Epilogue 1
Effie Harlow
Two months later…
So much had changed in what felt like so little time.
In a matter of a few weeks, my entire world had been altered.
Much like the end of winter, a fresh spring breeze had rolled in, bringing with it a new start not just for myself but for the whole of the supernatural community.
My gaze moved to the muted news playing out on the television, my lips pulling up into a small smile.
It probably shouldn’t have been amusing, but following the three nights of colorful stars soaring through the sky as the guardians traveled the globe, the humans had come up with an array of theories on what had happened, everything from aliens to foreign military technology.
They never came remotely close to the truth, and it was interesting watching it play out.
Although, truth be told, I hadn’t been very focused on what was going on outside of our small family for at least a month now, especially once we’d started planning this wedding.
Well, I hadn’t actually done much of the planning myself, instead handing it off to Aanya who’d asked to be my wedding planner—a job I hadn’t fathomed the existence of until she told me everything she could do to help.
Considering it meant hanging out with my two friends, especially since she and Ruby were bridesmaids, I didn’t hesitate to say yes.
And now, a month later, the big day was here.
I sat at the vanity in a bridal suite as a nice woman curled and twisted my hair into an intricate style, adding delicate wildflowers here and there.
I had to admit, while I didn’t understand the process of planning a wedding, Aanya had managed to capture exactly what I wanted.
The wedding had a blue and purple color theme and featured wildflowers for all the centerpieces alongside candles.
Even my dress had embroidered flowers on it that added a bit of color to the ivory garment.
I hadn’t even tried any other dresses on after seeing this one—I had known immediately that this was ‘the one’ for me, and I’d wanted my bridesmaids to feel the same, telling them to pick any dresses they wanted.
Ruby had chosen a stunning royal blue and Anya a bright pink, both of them somehow matching the theme perfectly while looking exactly like themselves.
It was a balance I had entirely my friend to thank—just like how she’d found the venue, which was my favorite element of this event so far.
Since we now lived in London, we’d decided to hold the wedding about two hours south, on an estate in Hampshire.
Bright spring flowers bloomed all around, bringing color to the mansion’s stone exterior.
There was even a farm and equestrian center attached, making the past few days here an absolute adventure and at the same time very relaxing.
We’d rented the entire property, so it had just been my mates, myself, and our family and friends since Monday, and after the chaos of everything that had been going on, it was exactly what I needed. I think it was what my mates had needed as well.
In the past when I thought about our wedding, I hadn’t considered what we would do about our families attending.
I mean, I had liked the idea of my parents being there, but I also knew there had been a lot of hurt between my mates and their families, so I’d been hesitant to ask their opinions on it.
Luckily, before my mates had even proposed to me, their families seemed to understand that the tide was changing, and the value they put on their relationships with their sons began to outweigh the hurt from the past.
Tore’s father and mother had traveled to London to visit us the first week after we arrived, something my mate hadn’t initially been happy about because they’d come during a chaotic time when we were still settling in and making changes to the property, like adding a greenhouse on the top floor.
But once the four of us sat down to talk and they’d had an open and honest conversation about what had happened when his sister died, even apologizing for their lack of action, the tone changed completely.
They’d even invited us back to the pack lands for the memorial they were planning to honor his sister.
One that her mate’s family had completely funded, writing a letter to Tore that I hadn’t chosen to read.
I could tell though that whatever they’d said had shifted something in my mate’s mindset and feelings over it because he’d accepted his parents’ invitation for this summer, meaning that we’d all be taking a trip stateside following the wedding.
That wasn’t the only reason we were going back, though.
After a few conversations with Catori, Dakota decided to talk to his father on a video call, and what I’d assumed would be a short call had ended up lasting nearly five hours.
While I hadn’t been there the entire time, I’d checked in on him often, and each time he seemed more and more relaxed, making me know it’d been the right choice.
And that was even before I heard about the decision they’d come to.
Dakota was going to be part of a ceremony to give up his spot as the next alpha of the pack, abdicating in favor of his sister, Catori.
I hadn’t been able to contain my glee at the announcement because while I didn’t know her super well, it was clear she loved their pack and had been thrilled at the turn of events.
Apparently though, because of the type of wolves they were, there was an actual ceremony they had to do to un-bond Dakota from the position and give it to Catori—so I was going to have the opportunity to not only see where Tore had grown up, but also Dakota.
Between those trips and the honeymoon we had planned, this summer was going to be very busy.
