The Alphas' Daughter (Alpha Eyes: Book 2)

Epilogue

Three years and one month later...

I couldn't help but smile at the sight of my mate awkwardly cradling our tiny son. Even though Lucas had been by my side during the delivery, he seemed at a complete loss when it came to holding the baby. He sat on the bed next to me and stared into the blanket as if his son were the most delicate thing in the world.

"He's not going to break, Lucas," I laughed.

"He's just so little," Lucas breathed. "I thought he'd be bigger than this."

Maggie stepped up to the bed and handed me a glass of water with a straw in it. "Your son is a completely normal size for a newborn. He's healthy with all the parts he should. And Luna Karina did a fabulous job birthing him."

Lucas finally seemed to remember that I'd played a vital role in the process. Tearing his gaze away from our son, he looked up at me. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," I sighed, leaning back on the pillows. "I just can't believe that we have a son. It doesn't seem real."

The bedroom door opened, and a familiar face appeared.

"I heard it's a boy!" Liesel squealed, hurrying across the room as fast as her slight limp and cane allowed her.

She'd never fully recovered from the guardian extraction. In her efforts to protect me, she'd sacrificed more than she knew. Without her magic, her coven rejected her. When she proved weak even as a magic-less witch, others looked down on her. She had become a wanderer without a tribe to call her own.

I felt fully responsible for her demise, so I'd asked Lucas if we could find her a place in our pack. There were many roles that didn't require physical strength, and it seemed right that we gave her a place after taking everything away from her. Thankfully Lucas had been thinking the same thing, so it was a matter of months after the 'incident' that Liesel had moved into her own little place near our house. She'd settled into as a teacher quickly, and the young wolves ran to her classes with eagerness.

I smiled even more as Liesel sat down next to Lucas and reached for the blanket bundle. Still uneasy about holding a baby, Lucas happily gave his heir to someone with more experience. Liesel immediately gushed over how cute my son was.

"You won't believe this," she cooed to the little one in her arms, "but your parents have been waiting three years for you. You are one special little boy."

Three years. It almost didn't seem possible that time had gone that fast. In another sense, however, three years had often felt like an eternity. The second year was definitely the hardest, but we'd pushed through. Once Amy had been banished back to her dimension, all of our extreme problems seemed to vanish. No more attacks or assassinations. Sure, there was the usual power fights between wolf packs; but those would happen even without the supernatural world being in an upheaval.

It was harder because life had switched back to "normal." Without the chaos that I'd been used to, I had to find my place in the pack. Since it was Lucas' pack, I had to ask him what he wanted his luna to look like. His mother was a homemaker; my mother was a frontline fighter. Lucas told me I could find a balance between the two, staying at home when I wanted and also being part of the pack politics. It took me nearly a year to find that balance, but eventually we found our life rhythm.

"I'm glad you're here, Liesel," I told my friend, truly meaning it. "It feels right that, after all we've gone through together, you should see the whole thing resolve itself. I'm just sorry that you don't have your magic back."

The ex-witch smiled at me. "I'm not. I think it was meant to be this way. If I'd gotten my magic back, my coven would have forced me to return to their way of life. If I'd gone back, I never would have been able to watch you two work through things together or meet this little man. In the end, I'm content with how my life is turning out."

Lucas and I smiled at each other. It was no secret that Liesel had changed since joining our pack. Having been raised in an environment which frowned upon women wanting anything besides their independence, Liesel had watched several young women find their mates. The way they seemed to grow as individuals while being part of a pair baffled her, but she never shied away from asking questions. Over the past three years, she'd become quite fond of the idea of having a partner in life.

"Have you decided on a name yet?"

I took a deep breath. Lucas and I had argued over names for hours. He wanted something ancestral and regal-sounding. I wanted something the poor kid could spell and pronounce as he grew up. As of yesterday, we still hadn't agreed on one yet. I'd been hoping that the perfect name would come to us once we saw him, but nothing did.

"We haven't been able to agree on one," Lucas answered.

Liesel looked down at the little man in her arms. "I may not have my magic, but I can tell that he'll be a strong fighter some day. He'll do great things to protect this pack and those he cares about."

Lucas sucked in a breath and swiveled on the bed to face me. "I got it. How about Donovan? It means 'strong fighter.'"

"Donovan." I tried it on my tongue and immediately liked the sound of it. "Donovan Lucas... it's perfect."

Liesel squealed. "Donovan, it's a pleasure to be the first to meet you. You are one lucky little man."

Maggie scurried over from where she'd been gathering up her supplies. "I hear we have a name? Did you two decide?"

Lucas retrieved our son and pressed a kiss to his little wrinkled forehead. "We did. This is Donovan Lucas, the next lycan."

Maggie pulled out her phone and motioned for Lucas to move closer to me. "We'll get a better picture later when Karina has freshened up, but this is an important moment."

Lucas scooted up to the head of the bed and lowered his arms so I could see my son. Right as Maggie was about to take a picture, Donovan fully opened his eyes for the first time. The sight took my breath away.

He didn't have the vibrant emerald green eyes, but there was definitely a shade of green. Without the guardian trait, there'd be no more emerald alpha eyes among us werewolves. The color would lessen with each generation. But maybe that was a good thing. The unique color always drew attention, so my son would grow up with less scrutiny than I had. He was still the son of an alpha, which would bring its own attention, but he could be whoever he wanted to be without the preassigned stigma of his eye color.

"Welcome to the world, Donovan," I whispered.

Lucas leaned over and kissed my temple. "My luna, the most wonderful of women... You'll have to tell him your family story one day."

"Of course," I agreed. "His story was the end of a legacy... one that will never come again."

Liesel smiled at me from the end of the bed. "But remember: the end of a legacy can be the beginning of a new one."

Lucas and I looked at each other. She was right. My family's legacy may have ended, but a new legacy for the lycans was just beginning.