Epilogue - Dawson
Three Months Later
“Happy birthday to Gio! Happy birthday to you!” Yvonne and I cheer in unison, erupting in a series of claps as our son blows out the six candles on his birthday cake.
He’s beaming from ear to ear as he leans back while Yvonne proceeds to cut the first slice of his chocolate and pecan cake.
“You’re growing up well, Champ,” I wink as I gently pat his back. “I think it’s time to start learning how to be an alpha.”
“Not yet,” Yvonne warns with a lighthearted chuckle. “He still has a long way to go until he receives his wolf.”
“Twelve years long time!” Gio pouts as he crosses his arms, and I shrug to show that, despite my eagerness, his mother has a point.
The rest of the night drags on with Gio opening his gifts, his favorite being the one Elias and Aurora sent over—the Gio-sized elephant that he plans on keeping beside his bed.
I haven’t figured out what his fixation with elephants means, but I’m guessing it’s tied to his mother’s link to the ancient tribes.
All that matters is that this year, I get to celebrate his birthday with him after missing five of them, and even his birth.
We’d decided to have an intimate party between just the three of us since it’s our first one, and there’ll be many more that will be celebrated with the other members of the pack.
Even Gio seems happy to have both his parents with him, and doesn’t want to let go of either of us when it’s time to go to bed.
Yvonne and I bounce off each other when we tell him a bedtime story, and as much as he’s trying to fight his sleep, it comes eventually, and Yvonne and I tiptoe out of the room.
I take Yvonne’s hand and lead her outside, where we stand on the porch and watch the moon glowing in the sky. Standing behind her, I wrap my arms around her chest and prop my chin on her shoulder, enjoying the private time between us.
The daylight hours have increased in Alaska, and the sun sets a little later than before, keeping the air warm in the evenings. My mate and I have been enjoying our nights out on the porch until it’s time to retreat for the night.
Yvonne sighs, leaning her cheek on my arm. “It’s time, Dawson…” she whispers as she turns her face slightly, so her eyes meet mine. “I can feel it.”
I take a deep breath as I process her claim.
It’s been two months since we faced the demons in Girdwood, and things have been quiet ever since the one that survived got away.
We haven’t had any reports of demon dog attacks in the vicinity of Alaska since then, but we’re always alert, waiting for it to come for us.
On the evening of the fight against the demons, Yvonne had a vision that showed her there were four witches required to help Alpha Elias’s child defeat the underworld for good.
One of those witches turned out to be Rissa, the pack healer, but Yvonne was warned that it wasn’t time, and that she’d know when the right time came to reveal this information to the others.
Rissa doesn’t know she’s a witch, much like Yvonne, who didn’t know until she became pregnant.
If she says it’s time, it means her intuition is calling her to announce it to the pack council—something we’ve been hiding from them ever since she had the vision.
I nod slowly and return to gazing at the moon when I say, “There’ll be a meeting tomorrow night. We can let them know about your vision then.”
Yvonne nods. “How do you think Brooks is gonna react when he finds out that he was with Rissa?”
I chuckle, then clear my throat before making my best impression of Brooks’s grumpy face. “What?!” I mimic his voice. “Me? What do I have to do with this? Who’s Rissa?”
Yvonne playfully stabs her elbow in my ribs, catching me off guard as she turns around. I act as if I’m hurt, pressing a hand to the spot she’d nudged, but she giggles so sweetly that I’m compelled to grab her waist and pull her toward me.
Yvonne hums in contemplation as she wraps her arms around my neck. “Brooks isn’t gonna take it well, is he?”
“Probably not,” I click my tongue. “But he’ll have no choice but to accept his fate eventually. None of us has the will to fight the fated mate phenomenon when it latches onto us.”
“I did, but it’s probably ‘cause I’m a witch,” Yvonne smirks, prompting me to chuckle.
“And how did that work out for you?” I snicker as I lean in.
“Well, it got you all worked up, didn’t it?” Yvonne giggles seductively as she raises one brow.
“Well, I’m all worked up right now,” I drawl as I tease her lips with mine, lightly brushing them but not kissing her yet.”
“Since the meeting is only tomorrow night…” Yvonne purrs, her eyes turning heady with lust. “We should make the most of tonight.”
Wiggling my brows, a mischievous smirk curls my lips. “Hm … Mommy and Daddy need to celebrate on their own, huh?”
“Dawson!” Yvonne slaps my chest, but giggles shyly as she blushes.
I press a promising kiss to her lips before taking her hand and leading her back inside, sliding the door closed with caution not to make a sound as I eagerly anticipate the pleasures tonight will bring.
When we enter our bedroom, I close the door gently and turn to her, sparing a moment before we embark on bodily pleasures.
“Thank you for giving birth to our son,” I say earnestly as I hold her hands in mine. “I may not have been there, but I promise to make up for it for the rest of our lives.”
“Oh, Dawson!” Yvonne sighs as she steps closer, her eyes filling with emotion as she stares into my soul. “I love you so much!”
“I love you too, Yvie,” I reply as I lean in and kiss her, sweeping her off her feet in every way possible as I carry her to the bed.
We may not know what the future holds, but we have right now, and we make the most of every minute we get to spend together. Whatever is meant to happen with the demon dogs from the underworld, we’ll get to face it together, too, and that’s all that matters.
For now, all I want to do is ravish my mate. It’s something I’ll never get tired of, for the rest of our lives.
Together.
*****
THE END