Epilogue

Epilogue

~Epilogue~

~Three Years Later~

~Scarlett’s Point of View~

I look down at the fur sprouted on my hand and gasp. I’d been feeling a weird tingle in my brain for the last two days, and I absolutely knew what that meant. But to see it finally happening, to have it be real…

“Are you there,” I whisper, as I continue to stare at my skin. I’m suddenly hotter than I’ve ever felt, it’s truly unnatural. Literally all I want is to tear this dress off and shave my head if it’ll help cool me off.

Since I’m alone in my room I decide I could care less, and I strip since I don’t want my dress to get shredded anyhow. Everyone is at a picnic down by the pond, and though I’m sure the twins are wondering where I went, but something told me it was best to be alone. The sun is setting, and too soon the full moon will be showing itself.

This is absolutely the moment every girl dreams of, getting her best friend for life.

Hmm, what’s that smell, I hear, making me gasp. I practically shoot off the bed.

“What… does it smell like,” I ask, looking around as if the voice will pop out of nowhere.

The sharp waft of cedar and cherry wood hit my nose and I instantly blush. I bite my lip and fall back on the bed. My skin heats even more against the feel of my quilt, and the fact that it’s absolutely coated in the scents of--

MATE!! MATE!!

I shoot up again, my eyes wide. They instantly fill with tears, and then they’re streaming down my face. I’d prayed to the Goddess, absolutely begged for Oscar and Oliver to be my mates. They’re my absolute best friends and while we have certainly fooled around, given their ages I’ve been too afraid to let things progress into what they desperately want.

What I want too.

They’ve never even looked at another female, not the way they’ve looked at me. They dote on my every need literally everyday. Next to Hannah, I’m positively the most spoiled female in the pack and everyone sees it. And … comments on it.

If they had a different mate … or if I did… we’d be devastated. They already said if that happened, they’d have to leave the pack and there’s no way I could live with that.

My body demands that I breathe them as deeply into my lungs as possible. Last year they built a cabin about a mile into the woods, of course telling me that it’ll one day be our home together. But for now, there’s no way in hell mama Patricia is letting me out of the packhouse. That doesn’t keep them from sneaking in here literally all the time.

KNOCK KNOCK

“Scar? Where’d you go? I saved you some dessert,” Oscar calls.

Ohhh!!! MATE, the voice shouts, as my back practically snaps.

I cry out in pain, not able to help myself. I know very well the door is locked, and if I’m about to shift I’m not going to have hands soon to open it.

“A minute, wait… a minute,” I whisper, though the wolf isn’t getting the message.

It takes all my effort but I throw myself off the bed, and then instantly regret it when I hit the floor hard with all my weight. Thankfully it’s carpeted, but it still hurts!

There’s a loud boom and suddenly hands are all over me. My body welcomes it, the touch only a mate could give.

“Ohh shit! We gotta get her outside bro,” I hear, just before there’s a ring in my ears and then there’s like a loud tone as my body continues to shift under my skin.

When they start to try and move me, I’m absolutely all over the place. My body is certainly nothing the twins haven’t seen, but I don’t really care to have all of Nightwind see me naked. Thankfully fur is more than covering most of me now.

I hear words, I hear voices but I can’t make sense of it.

Relax! I’m taking over, I hear in my head.

When I feel the solid earth below me there’s a final pop in my back that nearly makes me think I’ll be paralyzed before this is all over. Then suddenly, the pain just stops. I cock my head to the side, it weighs more than normal.

Ahhh, so much better, the voice says, as my entire body shakes out. I look down at my foot and see a paw, it’s pure white though as I look up my leg it blends into gray.

We got boots! Aww, the voice says, as we take a timid step forward.

“That’s it girl, you got it,” I hear, now clear as a bell.

Do I understand what he said?

We’ll always hear our mate, the voice purrs.

I step toward a leg and rub my face into it, and I instinctively know that it’s Oliver’s. Hands are all over me, rubbing and scratching. Ohh it feels like heaven!

When Oscar grabs our face and smiles my wolf freezes.

Two?! Two mates, she squeals.

Two mates all right!! And ALL mine!!

Well, they’re fourteen uhm… Yeah. So much for my romance books teaching me that the very second you shift you’re swept off your feet by your ready and waiting mate. They can definitely pick me up and swing me around like a grown male, but I just don’t know if I can get past the age difference. They’re still so young and waiting seems like total bullshit! I’ve been reading stories with multiple mates for more than half my life and ever since I met them all I’ve done is convince myself they’re mine.

A growl breaks out behind me and my body instantly tells me that it’s Parker’s wolf Crush. There’s a bump at my side and that one is definitely my mom. Ugh!

“Damn well, I guess you’ll wanna run with your family,” Oliver says, as he squats to look into my eyes. He looks so sad and I hate it. But on two legs, there isn’t much he can do for my wolf right now.

What do I call you, I finally think to ask the voice in my head.

I’m Daria! Who are you, the voice says, licking her lips at the sight of our mate.

His hair is really messy and shaggy now, I haven’t cut it in months. Goddess he’s so hot though. Absolutely the drool worthy stuff of romance novels. It… doesn’t at all hurt that I watch their training most mornings and they’re total badasses. I know I’m only torturing myself, it’s a sick foreplay… that’s lasted for years. Ugh!!

