“This is the only warning that you will get,” Caesar said, his voice a low growl.“If either of you return, you won’t walk away.”
Joss let out a wolfy snarl.“We know your scents and your faces.We don’t forgive those who come against us, and we don’t forget.”
The jaguars didn’t speak, they just nodded, their faces pale and worried, their lips pressed into thin lines.
Their restraints were removed and they jumped into the sedan and took off, gravel spraying as they hurried to put as much distance between them and the park as possible.
The group of park shifters stared silently into the darkness until the taillights vanished.
She let out a breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding.
The final thread tying her to Otto and the Tennessee prowls was cut for good.
Joss and Marcus got into their SUV, with Alfie and Amadeus joining her and Caesar in the other one.
Caesar stared at her.“They’re gone.”
“I know.I’m free.We’re all free.”
He pressed a kiss to her forehead and she closed her eyes for a moment, tears stinging them.It was freaking bliss.
“I love you, alpha mine,” she whispered, holding him tight for a moment.
“I love you too, baby.”
He eased back and smiled at her.“We thought we’d stop for breakfast once we cross back into New Jersey if you’re up for it.”
“I’d love that.”
“Hell yes, I’m starving,” Amadeus said.
“Kicking bad guy ass definitely worked up an appetite,” Alfie said.
Sera smiled and shook her head with a chuckle.“Let’s get going.I could go for a tall stack of pancakes myself.”
It was strange to consider that so many lost their lives that night because a male didn’t know how to take no for an answer.If he hadn’t let his ego control his behavior, he would still be alive, and his people too.
But she didn’t have the bandwidth to care about that.She wasn’t going to shed tears for someone who tried to kill her soulmate and his family and friends.She was going to live the best life she could with Caesar by her side, because that seemed like the best revenge.
* * *
Sera sat underneath a tree at a stone picnic table with her entire family in the safari park.The stallions had all come to visit that afternoon.Sunny and Seneca had joined them, along with Jupiter, Celeste, Lucius, Rhomi, and Amadeus.They were celebrating the freedom that came from not having to look over their shoulders anymore, and going from a small family to a really big one.
As she poked through the basket of fries for the really crispy ones, she smiled.Sunny had just announced her pregnancy.Their family was growing even more.
“Man, I need to find my soulmate like yesterday,” Amadeus said.“All this love and happiness is a bummer.”
Caesar let out a laugh.“You’ll find her when the time is right, and it’ll be perfect.Sera was worth the wait.”
“Man, I don’t want to wait until I’moldto find her!”
“Who are you calling old, kid?I could still kick your ass.”
Amadeus put up his hands with a shit-eating grin.“Right, right.I’m just joking!You’re not at all ancient.”
Caesar growled playfully and tossed his empty soda can at his son, who grabbed it out of the air and tossed it into the nearby recycling container.
“I’d like to make a toast,” Seneca said, rising to his feet.He held up a bottle of apple juice.“To safety.To family and friends, old ones and new ones, and to all the blessings coming our way.”
