Riley Epilogue
As we celebrated the birth of our twins, the pack gathered around, Callum eagerly holding our son, Hades, in his arms, our daughter River held securely by Cody. I could see Tiana craning her head over, lightly touching River's hand as she stared up at the girl with big blue eyes, blinking innocently. The little girl was enamored with the two little babies, lightly touching their cheeks, their hair, fascinated by the difference in their appearance. For River was pale, with light colored hair, almost silver beneath the sunlight, while Hades had dark hair with charcoal eyes. Opposites and yet, they consistently sought each other, their hands grasping one another as they shared a cot. A special bond, I hoped that would continue into their teenage years and beyond. Hades represented Bailey, from the way he moved, to the way his facial expressions changed, despite the small size of him and how young he was. He was Bailey's miniature, whereas River was mine. Yet we loved them both fiercely, devoted to them and protective of our young.
"She's so beautiful" Tiana cooed, while Cody lowered River for Tiana to touch and smile at her.
"So are you Tiana" I told her, moving closer and stroking her hair, "River is going to be so lucky to have a big sister such as you," I told her solemnly as she beamed.
"I wish Marigold could have seen River and Hades" she whispered, and I fought back tears, wishing the same, while my mate smoothly stepped beside me and wrapped an arm around my waist.
"Marigold is looking over us, and I'm sure she's happy for all of us" Bailey said gruffly, as Tiana gave him a sad smile.
She missed Marigold. We all did. But Tiana especially. Now that Marigold was gone, there was a void in her heart that Bailey and I simply could not fill. No matter how hard we tried. We could not compare to Marigold, and we didn't want to. We hoped in time she would see us as her parents, but that had to come on her terms. We could not force it. We would not force it.
"I think so too" Tiana said slowly, as Callum took Hades over and gave him to Bailey, who immediately cradled his son in his arms with a broad smile.
Thomas was looking indignant. "I haven't had a chance to hold him yet" he said hotly, as I tried not to laugh.
For a beta, Thomas was sure softhearted when it came to children. He adored Hades and River. He had become an instant Uncle to them, as had Damien, Callum and Cody. These children would not be left wanting when it came to having family in their life. Tiana had been adopted by them as well.
"You know that my son is not a football that I just hand over right" Bailey said as Thomas snorted.
"Duh, but I haven't had a chance yet" Thomas whinged.
Bailey rolled his eyes and began to make his way to Thomas, whose eyes lit up in triumph. He gingerly handed his son over as Thomas took him, holding him against his chest and beginning to make his way around the pack house, while Bailey sighed, resigned to getting his son back when Thomas had finished showing him off. I suspected that Thomas just liked the attention he received from the female members of the pack who tended to gush over my children.
I giggled, seeing Cody do the same, heading out with Thomas towards the grounds. I saw Tiana run after them, her dress billowing behind her as she rushed to catch up. Bailey looked disgruntled as he slowly took off, sauntering towards the front door which had been left open. I had no compunctions about the twins being taken, I knew their father would be watching over them. If anything happened, there would be hell to pay. I ran a hand through my hair, taking a moment to myself, feeling myself breathe, the silence in the pack house soothing and relaxing. It seemed as though everybody had gone outside for the moment. It was hard to believe that the twins were already two months old, feeling as though it was just yesterday I had given birth to them, while Bailey panicked and shouted at the poor nurses and doctor. It had been amusing to see the Lycan King so helpless as I screamed and held his hand, cursing him under my breath while he apologized profusely over and over. The end result had been worth it. As soon as I had held my babies in my arms, I had felt nothing but love for them. All the pain, the fear, had simply faded away. My breath had caught, and I had teared up as I held them, determined to do everything I could to give them the best childhood I and Bailey could provide for them. They would not be hunted, nor would they have to fear existing. The knowledge filled me with a sense of peace, a sense of renewed resolve to continue what Bailey and I had started, to not only fulfill the treaty we had signed, but to seek out other races and have them join us in a more peaceful and harmonic world.
"They're so small" a voice commented from behind me and I tried not to stiffen, tried not to react to the familiarity of their voice, a sad smile appearing on my face as I turned, only to be swamped by his large arms as he embraced me, his scent comforting me as I inhaled and breathed it in.
