Epilogue I — Trinity
EPILOGUE I
_____________
TRINITY
TWO WEEKS LATER
Isat between my friends on top of a picnic table, observing the area in front of Cream Dream. It was pretty much our three packs and a few other people. They were mingling, which was good because they were going to see a lot of each other.
Ocean leaned in and whispered. “My husbands are going to have fun tormenting Aiden for the rest of our lives, you know that?”
I snorted and took a bite of my cock waffle. “Trust me, he has the ability to torment them right back. And they’ll never know about it. But yeah, I think they’ll be in some sort of battle forever.”
Cade and Bastian were locked in conversation. The last time I checked, it was about something kinky. Theo, Logan, and Vaughn were fast friends, being obsessed with all things water, and the rest had broken into other conversations.
Isolde laid her head on my shoulder. “You started all of this, you know.”
“And how did I do that?”
Ocean finished the last bite of her waffle and playfully shoved me. “Do you not remember the whole ‘risking your career by breaking your non-disclosure agreement’ so you could hook Isolde up with the guys?”
“Well, yeah.” I took a bite and still kept trying to talk. “But that didn’t have anything to do with your pack, Ocean. Or mine, really.”
“Still. For all of us, we all had moments where we needed each other, and it started with you. You saw what I wasn’t saying, and you pushed me in a way that changed my life. So thank you.”
I teared up, and I didn’t want to cry right now. Crying was still too common, especially in the meetings I’d had with my new therapist. “Sorry, I think I got something in my eye.”
They both laughed, and I joined in.
“What’s so funny?” Aiden asked, approaching with Everett, Ocean’s husband.
“Isolde was just saying how her pack could kick our pack’s ass in volleyball.”
She gasped. “Bitch, I did not.”
“You were thinking it.”
“Well… I mean, it is true, but I wouldn’t say it.”
Aiden began rolling up his shirt sleeves. “If you’re that convinced, then let’s play for money.”
“Aiden, you’re in a dress shirt and slacks.”
He fixed me with a stare I knew meant delicious trouble for me later. “And?”
“And Isolde is a champion volleyball player.”
“I’m not hearing a lot of trust in your Alpha, violet.”
Hawk came over and slung his arm around Isolde’s shoulders. “I heard the words play for money, baby girl. What are we doing?”
“Pack Breaker thinks they can beat our pack in volleyball,” Isolde said.
Her Alpha scoffed. “We could beat you and the DuPonts together.”
Cameron pointed at him. “You’re on.”
I groaned. “You’ve done it now.”
Aiden leaned in and kissed me. “Every point our team scores is one time I’m not going to let you finish before I drive you absolutely mad, so you better hope we lose.”
Leaning back on the picnic table, I let my gaze run up and down his body, allowing him to feel my appraisal through our bond. “Do your worst.”
All the guys were already down on the beach, surrounding one of the standing volleyball nets, talking shit to each other. Isolde was with her pack, never one to miss out on volleyball.
“I guess we should go observe?”
Ocean looped her arm through mine. “We’ll be the scorekeepers. Sounds like you’re going to need one.”
My entire body blushed, and Ocean giggled.
“I’m just teasing. You already know way too much about my sex life.”
“Think our Alphas know how much we tell each other?” We settled onto the beach. The sun was setting, and the sand was that perfect baked temperature to dig your toes in.
“I think if they did, they’d be more competitive than they already are.”
“You’re not wrong.”
Brooks caught my eye and winked at me. It felt like he stroked a finger down our bond. I would never get tired of it.
“These are the new bracelets?”
“One set of them, yeah.” I wore both netting ones today.
“They’re gorgeous.”
“Tanzanite,” I said. “I’m a little obsessed.”
Cinder was too. She loved her sparkly collar, and I swore I caught her looking at it while she was attacking her own reflection in my floor-length mirror.
Ocean nudged me with her elbow. “We’re really lucky, huh?”
Every tiny chance and decision that could have led me away from my pack slipped through my mind.
The before and after was so stark it felt like the difference between monochrome and color.
It was more than luck. All three of us had worked for where we were and had faced our own demons. But she was right.
“Yeah,” I said. “I think we are.”
Our team lost. Badly. The DuPonts had more fun trying to keep the ball away from Aiden than trying to score actual points, which was good for me. I talked a big game, but I didn’t want Aiden holding back my orgasms. I preferred him turning me into a puddle, both literally and figuratively.
The sun had nearly set when the game broke apart. Ocean’s Alphas dragged her away, mentioning something about glowing water that made her blush. Maybe there were more things she hadn’t told me. I would get it out of her later.
Cade approached me with Isolde and smiled. “So, was I right?”
“What are you talking about?”
He chuckled. “Do you remember what I said to you at the party? On the day we met Isolde?”
So much had happened since then, I had to throw my memory all the way back. Suddenly the scene came to me.
“One of these days, Trinity, someone’s going to put you in your place, and I can’t wait to see it."
“What the fuck is that supposed to mean?”
“It means he’ll be the one who can handle you, and he—or they—will be the only ones you let do it.”
My mouth dropped open. I’d completely forgotten about that until now.
Isolde nearly collapsed into laughter. “I don’t think there’s a way to deny that one, Rin.”
I held back my own giggles and shook my head, not wanting to lose the battle, but unable to lie. “Yeah. You were right.”
“Good. You helped us with our happiness, we all wanted you to have yours.” He looked at Isolde. “Remember this the next time you try to tell me I’m wrong about something.”
She rolled her eyes and grinned. “Sure, sure. That’s definitely what’s going to happen.”
“You know, I think I have some rope in the car…”
I laughed. “Get a room.”
Cade kissed my friend before taking her away from me down the sand. Isolde turned and waved, even as he threw her over his shoulder. “Bye!”
Bastian came over to where I still sat on the sand as the others put away the volleyballs and picked up the last of the trash. “Ready?”
“What for?”
He scooped me up off the sand and cradled me close, nuzzling my head with his. “To go home.”
For a long time, I thought I’d always hate that word. It meant panic and fear and pain. Now, it was everything. Peace, safety, love, and a very adorable gray cat.
“Yeah,” I said. “I’m ready.”