Blue Moon (Colors of the Moon #1)

Epilogue

Because I was surrounded with nothing but darkness, I had to force my lungs to keep contracting. In and out. No matter what, I needed to keep breathing.

I closed my eyes and pretended like I wasn't trapped inside a small dark space. I imagined I was somewhere out in the woods, exploring the world. Yet no matter how vivid the images in my mind were, it didn't help. I still knew where exactly I was.

I took another deep breath and grabbed the first memory that popped into my mind. As it happened incredibly often nowadays, the first person I thought back to was Larry. He was still recovering from being shot, but luckily the bullet had missed most of his vital organs. Not to mention that he was a werewolf, so he would heal in no time.

For the time being, however, he was still glued to the pack hospital. I made a mental note to visit him later because I was sure he was already sick of Conner's protective nature. Not that I wasn't happy for the two mates, but in my opinion Conner went a little overboard. He refused to leave Larry's side ever since we had returned.

A part of me could understand him because I knew he was afraid to lose his mate again. The other part, however, sympathized with Larry. I knew exactly how it felt to be overwhelmed by your mate.

Speaking of mates, Jared wasn't much different from Conner. He refused to let me out of his sight for more than a couple of hours, and every hour he contacted me through our mind connection to make sure I was still here.

At first, it had been sweet, but now it was turning into a pain in the ass. I was a hair's length away from running off just to be alone for a little while. But because that would make him only more protective of me, I quickly disregarded the thought.

As for Aiko, she and a few pack warriors had already left for what was apparently the royal werewolf pack. Jared had decided to let the Alpha King decide her punishment. Despite not at first, I was now grateful for his decision. It was better that someone more impartial would decide her fate.

After all, no matter what she would always be my younger sister.

She, however, wasn't the only one who left the pack. Elena had also decided to leave. She said it was to search for her mate, but I had a feeling it wasn't the only reason. Things hadn't been the same for her ever since the pack found out about her actions. I saw the way they looked at her. She wasn't a welcomed part of the pack anymore.

Ortiz, on the other hand, decided to stay. Although his actions and attitude toward me hadn't been the nicest, he had never done anything that could have ended with my death. He still wasn't back to being the Gamma, but I had a feeling that one day he would be back on the position.

He and I seemed to have been the only two who had forgiven Elena. This morning we had been the only ones there when she had said her goodbyes to her home and pack. Not even Molly had shown up. The said girl actually refused to acknowledge Elena's existence, which I think was one of the reasons Elena decided to leave.

This is how only Ortiz and I said our goodbyes to Elena and wished her luck. I honestly hoped she would find a mate who would love her as much as a mate should love his second half.

Because I was beginning to run out of topics to think about, I started to feel the fear creeping back up my throat. The muscles in my throat tightened and the tips of my fingers began to tremble. I covered my mouth with my hand to keep myself from emitting a single sound.

I could do this. Just for a little longer.

Suddenly the door right next to me opened with a silent creek and the bright light from the outside blinded me. I moved my hand off my mouth to shield my eyes instead.

"Why are you hiding in our closet?"

I would recognize the voice anywhere, anytime.

Jared stood outside the closet, while still holding the doors wide open. He had his eyebrows furrowed together and was looking at me as if I just told him that I decided to become a pack warrior.

Then again, I must have been quite a sight, squeezed between his winter coats. I would have laughed at the situation, if it wasn't for the fact that the game was still going on.

"Shh." I shooed him away. "I'm playing a game of hide-and-seek with the pups and you're ruining it. So, go away."

But it was already too late. Right then Piper appeared in the open doorway and our eyes met.

"Found the Luna!" She screamed out and then ran off again.

"This is all because of you." I huffed up at Jared.

Because there was no point in me remaining inside the closet anymore, I scooted to the side and then got out of the closet. The moment I stood on my own two feet I glared up at Jared and jabbed my finger into his chest.

"I blame you for this."

Secretly I was a little relived that he had found me when he did because I didn't know how much longer I could have lasted. I still wasn't comfortable inside small dark places, but at least now I didn't need Sasha's potion to keep me from losing my mind anymore.

Speaking of Sasha, she and Dyson were now officially mated, which meant that she was now the Beta Female. And because the Beta was the Alpha's second hand, we had decided that she was going to my second hand as well. No matter what the werewolf traditions were, we had decided that together as a human and a witch we would navigate the peculiar world of werewolves.

"I'll gladly make up for it."

Jared's voice brought me back to the present moment. He pulled me closer to him and wiped my annoyance instantly away with a tender kiss. He was proving to be an expert in pulling my mind off being angry or irritated with him.

"I love you." He whispered against my lips when we parted for air.

"And I love you."

My lips formed into an honest smile and I had to fight to keep in a giggle. For what felt like the first time in my life I was truly happy. And while I continued to gaze up into Jared's warm eyes, I knew that everything was going to be okay.

As long as Jared and I were together, there was nothing we couldn't handle.

THE END

***

Hi guys. I can't believe how fast the time flew by. I feel like I've started this story only yesterday.

I want to thank everyone who took the time to read (and re-read the edited version) of this story. You have no idea how much it means to me. And thank you for every vote and comment. Your support is what got me to write this story every day, so I could always update on time.

Please, remember to vote and comment if you like the chapter.

Much love

                - E