Epilogue
Aubrey
A few months later
The sun dips low in the sky, painting the horizon in soft hues of orange and pink as I lean against the balcony railing. The castle grounds stretch out before me. The gardens are in full bloom, and I can hear the faint sound of Max’s laughter in the distance as he runs away from one of the maids and darts behind the fountain. The sound of his laughter makes me smile. I finally feel like I can breathe again, which makes me excited. Excited because I see a future I never could have imagined for myself. One where I don’t have to question if I belong, I finally found a home.
“Max!” shrieks Mary as she tries to catch him. He reaches`in, flicking water from the fountain at her.
“Oh, you little brat! Don’t make me get your uncle,” she tells him, and Max cheekily sticks his tongue out at her before splashing her again.
“That’s it, young man, you’re in for it now.” I chuckle at his antics, and despite Mary’s firm tone, I can see she is trying not to laugh at Max herself.
Warm, strong arms wrap around my waist, pulling me back against the broad chest of my husband. Soren rests his chin lightly on my shoulder, his breath tickling my ear as he presses a kiss just below it. “You’re smiling,” he murmurs, his voice low and content. “It looks good on you, my queen.”
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I tilt my head back to look up at him, meeting those piercing blue eyes that have seen so much, endured so much, and yet still hold a softness reserved only for me. “I’m smiling because, for once, everything feels. right,” I whisper, and his arms tighten around me.
After everything we’ve been through–the lies, the betrayals, the bloodshed–it feels almost surreal to have this moment of peace. Something I didn’t think was possible, especially after all the drama of Rhett, the family secrets, Alaric and Clyde. It just makes all these quiet moments more important, more valued.
The days following the wedding were utter chaos. The trap Soren set for King Alaric during the reception worked, and his crimes were laid bare for all to see in every paper the next day. While Alaric thought he was sipping champagne and enjoying the celebration, Soren’s men were dismantling his entire kingdom.
The raids Soren organized were swift, and every one of Alaric’s compounds were targeted simultaneously, leaving his people no time to warn him until it was too late. His army barracks were stormed and shut down with the help of the supernatural council and the human governments. The trafficking victims Alaric had hidden away were rescued, many of them trembling and broken but alive.
The human governments were a massive part of the cleanup, ensuring that Alaric’s human collaborators were arrested and prosecuted along with those within the packs.
Alaric’s reign was dismantled piece by piece until there was nothing left but ashes of the empire he’d built on blood and suffering. The vampire civilians, those who had no part in his
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Epilogue
crimes were spared, but they were scattered, divided between the hybrid kingdoms to be watched over. They wouldn’t be allowed to form their own kingdom again.
The supernatural council also underwent a massive overhaul. After Alaric’s crimes came to light, it was clear that the council needed to be restructured from the ground up. Trust in its leadership had been shattered, and the public demanded change.
Elder Magnus, who had come out of retirement to help with the trial, was appointed as the temporary head of the council. Under his watchful eye, the remaining seats on the council were filled. No one connected to Alaric, Clyde, or Rhett was allowed anywhere near a position of power.
And Soren was relieved that Elder Magnus would stay on but only long enough to see the council regain the public’s trust. After that, he planned to step back into retirement.
I rest my head against Soren’s chest and lean into him as I watch Mary give up trying to force Max inside for his bath. Max whoops excitedly, thinking he won, until Damian comes up behind him and upends him, making him shriek. Damian dangles him like a tea bag by one leg, holding him up in the air while Max swings wildly at him, his short arms missing his uncle.
“Why are you giving Mary a hard time?” Damian demands, looking at his nephew, who is still upside down flailing in his grip.
“The prince has been in a ripe mood this afternoon, I think it’s all those chocolate chip cookies your mother fed him. He’s full of sugar.” Mary states.
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“Well then, it looks like brussel sprouts for dessert tonight that should teach him some manners, Mary.” Damian says.
“I hate brussel sprouts.” Max growls, his tiny arms flailing to hit his uncle.
“That is exactly the point.” Damian tells him, tossing him over his shoulder and marching back toward the castle door
beneath us.
“When I am king one day, I am going to make you scrub toilets!” Max declares to his uncle.
“Says the kid who is about to have their head dunked in one since he favors them more than a bath.”
“You wouldn’t dare!” Max freezes, turning stiff like a plank on his shoulder.
“Wouldn’t I? Mary, fetch the toilet brush. He can use that as his toothbrush for his mouth so he stops dribbling nonsense.”
“Ew, gross, I’m telling Grandma! She’ll wash your mouth out with soap for talking to your future king like that!” Max states as Damian starts climbing the steps leading in. I chuckle when Maribel appears at the open window off the side.
“Whose mouth am I washing out with soap?” she demands.
“Max’s, Your Highness. He is refusing-” Mary starts, but Max cuts her off.
to
“Refusing dinner until I can bathe, grandma. I can’t go dinner like this. I’m covered in grass.” Max tells her, and Mary huffs at his words.
Soren chuckles behind me at his antics and Damian lets Max
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Epilogue
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down on the step, where he quickly rushes up them. I shake my head and giggle, making Damian step back to peer up at
- us.
“I’m glad you’re enjoying the show up there, your son threatened to fire me from the guard and make me scrub toilets.” Soren chuckles. “It’s not funny, Soren, that is our future king.”
“Best humble him them. I will put toilet scrubbing on his chores list then, shall I?” Soren asks.
“Please do.” Damian laughs, walking up the steps and I sigh at how carefree life is now. For the first time in what feels like forever, everything is exactly as it should be.
“That boy loves getting me in trouble,” Soren whispers.
“Are you really going to make him scrub toilets?” I ask, knowing how many there are in the castle. It would take him a good hour to do all of them.
“Yep, never hurt me, though I will give him a toilet brush. My mother only gave me a glove and washcloth,” He snickers. I shake my head. The boy truly is too much like his father.
“So what’s next, my king?” I ask quietly, a small smile playing on my lips as I stare out at the gardens.
Soren doesn’t answer right away. His hand moves down to rest on my belly, his touch gentle. When I look up at him, there’s a soft smile on his face that makes my heart swell. My breath catches, and I place my hand over his, feeling the warmth of his palm through the fabric of my dress.
“We grow our family,” he says simply.
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