Epilogue
SELENE
At last, a few days later, my heat fades. I did need quite a bit of help, but Harry was happy to sink that knot into me and soothe it.
Soon, we get word that Greld has been sent to the city to be jailed, as promised—and we shouldn’t ever see him again. The relief I feel is immense, as if a final heavy weight has been lifted from my shoulders.
When I’m settled enough that we can leave the house together, we head to town hall to register as an alpha and omega pair.
I expected that I would dread going out into the world again, but the sunlight is bright and welcoming, and the cobblestone streets feel familiar under my feet.
I like seeing the children play with their dog.
Yes, there are many goings-on in the world, but Father is dead, and Greld is gone. And I have Harry by my side.
To my surprise, not long after registering, another omega in town reaches out to me by letter, inviting us to her home up on the hill where she lives with her two husbands.
At first, I’m nervous to accept. I think of Greld, his huge body looming over mine, and hesitate on my answer.
“Say yes,” Harry urges me. “Greld was an aberration. There’s nothing to fear from the Lady Hollis and her husbands.”
So I write her a polite reply, agreeing to her proposition of dinner. Then, a few nights later, we make the trek up the hill to meet her.
Lady Hollis is lovely and beautiful and smells of raspberries. Her two husbands stand behind her when they greet us, keeping their heads bowed. It looks as if she is the one in charge here, not them.
We’re treated to a lavish meal, and conversation happens naturally.
She asks why she’s never heard of me before, as all omegas in town are generally registered.
It’s hard for me to dive into the memory, but I tell her what I can about Father keeping me captive, and both she and her husbands—Tomas and Cedric—are awash with sympathies.
“But then he found me,” I say, taking Harry’s hand in mine. “And now, I get to live again.”
It is a pleasant evening, and by the time we say farewell, I feel as if I’ve made a friend or three.
Harry is given a promotion to Greld’s old position as captain, and I’m more than happy to see him during the normal hours of the day.
A few weeks later, Harry announces he would like to take me to meet his mother in the city.
First, he purchases another horse—a little gelding with a mild manner—so we can go together without putting all of our weight on Sadie.
This requires teaching me how to ride on my own, but I get the hang of it before we embark on our journey.
It’s only a day’s ride, though my thighs are sore by the time we reach the boisterous cobblestone streets of the city.
There is far more activity here than I’ve ever seen before, so I stay close by Harry’s side as we make our way over main roads and then down side streets, avoiding children and dogs and, once, even a pig.
His mother, Theta, is a sweet old woman, a little suspicious that there isn’t a ring on my finger, but pleased her son has found someone, nonetheless.
She welcomes me into her home and into her family, and stays up late drinking wine and telling me all about Harry’s father, who passed a few years ago.
“And where did you come from?” she asks after a time, raising her eyebrow. “You seem to have appeared out of nowhere.”
I swallow, then look up into her gentle face that reminds me so much of Harry’s, and decide to tell her the truth.
Theta is silent for a long time after I finish, having told her everything up to Harry’s rescuing me from Greld. Her eyes travel to her son, who also sits in silence, waiting for her judgment.
“Your uncle, too,” she says after a moment, “was a late alpha. It just takes one crucial moment for it to spring to the surface.” Her eyes soften. “I’m glad you’re free of that man, and I’m glad Harry found you that night in the woods. Because I think you were meant for each other.”
When she hugs me, I wonder if it might be possible again to have a family after Father.
After an appropriate visit of two days, we head home again, and I’m pleased at how well it went. I look forward to seeing her again in the future. Maybe with that ring on my finger.
Back home, we fall into a pattern of life of eating together, laughing together, and sleeping by each other’s side every night.
Now I have everything I need.
HAROLD
I am biding my time, waiting for the moment to arrive. I already have a ring chosen, which I was easily able to afford on my new wages. It’s simply a matter of time before Selene notices.
It starts at first with Selene’s nipples getting sensitive, and I must be more careful with them when I make love to her.
Her need for me every night—and often in the mornings—grows more acute.
She frowns when she eats her buttered bread and asks for odd things: pickles, sour cream, and hazelnuts, of all foods.
Her blood doesn’t come, and that’s when Selene starts to wonder.
“Perhaps,” I say gently as she puzzles over it at dinnertime, “there is another life growing inside you.”
Her brows fly high on her forehead. “Is that it?” she asks, her eyes brightening. I smile at her innocence.
“I have spent inside you many times,” I remind her. “I think there’s a good chance.”
She leaps to her feet, so I get up too, and Selene throws herself into my arms. I swing her around, kissing her face, loving her with everything I have.
Then I draw away, and Selene gazes up at me with curiosity.
“I have something for you.” I reach into my pocket, where I’ve been keeping the ring for just this purpose every day since I first had a suspicion. Her mouth falls open as I produce the box, then get down on one knee and open it in front of her.
“What?” She looks at the ring and then up at my face. “You want to marry me?”
“Of course I do.” I hold it out to her, and with all the gentleness in her heart, she takes it. “I love you. I want to be with you forever. I want to raise our children together, and—”
She silences me by bending down to kiss me. I grin against her mouth as I rise to standing, then encircle her with my arms.
“You have to put it on first.”
Selene giggles as she takes the ring out of the box and slips it on her finger. It fits perfectly, as I’d hoped, and the gemstone flashes in the light.
“Thank you,” she says, and I notice tears trailing down her cheeks. “I love you too, Harry. More than I can describe.”
That night, I take exceptional care with her, nursing her to her finish over and over, until my knot can’t bear any more. The idea of my child growing inside her, my ring on her finger, pushes me over the edge. I unleash everything I have to give.
When we’re finished, I bring her in close against my side and kiss the top of her head.
“I can’t wait to do this forever,” Selene says with a giggle.
I smile against her. “Forever starts right now.”
And then I take her again, telling her with all my soul how much she means to me.
Being pregnant appears to be uncomfortable business. Selene tries not to complain, but I see how her joints ache as her belly gets bigger with our child. She must run to the bathroom more and more often, and her feet often hurt. Her body changes, to my delight, but she is self-conscious about it.
“They’re so big now,” she says, palming her breasts, and already my cock is swelling for her. She eyes it, then me, a smile spreading across her face.
“Indeed. All the better to feed my baby with.”
When I make love to her, I try to be gentle, worried about disturbing the growing infant. But she demands more, often insisting that I fuck her instead. Then she gets on her hands and knees in front of me, her rear so delicious it makes my mouth water.
The midwife gives her instructions as the birth gets nearer, and our patient wait becomes impatient the bigger she gets. Soon, she can barely get around, and both of us worry this baby will never come.
Until the day she makes her grand entrance. The moment Selene reports a cramp in her belly, I ride to the midwife’s house to alert her. She comes along not long after, carrying a bag of supplies, and instructs me in what to do next.
There is a lot of agonized waiting as Selene cries out her pain, and there’s nothing I can do to help but hold her hand and wipe the sweat from her forehead. But then it’s over… and our daughter is beautiful, even as she wails.
The moment she enters the world, I know my happiness will now revolve around her and my wife, from now until forever.
THANK YOU FOR READING!
I hope you enjoyed Selene and Harry’s story.