Chapter 211: Always. In all ways.

**Three Years Later: The Tiny Tyrant in Charge**

Lilith Hale was three years old.

And somehow, despite her small stature, chubby cheeks, and deceptively sweet smile—

She ruled all of them.

Every single one of them.

Apex had seen some of the most dangerous people in the world.

They had faced war, assassins, high-stakes operations, and life-or-death missions—

But nothing—nothing—had prepared them for Lilith Hale in full command of her empire.

And her empire?

Consisted of every single person she had wrapped around her tiny, sticky fingers.

And no one was worse than Dominic Hale.

Dominic Hale had once been one of the most feared men in the world.

He had taken down enemies without hesitation.

He had commanded entire legions of men with a single glance.

He had been ruthless, calculated, untouchable.

And now?

Now, he was sitting on the grass, wearing a ridiculous pink paper crown, letting his granddaughter paint his nails.

Elena Steel, standing nearby with her arms crossed, was barely holding back laughter.

"You realize this is completely destroying your image, right?" she murmured.

Dominic did not look up.

"Lilith wanted me to have warrior nails," he muttered, completely serious.

Elena arched a brow. "Warrior nails?"

Lilith, grinning as she carefully applied bright blue polish to his pinky, nodded.

"Blue is strong," she said matter-of-factly. "Like Grandpa."

Dominic nodded, completely accepting his fate.

"See? Strong."

Elena snorted. "You’re pathetic."

Dominic shrugged. "And?"

Elena shook her head.

Because this man—this ex-mercenary, this former warlord of the underground—was completely and utterly owned by a three-year-old.

And he didn’t even try to hide it.

"They’re planning something," Zayn muttered, arms crossed as he leaned against a patio chair, watching the tiny duo with deep suspicion.

Lilith, in her mischievous princess attire (a pink tutu, a t-shirt that read I’m In Charge, and Damon’s old sunglasses), stood on top of a rock, plotting.

Beside her, Adam Carter—**Liam and Alex’s son—**stood with a stick like a sword.

Liam, who had long accepted his fate as Adam’s father, exhaled. "Of course they are."

Damon, scowling harder than usual, already regretted everything.

"This is exactly why I told you idiots not to put them together," he muttered.

James, sitting lazily with a drink in his hand, smirked. "And yet, here we are."

Orion, who had been watching quietly, suddenly grinned.

"How much do you wanna bet they’ll end up together when they grow up?"

James, perking up instantly, pointed at him. "Oh, I like where this is going."

Damon’s scowl deepened.

"Absolutely not."

James ignored him.

"Five hundred says they get married before thirty."

Orion smirked. "You’re on."

Damon’s eye twitched.

"You idiots are actually betting on my three-year-old's future?"

James shrugged. "She’s got your intelligence and Sera’s ability to manipulate people. She’s going to have that boy following her around for life."

Dominic, who had been silently observing, suddenly chuckled.

Damon whipped his head toward him.

"Not you too."

Dominic smirked.

"I’m not saying I support the bet," he murmured, "but she does have your genes."

Damon groaned.

"I need a drink."

Elena patted his shoulder. "Suck it up, kid."

**Meanwhile, the Little Devils Were Plotting**

"We need a plan," Lilith said, adjusting her oversized sunglasses like she was running a high-profile operation.

Adam, loyal soldier that he was, nodded. "What kind of plan?"

Lilith tapped her chin.

"The grown-ups think they’re in charge," she muttered. "They’re wrong."

Adam nodded seriously. "They’re always wrong."

Lilith smirked. "Exactly. So we need to do something big."

Adam tilted his head. "Like what?"

Lilith grinned.

A grin that sent shivers down the spines of the adults watching from the patio.

"Something fun," she said simply.

And that was when Damon knew—

His daughter was going to be the death of him.

Tessa—**watching the kids with a soft smile—**sighed dramatically.

"They’re so cute," she murmured.

Zayn, who had been drinking his beer in peace, nearly choked.

His head snapped to her.

"Oh, hell no."

Tessa raised a brow. "What?"

"You are not catching baby fever right now," Zayn said, looking actually concerned.

Tessa smirked. "Too late."

Zayn blinked. "Tessa."

Tessa took a sip of her drink, completely unfazed.

"It’s happening, Rivera."

Zayn looked at Liam, panicked. "Help me."

