The Wolf Girl

Epilogue

Molly's POV

I look down at the four-year-old girl with her head in my lap, sleeping peacefully. Her red hair, which is the exact same shade of red as mine, is spread across my leg. It's much, much shorter than my thigh-length hair, but it's still beautiful. I smile.

I can't help but whisper her name again. "Skylar," I murmur. Her name brings another smile to my face. Her three-year-old sister, Vivian, sleeps at the other end of the sofa, curled up next to Starlight, who has grown quite a bit over the years. Now, she's as big as Phantom was. Maybe even bigger. Thunder, who is dozing on the floor next to the couch, is larger than Starlight.

I hear the quiet patter of footsteps, and I look up. My smile widens, and I carefully lift Sky's head, resting it on the soft couch as I stand.

"Hey," I whisper, walking over and wrapping my arms around Alex's neck. He smiles and pecks my lips.

"What's up?" he murmurs.

"Not much," I giggle. "Girls are sleeping."

He laughs quietly, resting his forehead against mine. "Peace and quiet," he cheers softly. I laugh breathily.

"Probably not for long," I mutter. Sky and Viv have our wolf hearing. They're already light sleepers; too much noise could wake them up instantly.

  "Well, let's savor it," he whispers. He pulls back, taking my hands and leading me to the door.

  We step outside into the cool December air, and I shiver as a snowflake drifts onto my nose. Alex instantly brings me closer to him, wrapping his arm around me. I rest my head on his shoulder as we walk.

  "We can't go too far," I remind him. "What if Sky and Viv wake up?"

  "Bella, Eric, Nikki, Wes, and Callie are all there," he says. "I think Mason's coming later to take Callie on a little date, but-"

  "But they've got kids of their own to look after, too," I retort. He chuckles, glancing down at me.

  "You're a really protective mom," he points out. "You know that?"

  I frown. "Can you blame me?" I ask. "Zack can't be asleep by now. It's been more than five years. What if he finds us an-"

  I am interrupted by his warm lips on mine. My eyes flutter shut, and I melt into the kiss in spite of myself.

  When he pulls away, he's smiling. "You don't need to lecture me about it all the time," he chuckles. "I know Zack is out there somewhere. But we can protect them."

  "I'm just so afraid," I admit as we continue walking. "For one thing, I'm not very powerful at all anymore. Sure, everyone else is, but one of the Great Angels lost almost all of her powers, and the other one is in the war between angels and demons. Plus, Zack could be anywhere. So could Gavin. We haven't seen him since we started at the camp. Who knows when they're going to try and pop out? For another thing, we're going to have to send the girls to Camp Pureblood when they're old enough. You know that."

  "Yes, I do," he sighs. "But you can't always stick your head into the past or the future. Enjoy the moment for what it is. Think about the positives. We've got three beautiful girls at home, counting yourself, of course. We may as well have a bunch of nieces and nephews, since the Firewalkers and the Quinns have kids. Adrianna will probably find someone to love and have kids, too. We have a huge home and lots of people to love." He walks in front of me, forcing me to stop, and brushes a strand of hair out of my eyes. "Sure, things could be better in this world," he whispers. "But they could also be worse."

I flash him a small smile before pulling him close. He returns my embrace, closing his eyes. My own eyes flutter shut, as I think of Eric and Bella's girls; baby Lilac and two-year-old Clover, as well as Nikki and Wes's children. Alex was right- we really are blessed.

Our life may have its ups and downs, its positives and negatives, its dangers and peacefulness. But in the end, I realize that as I stand here in Alex's arms, it's all worth it.

I wouldn't trade it for the world.