Reaching You

Epilogue: third person

A month later

Paige glanced at the grand clock hung on the wall. She had roughly 10 minutes left before everyone started arriving. She quickly wrapped the food up and placed it onto the tray. Paige let out a sigh of relief as she finished preparations of food for the pack barbecue. Today, the pack was celebrating the renewal of the garden. Ryder and Paige wanted to be open to the public. The place was dear to their hearts and played a large role in bringing them together. They hoped it would do the same for other couples. They longed for the opening day and now it was here. Louise runs into the kitchen with a grin on her lips. "Is everything alright?" She asks as she watched Paige skillfully plate the food. Paige turns her head and gives her a smile. "Everything is fine. I'll be out in a second." She answers, lifting the tray up.

"Well, then. Let me change my question. How's knitting going?" Louise asks, coyly. Paige turned away but her cheeks were visibly pink. She had recently started knitting and her current project was a scarf for her mate for Christmas. Ashley teased her mercilessly as it was three months away. "Good. Don't tell Ryder." Paige says, making Louise grin widely. How she loved teasing Luna and the Alpha. They were just too sweet to each other.

Paige put away her apron and carried the last tray outside. Louise follows her with a spring in her step. Ryder waves his mate over with a grin on his face. The garden is filled with roses and no longer deserted. It was reborn, back to its former glory. Paige eagerly makes her way to his side. Ryder beams as he takes in the beauty of his mate wearing a sundress. He swiftly claims her lips in a kiss. Paige sets the food down onto the table and takes Ryder's hand. They wait as pack members begin to show up. Ryder grins and places his arm around his mate. It was the first public outing as Alpha and Luna since he introduced her to the pack two weeks ago.

Little did they know, the pack was gossiping and watching most of their dates. The pack adored their new Luna. She was everything they hoped she'd be. She was strong, passionate, and levelheaded. She brought out the best in their Alpha. They knew of the complicated lives of the Alpha and Luna. They were so pleased when Ryder introduced her to the pack. She truly filled the hole in the pack's heart. Ryder glanced at his mate. Her reddish-brown hair cascaded down her back and framed her heart-shaped face. Her green eyes were lively and her cheeks were slightly flushed. "You look stunning." He whispers, lowly. He smirked as he watched his mate get flustered. She shyly looked up at him and said, "You look good." He had to stop himself from devouring his mate right then and there when he heard approaching footsteps.

Gamma Landon comes with Lindsey on his shoulders. He holds his mate's hand. "Morning Alpha and Luna!" He says, making Paige sigh. It seemed that no one would call her other than Luna. "Welcome!" Ryder says, with a smile that reached his eyes. Paige smiled and watched as Landon placed Lindsey down. Lindsey ran and gave Paige a hug. Soon more pack members appeared and a young man grinned as he saw the Alpha's smile. He had felt the Alpha's pain along with multiple members and was relieved to find out the next morning, he had a connection with Luna. "Morning!" Paige says, with a warm smile. "Looking beautiful, Luna!" He declares, making Ryder growl. Paige rolled her eyes. The young man pranced off, leaving Ryder muttering under his breath.

A middle-aged woman approached the two with a grin on her face. It was Ms. Walker. She pulled out something from her bag and handed it over to Paige. "Hello, Luna. Alpha. Here's something for the future." She says, as Paige gushed over the cute tiny baby bib that said "I'm the Alpha here". Ryder looked pleased with the present and how it delighted his mate. "Thank you very much. I love it," Paige says, making Ms. Walker smile at the young couple. Ryder grins widely as he looks at the bib over his mate's head. "Well, it's a sign that we better get busy." He says, making Paige gasp at her mate's boldness. Ms. Walker throws her head back and laughs. "That's the spirit, Alpha!" She declares, before leaving them to join the others.

They greeted the pack members and began the ceremony. "This garden originally was built by my father for my mother. But my Luna and I decided that this garden be open for all pack members. We hope you love our garden." Ryder announces, with a proud grin. Paige squeezed his hand that she was holding. The pack cheered for the new garden. "Alpha, we'd be expecting some pups soon!" Yelps one of the pack warriors. Paige facepalms herself as Ryder grins widely. Paige drags Ryder away from the microphone before he could utter anything stupid. The pack smiled with amusement as the Alpha's towering figure obediently followed Luna's much smaller form.

"Everyone dig in!" Paige announces, with a warm smile. Ryder and Paige grinned at one another as they watched the pack talk amongst themselves. The children played in the garden. Everything was peaceful. There may not be perfect days but there were such things as perfect moments. And it was this moment that was perfect in their eyes. "We did this," Paige whispers to her mate. Amazement and pride colored her voice as she takes in the sight. Ryder gazes at his mate whose love for the pack shone in her eyes. "Together." He says, placing his hand in hers. He gently brings her hand to his lips for a kiss.

"Forever." She replies, green eyes full of adoration.

THE END