The Witch's Alpha

Epilogue

Alyssa bit her lip, trying to stifle the laugh that threatened to make its way up from her throat. The little girl had her hands on her hip and was waving a small, slightly crooked, finger in the face of a much older boy.

"Don't you eber, eber, do that again!" She yelled as another little girl cowered behind her with tears flowing down her face.

"What's going on here?" Alyssa asked, coming into view of the children.

"Mommy!"

Alyssa opened her arms and allowed the little girl to fly into them. "Beth, what happened to Vanessa?" She asked while scooping her daughter up into a hug.

It had been three and a half years since the night of the rogue attack. Three and a half years since Robert betrayed them. Three and a half years since Marie gave birth to her niece, and three and a half years since Alyssa's life changed.

*

She had awakened in the hospital room, her bed next to Marie's. Glancing over, she noticed a small pink bundle in her mate's sister's arms, and immediately sat up.

"Oh my gods! Marie, is that what I think it is?"

"Yes, Lys. This is my daughter, Vanessa Leigh Bailey," Marie said, a brilliant smile plastered on her face.

Alyssa slowly climbed out of bed and walked over to Marie. Gazing down at the small face peeking out of the blankets, Alyssa felt tears gathering in the corner of her eyes.

"Vanessa, this is your aunty Alyssa," she heard Marie coo to the tiny baby in her arms.

"Oh, Mar, she's so beautiful!" Alyssa exclaimed before leaning over and carefully giving the other woman a hug, not wanting to hurt the child between them. As she held Marie, Alyssa tensed, a vision flashing before her eyes, causing her to gasp in shock. Pulling back as the vision faded, she became aware Marie had tensed as well.

"I'm pregnant!"

"You're pregnant!"

They exclaimed at the same time. Both women looked at the other. "How do you know? Jinx! Double jinx! Stop copying me!" Both women broke out laughing as they continued sharing the same thoughts.

"Seriously, Mar, how'd you know?" Alyssa asked as she swiped tears from her eyes. She had laughed so hard, she was crying.

"Your scent has changed," Marie stated.

"That could have been because I shifted. I had a vision though, so that's how I knew."

"What? You shifted? How- but- what?! What do you mean you shifted?!"

Alyssa thought about the events that had happened as tears fell down her cheeks. Declan...

*

"Those boys were being mean to Nessa, mommy. They made her cry," her daughter told her, a pout on her perfect cupid' s bow lips.

"Oh. Vanessa," Alyssa said as she shifted Beth to one hip before scooping up the other little girl and placing her on the other. "It's ok baby," she said trying to comfort her niece.

Alyssa studied the two little girls as she walked with them to where she and Marie had been talking earlier. They looked enough alike, it was clear they were related, but besides both having been eyes and small aquiline noses, they were different. Vanessa was tall where Beth was short. She had strawberry blond hair, and a peaches and cream complexion. Beth had long brown hair, half of it pulled back with a crown of daisies pinned in it. Her green eyes sparkled with mischief on the small face that reminded Alyssa of Declan. The two girls were not only cousins, they were best friends.

"Alyssa, let me take the girls for you," Debbie said as she came up to her. Alyssa smiled at her mate's mother, but even though Debbie returned it, it didn't reach her eyes.

When Debbie had found out about her mate's involvement in the rogue attack, she immediately rejected him, even though they had been together for what seemed forever. It wasn't something that was unheard of, but it was still a rarity. After Debbie rejected Robert, he had been tried and sentenced to death. Ever since that day, Debbie had been nothing but a shadow of her former self.

"Thanks, Deb," Alyssa said. She lowered both girls to the ground and they took off with their grandmother. She stood still and watched as her daughter ran around, playing as if there was never any evil in their world.

"What are you thinking about?"

Alyssa felt arms being wrapped around her, resting on her protruding belly. She smiled as she felt the baby she was carrying kick.

"He likes the sound of your voice," she said as she turned around in Declan's arms.

She still couldn't believe they had both survived that night. She had fully expected it to have been too late when she poured her energy into him. She even expected it to kill her in the process, but apparently the Goddess wasn't done with her.

Over the past three years, she and Declan, together, had brought the little infighting between the wolves and witches to an end. Their handfasting had helped pave the way. They had ended the discrimination and prejudices of both cultures. They were making it acceptable for witches to come out of the broom closets all over the world and were trying to convince the wolves they could revel themselves as well.

Their path was not an easy one, but with the help and support of their families and friends, they knew they could overcome anything. Nearly losing Declan had made Alyssa see that although she was content being by herself, it was nice having someone walking with her she could lean on. It didn't make her weak. If anything it made her stronger.

"I love you, Declan," Alyssa said, raising up on her toes as he lowered his head.

"And I love you, Alyssa."

The End