Chapter 211 Epilogue

Chapter 211 Epilogue
Lorien’s POV
“You’re late,” Lior grumbled as I darted through the trees, the wind catching in my hair. I couldn’t stop smiling even if I tried.
When I’d first gone to train with the Fae, I had braced myself for the worst coldness, cruelty, maybe even rejection. But the tension had faded after just a few sessions. The more time I spent with my great-aunt, the more complicated my feelings became. I didn’t like her--her sharpness and her pride grated on me but I respected her deeply.
Queen Elara was power and precision incarnate. Every word she spoke carried weight, and I absorbed them all. She taught me discipline, restraint, and the delicate balance of wielding shadow magic without letting it consume me.
In exchange, she insisted I begin learning my duties as a princess. The lessons were exhausting endless protocol, politics, and history but I endured them. It was a small price to pay for the peace of mind that came with knowing the shadows would never again rule me.
Lucen had saved me that night by taking the choice from my hands.
Queen Elara had been explicit: if I had killed Lysandra myself, the act would have darkened my soul beyond repair, giving the shadows a permanent hold over me. I owed Lucen for that, though Auren had not forgiven him for the years of deception. Stripped of his title as Beta, Lucen’s fate was now sealed. Once the full moon rose and the pack confirmed that the curse had truly been broken, he would be exiled. He would have to find another pack or live as a rogue and pray the Goddess spared him from the hunters.
“Auren told me to be back by nine,” I said, glancing at the fading light as my boots pounded the forest floor. “And it’s not even eight.” I knew how important it was to be home early tonight. The sun had dipped lower than expected, and I had run the moment I realized it.
“Close enough,” Lior muttered, keeping pace beside me.
Since our first visit, neither he nor Rion had much love for the Fae. The two of them had caused more chaos in their short stay than the entire royal court could handle. Rion had been chased off the Fae lands by a furious firebender whose newly-aged sister he’d been found in bed with “tainting her,” as the scandal had gone. Lior hadn’t been much better.
Novalie had joined us at Queen Elara’s insistence, tasked with overseeing Lior’s recovery after the last full moon and after I’d used my magic on him. Their arguments had been spectacular, loud enough to echo through the Fae gardens. Eventually, the queen herself ordered them both to leave for “disturbing the peace.”
Given how quiet they’d been lately, I was almost certain they were sleeping together now though neither would admit it.
“You’d better hurry,” Lior said, breaking the silence. “If he growls at me one more time, I’m going to throttle him.”
A laugh bubbled from my lips. “He’s just anxious,” I said, grinning wider as the first outlines of our pack’s territory came into view through the trees. Auren was close I could feel it.
“Yeah,” Lior murmured. “We all are.”
I reached out and squeezed his forearm gently. “Everything’s going to be okay.”
He didn’t answer, his jaw tight and eyes fixed forward. It sounded like an empty promise to him, and I couldn’t blame him for that.
The forest opened into the town square, and I picked up speed. The pack had gathered hundreds of them lining the streets beneath the rising dusk. Normally, they would have separated before the change, but tonight they stood together, united by the hope that this long nightmare might finally end.
“Auren!” I shouted, my heart leaping as I spotted him on the steps of the pack house, scanning the crowd.
His head snapped toward me, relief flooding his features before he broke into a run. I threw myself into his arms, wrapping my legs around his waist as he caught me, our lips meeting in a kiss that silenced everything else.
“Welcome home,” he said against my mouth when we finally broke apart the same greeting he’d given me every night since I began training with the Fae.
Each day, I would leave before dawn, spend hours mastering the shadows, and return at sunset to that same kiss, those same words. “Welcome home.” Every time, it made my heart soar.
I hadn’t been gifted any other powers something that delighted Queen Elara but my command over shadow magic had grown steady and sure. Auren suspected my aunt had felt threatened by me at first, until she realized my abilities would never rival hers.
They didn’t need to. I didn’t need to be stronger I just needed to be in control. I needed my wolf whole, so I could lead beside my mate.
“I missed you,” I whispered, pressing another kiss to his lips before excitement spilled out of me. “Guess what?”
He lowered me gently to the ground, his smile matching mine. “I missed you too. What is it?”
“I shadow-walked today!” I squealed, bouncing on the balls of my feet.
His eyes widened. “That’s incredible!” He cupped my face in his hands, kissing me again with pride. “I’m so proud of you! But… is that safe?”
My grin softened. He was looking down at me, but also at the small secret we hadn’t yet shared. The pack didn’t know about the pregnancy, though they’d soon catch the scent. I’d wanted to wait as long as possible, just in case.
“Mhm,” I nodded. “Queen Elara said it’s fine but if you want, I can wait to practice that again later.”
Auren nodded, though the tension in his jaw told me he preferred it that way. I didn’t mind. His concern only reminded me how deeply he loved us both of us.
“Okay,” I said softly, kissing him once more. “Then I’ll wait.”
But as I pulled back, his body went rigid, his expression changing. The air shifted.
The pack fell silent.
Auren’s breathing quickened. “It’s time,” he whispered. “Go inside, Lorien.”
I shook my head. “Absolutely not. I’ll be right here with you.”
He opened his mouth to argue, but the words never came. The clouds drifted, and the full moon emerged brilliant and whole spilling silver light across the town.
The crowd inhaled as one, hundreds of eyes lifting to the sky. The moment stretched, trembling and sacred.
Auren’s eyes fluttered closed, a smile forming on his lips. When he opened them again, a single tear slipped free.
“Well?” I whispered, my heart pounding. “How do you feel?”
He let out a shaky breath, his voice breaking on a single word.
“Happy.”