Page 166 of Empowering the Wolf's Heart

“What does Fenbutt mean?” Jess asked.

My cheeks heated.

“To pass a gas so extreme, it causes one to gag.” Everyone turned to stare at Jacob, who lifted his gaze from the book he was studying and adjusted his glasses. “What?” he said as Jess giggled.

“Fenbutt, Fenbutt, Fenbutt!” Fina cried, much to the delight of the puppy dancing about in the water before her with his tongue hanging out as he chased fairies and nymphs and my nieces.

I looked up at Shen, who was already staring down at me with a gentleness in his eye that made my insides melt.

“I love you, my brave, murderous Red,” he whispered into my ear. The strength of it came over the bond, wrapping around my soul like a purring kitten.

I leaned back against him, watching my family play in the pool, lounge on the sides, and, in Mom and Dad’s case, hold hands as they smiled into each other’s eyes with tears running down their faces to match mine.

Once upon a time, I wasn’t sure we all would make it here. So many times I’d thought we’d lost it all.

But the only time you lose everything is when you stop fighting for it.

Here we were. Happy. Alive. Living. And most of all, healing.

I’d learned to delegate, to take time for myself and enjoy things without putting others’needsbefore my own. Shen wasgrowing into himself, figuring out how to be who he wanted to be instead of what others had pushed on him. Anna was learning how to use her Gift to help me weed out those who would harm our family from within. Jacob was… Jacob. Still picking locks and finding out secrets no one wanted him to know, but his heart was in the right place.

Mom and Dad were enjoying retirement, spoiling their grandkids, and supporting me as two more members of my council. They had so many great ideas, and the people of the tribe really looked up to them as the best warriors of their generation.

My tribe was… adjusting. Shen and I were taking them on different kinds of hunts. Most times there was still magic involved, but not to the extent of before. Now we took down evil others ignored. Powerful leaders who abused their partners or children, smugglers who took advantage of orphans, and fighting rings with supernatural creatures forced into death matches.

And it was working. My Reds were happy. Content that they were still making a difference. My biggest problem wasn’t my Reds, but the civilians who were having to get used to living alongside the werewolves from Shen’s pack who were moving in as their Alpha spent more time in my tribe. That and the creatures who came withneedsand then didn’t want to leave. Like the sphinx and her little one. They had found a cavern nearby and often visited the city for playdates with unicorn foals.

Shen gave the ruling title to his sister after his mother’s pack had become his. Said he didn’t want it and would rather stay by my side. So Beatrice became the ruling princess after their mother. Shen had given many of his werewolves who came to help us the choice: they could be transferred to his sister or remain under his leadership. The pack was split, but then Beatrice did something unexpected.

She submitted to Shen.

That meant, technically, Shen was over them all, but Beatrice just kinda ruled in his stead.

That was an entire week and a half of craziness that I do not want to relive. Shen nearly killed his sister a few more times before he realized that being the leader she’d always wanted would be a worse punishment, and that I wouldn’t let him kill her.

Beatrice might’ve almost—Almost?Shen hissed into my mind, and I blew a raspberry at him for listening to my thoughts—killed me, but she was still his sister. And she was in a good place to make a difference, if she so chose.

Then there was the matter of the creatures withneeds.They still came, being drawn to me. And I still helped them. We had lookouts who would bring them in from the woods, address theirneeds, and then send them home. And we had mages now. Some of the black mages had returned after the battle, seeking succor and a place to live a meaningful life. We put them to work helping those they’d harmed most of their lives.

Most of the unicorns went back into the woods after the battle, but a few chose to remain in the city. And they didn’t murder humans anymore, so that was a positive. One time I saw Ran with one, and the unicorn nodded as if conversing with her. She wouldn’t say anything except she was talking with an old friend when I asked.

Life wasn’t perfect, but it was imperfectly beautiful.

I held out my arm with the mate mark. The purple hue of its mountainous land with the moon and willow tree.

Shen held out his left arm and where our forearms touched, it made a complete circle. The top half of the willow tree on one side matched with the roots of a willow on his side. And on his side was a sun shining down on an arid desert. If you looked just so, it was almost as if the sun’s rays created the wings of abutterfly. The mark was beautiful, but it was only made whole with both of us.

When our marks met in the middle, one of light and one of dark, they created just what was needed for the trees to grow.

“It takes both rain and sunshine for a tree to grow,” Shen whispered.

I smiled up at him, tilting my head to kiss his chin. He spun so I caught his lips instead. He chuckled as I gasped, his lips closing over mine in a sweet peck that went beyond the mere physical plane and zapped my soul. He pulled back, but I reached up and grabbed his doublet, pulling him down for more than a mere peck.

Anna cheered, Brian groaned, and my cheeks grew red even as I lost myself in Shen’s arms.

A chuckle rose from my lips, and Shen broke the kiss. He was breathing hard, his breath tickling my forehead as I leaned against him.

“What are you laughing about?” he asked, his voice amused and bemused all at once.

---