Lunar

Epilogue

*Eight Years Later*

"Henry," I yelled from my kitchen, "your kid is scaling the bookshelf again!"

"I'm on it, Boss!" He yelled back from the sun room before he ran to his four year old son, James.

I made eye contact with Maggie, who was sitting on one of our chairs in the living room, breastfeeding their infant daughter. We just smiled and shook our heads at the man she called her husband and the one I got to call my best friend.

"Auntie Shay," I heard from Lilly's daughter, Alaska, and her twin brother, Shawn, "Peter won't let us play on his game!"

"Yeah, well," Peter, Kellan and my six year old son, stumbled for the right words to get him out of trouble, "Michael was kissing that girl that he brought over!"

"How about all three of you go play outside; Uncle Henry and Uncle Alec are both out there. Dinner will be ready soon, okay?"

"Okay," all three of them shouted at once, "love you!"

"I love you three, too," I laughed.

Kellan came from around the corner and wrapped his arm around my shoulder, "Michael definitely heard Peter telling on him just now."

"Oh yeah, he did," I chuckled, "I can hear him running from his room now."

No sooner had the words left my mouth did the blonde 16-year-old boy run down the stairs, his eyes wide.

"'Laska! Kellan! Are you guys really going to just believe Pete like that? I mean, he's six, he doesn't know what he's talking about!"

"You sure were pretty perceptive when you were six," Kellan commented.

"Ordinarily, I would just think that Peter made that up to get him out of trouble but Sarah, Morgan, and Chase all told me the same thing that he just did," I pointed out.

"Those tattle-tales," Michael said to himself, "They're supposed to be my brother and sisters and they just throw me under the bus like this. At least I know where their loyalty lies, now."

"Michael, sweetie, you know I don't mind you having friends over but you don't even know if she's your mate yet. And, if she's not, this isn't fair to either of you."

"I know, 'Laska, it's just that I really like her! And I turn seventeen in a couple of months and will know for sure then."

"Oh, boy," Kellan breathed out, bringing a hand to his forehead, "seventeen. Don't remind me."

I smiled at my husband, thinking about how long he's known the four kids that aren't really kids anymore.

"Anyways, Mike, I'm probably not the best person to speak about this to, I will most definitely give it my best shot if you want me to, but you should probably bring this up with Henry before they leave tonight, okay?"

He sighed, huffing out a heavy, "Okay," before pulling me into a quick hug and running back upstairs, returning a few minutes later with the nice young girl and their book bags, spreading their biology homework across the kitchen island.

I was about to turn around to pull a pan from the cabinet when Michael spoke back up again, "Hey, I just remembered something. I mean, it would have been better to say this on your wedding day, though."

"What is it?" Kellan asked.

Michael's mischievous grin grew wider before he spoke.

"Oh, so you are those friends."

****

We were all sat around our huge dinner table outside - all seventeen of us - stuffing our faces and laughing with one another.

I remember sitting on the rock in our park many years ago, an overwhelming sense of pride running through my veins as I watched the pack that we had grown flourish. Now, even if I never thought it would be possible, the same feelings coursed through me, somehow stronger than ever before.

Henry was stuffing his face, only taking small breaks to feed his daughter, Lilly had one arm wrapped around Alec's while the other was over the shoulders of her two children, and Ryder was as lively as ever, his beautiful mate sitting right next to him.

My first four children, biological or not, were all on the cusp of seventeen, making my heart swell with an alarming amount of love for the young adults. Peter, my only child-by-birth was sat right in the middle of his older siblings, making them all crack up, as per usual.

And right next to me sat the love of my life. A man that I never imagined having. I truly never thought that I could love somebody as much as I love him, but here we are.

Far too many years ago I lost the only family that I had and was thrown into a role that I never wanted to be in. I honestly thought that I would never be happy again, that'd I'd never had a family again. Oh, how wrong I was.

I thought my life was over.

Little did I know that it was only just beginning. 

****

Is it normal to be a little emotional when having to say goodbye to your characters? I sure hope so. 

I have grown so attached to these people that I have created and can only hope that you all have enjoyed reading this story as much as I have enjoyed writing it. 

It has been my pleasure to do this and, as always, I hope you enjoyed. 

With love, 

B