“In custody. I couldn't risk killing him while Isca's technically still mated to him. Since he's bonded to me too, Zarbius' death mightnotkill Isca but we just don't know." Talius sighed, obviously frustrated."Anyway, there was enough evidence on site to incriminate him. The guy was either arrogant or plain stupid, but the police found all the evidence they needed in his office. It wasn’t even locked up.” Talius shook his head.
“Will I… will I have to make a statement?” I asked.
“I’m not sure yet. Probably not. One of the detectives involved is a shifter, he’s well aware of what we are. It would be easier to not have to explain how we traveled all that distance between here and Zarbius’ camp over a couple of mountains in such a short period of time. If they decide they have enough evidence to convict him without anything from us, then it will happen that way. Linius thinks they do.”
“He’ll get away with kidnapping Irian?”
Talius shrugged. “The trafficking charge should be enough to put him away for good. No need to traumatize Irian any more than he already has been.”
From the look on his face, I felt Talius would personally love to exact his own vengeance for the harm to his omega, but he was going to have to make do with the beating he’d already given the alpha and the knowledge that Zarbius would be locked away for a very long time.
“So that’s about it, I think. I’ll let you know of course if they find the omegas. I’ll also find out what’s happening with the omegas that were still at the camp.”
I couldn’t help the sigh that escaped me.
“Don’t worry, they’ll find them. I’ll let you know as soon as I hear anything from Johnson.”
Right then, peals of laughter rang out down the corridor, followed by giggling and soft footsteps. Through the open doorway of the office, I saw Tosca flanked by a smiling Isca and a laughing and bouncing Irian, headed towards the kitchen.
I glanced towards Talius to see a fond smile dancing across his lips. He pushed a pile of papers towards me, and twistedthe computer screen around to face me, before rolling his chair around until he was sitting beside me.
“Here, let’s start your training by helping me with some admin. It’ll be time for afternoon tea by the time we’re done and if I’m not mistaken, you’ll be very glad you stayed for the treats.”
He nodded towards the door, where the omegas had moved out of sight. I heard the clatter of bowls, pans and the fridge opening and closing. Tosca and Irian were debating the merits of butter versus cooking oil, and I couldn’t help smiling.
My omega was settling in just fine and I could already see he was going to thrive in this pack. I heaved a sigh of, not relief exactly, but of coming home, the tension ebbing from my whole body. A peaceful feeling warmed my chest. With Talius’ offer of a duplex for us to live in, he was telling me that he viewed us as permanent members of the pack. He’d been offering me leadership tasks even before this, and now he was offering me more.
A week ago, I’d been uncertain of my future here. Now, I had the sexiest mate of all time, a house, and a permanent situation here in the pack, with an Alpha who respected me. Goddess, I was blessed.
For the first time, I felt I was truly a member of this pack.
I belonged.
EPILOGUE 2
TOSCA
The wind howled, thrashing the topmost branches of the canopy and threatening to rip away the leaves from their slender stalks. The ghostly sound raged high in the mountains, but down here in the lower reaches of the forest, beneath the trees, the wind barely stirred beyond the occasional draught, offshoot of a particularly strong gust from above.
There were no clouds, the moon a pale crescent in the eastern sky. It wasn’t the usual time of month for a pack run, but Talius had called this a celebratory event, a joyous acknowledgement of the return of his mate, and a welcoming into the pack for me. I didn’t think it was customary for packs to run to celebrate new arrivals other than when they gained an Alpha Mate, and I felt a little self-conscious about it. But my new friends, Irian and Isca, had assured me Talius did things his own way, and that he was more than grateful to Agelius for his role in Irian’s rescue.
Regardless of their ready acceptance of me, I was a little nervous about the run. The truth was, despite my 20 years, I couldn’t recall ever having done one. In Zarbius’ pack, there had sometimes beenhunts, but those were to be avoided. Theyhad been exclusively for Zarbius, his friends, the pack betas, and whichever poor omegas had been ordered to participate. As always, I had kept out of sight, making sure not to draw attention, and I’d been grateful never to have participated.
Rationally, I knew this run would be nothing like that. Pack runs weresupposedto be a normal part of pack life – it was just that the dominant designations in Zarbius’ pack were all sick fucks - but despite knowing this, as we gathered in the clearing where the run was to start, I was vibrating with poorly concealed nerves.
“Relax, Tosca,” Agelius’ hand ran down my back, coming to rest in the small of my back. I guess he’d picked up on my distress, despite my efforts to hide it. “I’ll be by your side the whole way. And there’s no-one here who would hurt you anyway.”
He pulled me close, wrapping me in his arms. A curious sense of ease washed over me. I stopped shaking. I frowned, trying to figure out why I had suddenly stopped worrying - then I huffed.Alpha pheromones!
“Did you do that on purpose?” I demanded, glaring up at the handsome alpha.
“Uh. What?”
“Never mind,” I thought better of it. It was making me feel better, so why fuss? “When do we start?”
I looked around at the waiting group, paying more attention to my surroundings now that I wasn’t freaking out. There were shifters everywhere, some already shifted, others still removing their clothes. Huh! Everyone seemed excited but relaxed, including the omegas, with animated conversations taking place all around us. In stark contrast to my old pack,all the designations seem relaxed and happy around each other. Omegas, betas and the few alphas all mingled freely.
“Talius is about to kick it off. Look!” Agelius nodded his head towards a large fallen tree trunk that the Pack Alpha had stepped onto. He was a powerful-looking alpha, but from what Agelius had told me, he commanded respect by showing respect for others, and taking good care of his pack. He was a much-loved Pack Alpha. Just one more way in which this pack was different to my last. One by one conversations faded away, until an expectant hush had fallen over the assembled crowd.
