𝐊𝐞𝐞𝐩𝐞𝐫 || 𝐕𝐞𝐫𝐊𝐰𝐚𝐧

Epilogue

Vernon lowered Zach into the bath, watching the baby’s face as he took in the warm water surrounding him. There was a pause where Vernon knew it could go either way, prepared for screams to fill the air. And then Zach wriggled, waving his arms and kicking his legs.

“We have a winner,” Vernon said. “Bath time is now officially your favorite time of the day.”

Zach stared up at him, wide-eyed.

“Okay,” Vernon conceded. “Second favorite. Maybe third.”

On the mat next to him, Jake cooed loudly, kicking his legs in the air.

“Your turn next,” Vernon promised. “I’ve only got two hands.”

And with three babies, two was never enough. Still, every time he saw his sons, every time he touched them, he was amazed that this was his reality.

Seungkwan joined him, carrying a fussy Mark in his arms.

“He didn’t go down for a nap?”

“No,” Seungkwan said. “I think he smelled the bathwater. You know how much he loves the bath.”

He walked the fussing baby up and down the room while Vernon got Zach clean.

“There we go,” he said, reaching for the towel and wrapping Zach in it.

“One clean baby.”

“For how long?” Seungkwan said darkly.

“Oh, I think the record so far is seven minutes. Don’t worry, we’ll beat that sooner or later.”

He lay Zach down on the mat next to Jake, ticking him under his chin.

Seungkwan knelt beside him, leaning his head against Vernon’s shoulder.

“Some days, I look at them, and I can’t believe they’re ours,” the omega said, echoing Vernon’s thoughts.

“I know how you feel,” he said softly.

“Your sleep’s been restless these past few nights,” Seungkwan added. “Want to talk about it?”

Sleep had been eluding Vernon, who found himself musing on the past a lot as he sat watching their sons sleep.

“I’ve just been thinking. About Dutchy, Suho, and Andy.”

Seungkwan stayed silent, waiting for him to continue.

“They gave up their lives, just like I would have done. Except it wasn’t me, it was them. For the longest time, I thought that was the problem. It was all in vain, all meaningless, because I couldn’t pull myself together and actually live the life that their deaths gave me.”

“And now?” Seungkwan prompted gently.

“They didn’t die for nothing. They died so kids like ours could have a future. So I could have a future. I’m going to make it one they could be proud of.”

“You are far braver than you know.” Seungkwan hugged Vernon and kissed his cheek. “One day, when they’re older, we’ll tell them. About how you saved the world for them and how you saved me.”

“We saved each other,” Vernon said. “I was headed down a dark path before I met you. You turned my head, and here we are.”

“And here we are,” Seungkwan echoed.

It was as good a place to be as any Vernon could have dreamed of.

Seungkwan sat on a blanket in the paddock, surrounded by baby hedgehogs, watching Vernon. The alpha was on the other side of the field with Eric and Zane, helping Eric ride Thunder. They’d decided on a breakfast picnic, since rain was forecast for later that day.

The rest of the pack were gathered on blankets nearby, the sound of mewling cubs and laughing babies intermixed with all the chatter. The only person missing was Seungcheol, on his way home from a night shift at the firehouse.

“I can’t believe how much they’ve grown,” Yuna was saying, stroking Mark’s spines with her fingers.

“They eat like horses,” Seungkwan said with a grin. “Must be Vernon’s influence.”

The alpha looked over on hearing his name and smiled.

Seokmin’s phone rang, and he wandered off to answer it. Joshua came to sit next to Yuna, a sleeping fox cub in his arms.

“At least you’ll only have one foal to deal with when the time comes,” he said, nodding to Jake.

“One will be more than enough,” Seungkwan agreed. “Hedgehogs are tricky as it is. You take your eye off them for one second, and they’ve disappeared.”

They were so small, they could fit into any nook and cranny in the cottage.

“You need eyes in the back of your head,” Eunbi agreed, flopping down next to them. “Speaking of, Seokmin is trying to get your attention, Joshua.”

Joshua glanced over his shoulder, handed the sleeping cub off to her, and went to talk to his mate.

A few minutes later, Vernon carried Eric across the paddock on his shoulders, the little boy triumphant after his first horse ride.

“He’s a natural,” Vernon declared. “Took to it like a duck to water.”

Joshua and Seokmin walked back over, deep in discussion.

“Problem?” Seungkwan asked them. They all sensed a shift in the mood to something more expectant. Was danger headed their way?

“Seungcheol found a cub up a tree,” Seokmin explained.

Seungkwan blinked, assuming he’d misheard. “He rescued a cat?”

“Is he going for firefighter of the year award?” Vernon joked.

“No,” Joshua clarified. “Cub. As in shifter cub. Leopard, he thinks, and an omega. Poor thing sounds traumatized.”

“He’s bringing him here, to the packhouse,” Seokmin added.

“Here?” Seungkwan asked, surprised. He was sure there were procedures—police, hospitals, social workers. Seungcheol couldn’t just bring a lost cub home with him.

“We’re technically the closest safe haven for minor omegas, and we’re still officially government-contracted so, yeah,” Joshua said. “I’m actually surprised something like this hasn’t happened before now. I think they were sending local omegas further afield once our pack status became public. Not anymore.”

“Then I guess we’re up,” Yuna said, getting to her feet and helping Eunbi up.

“They’ll be here in ten,” Seokmin said.

The others started packing up and getting ready to head back to the house. Vernon and Seungkwan helped pack away the food and toys and fold the blankets, waving the others off. Then Vernon stretched out next to Seungkwan on their blanket, the cubs clambering all over him.

“Never a dull moment in this pack,” the alpha remarked.

“Just the way we like it,” Seungkwan agreed with a laugh.

Dark clouds rolled overhead, and they gathered the cubs up into their arms.

“Time to go home,” Vernon said, wrapping his free arm around Seungkwan’s waist.

“No place I’d rather be.”

Seungkwan knew there’d be trials and excitement to come, but it would never change the fact that here, he’d found love, a pack, and a home.