Epilogue

~~~♡•☆•♡~~~

Marcus receives an urgent letter and immediately calls his king.

The envelope bears a unique symbol, the exact mark Matthias has been drawing for centuries, but says nothing about it.

“Bring it to me,” Matthias commands over the phone.

Marcus moves fast, arriving at the pack in less than twenty minutes.

Upstairs, Cassian quietly steps out of Angela's bedroom.

He just put his wife, Sophie, and their newborn baby boy to sleep.

An hour after giving birth, Angel had fully recovered and insisted she wanted to be discharged.

Cassian prepared her a needed warm bath, and the goddess knew how hard it was for him to keep his hands to himself.

She smelled so intoxicating.

Afterward, he fed her, then he fed the baby, and then Sophie insisted that he feed her too.

For the past two hours since Angel was discharged, Cassian has been running around playing doting father and husband, not even getting a single second to rest.

Now that his family is finally asleep, he walks downstairs only to see the letter Marcus brought.

He reads the words, and his forehead creases.

Melinda.

It is always Melinda.

He can't believe she was the one behind Matthias's abduction all those centuries ago.

And now, according to the letter, she is planning a sudden, surprise attack on his pack at dawn.

“Your call, Father,” Matthias says, a dark, wicked grin spreading across his face. “What if we give them a surprise they will never forget?”

Cassian smirks, the Alpha inside him roaring to life.

“Try to keep up then.”

Before they leave, Cassian makes sure to station top elite guards around the house, ensuring Angela safety, and Pamela stays to make sure she has everything she needs if she wakes up.

Then, father and son sprint off.

~~~

Cassian's blood runs cold the moment he enters the lycan courtroom doors. He is too late.

The king lies dead on the floor.

Rage takes over.

Cassian moves in a blur, driving his clawed hand straight into Melinda’s back, puncturing her chest.

Matthias follows, his sharp claws ripping her head off and tossing it away like trash.

“No!” Lucious screams.

He looks up and sees two identical versions of Cassian standing there, both with blood all over their hands.

For a moment he believes he is hallucinating. But when he drops his father’s head and reaches down to touch Melinda’s cold cheek, reality hits him like a freight train.

“Ahhhhh!” he shouts, getting to his feet. “You killed her! You fucking killed her!”

“I will kill you!” Lucious shrieks, his bones cracking as his clothes shred. He shifts mid-air into a massive, snarling wolf and charges straight at them.

Cassian moves, and Matthias follows. They blur right past each side of Lucious’ wolf and stop in front of the throne.

Lucious’ wolf lands on his paws, instantly spinning around to continue the massacre. But the moment his body completes the turn, his body splits apart.

He has been cut in half.

The speed of their coordinated strike had sliced him perfectly in two before his nerves could even register the pain.

The wolf collapses into a bloody heap, forced to shift back into his human form.

Lucious lies there with a huge, bloody hole in his chest. He blinks through the spreading darkness, looks up, and sees his own heart in Cassian’s hand.

Cassian stands there, his fingers wrapped tightly around a still-beating heart.

“Angela is mine!” Cassian roars.

He crushes Lucious' heart into pieces, and Lucious dies instantly.

All the court officials watching the brief, brutal battle drop to their knees, bowing their heads in submission to Cassian.

Cassian transforms into a massive, nine-foot Lycan; he throws his head back and howls so loud that the stone walls shake.

“Hail the new king!” the officials roar in unison.

One year later…

Angela walks down the lush, green path of the lycan palace gardens, a bright, beautiful smile on her face.

The fertility curse on vampires is gone, as Matthias' fiancée got pregnant after 5 decades together; the enemies are dust, and peace has finally settled over their lives.

“Mommy! Wait for me!”

Angela turns around, laughing as Sophie sprints down the stone walkway.

Ahead, Matthias is carrying his one-year-old baby brother, the baby giggling and trying to tug on Matthias's ear.

Matthias doesn't even look annoyed. He just smiles down at the toddler, his posture relaxed and happy.

He has completely embraced his role as a big brother, and the bond between him and his parents is stronger than ever.

Maya, his fiancée, comes to stop beside them and demands playfully.

“How is my cute brother-in-law?”

The baby smiles and reaches out, demanding to be held by her.

“Okay, that's definitely a girl you're carrying.” Cynthia tells Maya, joining the group, Virus at her side holding their six-month-old daughter.

Maya smiles happily, rubbing her stomach.

“A little girl, oh goddess, that will be very nice,” she comments, and Mathias says,

“I told you to just confirm the gender.”

She shakes her head,

“I want to be surprised. You know how much I love surprises.”

Mathias nods in understanding.

“You guys are going to tire him out before the celebration even starts,” Angela teases, walking over and taking the baby from Matthias's arms.

She presses a sweet kiss to her youngest son's chubby cheek.

“Impossible,” Matthias chuckles, adjusting his royal jacket. “He has Father's energy. He doesn't sleep.”

Angela's cheeks turn hot at that.

