Epilogue
MAX
Someone was watching me.
A thrill zipped up my spine. Standing in the blue light of the Plover Bay aquarium, I felt eyes drag down my body, heating my skin.
“Let’s play a guessing game!” the docent next to me said. She had a gaggle of children—including Enzo—all gathered around a large, circular tank filled with beautiful, pulsing jellyfish. “How much water do you think these jellies are made of?”
The din of their voices faded into the background as I scanned the room. Considering we were surrounded by spectacular aquatic views on all sides, my staring didn’t look out of place, but I wasn’t paying attention to the fish.
A dark figure shifted in the shadow cast between two aquarium exhibits. Concealed by decorative faux rock and an informative sign displaying all sorts of facts about coral reefs, the corner was easily overlooked.
It was the perfect place for someone who liked to silently watch to go unnoticed.
I pretended not to see the alpha hiding in the shadows, and slowly circled the room, taking in the magnificent display.
Pausing just out of reach of the hidden alcove, I attempted to look very interested in the giant sawfish swimming overhead, its serrated teeth making it look more like a prehistoric dinosaur rather than something that existed in the modern day.
“Spectacular, aren’t they?” a voice laced with velvet night whispered in my ear.
I sucked in a breath when a hot body pressed up against me from behind, and I was enveloped in the scent of copper and ozone.
Before I had a chance to respond, a strong arm banded around my middle and yanked me into that dark alcove, tucked away from prying eyes. My back hit the wall with an oof.
“Don’t scream,” my attacker whispered, lips hovering just above mine. Only the glint of his icy blue eyes was visible in the gloom. “We wouldn’t want to scare the children.”
“Unhand me,” I whispered back, attempting to squirm away when he pressed me further into the wall. “I’m a mated man.”
A low chuckle rumbled out of him. “Are you sure about that?”
“Very,” I breathed, tipping my chin back, inviting him to inspect the evidence.
He obeyed my silent request and nipped at the faint scar on my neck. “Well then, whoever they are, they shouldn’t have left you all alone smelling so delicious. I couldn’t help myself.”
His hard thigh pressed between my legs, grinding against me, and my eyes rolled back.
“Atlas,” I gasped, ending our little game. “Not here. I have to go back out there soon. It’s almost time to feed the octopus.”
My mate pressed a kiss to my neck, and then to my lips, lingering there. “Seeing as I’m the one doing the demonstration, I suppose I need to go, too,” he said with a sigh.
“Duty calls,” I said in a sing-song voice.
He kissed me one more time and stepped back to adjust himself in the gloom. Once we were both presentable, we popped back out into the blue light, as if we’d never left.
“Uncle Atty!” Enzo said, running over and taking him by the hand. “Did you know octopuses have three hearts? And their blood is blue!”
Atlas walked with him, leading the children over to the octopus exhibit, very serious in his discussion of new animal facts with his nephew. Somehow, he looked just as at home in his bright blue Plover Bay Aquarium polo and jeans as he did in all black.
Warm familiarity burned in my chest. I loved the duality of knowing Atlas, and of being mated to him.
His octopus feeding demonstration was a blast. I grinned the whole time watching him interact with the children and share his love for the animals. He was a natural with kids.
The reality of having our own children still terrified him. Sometimes he’d startle awake from a nightmare he could only tell me about in whispers, huddled together in the dark.
But someday, when we were both ready, it would happen. Someday, I’d give my alpha what he so clearly yearned for—what he deserved.
Happiness. A family. Long summer nights dancing with the fireflies and eating homemade ice cream. We’d do it all.
Our paths may have never crossed on their own. I had to be pulled into the darkness first. But now, I couldn’t imagine it any other way. There was no reality I longed for that didn’t have him in it.
Peering over at me, he smiled and winked.
My Masked Man.
My Atlas.
My mate.
The End