Epilogue
GRAY
The automatic doors hiss open to release me into the crisp mountain air. This shift has completely drained me. I need a nap.
It's been a year since I officially joined the staff of Glenwood Springs Hospital, a year since I traded the high-stakes chaos of Denver's ER for the close-knit community of Sweet Creek Falls. I've had a pretty long night, and I'm beyond tired, but I don't regret it for a second.
My phone buzzes in my pocket as I walk to my truck. It's a text from Maggie, who left the clinic in Sweet Creek for the head nurse job here six months ago. Weekend off. Don't even think about calling in unless someone's actually dying. And even then, think twice.
I can't help but smile. She's a force of nature, and I have a feeling she's going to be running this place long before any of the old-timers retire.
I'm still grinning as I drive to the small apartment we got near the Bluejay. It's not much, a two-bedroom unit above a hardware store with a view of the parking lot, but we're making it work.
After the last heat, when we had to shut down the café for three days to keep the scent from driving the entire town into a frenzy, we knew we needed a place of our own.
A den. A space where we could be ourselves, where Mara could be as loud and as needy as she wanted without worrying about eavesdropping neighbors or curious tourists.
I unlock the door and step inside. The first thing I hear is a moan—a soft, breathy sound that sends a jolt straight to my groin. I follow the sound to the living room, and my mouth goes dry.
Mara is on the couch, her head thrown back, her body arched in pleasure. Leo is kneeling on the floor in front of her, still in his ski suit from a day on the slopes, his face buried between her thighs. He's completely focused, his movements a masterful dance that has her writhing beneath him.
"Someone's busy," I say, a low, teasing rumble.
Leo looks up, his face glistening with her slick, a wicked grin spreading across his lips. "Gray! Perfect timing. I was just about to ask if you got the documents."
"Got them right here," I say, patting my coat pocket. The official dissolution papers for Mara's contract, signed, sealed, and delivered. A clean break. A fresh start.
Mara straightens, her face flushed and beautiful, a lazy, satisfied smile on her lips. "What documents?" she asks, her voice husky.
"Just a little legal housekeeping," Daniel says, walking in from the kitchen. He's loosening his tie, his eyes already dark with desire as he looks at her. "We were thinking of taking you to New York for your birthday. Show you the city. A proper celebration."
A flicker of concern crosses her face, a shadow of the old fear that still haunts her. A reminder of the protection order against her ex-pack, which only covers her here.
"What if they find me there?" she asks, her voice small. "What if they try to take me back?"
Daniel walks over to her, cupping her cheek in his large hand, his thumb stroking her skin. "We'll keep you safe," he says in a low, possessive growl. "I swear it. I'd burn down the whole damn city before I let them touch you. Don't you believe me?"
"I do," she says, melting into his touch, her body already leaning into his. "I know you can. And I love you for it." She looks from him to me, her eyes soft and trusting.
"Good," I say, a slow smile spreading across my face. "Then it's settled. New York it is."
The other guys are smiling, a silent, shared understanding passing between us. Daniel pulls the tie free of his collar, slow and deliberate. Leo finally gets up from the floor, shrugging off his ski jacket. We're all moving toward her, a single, unified force drawn by her gravity.
She has no idea of what's coming. She has no idea that Leo has a ring for her in his pocket, a simple silver band with a deep green sapphire shot through with gold that will bring out her eyes.
She has no idea that Daniel has been meticulously planning a trip to New York, complete with reservations at the best restaurants and tickets to a Broadway show.
She has no idea that I have a velvet box in my bag, a matching ring of my own, waiting for the perfect moment to ask her to be our wife, our Omega, the center of our world.
I can't wait to see her face when we ask. I can't wait to hear her say yes. Because I know she will. We're a pack. We're a family.
And we belong together.
THE END