I’m Scarlett. We need to go run with our family, they’ll be here when we get back, I say. She jerks her whole body to face my brothers who are waiting with great restraint.

Why can’t they come too?? Our mates should certainly… she trails off, looking back at them.

They’re taller than me, and already have facial hair which is insanely sexy. But they’re still boys, barely teens at that. When Daria finally gets it, but still doesn’t like it, she turns away anyhow.

The night is literally everything a new she-wolf could possibly want. Though I’ve not been inducted into the pack, I can mind-link my family and it’s incredible. Daria catches two rabbits and I can’t get over how much more intense everything is. But the entire night we’re in the woods, I’m distracted. It’s probably obvious to everyone.

There’s literally no way of knowing when Oscar and Oliver will get their wolf. There’s stupidly no rhyme or reason to it. Any full moon can bring on your better half and I think I had to wait longer than most and males often shift earlier than females. So I want to hope.

“I’m proud of you sweetheart. Your wolf is so beautiful and fun, but we knew she would be,” Rafe says, squatting next to Daria. He rubs her ears and while it feels good, it’s just not enough.

When my mom sits down too, I praise the Goddess she’s in a dress even if I know she’s probably got nothing underneath. Nobody wants to see that!

“Now honey… your father and I have thought long and hard about this. If it were the other way around and you were fourteen, there’s no way in hell we’d let you near those boys on the first night of their shift. But something tells me it’d be cruel to keep you apart. Do you… feel anything,” she asks.

Daria cocks her head to the side.

“Do you think they’re the ones you’ll want to mate,” Hannah quickly asks, practically shoving Rafe out of the way.

Daria quickly nods and sits up on her hind legs.

They’re my fated mates mom. I’m 100% certain, I confess to all of them in an open mind-link. It didn't take me long to figure that out, I got tired of repeating myself.

They all gape at me but Daria just lets her tongue hang out the side of her mouth.

“I just knew it,” Parker says, reaching to rub my head.

“So, they’re on their way out there. Do you want to go home with them,” mom asks.

AWKWARD! But screw it!

Daria instantly nods her head and they all kind of look… annoyed? I could really care less!

Over the next couple of minutes, everyone leaves but Hannah. She gets down on one knee in front of me.

“I can’t possibly think of a better match made by the Goddess, except for mine of course,” she grins, absentmindedly rubbing her belly. She’s two months pregnant with twins. It’ll be their second set.

“Be good to each other and always honest. It isn’t easy but the rewards of having two mates are by far and away incredible like I can’t even express. It’s clear you’re all hopelessly in love already,” she says, and leans to kiss Daria’s cheek.

I like her, but she smells nothing like our mates. Who is she, my wolf questions.

I don’t get the chance to answer because the sounds of feet running flitter into my ears. Hannah hears it too because she gets up, winks at me and walks off into the woods.

It’s barely a few seconds before they’re all over me, and then Oliver picks us up as if we weigh nothing.

Daria nuzzles into him and relaxes. Once we get to the cabin, they lay me on the bed and stare at me.

“We feel it. We felt it the moment we saw you. Then again, we’ve always believed it,” Oscar says, just into our ear as he nuzzles into us.

“We’re gonna help you shift. There’s no way in hell we wanted everyone to see it. They already got your first hunt, this is for us,” Oliver says, as his hand rubs my back. Daria slowly rolls on her side. I concentrate on how I look as a human, I know what to do.

When I feel her retreat and my mind moves back into the forefront, the pain hits. But my mates keep their hands on me, they encourage me. The whole process feels sweaty, gross and kind of embarrassing. But they’ve more than seen me at my worst already, this shouldn’t be any different.

“There she is,” Oscar says, holding my face.

I draw a deep breath, then throw myself at him. He catches me and it suddenly hits me how tired I am. When I sag against him, he understands.

“We’re gonna give you a nice warm bath, just how you like baby,” Oliver says, kissing my cheek as he thrusts his arms under me.

“Nothing has to happen, just let us take care of you, mate,” he says, taking my lips against his.

The bath is even more torturous foreplay, but I’m far too exhausted to think of much else and Daria is already asleep. By the time they have me dried off and in bed, all I want is their warmth surrounding me. Once I have it, sleep quickly takes me.

“Hmm,” I moan, shifting to try and stretch.

Only my arm is under something heavy. I pop an eye open to see Oliver staring at me. I can only smile, because I feel incredible. There’s a lull in the back of my mind that tells me Daria is still out cold.

“How do you feel baby,” he whispers. I turn more toward him and cup his cheek.

“More alive than ever and ever more grateful for you both in my life,” I say, as I lean forward to kiss him.

A big arm comes around my waist and then there are kisses on my shoulder. I’ve never felt more loved and secure than when I’m between them.

“I’m just saying… putting this out there. I got a huge box of condoms from Pax. Since he’s all mated now he doesn’t need them,” Oscar says.

I pull back from Oliver as my face completely heats.

“Damn she’s cute when she blushes,” Oliver says, moving on top of me and taking one of my breasts in his hand, then his mouth.

I moan when they’re both feasting on my breasts, their hands all over me. I’m absolutely powerless to resist them, but I can’t imagine it any other way.