Page 108 of Wolves of the Golden Sun

“You mean the revenant is gone?”

“Done and dusted. It won’t bother you ever again. Though whatever Emilia did to hold it at bay made it pretty angry. It was all I could do to keep it from possessing me, and I house three demons regularly. You’re incredibly powerful for keeping him under control for so long.”

“Thank you. Did you also put all the alpha magic I collected back in my body? I feel just as powerful as before.”

Lily shakes her head as she peers at Drago’s torso in that strange way of hers. “No. Looks like you’ve fully incorporated all the magic you collected into your system.”

“But I thought the scourge ate it all,” I say.

Rook slaps Drago on the back. “I guess Drago’s so big the scourge filled up on bread before he even got to the good stuff.”

From the kitchen, an omega pops her head around the corner. “Mari, the punch is ready.” Josie’s face blooms with a healthy flush, with happiness, and her eyes sparkle in the fire's light.

“Hey, why don’tcha come out here and meet everyone?” Mari says.

Josie tucks her bottom lip between her teeth before smiling and running out. “Hi, I’m Josie,” she says and holds her hand out for me to shake. “I’m really glad you’re not dead.”

I can’t help but laugh.

“Me too, Josie. Me too.”

She shakes hands with my mates and my Laurel Cove friends before smoothing down her hair and straightening her posture. “Mari and I have an announcement.”

My eyes dart to Mari, but my twin’s gaze is locked on the omega next to her.

“Mari and I are together.”

I beam at her. At my sister.

It makes sense. An asexual delta and an omega forced to breed with alphas she didn’t love.

“A perfect pairing, I’d say.”

Mari grins at my sentiment and we all head to the dining room for midnight Solstice drinks, which I already know will turn into a lasting tradition.

Rook tucks himself next to me as I portion out a cup of impossibly red, boozy punch.

“Hey, the bite mark looks different,” he says, pushing my hair to the side to examine the side of my neck.

“What do you mean?” I ask, touching the skin. It feels the same to me, just as hot as before.

“I dunno. It looks less angry, I guess?”

“Maybe it’s healing?” I offer before touching the place within where his bond should be. I suck in a breath, startled to find something there when for so long nothing had been.

Rook?My voice is small, as small as the hope this had worked. I couldn’t be that lucky.

My mage’s eyes bulge out of my head.

Willa? Is that… Jesus’s donkey, you feel like heaven. Like hope and wonder and magic and tenderness…

He pulls me into a big hug, squeezing me tight against him.I told you not to give up on me.

I never gave up on you, Rook. I guess just had to die first to grow the bond.

He pulls away, beaming at me.

The early night hours bleed into morning, and as the golden sun peeks over through the clouds, streaking the sky with orange and purple and pink, we all gather on the sofa, Solstice punch in hand.

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