says warmly, her voice kind and genuine.
"Front page of the lifestyle section. 'New Pack Celebrates First Christmas in Oakridge.
' I'll email you the high-resolution digital files too so you can use them for your Christmas cards and social media and whatever else you want.
Congratulations on everything. The whole town has been rooting for you since day one. We're so happy you won."
"Thank you," I manage to say past the lump forming in my throat. "Thank you so much for everything."
Sarah pats my shoulder gently before leaving to photograph other midnight celebrators arriving at the tree.
We return to the tripod where my phone is still livestreaming faithfully.
The viewer count has climbed to 1,200 now.
The comments are absolutely exploding with messages and emojis and excitement.
"We're back!" I tell the camera, slightly breathless from all the excitement. "That was our official first Christmas card photo as a pack! And it's officially Christmas now! Which means Grayson's book is officially published and available to the world!"
Grayson pulls out his phone with shaking hands, refreshing the page repeatedly like he can't quite believe it's real.
His eyes widen dramatically. His mouth drops open.
"It's live. It's actually live. Holy shit.
People are already buying it. The rank is moving up.
The reviews are starting to come in. This is real.
This is actually happening. I'm a published author. "
"You did it!" I squeal loudly, jumping up and down while still holding Biscuit who barks excitedly. "You're a real published author! Your book is out in the world! People are reading your words right now! Your dreams came true!"
Nash pulls Grayson into a rough hug, pounding his back.
"Proud of you, brother."
Theo joins the hug.
"Congratulations. You earned this."
I set Biscuit down and throw myself at all three of them, creating a massive group hug in front of the Christmas tree while snow falls around us and my phone continues livestreaming to over a thousand people who stayed loyal through everything.
"This has been the best Christmas Eve ever," I say into the camera when we finally break apart.
"We won our court case. We adopted a puppy.
Grayson's book launched. We got our Christmas card photo.
We're officially a pack. And we have all of you supporting us.
Thank you. Thank you so much for believing in me when everything looked bad.
Thank you for waiting. Thank you for staying.
You're not just followers. You're family too. "
The comments fill with hearts and crying emojis and messages of love and support and people saying they'll always be there for us.
"We're going to head home now," I tell them.
"It's late and we have Christmas morning tomorrow.
Biscuit's first Christmas with us. Opening presents.
Baking breakfast. Starting new traditions.
Being a family. But I'll post more content soon.
Regular schedule. More adventures. More dates.
More of our lives. Because this is just the beginning.
Our story isn't ending. It's just starting. "
I blow a kiss to the camera. "Merry Christmas, everyone. From our pack to yours. Sweet dreams and happy holidays."
Theo ends the livestream.
The viewer count stops at 1,347.
Not tens of thousands. But real people. Loyal people. People who matter.
We stand there for a long moment, the four of us and Biscuit, under the massive Christmas tree in the center of Oakridge's town square, snow falling gently from the dark sky, lights twinkling in every color, church bells still echoing faintly in the distance, the air crisp and cold and perfect.
Six months ago I arrived in this town completely broken and utterly alone, running desperately from an abusive pack that had destroyed every bit of confidence I ever had, with nothing but a backpack full of clothes and determination to survive somehow. I had no money.
No job. No home. No hope for the future. No belief that anything would ever get better.
Just a desperate wish deep in my heart to find somewhere I belonged. To find people who would choose me.
To find a pack who would actually want me for who I am instead of who they wanted to mold me into.
Now I have everything I ever dreamed of and so much more than I dared to hope for.
A pack who loves me unconditionally.
A town that protected me fiercely.
Friends who supported me loyally.
A puppy who adores me.
A future that looks bright and full of possibility and promise instead of dark and full of fear and pain.
I have a home. A real home. Not just a physical space but an emotional one.
A place where I belong. People who want me.
A pack who chose me freely and keeps choosing me every single day.
I made a wish that first day in Oakridge.
A knotty Christmas wish for a pack who would love me.
Nash wraps his strong arm around my shoulders, pulling me close.
Grayson takes my hand, lacing our fingers together.
Theo picks up Biscuit gently, cradling him. We start walking slowly back through the snowy square toward Nash's truck parked on the street, our footprints creating intersecting paths through fresh powder, evidence of our journey together.
My Knotty Christmas Wish to have a pack seems to have finally come true.
Merry Christmas to all those yearning to be loved.
XOXOXO
— D. Evermore
F.I.N.