Chapter 260 Forever starts now 2

Chapter 260 Forever starts now 2
Chapter 260: forever starts now 2

Damon pov

The rest of the day passed in a blur of responsibilities and decisions. Pack members came with concerns and questions. Trade caravans needed approval for routes. The enhanced soldiers wanted guidance on training protocols. Every moment was full, but satisfying in its own way.

By the time evening rolled around, I was exhausted but content. We had made progress on multiple fronts, strengthened alliances, and set the foundation for the changes we wanted to implement.

I went on a search for the only person that would ease my tension. After minutes of walking around, I found him standing on our private balcony. Ezra was asleep in his arms, and he was humming that same lullaby from this morning.

"Penny for your thoughts?" I asked, coming up behind him and wrapping my arms around both him and our son.

"Just thinking about how different everything is," Milo said softly. "A year ago, I was still being abused by my old pack. Six months ago, I was pregnant and terrified that I will never see you again, And now..."

"Now you are a king, a father, and a mate to an alpha who loves you more than anything," I finished. "Now you have a pack that would die for you, a son who needs you, and a future full of possibility."

"Now I have everything I never dared hope for," Milo corrected, leaning back against me. "And I'm terrified of losing it."

"You won't," I promised, pressing a kiss to his hair. "We've survived too much to lose it now. Death couldn't separate us, Milo. Nothing can."

"You can't promise that," he said, but his tone was fond rather than argumentative.

"Watch me," I countered. "I promise you, Milo, that I will spend every day of the rest of my life making sure you feel loved, valued, and protected. I will stand beside you through every challenge. I will celebrate every victory and mourn every loss. I will be your partner in every sense of the word."

"That sounds an awful lot like wedding vows," Milo observed.

"Consider it a preview," I said. "Though the actual ceremony will be much more eloquent. Probably. Maybe. I am better at showing than telling."

Milo laughed, the sound bright and genuine. "I love you just the way you are."

"Good, because I am much better at the showing part anyway," I said, nuzzling against his neck and watching him shiver.

"Damon," he protested, though his tone lacked any real objection. "Ezra is right here."

"Ezra is asleep," I pointed out. "And we're just standing here. Very innocently. Totally appropriate."

"The bite you just gave my ear says otherwise," Milo countered, but he was smiling.

We stood like that for a while, watching the sun start its descent, until Ezra stirred in Milo's arms. Both of us instinctively stilled, not wanting to disturb him.

"He is going to be amazing," Milo whispered. "Look at him, Damon. He is so perfect. So full of potential."

"Like his papa," I said, pressing another kiss to Milo's temple.

"We will make sure of it," Milo agreed. "Give him the childhood neither of us had."

"The childhood you deserved," I corrected gently. "What happened to you, Milo... the abuse, the rejection, the way they treated you like you were worthless... none of that was your fault. You deserved love and protection from the beginning."

"I know that now," Milo said quietly. "It took a long time, a lot of therapy with Daphne, and your constant reassurance. But I finally believe it. I wasn't the problem—they were."

Relief flooded through me at hearing him say it with such conviction. For so long, I'd worried that the trauma of his past would permanently damage his sense of self-worth. But he'd done the hard work of healing, of rewriting the false narratives that had been beaten into him.

"I'm so proud of you," I said. "For surviving, for healing, for becoming the incredible wolf you are today."

"Right back at you," Milo replied. "You've changed too, you know. Grown. Become the mate I always hoped you could be."

"I had good motivation," I said. "Namely, not wanting to lose you again. That tends to put things in perspective."

We stayed on the balcony until Ezra began to fuss more insistently, clearly ready for another feeding. Together, we moved back inside, working in practiced synchronization to care for our son.

After Ezra was fed and changed and finally settled in his cradle for the night, Milo and I collapsed into our own bed. I immediately pulled him close, needing the physical contact after a long day of responsibilities and public appearances.

"Marcus mentioned something about a festival," Milo said, his voice already drowsy. "To celebrate the alliance and the new peace. Thought we could combine it with our wedding ceremony if you wanted."

"That sounds perfect," I agreed. "Public enough to satisfy everyone's need for celebration, but we can make the actual vows private and intimate."

"Exactly what I was thinking," Milo murmured, already half-asleep.

I watched him drift off, his breathing evening out and his expression smoothing into peace. Even in sleep, he was beautiful… though now it was a harder beauty, tempered by everything he'd survived. The scars on his chest caught the moonlight. A reminder of what he had gone through.

"I love you," I whispered, knowing he probably couldn't hear but, i needed to say it anyway. "Thank you for coming back. Thank you for being strong enough to survive when I wasn't strong enough to save you. Thank you for giving me another chance to love you the way you've always deserved."

Milo shifted in his sleep, unconsciously snuggling closer to me. Through our bond, I felt his contentment, his sense of safety and belonging.

This was home. Not the physical space or the territory or the title. This… Milo in my arms, Ezra sleeping peacefully nearby, the bond between us alive and strong… this was what home meant.

And I would protect it with everything I had. Would fight anyone and anything that threatened this peace we had built together.

But we'd face all of it together. As equals. As partners. As mates who'd proven that not even death could separate them.

"Forever," I whispered into the darkness, pulling Milo impossibly closer. "You and me, love. Forever starts now."

And as if he could hear me in his sleep, Milo smiled.