“Mom, she’s fine,” Aanya grumbled as Ryder’s mom appeared in the bridal suite, interrupting my thoughts.
Ruby looked up from where she was slipping into her dress before offering Aanya’s mom a small smile.
I may have had my…issues with Ryder’s family, but that didn’t extend to his parents.
They’d both announced that they were moving to London the minute we had chosen to, and I think they hoped Aanya would do the same when she was done with school.
“I just wanted to check, do you need anything?” she asked, her warm gaze making me smile.
“I think I’m good,” I assured her. “Has everyone arrived?”
“Yes,” she huffed while sitting down.
“Even grandpa?” Aanya asked in surprise.
She was leaned over, getting close to the mirror as she applied her own lipstick, much to the frustration of her makeup artist. My friend was particular about certain things, so it didn’t really surprise me that she wanted to do the finishing touches herself.
Plus, the makeup artist had spent two hours on my face, so maybe she would view it as a break? One could hope.
“We all knew he and your uncle wouldn’t miss it.” Ryder’s mom pursed her lips and shook her head. “The man is all pride and ego.”
It wasn’t something I’d understood fully until she’d taken the time to explain why exactly she’d returned to Kyoto with Ryder’s father to live there…
and honestly, it had been eye-opening. Apparently Ryder’s grandfather had been sick for nearly three years now and hadn’t told anyone except his uncle—who of course had told Ryder’s parents.
While none of them really agreed with how he ran things, they also hadn’t wanted him to be alone in his final years, so they’d stayed by his side.
Well, until recently.
At the sudden change in dynamics after the appearance of the guardians on Earth, Ryder’s grandfather panicked and began to try to exert control over his family once again.
It had bothered me enough that my parents noticed something was wrong, and his grandfather had received a personal visit from my father.
I wasn’t there for the conversation, but from what I’d been told, he reminded the kitsune leader of where his power originated from and essentially threatened that if he chose not to change with the times and accept that kitsune were a part of society rather than at the top of it, the guardians would bring him in for his own hearing.
The change in tone had been almost immediate, Samson’s visit serving as the wake-up call it was.
That talk had taken place only a week ago, and already we were seeing the results in action.
He had come to our wedding, and I had to believe that was a positive sign.
After all, even my own parents, alongside Alcuin, had been here for the past week, something that I think everyone was getting used to.
I mean, it wasn’t often you went on vacation with the three creators of the universe…
although it was hard for me to think of them like that, especially as I spent more time with them.
“Completely accurate. But the little talk Samson had with him seems to have worked,” my mom said, appearing out of nowhere and echoing my thoughts. “Oh, Effie—you look absolutely stunning, honey.”
“Thanks, Mona.” I stood and gave her a big hug after my hair was finally finished.
That was just one more element that had shifted—the closeness to my parents.
I hadn’t known what to expect after leaving the divine realm, but my parents had come to visit us twice during the first month, and after that we started to have dinner weekly.
They never just appeared, they always called ahead—which was sort of funny in its own right—but they were trying to respect our boundaries, and I appreciated that a ton.
Adjusting to living with my mates had been much easier than I had even considered—probably because we’d been living together from the start…
And well, having so much alone time together was amazing.
I moved my thoughts from that as my cheeks flushed pink.
Now was totally not the time to think about what we’d been up to in our alone time, let alone this morning with Caedmon and then with Julian right before coming here to get ready…
“Alright, let’s get you into this dress!
” Ruby said, pulling out the garment. Its shape was mermaid style with long sleeves, elegant while still making me feel sexy and beautiful.
As my friends helped me put on my dress, zipping up the form-fitting material, I couldn’t help but appreciate the way it clung to my curvy frame. One that I had come to love completely.
“Beautiful!” my mom said softly. “I love that dress—it’s so perfect for you.”
A small meow had me giggling as I looked over to see Misty seemingly agreeing with my mom.
When I’d said everyone was here for the wedding to support us, I hadn’t been lying—even Misty was here.
I was excited for the ceremony and the reception, to celebrate the love I had for my mates, but what I was even more excited for?
The big news I had to share with my mates once we were on our honeymoon.
Before, I’d been nervous about starting a family and having kids because of everything going on…
but not anymore. This world was a much safer place now, and I knew that my mates would always protect our family from any threats that remained.
Our soon to be growing family.
A knock on the door had me looking over as my dad stepped through and offered me a soft smile. “You ready, little moon?”
“Absolutely.”
I was ready for everything the future would bring.