Epilogue
[RONAN]
“Why do I feel excited? I mean, waking up with a sexy werewolf pressed against me is exciting, but this feels excessive,” Harlem murmured, snuggling a little closer to Ronan’s chest.
“It’s the pack,” Ronan grumbled back, resting his head on top of Harlem’s. “They’re up to something.”
“They’re always up to something,” Harlem countered around a yawn. “I’m not done sleeping yet but it's hard to sleep when I feel so excited.”
Thankfully, Ronan could help with that. Alphas had a special kind of magic that connected them to their pack members and gave them a little power to settle if needed.
He used some of that magic on Harlem, smiling to himself when Harlem hummed happily and melted in his arms. The way it felt from each alpha was different, but he’d been told by his pack that it felt like warm water rushing through their systems, calming them down.
He kind of wished someone could do the same thing to him because he felt what Harlem was feeling too.
The pack was up to something and really freaking excited about it.
He could only stay in bed for so long before curiosity got the best of him. That, and a heavy resignation. If this turned out to be something stupid he had to deal with that dragged him away from his mate, he was going to be pissed.
Harlem made a little unhappy sound when Ronan got out of bed, which only made Ronan more irritated with his pack. They were upsetting Harlem and that wouldn’t fly.
Pulling on jeans, he didn’t bother with the rest of his clothes. If he had it his way, he’d be right back in bed once he handled whatever those idiots were up to. He trudged down the stairs, stopping short when he saw the wrapping paper across his front door.
“What the…”
Whoever was assigned to stand guard must have heard him because their muffled voice came through the paper-covered door. “Don’t come out! We’re not done yet!”
“Done with what?” he demanded, moving to the living room in an attempt to look out the front window. They’d thought of that too because it was covered in wrapping paper on the outside where he couldn’t rip it down to get it out of the way.
“It’s a surprise! Go back to bed and snuggle with your mate! We’ll let you know when you can come out!”
Yeah, not gonna happen. He didn’t trust some of his pack members. They were mischievous little shits sometimes.
Patting his pockets, he grumbled to himself when he realized he didn’t have his phone on him. He jogged back upstairs, finding Harlem sitting up in bed, blankets pooled around his waist and rocking some serious sex hair as he poked at Ronan’s phone with a frown.
“Who’s texting me?”
“Too many people,” he grumbled. “It won’t stop.”
Taking the phone, Ronan climbed in bed behind him and rested his head on top of Harlem’s again, typing in the password slowly enough that Harlem could see it for next time. He opened the group chat that was full of random nonsense that confused the hell out of him.
“What are they up to?”
“Looks like they were planning something and are now trying to hide the evidence,” Harlem murmured.
Every time he tried to scroll up to look, more messages came in, forcing him to give up.
He let out an exasperated sigh, slumping against Ronan’s chest. “I would’ve been fine staying in bed a little longer if they hadn’t woken me up with all that buzzing. ”
Chuckling, he rocked a little, trying to soothe his disgruntled mate. “Does it make me a bad person to feel happy that I’m not enduring this alone? Usually it's just me trying to corral those knuckleheads into behaving.”
Turning to straddle his lap, Harlem gifted him with a bright smile. “I like helping you. And they said to go back to bed, right? They never said what we were supposed to do in bed.” He waggled his eyebrows ridiculously, making Ronan laugh.
“I’m not opposed to a little distraction, but I’m not knotting you again until you’ve had a pain potion. I saw you wince last night.”
Harlem stuck out his tongue like the little brat he’d tried to hide for so long. Ronan wasn’t sure why. He loved it. Harlem was the only one that didn’t defer to him or immediately look to him for answers or advice. They were partners and he loved the playful brat just as he was.
They spent the morning wrapped around each other, which was honestly enough of a gift from his pack that he decided whatever mischief they were up to would be forgiven.
You know, within reason. He still remembered the attempt to make a skate ramp between two houses that led to several broken bones and structural damage to the houses that had cost a pretty penny to repair.
