Epilogue â One Year LaterThe forest pulsed with life.Soft beams of moonlight filtered through the trees of the Moonstone Grove, dancing along leaves and casting sacred light upon the ceremonial stones. Music drifted through the airâlow, harmonic chants of the old tongue blending with flutes, drums, and the sounds of celebration. Lanterns floated between tree branches like fireflies.It was a night of unity.A night of destiny.A night when the past was finally put to rest.Mason stood at the heart of it all, surrounded by wolves, elders, friends, and family, all gathered in a wide circle. He was dressed in silver ceremonial robes trimmed with blueâthe colors of peace and courage. Around his neck hung a pendant of a half-moon, the symbol of a chosen mate.He glanced across the clearing at Ste-phen, standing tall and proud in charcoal-gray robes embroidered with gold threads. His golden eyes never left Masonâs, not even for a moment.There was nothing but love in his gaze. Deep, unsha
****************************************************** The scent of mahogany and aged tobacco clung to the air like an old ghost, curling through the velvet-draped study as Zeno paced across the floor. A storm roared in his chest, but his steps were calmâmeasured, even. He hated when he lost control. The smashed wineglass glittered in the corner, a silent reminder of that slip. He pressed a finger to his temple, breathing through his nose, then exhaled with a soft hiss. âTell me again,â he said, his voice icy smooth. The man standing by the doorwayâa lean figure in a gray suitâcleared his throat. âMr. Black is asking questions in Rosedale. Heâs already spoken to the Lennox family.â Zenoâs jaw tightened. âAnd?â âTheyâre cooperating.â Zeno turned sharply, the sudden movement startling. âOf course they are. They lost a daughter. Theyâll do anything to cling to the hope of justice. But why now?â He stared down at the floor as if the wood grain itself might offer answers. âTwo
The ward turned silent. Too silentâone could hear a pin drop.Mason could hear his heartbeat racingâtoo hard, too fastâand he thought he might really faint right then, but that wasnât his concern right nowâĶWhat in the motherfÃŧcking world had Ste-phen just spilled out?Ste-phen winked at him, and Mason felt like gouging those eyes outâperhaps even cutting off his tongue too.âWeâll see again, Mrs. Allen,â Ste-phen inclined his head gently and began leaving.Then Yaraâs laughter broke the silence, her eyes shut as she almost collapsed back on her bed.Ste-phen, who was about to touch the door, froze and glanced back at her.m, wondering why she suddenly find him funny.âYour boss is so funny.âMason, getting the hint that his mother hadnât believed Ste-phen, quickly rushed to shove him out before he could say anything else.Yara blinked in confusion.Ste-phen, who staggered outside, shot a glare at Mason as the door slid shut.âWhat the fuckâĶââShh!â Mason quickly clamped his hand over
âĒâĒâĒâĒâĒâĒâĒâMason.â Yaraâs voice snapped Mason back to earth.Mason, whose lips were parted in shock, shifted his gaze from Ste-phen to her.âHey, Ma,â he chuckled awkwardly, glancing back at Ste-phen just to make sure he wasn't hallucinating. But the male was right there, lounging on the chair beside his mother with his arms folded across his chest.Again, he questioned himself.What in the world was Ste-phen doing here?âAre you planning to stay there and watch? Come on, sweetie.â Yara smiled so brightly it warmed Mason's heart.Mason stepped inside with the lunch he had bought for himself and his mother. Now it felt awkward. He wondered if Ste-phen might be hungry.Ah, rightâSte-phen doesn't like to eat outside.While Mason set the food before his mother, his heart raced in his chest as he could feel Ste-phenâs gaze on him the entire time.Ste-phen hadn't spoken a word.âFinally, Mason! I got to meet the one taking care of youâyour boss. The one behind the sudden brightness in your ey
____âYou seriously think this will work?â Xander asked as they both sat in the cafÃĐ having lunch.âI don't know, Xander. We can only hope,â Dexter replied, unsure of his words as well.âYo! What's up, guys?â Jericho and the other boys came over to join them. Lately, Dexter and Xander hadnât been too active, and the others were getting worried.They had even canceled their upcoming show, and knowing how much these two loved dancing, the rest couldnât help but try to figure out what was going onâuntil they got the gist. Mr. Luther was in town.Settling down with them, Jericho who didn't hesitate like the others, broke the silence."I heard your fatherâs in town, Dexter."Cole, on the other hand, simply stared at Dexter with an unreadable expression.âDonât worry about it,â Dexter mumbled curtly.âWhy did you cancel the dance show then? Is he still against it?ââI said donât worry about it!â Dexter snapped, making Jerichoâs mouth snap shut. Dexter stood up abruptly, the others' eyes foll
âPens up.âMrs. Katherineâs voice resonated through the classroom. Most of the students groaned under their breath. It was the last exam, and it had been pretty tough for them.Very few were able to complete their work, including Mason and Twilight.Bella sulked throughout. She no longer sat or spoke with Twilight and minded her own business.Dexter, on the other hand, had changed seats and was awfully quiet the whole time. He and Mason hadnât exchanged a single wordânot even once. But Mason was still curious. Dexter had mentioned him being in danger, and then the shooting incident happened.Even though Ste-phen refused to tell them who was behind it, Mason couldnât stop wondering.âDexter?â Mason called in a whisper, careful not to let Katherine hear so she wouldnât mistake it for cheating.Dexterâs movement paused, and without a word or even a glance, he rose from his chair and walked over to Mrs. Katherine to submit his work.Mason sighed. Dexter must be really mad at him. Perhaps