I wanted to remember as much as I could about him. I greedily tried to commit his smell to memory, placing my head against his chest, feeling the strength of his arms around me and the muscles that moved beneath his body. He was strong, capable, a warrior in his own right. It should have given me a sense of security, a sense of wellbeing, but instead, I was still struck with fear. I tightened my grip on him, closing my eyes. Just a little longer, I thought, holding him, I just wanted a little longer. His hand stroked my hair gently, as though he was reading my mind. Or maybe he knew instinctively just how difficult this was going to prove to be for me. Nothing that he said was going to take away the pain of this moment. I could already feel my body beginning to tense as I stood there. He stroked my shoulder as I shivered.
"Riley" he said softly.
No. No, no, no. I wanted to protest, I wanted to plead, I wanted to beg. Yet, I knew that this was it. This was the end. I had already convinced him to stay once before, for my own selfish motives, and this time, he would not be swayed. He had kept his promise, kept his word. Damien had stayed until well after the birth of his niece and nephew, far longer than I could or should have expected, in an attempt to encourage me to recover, to let down my guard and to finally come to peace with letting him go. I blinked back tears, glancing down at his feet where a large duffel bag lay, swallowing hard.
"No Damien" I whispered, and he gave a crooked smile.
"Riley, I promised you I wouldn't leave until after the birth of your children" he reminded me without anger, "and I've kept that promise, but it's time" he exhaled as I felt my chest tighten, felt my heart beginning to race as I stared at him, speechless.
"I can't bear to lose you" I let out a sob, feeling overcome with emotion, tears trailing down my cheeks as Damien gently wiped them away with his hand.
"You won't. I'll be back Riley. You've already given me so much, forgiving me for what I did to you in the past, giving me a home when I wouldn't have one, bringing out my siren hand". He shook his head. "Sometimes when I think about what I did to you, I feel sick to my stomach."
"I already forgave you, so if this is some kind of attempt to prove yourself to me then...."
"No, Riley, this is more than that. I'm proving to myself that I'm a different man". He told me without blinking, fixing his eyes on me as I tried not to cry, my body trembling, "I can never make up for my past mistakes, but I can damn well make sure that I never let myself hurt another innocent person again. I can make myself worthy of having a mate" he said quietly. "One who might be willing to overlook my past."
"You're already worthy of a mate, Damien," I said unsteadily.
"I don't believe I am," he confessed, looking away, "and I need the time away from here, to think and just breathe. I love you Riley" he told me, "but I'm going and this time I can't be stopped."
I nodded, holding myself together. I reached for him, hugging him fiercely. "Good luck for finding the dragon shifters" I said thickly, stepping back and looking at my brother for the last time or what felt like it might be the last time.
He gave a grin. "I don't need luck when I'm part siren" he boasted as I gave a forced laugh.
"Something tells me that's not going to help you as much as you want to believe" I teased as he bent to pick up his duffle bag, hoisting it over his shoulder.
"We'll see" he called out over his shoulder, and then he turned and walked away, out of the pack house, his back fading into the distance as I stood and watched, feeling as though my heart had broken.
Bailey chose that moment to come back in. He sensed something amiss and knew immediately what it was. "He's gone, isn't he?" he asked softly.
My eyes watered. "Damien's gone". I nodded, and wordlessly he took me in his arms, kissing the top of my head as I held onto him tightly, unable to speak.
Here was my safety and here was my home. As I held onto my husband, I knew without a doubt that my life was about to be filled with love, laughter, joy and tears, chaos and more. He wiped my eyes and gave me a loving glance.
"I'm here for you" he told me as I reached for his hand "I will always be here for you Riley. Whatever you need, whatever you want, I'll do it, so long as I'm allowed to remain by your side."
As he bent his head down and kissed me, I felt the love he had for me, tingles running down my spine. I spared a moment for my brother and made a wish, hoping he would find a mate that would be half as loving as Bailey was. Because I knew, as we pulled apart, that Bailey and I would be together, forever. Ours was the kind of love that lasted through the ages and nothing would keep us apart. It was fate that brought us together and fate that continued to hold us together. Our future loomed ahead of us and I welcomed it with open arms.