The Bone Chapel

Epilogue

Despite what I told Graham, I was afraid.

Not of him. I probably should have been, but I wasn't. My anger kept me from fully appreciating what a mage as powerful as Graham could do if given the chance.

What I was afraid of was reality.

The adrenaline rush of putting that mage in his place, kept me afloat for a day or two, but then the shift in my world took shape.

This was my life now. I was a werewolf, through and through. Not only that, but I was an Alpha sharing that role with my mate. And just the fact I had a mate was mind-boggling to me. I used to do whatever I could to blend into the wallpaper. Now I had this rugged, handsome man who delighted in tasting my skin and tracing my every curve with his fingers. On top of that, I had been reciprocating. The boldness that filled my life felt foreign and dangerous. Like a weapon I was wielding with reckless abandon, even though I had never received the proper training to use it.

I may have walked through Moonshade with a confident swagger. I may have smiled and nodded as the pack tripped over themselves to get better acquainted with me. And I may have stood tall in front of the elders as all but Graham voted to accept my title as co-Alpha and elder of Whisper Valley. But at night, when the fresh fall air swept into our bedroom and chilled the skin, that was when I felt my ego deflate. In those moments, it felt like a single word could crack my fragile exterior and expose the terrified girl lying within.

Despite our wolves getting the better of us around the full moon, Everett and I had kept ourselves just out of reach of each other. The night when our bodies melded into one was a spontaneous climax of frayed emotions and concealed passion. The days after, however, brought clarity to the consequences of my accepting this power.

Was I to get pregnant as soon as possible? Was I even ready to be pregnant? I was twenty-three years old and had only just begun discovering myself and the potential within me. How could anyone expect me to shape another human being when I was still struggling to emerge from the amorphous blob I'd always seen myself as?

And what of the wolves' traditions? I was still learning new things about pack life every day. As an Alpha, would I be required to mate with another pack's second born, just like Everett had to be with Claire first? I knew in my heart that I'd die before I allowed that to happen. However, what would the consequences be to deny the one thing that kept the packs in the area from tearing at each other's throats?

Everett gave me my space and seemed delighted just to have the few intimate moments that I entertained. However, I wasn't so sure I could maintain this balance for long. I needed something to anchor me, something to keep me in place as everything else shifted around me with the ferocity of a hurricane.

So I found myself stepping out at night; after the pack runs and after Everett was quietly snoozing in bed. It wasn't a secret—both Everett and Damien, and possibly even Luc, knew I was doing this—but the act of silently slipping away beneath the moonlight, with no one watching me, was an act of self-preservation.

I needed the silence and the wide empty fields. Breathing in the late September scents of crisping leaves and ripe corn, reminded me of the few peaceful memories I had of my childhood. I recalled mornings jumping into leaf piles with my brother, Victor. I tasted the spicy comfort of my mom's freshly baked pumpkin pies. I felt the warmth of our fireplace as I sat next to my dad while he worked his way through a book of crosswords.

The fall reminded me of family, and though my heart swelled at the sudden, and rather drastic, increase in my family's size, I missed the three that had raised me and loved me no matter how far I strayed into the dark recesses of my mind.