Chapter 149 EPILOGUE

Chapter 149 EPILOGUE
MERRIELYNN.

One month later, I was standing in front of a full-length mirror staring at my reflection and trying not to throw up.
Not from morning sickness this time. From nerves.
Today was my Luna ceremony. The official event where I would be formally recognized as Luna of the werewolf realm in front of every major pack leader and dignitary in the kingdom.
No pressure or anything.
The dress Emorie had taken upon herself to choose for me was beautiful. White silk that flowed down to the floor with delicate embroidery along the bodice and sleeves. It was fitted at the top but loose enough around my stomach that you couldn’t tell I was pregnant unless you were really looking.
Which was good because we hadn’t announced it yet. We were waiting until after the ceremony to make it public.
My hand drifted down to rest on my stomach without me meaning to. It was second nature now. There was the tiniest bump there now. Just barely noticeable. But I could feel it when I pressed my palm flat against the fabric.
A baby. Our baby was growing inside me right now.
The thought still made my head spin.
“You look beautiful,” Emorie said from where she was sitting on the chaise lounge behind me. She’d been helping me get ready for the past two hours.
“I look terrified,” I said.
“That too,” she admitted with a smile. “But mostly beautiful.”
I took a deep breath and tried to calm my racing heart.
There was a knock on the door.
“Come in,” I called out.
The door opened and Cormac walked in. He stopped the moment he saw me and just stared.
He was wearing formal attire. All black with silver embroidery that marked him as King. His hair was styled back from his face. He looked every inch the ruler he’d become over the past month.
But the way he was looking at me right now made me feel like I was the only person in the entire world.
“Hi,” I said softly.
“Hi,” he said back. His voice came out a little rough.
Emorie stood up from the chaise. “That’s my cue to leave. I’ll see you out there, Mere.”
She gave me a quick hug and then slipped out of the room, closing the door behind her.
Cormac crossed the space between us in a few long strides. He stopped right in front of me and just looked at me for a long moment.
“You’re staring,” I said.
“I know,” he said. “You look incredible.”
“I’m nervous,” I admitted.
“I know that too.” He reached out and tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. “But you’re going to be amazing.”
“What if I mess up the vows? What if I trip walking down the aisle? What if everyone hates me?”
“You won’t mess up,” Cormac said. “You won’t trip. And no one could possibly hate you.”
His hand drifted down from my face to rest on my stomach. Right over the tiny bump that was just starting to show.
He did this constantly now. Every chance he got. Like he couldn’t quite believe it was real and needed to keep checking.
“How are you feeling?” he asked. “Any nausea this morning?”
“A little,” I said. “But it’s getting better.”
His thumb traced small circles over the bump through the silk of my dress. The gesture was so gentle and reverent that it made my chest ache.
“I can’t believe we’re doing this,” he said quietly. “The ceremony. The baby. All of it.”
“Me neither,” I said.
“Are you happy?” he asked. His eyes searched my face.
I thought about it for a moment. Really thought about it.
A month ago I’d been terrified. Overwhelmed. Convinced that I wasn’t ready for any of this.
But now, standing here with Cormac’s hand on my stomach and the ceremony about to start and our whole future stretching out in front of us, I realized something.
“Yeah,” I said. “I am. I’m really happy.”
The smile that broke across his face was blinding.
He leaned down and kissed me. Soft and sweet and full of promise.
When he pulled back, his hand was still resting on my stomach.
“We should probably go,” he said. “They’re waiting for us.”
“I know,” I said. But I didn’t move.
“Hey,” Cormac said. He tilted my chin up so I had to look at him. “You’ve survived so much worse than a ceremony. You’ve survived losing your memory, your family and being exiled, and getting your memories back and being kidnapped and tortured. You’ve survived watching me kill my father in front of thousands of people.” He cocked his brow on the last sentence.
I let out a shaky laugh. “When you put it that way, a ceremony does seem pretty manageable.”
“Exactly,” he said. “This is the easy part. This is just standing in front of people and promising to lead with me. And you’re already doing that every single day.”
“Okay,” I said. I took a deep breath and squared my shoulders. “Okay. I can do this.”
“I know you can,” Cormac said. He offered me his arm. “Ready?”
I slipped my hand into the crook of his elbow. “Ready.”
We walked out of the room together and down the long hallway toward the throne room where the ceremony would take place.
I could hear the murmur of voices as we got closer. Hundreds of people waiting inside.
My heart started racing again but Cormac squeezed my hand reassuringly.
“I’m right here,” he said quietly. “The whole time. I’m not going anywhere.”
“Promise?” I asked.
“Promise,” he said.
The doors to the throne room opened.
Music swelled. Everyone turned to look at us.
And I walked in with Cormac at my side, my hand resting on his arm, ready to become Luna.

––•––

The ceremony itself was a blur.
I remembered the weight of that elegant golden crown as they placed it on my head. I remembered saying the vows that bound me to this kingdom and its people.
But mostly I remembered Cormac standing beside me the entire time. His presence steady and grounding.
When it was over and the crowd erupted into applause, he leaned down and whispered in my ear.
“I’m so proud of you.”
I looked up at him.
At this boy who’d loved me through everything. Who was going to be the father of my child.
“I love you,” I said.
“I love you too,” he said.
And when he kissed me in front of everyone, I felt that same overwhelming sense of rightness that I’d felt the night I’d decided to keep our baby.
This was exactly where I was supposed to be.
With him. Building a future together. Building a family.
Later that night, after all the guests had left and the celebration had ended, we were back in our bedroom.
Cormac helped me out of the ceremonial dress and into something more comfortable. Then we climbed into bed together like we did every night.
I curled into his side with my head on his chest. His arm wrapped around me automatically.
And like always, his hand found its way to my stomach.
“I can’t wait to meet them,” he said softly. “Our baby.”
“Me neither,” I said.
We lay there in the darkness, his hand resting protectively over the tiny life growing inside me.
Everything we’d been through.
All the pain and loss and heartbreak.
All the fighting and the fear and the uncertainty.
It had all led us here.
To this moment. To this life we were building together.
I would change some… but not much.
Not much at all.

THE END!