Page 48 of Rejected Sold Mate
“Let them go,” I commanded, and they all stood down. Rhie curled against me, refusing to look at the dead bodies, but smiling in relief nonetheless. “Let them spread the word that death awaits anyone who wants to fuck with the tri-pack alliance.”
“Thequad-pack alliance,” Samson corrected, the other three Alphas coming up beside me. “You’re one of us now, Blacktide.”
I looked at all of them, and I desperately wanted to respond, but for some strange reason, my throat was tight. They all clapped me on the back anyway as I rolled the words over in my mind again and again,The quad-pack alliance.
Epilogue - Rhie
Autumn was on the way out, and winter was nipping at its heels. It was one of the last few unseasonably warm days when the Shadowbay Alpha and Luna invited everyone to a gathering hosted at the Blacktide brewery, the only place big enough to hold members from all four packs.
It was a special occasion. It was finally time for everyone to meet their new daughter, Harper.
Nayeli had gone into labor just two days after we drove the rogue wolves from our land, and it had been all hands on deck. Scott had been beside himself, but the other Alphas were there to keep him from going feral while the pack midwife and the rest of us Lunas attended to his mate.
Kiera and Gwen had had plenty of time to prepare for their fellow witch giving birth, and they lit incense, quietly chanting spells to ease her pain and keep her alert throughout the process. I’d only had magic for a short time, so my job became supplying Nayeli with ice chips and ferrying information back and forth between the rest of the wolves waiting outside and those of us who were in the birthing suite.
Scott, of course, had been by her side as the contractions ramped up, and by the time she began to push, it was like everyone was working as a single entity to accomplish a single goal. The witches chanted, Scott held his screaming mate’s hand, and I stood off to the side, wide-eyed, as the Shadowbay heir had come into the world.
It was an experience I would never forget, and while I wasn’t in a hurry to repeat it myself, it did show me that if I chose to have children, my support team would be enormous.
The little girl had been born a month and a half ago, and the new parents had kept her inside while they adjusted to their new lives. Jayce and I had been welcomed into the home just a few days after she was born, as had the other Alphas and Lunas, but this would be the first time the rest of the packs were able to see the new, adorable addition.
Scott and Nayeli weren’t under any obligation to introduce their daughter to anyone and everyone in the quad-pack alliance that wanted to meet her, but the gathering was another gesture of goodwill. Another way to broadcast to everyone in the alliance, and even those outside of it, that we were a united force.
The brewery was packed. So many wolves had been eager to get out of their homes for one last big party before the chill set in, and I thought the turnout was better than anyone had expected.
The huge roller door was open, and people mingled both outside and in, hovering around bonfires while children darted through the legs of shifters from all four packs. Nayeli, Scott, and Harper, the guests of honor, were settled in a cozy, warm corner, Samson and Kiera’s son Kit standing guard like a miniature version of his father. He’d taken the addition of his new cousin to the family very seriously, and he had proclaimed himself her protector, which melted everyone’s hearts.
We hadn’t seen hide nor hair of the rogues, and we’d sent out communications to other nearby packs to warn them. Those who responded reported nothing new. It was like they’d disappeared into thin air after their leader was killed.
It wasn’t that I wanted to deal with them anymore, but the longer they were out there, basically invisible, the morelikely it was they would be able to recruit new members and become a thorn in our sides once more.
Or, if we were lucky, they’d disband, and the threat would be well and truly over. With so few of them left after our attack, that was the most likely outcome. But it was still difficult for me to accept the good things in life, including a simple solution to what had been such a huge problem.
My magic was another one of those good things. Little by little, I learned control, and my magic was as radiant and beautiful as ever. Each time I used it, I was reassured that it would never turn dark like my father’s had. It responded to me easily, warm and glowing, as much a part of me as the blood in my veins.
I couldn’t have done it without my friends or my mate. But being part of Jayce’s pack was teaching me that it wasn't a weakness to lean on others. That was what it meant to be part of a pack.
I stood just beyond the doors, desperate for some fresh air, Gwen beside me. Her and Joe’s daughter, Rose, was in her arms, bundled up, pulling at Gwen’s hat whenever she let her guard down.
We’d all come together for this—Alphas, Betas, and everyone else who wanted to attend. Pack boundaries faded when everyone was together, new friendships and even relationships blooming the more time everyone spent with each other.
“Where is your father?” Gwen huffed at Rose, who was wiggling energetically to be put down. She’d just started to walk, and that new skill meant she loathed being held. But the party was so crowded that putting her down wasn’t an option.
“Here,” someone said, and Joe, Jayce, and Samson materialized out of the crowd. Joe handed his spiked cider to Samson and took Rose from his mate, who signed and rolled her sore neck. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to be gone for so long. There are alotof people here.”
The couple spoke quietly while Samson went in search of Kiera, and Jayce slid his arm around my waist. Just a few months ago, I would have considered something like this party impossible, but things had changed. Alliances had strengthened.
And I finally felt like I was home.
Held against Jayce’s body, I gazed back inside at Nayeli and Harper, feeling a pang in my chest. I’d never considered having kids, not once, but then again, I’d never imagined being a real, valued part of a pack either, let alone a Luna. But I’d learned how to lead; maybe, in time, I could learn how to be a mother too.
“You’re staring,” Jayce whispered into my ear, amused.
“She’s just so cute.”
“She’s loud,” Jayce chuckled, “Got lungs like her mother. Or at least that’s what Samson said.”
“If ScottorNayeli hears you guys talking like that, they’re going to knock you senseless,” I sighed, looking at the mother and baby once more. “Plus, they’re perfect. Just look at them.”
