Shadow turns his head towards me, his voice steady. “That life’s gone, Rem. It’s over. He’ll never touch you again.”
I nod, but I can’t quite speak. The weight of it, the finality, sits deep in my chest.
He takes my chin, gently tipping my face up until I’m looking at him. “You hear me? You’re home now.”
The words sink in slow, soaking through every part of me that still feels raw and uncertain.
I whisper it back, testing it. “Home.”
He smiles, small and tired. “Yeah. With me.”
My eyes close as I breathe him in. “You know,” I murmur, “for someone who swore he didn’t do feelings, you’re getting pretty good at them.”
He chuckles, low and rough. “Don’t tell the others. I’ve got a reputation to keep.”
I smile against his chest, letting the warmth of him pull me under. The noise outside fades. The bruises don’t ache so much anymore. And for the first time in as long as I can remember, I don’t feel like I’m waiting for something bad to happen.
He holds me against him, a silent promise.
Maybe we’ll fight again. Maybe we’ll break a little more before we heal. But right now, there’s peace.
And as I drift off to sleep, my last thought is simple, quiet, and sure.
He was right . . .
I’m home.
Epilogue
Six months later
The clubhouse smells like summer—sun-warmed leather, spilled beer, and barbecue smoke drifting from the back yard. Music hums low from someone’s speaker, and laughter carries over the sound of engines idling.
It’s loud, messy, familiar.
I’m sitting at one of the picnic tables with Luna, Lexi, and Xanthe. There’s ketchup on my jeans, a ring of lemonade on the table, and the kind of easy comfort that still surprises me sometimes.
Lexi’s painting Xanthe’s nails black. Luna’s pretending not to cry-laugh as she tells a story about Grizz trying to change a tyre and nearly setting the garage on fire. I laugh too, real and unguarded, the sound of it still strange in my own ears.
I’m not the ghost who walked through the clubhouse doors months ago. My bruises have faded, and my eyes are brighter.
And the ink on my hip,Property of Shadow,has healed smooth and perfect, the words dark against my skin. Words that Shadow kisses every single night before we sleep.
The patch on Shadow’s kutte, glints under the sun as he walks towards us, shirtless underneath, grease on his hands and a grin tugging at his mouth.
The girls all smirk in unison. Luna mutters, “Here comes trouble.”
He stops beside me, his shadow falling long across the table. “You gonna spend lunch with me today?”
I roll my eyes, smiling despite myself. “I’m having girl time.”
He leans down, his voice rough but warm. “I’ll make it worth your while.”
Luna groans. “Get a room, you two.”
He laughs, presses a kiss to the top of my head, and strolls off towards the garage, where Ripper’s already yelling for him to pass a wrench.
Lexi bumps my shoulder. “You love that man.”
