“Holy shit. So seeing your end again and again...” Peter said.
“I have died more times than any other livin’ creature.” With a sigh, Paddy headed for the wall Regulus and Eli had destroyed to enter the ritual space. “And yet, I cannot rest.” He turned back to the group. “Farren? I do not know if our paths will cross again. But if ya’ need me, I will hear yer call.”
The female alpha ran to the old man and threw her arms around him. “Don’t say that, ya’ daft bastard. Stay.”
He embraced her, his multi-hued eyes shimmering with tears. “The Fates send me where I need to be. Each time, I’m a different man. But always with the same memories. I’ll never forget ya’, my silver wolf.” With a fatherly kiss to the top of her head, Paddy released her. “I’ll leave ya’ with one more riddle, lass. ‘Purpose found is worth the wait. More so when ya’ keep the faith. Rules are fine when sense they make, but ne’re forget what’s at stake. Love and trust are precious, true, for strength of heart finds those too few.”
Before Farren could curse at him or ask him to explain, he darted from the room. She rushed after him, but two steps onto the landing, stopped with a choked sob. “He’s gone.”
Eli draped his arm around her shoulders. “I don’t think that man is ever truly gone. When you need him, he’ll be there.”
The baby cooed in Mara’s arms, and Cade cleared his throat. “Can we all get the fuck out of here now?”
Livie elbowed him in the side. “Language, bossman. That little one is going to start talking before you know it.”
The alpha wolf gazed at his mate and baby daughter, love shining in his eyes. “I don’t care what her first word is. Having her and Mara back alive and safe? Knowing my family—myentirefamily—is intact? That’s all that really matters.”
Peter helped Sameen to her feet. “He’s including you too, you know,” he said quietly as Cade scooped Mara and Rachel into his arms. “You’re part of this family. If you want to be.”
Her brown eyes shone as she brushed her fingers over his scarred cheek. “There’s a lot I still don’t know about who I am, Peter.”
His heart threatened to beat right out of his chest. Was she rejecting him? He wouldn’t force her. Though begging wasn’t out of the question.
“But I know I love you. The rest...we can figure it out as we go. Right?” She smiled up at him, and for the first time since the fire, he didn’t feel so broken. She’d healed him in ways he’d not known were possible, and he’d spend the rest of his life loving her back.
“Together, sweetheart, I think we can do anything.” He dipped his head, and when they kissed, the rest of the world fell away, and he and his wolf found what they’d been searching for since the day he’d been bitten.
Peace.
Epilogue
Peter
Two steps inside the back door, and the scent of chocolate hit him square in the face. Followed by the sound of his mate’s laughter.
“What are you doing? They’re not ready yet!”
“This oven may be top of the line, but it’s as daft as my great aunt. Stick the toothpick in the center of the pan. If it comes out clean, they’re done,” Tierney said.
“Seriously? The directions on the box said thirty minutes. It’s only been twenty-eight.” His mate’s confusion was adorable. Over the past week, the pack—both packs—had started to heal.
Mara, Cade, and the baby spent most of their time in their room, and Peter worried for the three of them, but the few times Cade had emerged to grab a tray of food, he’d assured them that Mara just needed a few more days to recover.
Tierney had taken it upon himself to teach Sameen how to bake and use the computer. He never touched her—Peter threatened him with bodily harm the first time he’d found the two of them in the open kitchen with Sameen eating more chocolate chips than were going into the bowl of cookie dough—but Sameen had taken to the young wolf like a brother.
Especially after Tierney had revealed an eye for fashion he’d never admitted to anyone. When the first parcel of clothing had arrived for Sameen, she’d spent an hour locked in their bedroom before she’d let Peter in. He’d found her wearing a pair of loose, flowing pants in a rich blue, a cream blouse tied at her right shoulder, and a long golden sweater.
The confidence of finding her own style had done wonders for her, and she no longer kept silent during meals or hid behind Peter when the other wolves came into the room.
“What are you two doing?” Peter asked as he peered around the corner.
“Brownies!” Sameen held up the toothpick. “They’re done. Apparently.”
“Well, they have to cool before ya’ can eat them.” Tierney dodged the dish cloth Sameen threw at him. “It’s either that or ye’ll burn yer tongue and won’t taste anythin’—includin’ the brownies—for two days.”
Peter finished buttoning his shirt—Liam and Shawn had asked him to run with them—and slid an arm around his mate’s waist. “I can think of a few ways we could pass the time.”
Making vague choking sounds, Tierney shooed them out of the kitchen. “If ye’re goin’ to get naked, do it in yer own room. I’ve supper to put on once Christine gets back from the store.”
