"No, no, hold on, I can’t wrap my head around it.Youcame for the wedding, but where’s your True Mate then?"
Ennio sighs heavily, and I’m convinced he’s about to pull out a vape, but he doesn’t. He stands relaxed and tilts his head.
Did he drop the vape like I did? I no longer need it. Maybe it’s the same for him?
"Well, I couldn’t make it to the main ceremony; I had a business matter to take care of, but I made it to the reception… I hope the newlyweds forgive me."
"Who is he?! Your True Mate?"
I turn around because I see Ennio’s eyes shift past my shoulder toward the lawn, where someone is walking, almost running toward us with this bright, cheerful energy.
"That’s him," he whispers, and then breaks into a wide smile.
Unbelievable, and yet, apparently happiness is possible for everyone. For every person, even the ones who gave up on it completely.
How wonderful… The world can turn around. It did for me, after a decade of suffering, and for Ennio after almost two decades of loneliness.
"Congratulations," I whisper and hug Ennio tightly for the first time. "And thank you for everything. This really is a wonderful day."
Then I look at Ennio and his True Mate as they wrap their arms around each other, and my heart squeezes with emotion. Are my eyes a little wet? Our difficult paths have finally found theirperfectending.
EPILOGUE OF THE WHOLE SERIES
(It includes references to situations and people who do not appear in this book.)
LAKE
I walk between the tables, my heart swelling with happiness and pride, rising like spring waters. All my sons, and even their cousins, have found their True Mates, and I can’t imagine a more beautiful day in the life of any family man.
First, I stop at River’s table. He’s glowing, with little Phoenix on his lap. Archer leans in beside him and keeps feeding Phoenix the tastiest bites from his plate. That boy is growing like crazy, exactly what you’d expect from a purple alpha in his red variant.
"Dad, sit with us for a minute," River urges, but I only kiss his cheek and tell him, "I have to make the rounds, but I’ll come back to you at the end and we’ll talk." And I smile warmly.
Then I lean in and kiss the cheeks of all my grandsons, River’s boys: Riley, Igor, Van, Aiden, and my eight-year-old namesake, Lake.
"Have fun and eat as much as you want, go wild. We got the best catering possible, straight from a five-star hotel. The Sanders really outdid themselves."
And I ruffle Igor’s chestnut hair, he looks like a walking copy of my son Skye.
"We have plastic water pistols for you guys," I whisper into Van’s and Aiden’s ears. "Don’t hesitate to use them, just remember, they’re loaded with glitter rounds, not water!"
The boys’ eyes light up instantly.
At the next table sits my second son, Winter, with his fated mate, Sariel. Sariel has his hand behind Winter’s back and absentmindedly plays with strands of my son’s white hair. The warmth between them has long since melted the cold energy of my son, changing it into the easy closeness they share. Winter has their boys on his lap, and every now and then he showers their chubby cheeks with a flurry of kisses.
"How are you two doing? Is everything good? Do you like the food?" I lean in, kiss Winter on the cheek again, then I can’t resist and kiss Sariel too.
"All good, the food’s amazing," Winter says with a smile.
Ah, Winter. My precious son, who lived for so many years like he was stuck in stasis, asleep, without hope for a family of his own, without dreams, afraid to even imagine the future. He finally thawed this past year, ever since he found Sariel. They fit each other perfectly.
"How’s work? I heard you’re preparing applications for the next stages of the government’s Beta Activation Program?"
Winter nods seriously. He’s basically the right hand of DevApp’s CEO, Jacob Lowen, who can’t imagine running the company without his favorite son-in-law.
"Yeah, we have several government projects lined up, including further Beta Activation Program app development. Looks like we’re not running out of work anytime soon."
I lean over his shoulder as the boys chirp happily.