If they did that again, he’d be less nice about it.
He was in the kitchen cooking food for Harlem when someone knocked on the back door.
He hadn’t bothered to check it since all the windows on the first floor were covered in wrapping paper, and he was honestly surprised when it opened without someone squawking at him for peeking.
He was even more surprised to see who was on the other side.
“Kian? Dorian? What are you doing here?” Harlem beamed, hopping off the counter and rushing over for hugs. Ronan stepped aside to allow them fully into the house, peeking out the door for any clues about what was going on with no luck. They’d chosen the back door for a reason.
“We’re here for the party,” Kian said, waving a hand at Dorian. “He’s brought gifts because he can’t help himself.”
Dorian sighed, his smile all fond exasperation. “It’s polite to bring gifts to a party, dearheart. Besides, you picked out the wine.”
Leaning closer to Harlem, Kian whispered, “He tried to pick this fairy wine because it had glitter and he thought you’d like it.”
Ronan’s head whipped around, horrified. He’d heard of that wine.
“You didn’t bring any to a pack party, did you?”
Snickering, Kian shook his head. “I talked him out of it and told him to get a nice fae wine instead. It’s a good vintage and much less… lethal.”
Harlem looked between them, confused. “You don’t mean that literally, do you? Why would they sell it?”
“Not literally, baby,” Ronan confirmed, scooping him up and placing him on the counter again.
“That particular wine is known for leading to every drunken shenanigan you can think of. One cup can get a full grown demon blackout drunk. I banned that particular brand from pack land because I knew better than to expect my pack to act right.”
Kian nodded, lips pursed in agreement. “Fairies know how to have fun.” When Harlem’s lip stuck out in a pout, Kian winked at him. “I’ll order you a shot of it for your birthday. I promise that’ll be plenty for you to feel the effects without getting blackout drunk.”
Which meant Ronan would have a very drunk mate on his hands. One look at the delight on Harlem’s face and he accepted his fate. It didn’t matter what Harlem got up to. He’d always take care of him.
“Any hints on what’s going on out there?” Ronan asked the pair, offering Kian some breakfast and nodding when he waved the plate away. Some fae were particular about their food and he didn’t take offense because Kian wasn’t interested.
“Your guess is as good as mine,” Dorian answered honestly. All werewolves could tell when someone was lying, so he didn’t need to bother trying. Which only worried Ronan more. He might need to break the spirit of the fun soon just to get a rein on the situation.
[Harlem]
With their mate bond now firmly in place, Harlem could feel the tension coming off Ronan the longer they went without being in the loop of what the pack was up to.
He wanted to think it was fine, they obviously wouldn’t do anything too crazy if Ronan was nearby, but the more agitated Ronan got, the more Harlem worried.
“Did they say what this party was about?” he asked Kian, stepping in front of Ronan and cuddling close in hopes of soothing his agitation a little.
“It’s to celebrate your mating, I believe,” Dorian said, frowning at the chess board he and Kian had commandeered at one point.
They’d attempted to play some group games, but Ronan was too distracted and a bored Kian was a dangerous thing.
Chess at least kept him occupied so he wouldn’t be one more thing stressing Ronan out.
Looking up at his mate, Harlem tried to project as much reassurance as he could. “See? They wouldn’t do anything crazy if it’s a celebration for us. Right?”
Grumbling, Ronan drew him closer, resting his head on top of Harlem’s. “At first, I thought that too, but the longer I go without any information, the more I start to wonder. Plus, I’m pretty sure there’s a muffling spell on the house. It’s too damn quiet.”
Harlem hadn’t noticed that. Maybe there was a reason to worry if they couldn’t hear a single thing of what was going on.
With a sigh, Kian pushed out of his seat. “Let me go find out. If it's anything to worry about, I’ll tell you.”
Dorian snorted, raising an eyebrow at his mate. “I’m not sure I’d consider your judgment sound on what’s something to worry about, dearheart. You’re getting bored as it is.”
