Tangled Hearts.

~Chapter 80~

~Colby~

I sob out, the weight of everything crashing down on me, but I quickly gather myself and run upstairs to meet the rest of the group. They all look at me in silence, waiting.

"It's finally over," I say, my voice breaking. "He's vanquished."

They hug me tightly, and I sob out, feeling a mix of relief and sorrow. Just as we were about to walk out of the cabin, Liam pulls me aside.

"Can I talk to you?" he asks.

"Of course," I reply.

"Colby, I don't want to be a part of this pack anymore," he says. "I want to join you and the others."

I'm hesitant. "Are you ready for that? We get kinda crazy," I joke, trying to lighten the mood.

Liam smiles. "You guys look like a great family, and I want to be a part of it."

I nod and shake Liam's hand. "Welcome to the family. You're a great man, Liam. Thank you for helping my wife."

"It was the least I could do," he says, and I know he means it.

We were all emerged from the cabin, the moon soared high in the sky, casting an eerie glow on the trees as we all loaded into the SUV. The girls had been in the car the entire time, so they hadn't seen Raelyn yet. As soon as they caught a glimpse of her, their expressions changed to absolute horror.

"Oh my god," Katrina gasped, her eyes wide. "What happened to her?"

"Is she going to be okay?" Devyn asked, her voice trembling.

"I can take care of her," Isa said confidently. "I studied health. She's gonna be just fine. Plus, with our vampire genetics, her wounds will heal even faster. It's science."

Blake, sitting between Isa and Liam, looked at me with big, worried eyes. "Is it over, Colby?" he asked.

I nodded, trying to reassure him. "Yes, buddy. It's finally over."

Aspen, my one-and-a-half-year-old, was in her car seat,  She reached out a tiny hand and said, "Mama is okay?"

"Yes, sweetheart," I said, my voice breaking. "Mama is okay."

Raelyn was so weak that she hardly spoke or moved. I laid her in the backseat with her head in my lap, stroking her hair gently. "Just rest, Rae. We're going home."

Sam was driving, with Corey in the passenger seat. Jake sat on the left, Katrina on the right, and Tara and Devyn between them. Isa and Liam were in the very back, with Blake sitting between them. It was a tight fit, but we managed.

"How much longer?" Tara asked, her voice filled with anxiety.

"Not long," Sam replied from the front. "We'll be home soon."

Raelyn stirred slightly, her eyes fluttering open. "Colby... thank you," she whispered.

"Shh, don't talk," I said softly. "Save your strength."

Isa and Liam started chatting in the back of the car, getting to know each other better. Liam looked at her and said, "Your sister is a fighter, Isa. She's so strong."

Isa smiled and nodded. "I know. That's why we all love her. She's a badass with nine lives." Everyone in the car burst out laughing at that.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Liam reach for Isa's hand, and she smiled at him. "I'm so grateful you were down in that bunker with Rae," she said, her voice thick with emotion. "I don't know if she would have survived without you. She needed a friend, and you were there. You literally saved her life."

Isa started to cry, and Liam squeezed her hand. "I was tired of Layne tormenting everyone. I'm glad he's gone now," he said softly, letting her lean her head on his shoulder.

Then Corey broke the silence, addressing the elephant in the room. "So, what do we do now? We kind of killed the villain in our main story, so now we don't have a conflict."

Sam chimed in, "You know, that could be a good thing. Maybe we'll finally get to live our lives without worrying about one of us getting hurt."

I felt a surge of inspiration and blurted out, "I have an idea. What if we start our own pack? A crazy, dysfunctional pack with all of us?"

Everyone looked at me, and then one by one, they started nodding. "That's a great idea," Corey said.

"Yeah, we're already a family," Tara added. "We might as well make it official."

Raelyn was still resting in my lap, her wounds already starting to heal. I looked around at everyone, feeling a sense of hope and unity. We had been through so much, but we were still together, still a family. And now, we had a future to look forward to—together.