Fragrant soaps filled the steamy water as I stripped, drowning in the beauty of my omega. She eyed me just as greedily, her nipples hard as she licked her petal-soft lips, her burning gaze making me harder than stone.
Water sloshed over the sides of the tub as I slipped in, helping Willow nestle between my thighs. Instantly, she relaxed in my arms. I gently trailed a soapy cloth over her arms, purring for my omega.
She was so delicate. And yet, she was the strongest person I had ever known. A survivor. She withstood the abuse and neglect of her father, and still somehow managed to come out on the other side.
I closed my eyes, focusing on her sweet little purr rumbling in time with mine. My entire life was condensed to this moment, with her in my arms. I only needed this. Everything else I had… it was meaningless without her.
Before my da died, he urged me to build something better than he did. And so I did. I devoted myself to building an empire. A kingdom built on blood and loyalty. I had believed it was my destiny. My birthright. The legacy my da wanted me to leave behind.
Except now, I realized I might have misunderstood what my da meant when he said,build something better.
Better was love. It was Willow.
An angel wandering through a world of demons. And I had captured her. Stolen her away to a place where the sun hid behind clouds and every kindness came with a price.
She changed me, her light illuminating the darkest depths of my soul. At first, I thought I had corrupted her, damned her to a life of shadows.
But I was wrong. She brought me into hers. A world of quiet strength, compassion, and love.
I was a demon who stole an angel, and I was never letting her go.
Epilogue
WILLOW
One Year Later
The late afternoon sun beat down on my face and cast long shadows across the freshly turned earth in the pasture. A gentle breeze blew by, carrying with it the scent of cut grass and wild clover.
“Ooh,” I gasped, the sudden kick in my abdomen surprising me.
My hands curled around the subtle swell of my stomach. It wouldn’t be long before I’d no longer be able to hide it. It was a secret we had kept to ourselves for weeks now. But I suspected Aileen and Torin knew, each catching me multiple times struggling with bouts of morning sickness.
And if Torin knew, it was certain Aidan knew. Chances were that Aidan had also told Liam.
So I had a feeling that our secret wasn’t as mysterious as Kaelen thought.
Cosmo gently bumped his head into my belly, resting it there, and I giggled. It seemed like so long ago when I had first worked with him at Snowfield. The scared black stallion that now let me cuddle him and feed him from my hand.
I laid my head on top of his, running my fingers through his mane. He towered over me, his magnificent black coat gleaming in the sunlight. A quiet nicker left him as he nosed my tiny bump, making the baby kick gleefully.
The rhythmic puff of his breath against my palm calmed me. I trailed my fingertips along his velvet skin. Cosmo was among the first horses we rescued. Technically, the rescue hadn’t been opened yet.
But when Snowfield reached out, asking if we would take him, I couldn’t say no. He belonged with me. With us.
Cosmo was still skittish, a fear for everyone except me and Kaelen. Every time I stared into his dark eyes, I couldn’t help but wonder what horrors led to him being tied up in a warehouse. Alone and wounded. Aidan and Torin promised to find who did it, but it had been months and they still hadn’t found any leads.
It had taken weeks for me to earn Cosmo’s trust. Hard fought hours of me sitting in the pasture, waiting for him not to sprint away whenever I appeared. Eventually, I started joining him in his stall, but only when Kaelen was with me.
My alpha worried that Cosmo might lash out and kick me. Not on purpose, but out of fear. After a week, he took an apple from my hand. Day by day, he opened up more, letting me touch his neck or brush his mane.
Something in him called to me. A kindred spirit. I recognized his pain, and he saw mine.
My gaze drifted to the west, where the mountains rose in a rolling wave against the horizon. It was quiet here. Peaceful.
So different from the city.
I was different.