“How about we all go,” Ronan growled. “They can just deal with it.”
Before they could decide who was right, someone knocked on the front door and called out, “Time to come out!”
Taking his hand and lacing their fingers, Harlem smiled up at his mate. “Whatever it is, I’m sure it’s fine. Try not to growl before you find out what’s happening.”
Drawing in a breath, Ronan let it out slowly and nodded. “Alright, baby. Let’s see what those knuckleheads needed us trapped inside all day to set up.”
Kian and Dorian slipped out the back, leaving Harlem and Ronan to go through the wrapping paper covered door.
Ronan sliced through it with his claws, making Harlem go behind him just in case there were any pranks aimed at the door.
When he stopped on the front porch, Harlem peeked around him, cocking his head at the building that hadn’t been there the day before.
“What–”
Tasha shoved Axel forward, who scowled at her before giving his attention to Harlem and Ronan.
“We, uh, wanted to give you something to celebrate your mating, but you’re a notoriously difficult person to buy presents for.
” He cast a look at Harlem, winking at him.
“Good luck during the holidays with that one.”
Harlem looked up at Ronan, startled, but Axel continued before Harlem could get too distracted.
“We’ve heard you complain a few times about us hanging around and interrupting your time with Harlem. We figured you deserved your privacy now that you were mated, so…” He gestured awkwardly behind him. “Welcome to The Lodge.”
“You had a building put up… for our mating?” Ronan asked, confused.
“Think of it like a rec room,” Emmett offered.
“We’ve got more stuff coming for it, but for now it’s got plenty of places to sit and hang out, some tables and places to eat.
The kitchen isn’t as fancy as what you’ve got but it’ll work and it’ll keep people out of your fridge stealing your food.
” He paused with a frown. “Maybe. Don’t quote me on that.
Depends on what you have for leftovers.”
Snorting, Tasha shook her head. “It’s a place to gather that isn’t your living room, giving you the time and space you deserve to focus on your mate.
We’ve all felt how much happier you are with him in your life.
We want to make sure that connection stays healthy and gets the attention it deserves. ”
Happy tears filled Harlem’s eyes as he studied the building.
There wasn’t much to it, four walls painted a sage green with a flat roof on top.
There was lumber off to one side that made him think more was to come for the building, but considering the building hadn’t been there the day before, they had to use some serious magic to get this much done in a single day.
It meant a lot that they were willing to go to that much trouble just to ensure Ronan and Harlem got their alone time.
He’d never felt that supported in his life.
Like he could feel the emotions coming off him, and he likely could, Ronan put an arm around Harlem, drawing him against his side as he spoke to the pack.
“Thank you. This means a lot. You know I’m always around if you need to talk, but I appreciate you making sure my mate gets all the time and attention he deserves. ”
The pack cheered and whistled, and it wasn’t long before they were ushered into the building that still smelled like paint and freshly cut wood.
There were couches of every shape, size, color, and age taking up most of the space, an absolutely enormous TV against one wall, a play area for toddlers in one corner, and a kitchenette large enough to feed the whole pack near the door.
It was a little chaotic, but then again, so was the pack.
Only a group of werewolves would decide to gift their alpha a rec room for their mating gift.
“I understand now why you were so anxious,” Harlem whispered as they took a moment to themselves.
Several grills had been dragged in front of the lodge and a cookout was being set up with more food than Harlem had ever seen before.
Kian was ushered into a gaming competition and Dorian watched on with a smile, talking amongst the pack like he was just as much part of it as Harlem was.
And if Harlem had anything to say about it, he would be. He’d deal with that later, though.
Chuckling, Ronan nuzzled the top of Harlem’s head.
“They’re not so bad. And as insane as this idea was, and as much as I wish they would’ve consulted me first, their hearts were in the right place.
” Shifting his body so he was pressed against Harlem’s back, he wrapped his arms around Harlem’s shoulders.
“Werewolf packs are the most tight knit families in the world. And this pack is yours. Welcome home, baby. We’re all glad you’re here. ”