EPILOGUE
"Iam unbeatable!" I crow, dancing around Dayne in a way guaranteed to piss him off. I know this because I've done it before, and he straight up told me never to do it again.
He snaps a hand out to grab me, no doubt intending to halt my celebratory dance at once again winning the pack run up the mountain, and back down to the lake.
All while four months pregnant.
I dodge Dayne's grab to dance my way over to where Luka, who hasn't shifted yet, is lying stretched out on his front in the grass.
Dropping to the empty spot beside him, I run my hand over his soft fur. "But you came close, Luka. You're back to being my favorite," I tell him, and bend to press a kiss on his head.
My lips don't touch his fur.
The next second, I'm in Dayne's lap, a few feet away, as he glares at Luka as if it's his fault.
"I'd appreciate it if you didn't stroke and kiss my beta right in front of me," Dayne growls, curving a hand around the nape of my neck.
"Should I wait until you're not there, then?" I ask.
"It means don't do it. Ever." He bends a kiss to my lips, and I sigh happily as I lean into it, sliding my arms around his shoulders.
"I think one of us should stop them, otherwise this BBQ is not happening," I hear Regan mutter. "Or then again maybe it will since Talis is more interested in food than she is in anything else right now."
Dayne and I separate and turn to her in unison. "Hey!"
Then we turn to stare at each other. "What?"
"Nothing," I mutter, and look away, since I know if Dayne asks me whether my priorities are food or sex right now, he won't like my answer.
"Talis?" Dayne grumbles, and I turn to narrow my eyes at Regan for getting me in trouble.
She pretends to get busy looking for a place to sit on the grass, before settling near Marshall and Jenna who, along with the rest of the pack, are lying any which way beside the lake.
We'll get up eventually and head back to the house to bring the food out for the BBQ and to pull some clothes on, but for the moment, with the evening a mild comfortable one, no one's ready to move yet.
All except Savannah, who's been notably absent lately.
Dayne's tried to get her to stop hiding in her cabin all the time, but nothing he says seems to be working.
He thinks it's because of Abel and his forcing her back into the main house, but I'm not sure. Call it woman's intuition, but I have a feeling something else is going on with her.
I'm planning on stopping in at her cabin and seeing if I can't figure out what's going on with her.
Dayne explained that as Luna, I'm responsible for ensuring the mental well-being of the pack, which is one of my key roles.
There's so much I had no idea I needed to be doing, and that I never knew my mother did. And it involves all aspects of the pack, from helping to run the meetings, to accounts, and much more.
It's both exciting and terrifying to have so much power and responsibility, but it's important to me and I want the pack to thrive and be happy, so I'm giving it my all.
I'm still figuring out my new pregnant body and going to doctor's appointments with Dayne, but as time goes by, I'm getting more confident and less insecure about my role in the pack as well as my own body.
I yawn and rest my head against Dayne's shoulder as he presses a kiss against my forehead. We stay that way, half-sitting, half-lying on the grass.
It's so quiet and comfortable, I'm close to drifting off when someone clearing their throat wakes me.
Or rather, Dayne springing to his feet and my back hitting the ground jerks me awake.
I'm ready to unload on him about dumping me to the ground like that, only I don't get a chance because I can see that he's distracted.
Dayne's eyes have gone wolf, and he's snarling as he stalks over to a guy-a stranger-who looks like he's just stepped out of the forest and onto the clearing.
I notice three things about our stranger. He's a shifter, he's naked, and he's not entirely unattractive. Also, Dayne looks ready to kill him.
"Who are you?" I ask as I get to my feet, a lot slower than the rest of the pack, who to my annoyance, have moved to protect me.
"That's a really fucking good question," Dayne growls.
I can see how this is going to go.
There's going to be a fight. A big one because this shifter has just stepped into Dayne's territory, and it puts him closer to me than Dayne can deal with right now.
As I've gotten further along with my pregnancy, Dayne's gotten more and more protective over me. Now, he doesn't even like Luka to sit too close to me, which is saying something since Luka is his beta.
This guy is a stranger, who's eyeing Dayne with a hint of a smile on his lips as if he's excited by the prospect of a fight.
So, yeah. Things are going to get real ugly, real fast, and I doubt even I can stop Dayne at this point. Still, I open my mouth to try.
"Dayne. Stop."
We all turn when Savannah says the very words I'm poised to say.
She's naked, which means she ran here, and she's still fighting to catch her breath, which means she ran here fast.
"Do you know this wolf, Savannah?" Dayne asks, without taking his eyes off the wolf or slowing his steps.
"Yes. I do." She clears her throat, and then she brushes her hair away from her neck.
We all suck in a sharp breath, all except Dayne, who still has his eyes fixed on the stranger in his territory.
"He's my mate."
Say goodbye to Talis and Dayne (for now) and say hello to
Savannah Blackshaw and Jeremy Stone in…
Book 3