37. Epilogue
Epilogue
Cozette
“… sources say the bodies of an unknown man and woman were found early this morning on the outskirts of Baton Rouge. Authorities have yet to make a statement, and the identities of the victims have yet to be released as of now. It’s unknown at this time if…”
“Uh, Ducky,” Zeke calls out, his voice higher than usual as a tinge of anxiety flickers through our bond, distracting me from the news playing on the tv.
Curious, I climb off the couch and walk down the hall towards the small room near the kitchen that they turned into a little ferret haven for Tuna, Perdi, and Luna. Zeke and Jeremiah are still slightly terrified of the little fuzzballs. Not that the three of them even care because they’re constantly chasing both men through the house, nipping at their feet. It’s hilarious to watch such big men run from something so small, and neither of my alphas appreciate the humor I find in it.
Zeke is standing near their open cage, looking in with wide eyes and parted lips. I come up to stand beside him, glancing at him curiously.
“What’s wrong?”
“I thought they were all girls,” he says, his voice breaking slightly as he continues to stare into their cozy space and my brows furrow.
When I look in, I gasp, my eyes widening as I see Luna and Perdi curled around… babies. They had kits! Quickly counting them as best as I can without reaching inside, I note there are at least ten or eleven of them in total, and my hand comes up to cover the smile spreading across my lips. A giggle still escapes me when Tuna pokes his head out of his little alcove in their other cage and stares up at Zeke with suspicious little eyes.
“That’s what I was told. I guess they were wrong,” I laugh, holding my hand out and cooing at the girls and Tuna.
Zeke makes a distressed sound in the back of his throat when Tuna slinks out of his hiding spot and comes towards me, climbing into my arms easily and burrowing into my hoodie pocket. Or, well, Manny’s hoodie pocket, I suppose I should say.
“Seems Tuna’s a little ladies’ man,” I snort, shaking my head as I stick my hand in the pocket and scratch his little head with my finger.
“What are we going to do with them all?” he whispers, his eyes still so wide that it’s comical.
“Can we keep them?” I ask with a smile, grinning when Perdi picks one of her kits up and brings it over to me in offering, melting my heart.
I hold my hand out and she places the little fuzz ball that has the finest white coat covering its little pink body. I gently run my finger over the little bean, falling in love instantly, and I look up at Zeke with big pleading eyes as I poke my lip out.
“Please? We’ll get these three spayed and neutered as soon as possible and when the babies are old enough, we’ll do the same for them so we don’t have anymore accidents. Oh, please, please, pleaseee!” I beg, unable to fathom any of these little nuggets leaving the safety of our home.
“Are ye tryin’ tae build a ferret army, Ducky?” he asks me incredulously, backing away from the cage when Luna pops her head up from where she’s curled around her litter and stares at him.
Well, now that he’s mentioned it…
“What’s going on?” Jeremiah rumbles as he cautiously walks in, glaring down at my hoodie pocket when Tuna pokes his head out with a twitch of his nose.
He stops short when he sees what’s in my hand and groans.
“What the fuck is that?” he asks with a shudder, and I narrow my eyes at him.
“It’s a kit. Isn’t it adorable? Seems Tuna isn’t a girl, and he’s quite the ladies’ man. Look, Perdi and Luna both had babies. I think there’s about ten or so,” I tell him, stepping aside once I’ve placed the kit back in with its siblings.
He doesn’t move closer, just stares into the cage with a blank expression, and I sigh.
“You’ve gotta be shitting me,” Jeremiah groans, and I pout.
“I wanna keep ‘em,” I tell him stubbornly, crossing my arms against my chest as I stare up at him head on.
Jeremiah huffs and he and Zeke look at each other, silently communicating with their eyes. As they have their silent conversation, Micah, Ridge, and Manny join us, coming to see what all the commotion is about. Ridge snorts when he sees the kits, and Manny and Micah both frown.
“Thought they were all girls,” Manny grunts, holding his hand out for Tuna when he jumps out of my pocket and scurries over to him.
Manny is definitely Tuna’s favorite out of all my alphas. Perdi and Luna are partial to Ridge, and they like everyone else, but I think they like terrorizing the others more than anything. Cute little brats that they are.
“Apparently not,” Jeremiah huffs, grimacing when I look back at him and I roll my eyes.
“Can we keep them? Please?” I ask the others, since neither Jeremiah nor Zeke answered me.
Ridge laughs and shakes his head when he steps up to the cage and both Perdi and Luna bring him one of their kits to show them off like the proud little mamas that they are.
“I don’t see why not, Smalls. We’ll have ourselves our own little ferret army,” he says with a grin, and I bounce on my toes giddily before throwing myself into his arms, ignoring Jeremiah and Zeke’s protesting groans.
“Thank you, thank you, thank you!” I squeal, squeezing him tight and laughing when Tuna jumps out of Manny’s hands and runs to one of his many tubes that he likes to hide in that are all over the floor.
Excitedly, I go back to their cage and peek back in as Zeke and Jeremiah whine to Micah and Manny as they all leave the room about the ferret hoard that’s going to take over our house. Ridge comes to stand by me to look as well, wrapping his arm around me and kissing the top of my head.
“What are we gonna name ‘em all?” he asks, and I smile up at him.
“I have a few ideas,” I say, nuzzling closer to him, inhaling his familiar scent as we exit the room, carefully shutting the door.
Ridge and I join Zeke and Jeremiah in the living room, falling into the couch beside Zeke so I’m pressed between them. I sigh in contentment, leaning my head against Zeke’s arm when he tugs me from under Ridge’s.
“Ye happy, Ducky?” he asks, whispering in my ear and I smile up at him.
“The happiest.”
These alphas have taught me that life will never be dull or terrifying as long as I have them by my side. I’m just glad they’re mine. I know that no matter what comes our way, I’ll always have them. Without even realizing it, these men did exactly what they promised. They picked my broken pieces up and put my heart back together, and bonding has only helped to fix those cracks left behind. Life couldn’t be better, and I’m the happiest I’ve ever been.
After all, omegas gotta heal.
The End