To Be Claimed

Epilogue

Author's Note at bottom

3 Months Later

"Brody, the baby isn't a boy," Katie informed him, rolling her eyes. She was situated in one of the reclining chairs, rubbing her stomach that was expanding over the waistband of her sweatpants. Everybody was gathered in the living room of the cabin, nestled within the trees, cozy and quiet. Repairing and adding onto the cabin wasn't difficult - with the incredible strength and speed, the werewolves were finished in a month. There was a fire in the corner of the room where Brody was seated, extending his fingers out towards the flames. Next to him, his mate, Cole, was playing with the carpet beneath him, his shoulder resting against Brody's. Ever since Jay had passed away, the two of them remained side-by-side in fear of losing the other. It was heartbreaking because they had also been close with Jay - eventually, after finishing the cabin, they made a funeral for him, one without his body. There was also a funeral for Laura.

On one of the couches, Nora was seated on Drew's lap, curled into his chest. His arm was around her waist lazily and he sipped a cup of hot chocolate. After escaping the government facility, she started searching for answers about what she was. She still showed signs of being a werewolf, yet she didn't transition. She knew her magic came from Caine after he brought her back to life, but when the Volkov brothers rescued her from being a red-eye, she was left being - who knows what. She didn't know what she was yet, but she still used her heightened senses to her advantage. As for Drew, he was holding the small part of his pack together. The majority of his pack was terminated during the government hunt or were thriving somewhere in the world. To be honest, he wasn't concerned about finding the rest of his members.

At the other end of the couch, Emma was curled into Ryker's side, his arm draped across her shoulders. Their relationship had improved and believe it or not, but they were normal. Ryker had stopped his cruelty for the most part and settled down, moving forward from his past. Though, he was still the temperamental one. Emma was content and every once in a while, she received another letter or message from her brother. As much as she wanted to see him, she finally accepted their fate and was just relieved he was still alive. And, she couldn't consider the thought of leaving Ryker's side - she was utterly in love with him. It took some time, but eventually, he confessed his love for her too.

Noah was seated on the floor by her feet, twisting a bullet in-between his fingers. The famous hunter, the one with hundreds of kills that everybody had feared, was done. He stopped hunting werewolves, mainly because his sister was involved with one. She was all he had left; his mother was gone after being murdered and his father was killed by Nora herself. He didn't stick around at the cabin; in fact, he just constantly visited. Since his life wasn't in danger as much, he wandered about - he only visited for his sister.

Near the corner of the room, Caine was sitting on a stool, one that he had stolen from the kitchen. He was eyeing Nora, watching as she laughed into Drew's neck. He had succeeded in protecting her; she was safe at the moment. His emerald eyes flickered to his brother, Ethen, who was lounging across the other couch, gazing up at the ceiling. He was thinking; all he ever did was over-think things and worry. It was unbelievable that the Volkov brothers were still together, even after three months. But, Ethen knew that Caine would stick near Nora's side and since she was living among Emma, Ryker was also around. As he stared at the ceiling, he wondered what was keeping him there. His brothers were important - family always came first. But, besides the love for his brothers, nothing was keeping him.

Brody gasped. "It's a girl for sure?"

"Congratulations!" Nora responded, trying to avoid Drew's tickling hands. Katie smiled at her and continued rubbing her stomach, happily. She was still in pain from losing Jay, but with the baby, a little part of him was still around. As soon as she discovered she was pregnant, relief washed over her - he wasn't completely gone.