Thea's Return (Book 2 in the Original SOCIETY Series) ✔

☙Epilogue❧

ღ~✹~ღ

ღ~ THREE YEARS LATER ~ღ

"Maddox!"

The gray-eyed child spun around at the call of his name; scanning his surroundings before a wide-eyed smile broke out, and started running in the direction of the person calling to him.

"Daddy!"

Auric grinned, kneeling slightly with his arms extended out to our three year old. The moment our son leapt into his arms, his father scooped him up; both laughing when Auric held our son straight up so that he could tilt him from side to side while Maddox squealed, tucking his arms and legs against his chest.

I tilted my head, resting my cheek against the palm of my hand as I happily admired the pretty moment before me.

Auric lowered Maddox closer to him, kissing his cheek that made our son gasp happily and wrap his arms around his father's neck.

"I missed you, Daddy!"

He sat back a little, resting his hands on Auric's broad shoulders and nodded with his brows raised, "Did you miss me, too?"

Auric pursed his mouth, squinting upward and hummed. He glanced at Maddox whose eyes widened with worry so Auric nodded, "I did! I promise!"

Our son laughed, shaking his head that his father was so silly. I glanced at the way Auric smiled down at our son, shifting him onto his hip while listening to the rapid chatter of questions regarding his day. Auric's brows furrowed, nodding and was muttering his responses low enough that I couldn't really hear anymore.

I grinned to myself; letting myself admire the man that was still as handsome as the day I met him.

His jaw that I'd kissed so many times the night before Auric went on his trip was now stubbled, and it made him look a lot older than he was. My eyes traveled down to the long, muscular torso hidden away behind that green t-shirt he was wearing.

I mentally laughed to myself remembering how, that very same night, I'd dug my nails into his back; leaving behind bright red marks. His scowl afterward of looking in the mirror in the bathroom made me laugh as he scolded me that he was barely recovering from the nail-clawing last time (though we all know that's a lie with his healing ability).

When Auric's gray eyes looked in my direction (even with our son still talking away), I felt my face grow hot and raised my shoulders coyly from him catching me staring at him. I straightened, clasping my hands on the edge of the porch rail in front of me and weakly grinned.

The Were-Jerk's eyes narrowed slightly, that gray hue of his slowly seeping into the gold of his inner animal.

I tucked my hair behind my ear, glancing away as I stepped back and spun on my heel to head back into the house. I looked behind me to see that Auric was walking towards the house too with Maddox still in his arms.

Quickening my pace, I scurried into the kitchen where I found my cousin at the oven with a pink apron around his waist. He was looking into the oven with his chin in his hand; frowning as he studied what was inside.

Grinning, I walked further in. "How's this one, Kale?"

Without turning away from the oven, Kale's brows furrowed more.

"Piece of shit better come out right this time, or I swear!"

I leaned over the granite counter top on my forearms in front of me and continued to watch the way my cousin was determined to get his sixth attempt of apple pie right.