Page 122 of Fated to the Rogue

“When Diana appeared to me, she said she would bless us with one final ability - one we will get to keep forever,”Dawn stated.“Because of the bond we previously shared, I’m ableto reach inside your mind, even if you’re not my counterpart anymore. Valentina and Dusk can do it, too.”She smiled.

“That’s amazing!” I said out loud, and by my mate’s cheerful smile, I guess Dusk had been talking to her too.

“That’s it, Zephyr. After all this time, we’re finally complete again,” she celebrated, hugging me tight. I brushed my fingers through her beautiful caramel blonde waves, laughing at her excitement.

“You’re right. We are one,” I observed. “All four of us.”

???

One week later

“Are you ready for this, Dawn?”

The sun had just started to set on the horizon. All the wolves of Wind Howlers gathered at the top of the hill leading into the dandelion fields. We were ready to welcome the arrival of summer with a traditional pack run, which marked the beginning of our summer festival. I was at the front, leading the group alongside my Luna. My friends were in position right behind me, all of us in wolf form.

At last, I would get to run with my pack, as I should have on the night of my first shift. Only now, I would do it in the form of Dusk.

“I’ve been ready for a long time, Zephyr,”the caramel blonde she-wolf replied with all her sassiness.

“Then please, do the honors.”My black wolf gestured towards the field with his head. Shooting us one last glance,Dawn howled into the skies, bolting down the hill with a smile of pure joy spread across her face.

For the first time, I could watch my former she-wolf’s fur dancing with the wind from a different perspective. Through Dusk’s eyes, I was able to witness all of her majesty as she proudly led our pack, as she had longed to do since the day we met. She deserved this. After everything we went through, we all deserved to be happy.

The hundreds of wolves followed Dusk and Dawn through the endless fields, howling in celebration as the wind chanted each of our names simultaneously. Even the dandelion seeds, blown away from their stems with our movement, flew into the air to salute us. They danced with us, greeted us with kisses, and caught a ride on our coats. Together with the flowers and the breeze, we cheered, for Wind Howlers had prevailed. And it would continue to do so for generations.

I would make sure of that.

Epilogue

“Daddy! Wait up!”

My jet-black wolf barked cheerfully at the two little girls struggling to keep up with him. Even if he was just bouncing around at the town square, their tiny legs didn’t run as fast as he did. Once they looked tired enough, Dusk locked his eyes on his third pup, who had just turned one. She was wobbly sitting on the grass, but she lost her balance as soon as my beast rolled on the ground beside her.

“Duck!” Coraline pouted, obviously annoyed at my counterpart. Completely ignoring her, he proceeded to shower her with wet wolfish kisses.

Moments later, Vera and Zayla pounced on top of Dusk, burying their hands and faces into his dark, rough fur. Although my two oldest daughters had inherited my blue eyes, they both looked very much like their mother, with shiny caramel blonde waves and the most angelic facial features. Cora, on the other hand, was almost an exact copy of me, except for her intense golden orbs, which glowed even brighter than the sunrise.

Five years had gone by since we defeated the Fallen and fulfilled the prophecy. Since then, peace has reigned. With the help of our allies, especially Dune Drifters and Sapphire Pond, we spent the first couple of years rebuilding our pack. I worked day and night to ensure the growth of Wind Howlers. Wewere now at almost 600 members, which consecrated us as the second largest pack in Genoro.

And the pack wasn’t the only thing that had been expanded; our family had also grown.

“Zephyr! This is not what I had in mind when you said you were gonna watch the pups!” My mate’s scolding voice caught me by surprise. The second Dusk turned to her though, her expression softened, and a smile played on her lips.

“Boys will be boys, even as dads,” Alex laughed, sitting her 2-year-old daughter on the grass beside Cora. “Honestly, I thank the Goddess for blessing us with Robin.” She exchanged one loving gaze with Victor as he pulled her into a hug. “There’s too much testosterone in this pack already.”

“On that we can agree!” Nisha laughed, rocking her daughter Ella in her arms. “Arnaud’s a good boy, though. But I must admit I always wanted a baby girl.”

“I have my doubts about that.” Zach’s usual frown stained his face as he shot a glare at the 4-year-old running around Cora. “That boy will be a troublemaker. I just know it.”

“Why do you say that?” I asked, grabbing a robe after finally shifting back into my human form. “To me, it looks like those two will be good friends.” The corner of my lips turned up as I watched Cora and Arnaud playing.

“You’re lucky Neil is here to keep them all in line. Isn’t that right, son?” Malin turned to the blonde boy, the oldest out of all the pups, who nodded in response. Even at only 5 years old, he wore a serious expression, fit for a Beta-in-the-making. Then, my best friend turned to Amaya, planting a kiss on her slightly swollen belly. “And he’ll show the ropes to this little Beta-on-the-way.”

“Do you know the gender yet?” Tina asked Amaya, who shook her head.

“The doctor said he’ll be able to tell in about two weeks,” she revealed.

“Well, anyway. We need to leave these three little girls with Grandpa Alpha and Grandma Luna,” I stated, lifting Coraline into my arms. Tina followed my lead, carrying Zayla close to her chest, while Vera took her hand. “We’ll see you in about ten- Ouch!” My sentence was interrupted by my one-year-old daughter roughly tugging on my earlobe. “Goddess, Cora! What was that for?”

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