Liam grinned. "Oh, no. You’re on your own, buddy."

Zayn groaned. "Betrayal."

Damon, still scowling about James and Orion’s ridiculous bet, finally turned to Seraphina, who had been oddly quiet.

"Tell me you agree that they’re insane," he muttered.

Seraphina smirked. "Oh, they’re insane."

Damon nodded. "Thank you."

A beat.

Then—

"Oh, by the way," Seraphina said, far too casually.

"I’m pregnant again."

Silence.

Complete.

Utter.

Silence.

Then—

James choked on his drink.

Liam’s eyes nearly popped out of his skull.

Orion actually laughed.

Zayn blinked. "What."

And Damon?

Damon just…

Froze.

Seraphina, watching him with pure amusement, tilted her head.

"Damon?" she murmured.

Damon blinked.

Once.

Twice.

Then—

"You’re joking."

Seraphina smirked. "Nope."

Damon ran a hand over his face.

"Shit."

Dominic, still calmly holding Lilith, chuckled.

"Guess you’re gonna need a bigger house."

Damon groaned. "I need a drink."

Seraphina grinned. "Too bad. You’re stuck with me."

Damon shook his head, but his smile grew wider.

Because, honestly?

He wouldn’t have it any other way.

Lilith, still perched in Dominic’s arms, tilted her head.

"Mommy, does that mean I get a baby?" she asked, her tiny voice dead serious.

Seraphina laughed softly. "Yeah, Lil. You’re gonna be a big sister."

Lilith’s eyes widened.

Then, without warning—

She pumped a fist into the air.

"YES!"

Everyone stared.

Damon blinked. "Uh. That was a strong reaction."

Lilith, grinning ear to ear, placed her little hands on Dominic’s cheeks and gasped dramatically.

"Grandpa, that means I get to be the boss!"

Dominic, without hesitation, nodded.

"Obviously."

Damon groaned. "Oh, come on."

Lilith turned to Adam, who had been listening carefully from the grass.

"Adam," she said, completely serious. "This is good. This means we can train the baby to do whatever we want."

Adam nodded firmly. "Like how we trained Uncle James to give us ice cream?"

James, who had been watching with amusement, suddenly frowned.

"Wait, what?"

Lilith beamed. "Uncle James, you’re very easy to manipulate."

James looked personally offended.

Zayn burst out laughing.

"Oh my God," he wheezed. "She really is her mother’s daughter."

Seraphina smirked. "Of course she is."

Tessa, still glowing from the realization that Lilith would have a sibling, sighed dreamily.

"God, I love babies," she murmured.

Zayn whipped his head toward her so fast he nearly snapped his neck.

"No. Absolutely not."

Tessa raised a brow. "Excuse me?"

"I already have to deal with Damon panicking over another kid. I’m not adding myself to that equation."

Tessa leaned into him, smirking. "Zayn."

Zayn groaned. "I hate when you say my name like that."

Tessa grinned wider. "Zayn."

Zayn pointed at her. "I swear to God, Quinn—"

Tessa kissed him, cutting off his rant.

From the side, James groaned loudly.

"Gross," he muttered.

Orion smirked. "Jealous?"

James scoffed. "Of them? Please."

As the conversation continued, as bets were made, and chaos unfolded, Damon finally took a deep breath, looking at Seraphina.

For a moment, the noise faded.

The people, the backyard, the laughter—all of it blurred away.

And all that remained was her.

His wife.

The woman who had rewritten his entire life.

The mother of his child—his children.

She was watching him too, her expression softer now, her smirk fading into something quieter.

Something real.

"You okay?" she murmured.

Damon exhaled, shaking his head with a small, amused smile.

"No. I married a woman who keeps blindsiding me with major life events."

Seraphina smirked. "That’s on you."

Damon chuckled.

"You’re lucky I love you," he muttered.

Seraphina tilted her head. "How much?"

Damon’s smile deepened.

And then—he leaned in, his lips brushing against hers, his voice low, familiar, certain.

"Always," he whispered.

"In all ways."

And as Lilith and Adam ran through the grass, as laughter filled the air, as their family—their ridiculous, chaotic, impossible family—stood together,

Damon realized—

This.

This was it.

The life he never thought he’d have.

The future he never dared to dream about.

And now?

Now, it was his.

Forever.

Always.

In all ways.

**The End.**