Cassian indeed doesn't let her sleep; she wonders where all that stamina comes from.

“Hey, I heard that.”

A pair of strong, familiar arms wrap around Angela’s waist from behind.

Cassian pulls her back against his broad chest, burying his face into the crook of her neck. He inhales deeply, completely drunk on her scent just like he is every single day.

“You're late, King Cassian,” Angela whispers, tilting her head back to look up at her husband.

“The elders wanted to talk about taxes,” Cassian murmurs, kissing her jaw softly before looking at his children.

Sophie is currently trying to show Matthias how to do a cartwheel on the grass, and Matthias is actually cheering her on.

Cassian looks at his wife, his eyes filled with a fierce, deep devotion that survived two centuries of pain, separation, and death.

They lost so much in their past lives, but the goddess gave them a second chance, and they didn't waste a single bit of it.

“I love you, my fallen angel,” Cassian says softly, his hand resting over hers.

Angela smiles, her heart completely full as she looks at the beautiful family they built together.

“I love you too, Cassian. In every lifetime.”

They kiss, a deep, lingering moment that has everyone around them breaking into a warm round of applause.

“Hope we're not late,” Pamela's voice cuts through the clapping.

“Grandma!” Sophie squeals, sprinting down the path. She throws her arms around Pamela for a tight hug, her eyes already darting over to Lucien, who is holding hands with Kyle.

Sophie pulls back, her hands on her hips.

“Where is my gift?”

Pamela chuckles, shaking her head as she hands over a brightly colored bag. Sophie tears into it, letting out a loud cheer the second she sees what's inside.

“Lucien, come on, let's go play,” she yells, waving her new toy.

Lucien smiles, nodding eagerly.

“Okay.”

“How is my birthday boy?” Pamela asks, walking over to Angela and gently scooping the baby into her arms. “Happy birthday, Elliot,” she says.

The baby blinks up at her, bubbles parting his lips as he forms the word.

“Nanna.”

The entire garden goes dead silent, and everyone gasps in total shock.

“Did he just say grandma?” Pamela exclaims in excitement.

“Yes,” Angela laughs, wiping a tear.

“Mhmm,” Cassian hums, wrapping his arm tighter around his wife.

“He did,” Matthias says, smiling down at his fiancée.

“Oh,” Kyle breathes, grinning from ear to ear.

THE END.

~~~

Book two continues…

…~…

Thank you to all my lovely readers for reading this book. This journey wasn't easy, but your comments, reviews and support encouraged me to successfully complete this book. Thank you all.

I love and cherish you all!

~~~

Caroline:

~~~

“Oh my goddess!” I squeal, panic surging within me, as someone bumps into me, sending the tray of appetizers crashing to the floor with a resounding clang while the food scatters across the marble.

Tears instantly well in my eyes, my body trembling with the dread of what is to come as I look up at the person who has caused me such a great ordeal.

And it was none other than Victoria, one of Britney's lackeys. However, before I could even open my mouth, she dropped to the floor, screaming.

“Please don’t hurt me!”

“What?” I choke out, confusion etched on my face, because I really don't understand what she's up to this time. Her tricks never cease to amaze me; she has tons of them up her sleeve.

But she grins triumphantly, because once again I've given myself on a silver platter.

“What's going on here?” Mrs. Jones, the pack's head cook, demands when she rushes out of the kitchen.

“I saw her trying to steal some of the appetizers, and when I tried to stop her she—” Victoria didn’t get to finish before a hard slap landed across my left cheek, sending me crashing to the floor.

The warm, metallic taste of blood instantly fills my mouth as tears stream down my cheeks, not just from the physical pain coursing through me, but from the emotional pain that had engulfed me whole.

“You lowly slave, how dare you lay your filthy hands on the appetizers meant for the Alpha? Now you have ruined it!" Mrs. Jones enunciates each word with venom, showing just how deep her hate toward me is.

To think she concluded I was the one at fault without listening to my side of what happened.

I looked up at her face, clutching my cheek, the impact from the slap still ringing inside my ear, but I heard her correctly.

Swallowing back the blood inside my mouth, I ask,

“I thought it was you who sent for me to come and help with the servings?”

She slaps me again.

“The audacity to speak back! And why would I call a slave to serve the Alpha, his distinguished guest, and soon-to-be Luna?” Mrs. Jones questions, and I try to act as if my heart didn't ache at the mention of that name, Luna.

So this was their plan; Mrs. Jones never called for me. I was tricked once again. And they used Mrs. Jones. Again. Because they know how much it will hurt me. And it has.

I look at Victoria's face at the thought, and her lips curl discreetly.

So now what?

I'm going to be locked up again in the dark dungeon, playing hide-and-seek with the rats?

Receive another 50 lashes?

Scrub the entire ceremonial hall until my hands bleed?

Fill up the well with icy stream water from the border with just a small bucket?

Or, worst of all, starve me for another week?

I have yet to finish the last punishment. I still have three days to go before I’m allowed three slices of bread and a fish each day.

I really hope it won't be so, but who am I kidding? This has been my life for the past three years.

A nightmare.

A relentless cycle of never-ending torture.

I'm a traitor… the one who caused the death of almost half the pack members, my dad, and the alpha's parents. I was branded a murderer, stripped of my dignity, and demoted to a slave.

But Britney, the alpha's younger sister, made it her mission that I know what hell felt like every blessed day.

She's the princess, and who dares defy her orders that I should be taught a lesson by everyone?

Already, the rest of the pack members hate me, since they each lost a loved one because of me, so they already wanted to torment me, and with the princess backing them, I’m nothing more than a ball for them to kick around.

I have nowhere to turn to for help.

No, not to my mother or big brother, who hates me the most. Even my wolf decided to abandon me.

I have absolutely no one.

I'm hungry. So much that it hurts.

Only the goddess knew how hard it was to stare at those appetizers without taking a bite, even when I knew it was a bad idea to eat one on an empty stomach, since there was no promise of a meal afterward.

“I'm sorry, Mrs. Jones. I deserve to be punished.” At my words, she rolls her eyes, sizing me up like I was something disgusting.

“Come on, take her away. Give her 100 lashes, no food for a week, and let her clean the ceremonial hall afterward.” She instructs the two warriors standing at the entrance.

They approached, their burly figures towering over me.

“Get up! Slave. You don't expect me to help you up?” One of the warriors sneers, showing his disdain by hitting me with the tip of the silver spear he was holding.

I slowly push myself up, but then I'm hit with a sudden wave of dizziness.

The last thing I heard was Mrs. Jones's contemptuous scoff:

“Hmph, she's just pretending,” followed by something hard hitting me in the back before I succumbed to the darkness.

~~~

I don't know how long I've been out. But I hear Mrs. Jones’s voice thick with disbelief as she asks,

“Are you sure?”

“Are you doubting my profession?” Dr. Sheila, the pack's head doctor and a close friend of Mrs. Jones, asks back, and I can sense the displeasure lacing her tone.

“No, pardon my words. I'm just surprised someone was able to lie with her. Look at her—she's nothing but skin and bones. Not to mention all those old and fresh wounds? Who in their right mind would find this thing arousing?” 

Okay.

I feel like a specimen being analyzed under a microscope right now. What are they talking about? I wonder, trying to open my eyes, but they feel heavy.

My head feels like it was trapped in a storm, buzzing with confusion, and my body feels heavy, as if weighed down by invisible chains.

“Do you have something to help terminate it? She's already a burden, not to add her child.”

My eyes flew open at those words.

I'm pregnant? And she wants to get rid of it?

“You shameless slave, who would have thought you were whoring around in your state?” Mrs. Jones chastises.

For the first time in years, a laugh escapes me. Loud and bitter.

“Whoring around?” I repeat laughing.

“Why don't you ask your alpha if I did? That night he made me feel special while our bodies were entangled in his bed. When he looked me in the eyes like I was some rare gem. But he treated me like dust under his feet the very next day. Why don't you ask him? Because I'm as confused as you are!”

Those were the words on the tip of my tongue, but I swallow them back, bitterly.

Mrs. Jones's hand landing on my cheek pulled me out of swirling emotions.

“Have you finally gone nuts?” Mrs. Felicia demands, and I look her dead in the eyes and question back.

“Why don't you tell me? Mother?” I emphasize “mother.”

Her eyes widened; she must be surprised I called her that after all these years.

“Tell me, Mother, do your genes carry madness too? Because I know for a fact they harbor murder, wickedness, and heartlessness.” She raises her hand to slap me again, but this time, Dr. Sheila decides to intervene.

“Enough, she's your daughter for goddess’ sake.”

“She was, once, but not after colluding with the rogues.”

I laugh again, seeing the way her voice falters at the latter part of the statement.

“Mother, do you know what's funny? That you knew all along. But let me take the blame!” I push my feet off the bed, another wave of dizziness washing over me the moment I stand up.

But I fight through, walking out of the pack's hospital.

“You ungrateful child! Come back here.” Mrs. Jones calls after me, but I pay her no heed.

I was out of the hospital when a hand grabbed my wrist firmly.

“You're coming back with me to get rid of that thing growing inside you! Do you think whoever got you pregnant will take responsibility?"

“Let go of me!” I shout, yanking my hand out of hers, and I don't know where all the strength came from; it sent her to the ground.

But then a voice behind me causes me to stiffen.

“You're pregnant.” I turn to face him, the blood draining from my face.

“Alpha Trevor.” I gasp, my body a trembling mess, seeing the expression on his face.

Icy and aloof.

Nothing like the man who awakened strange sensations within me. With the seed of that encounter growing inside me.

“That thing inside you is a curse. It can’t see the light of day,” he says emotionlessly, before instructing the warriors around.

“Send her back in there; that thing inside her must be terminated! Immediately!"

Those words felt like a death sentence.