Chapter 95: Epilogue

^ONE YEAR LATER^

“Shift it a bit to the left.”

Olivia stepped back, squinting as she tried to envision the future structure.

~Does that look balanced?~

But really, what did she know about architecture and construction?

“Or maybe it should be to the right? Let’s try that.”

“I thought ~I~ was the one calling the shots here.”

“Well, I guess that makes me the ~boss~ around here,” Olivia joked, reaching for Alex’s hand while keeping her gaze fixed ahead.

But Alex wasn’t satisfied with just a simple handhold.

Instead of letting her take his hand, he pulled her into him, pressing her back against his chest. His hands instinctively found her stomach, cradling it gently.

He did this every time they were close. Nothing she said could make him stop.

It was still early; there was barely a bump to touch, but Alex didn’t care.

She had given up trying to stop him. And there was no point in ~waiting~ to share the news. Everyone already knew.

The announcement had brought a wave of joy to the pack.

They had suffered some losses, but they had all come to terms with them. Change was good. Babies were good news.

For a time, she had worried she ~couldn’t~ have kids.

That something had happened that night long ago and ~damaged~ her. Heat after heat, but no results. Each month she had hoped, but each month she had been let down.

Having a baby ~now~ hadn’t been part of her plan, but after the false alarm, it had been on her mind. And it wasn’t like she and Alex were careful during her heats. He was always eager.

And then, almost a year later, it happened. The extra time, though stressful, had been a blessing in disguise.

Once she had stopped stressing about it not happening, she had been able to see the benefits of waiting a year.

She had gotten to know Alex better. She was more comfortable with the pack...and with herself. She had learned a lot over the past year. Olivia had pushed herself out of her comfort zone every day.

She had made mistakes, clashed with Alex, but she had grown.

And now, every day, her belly would grow.

The thought of becoming a mother was both thrilling and terrifying, but she knew she could handle it.

Alex rested his chin on her shoulder, nuzzling her neck. “What about our agreement?”

Olivia fought the urge to roll her eyes. “I’m not doing anything I promised I wouldn’t,” she reminded him.

Alex had always been protective, but it had escalated now that she was ~actually~ pregnant. A fact they had confirmed multiple times. The fear was real. But she was genuinely, truly pregnant.

Even though she felt like it could be snatched away from her at any moment.

“While I agree that I should take it easy, I never said I’d be sitting on my ass for the entire pregnancy.”

He kissed her neck, his lips trailing down her skin. “I can think of a few things we could do with you sitting on your ass in bed…”

Heat spread through her and though she was tempted to lean into him, she pulled away from his lips.

“No, sir. As enticing as that sounds, I have duties to attend to. And we both know ~you~ can’t stay in bed all day. Even though you’d love nothing more.”

He groaned. “Do we really need another building?”

It didn’t look like much yet. Just the bare bones of what it would become.

But it was important. It was their first addition to the packhouse and she was overseeing it. She took her role very seriously.

“We don’t ~have~ to do it,” she started, craning her neck to look up at him.

“But where do you suggest we put the newcomers? Have them sleep in the living room indefinitely? Share our room with them?”

He leaned down, giving her a quick kiss. “We could give them a show.”

She laughed. “You and I both know that if anyone was in the room while we were intimate, you’d gouge their eyes out afterwards. You barely let me shift back in front of others.

“Do you really expect me to believe you’d want to have sex in front of an audience?”

“Fair point.”

Olivia smirked. “So, we ~do~ need the new building.”

She was probably being overly hopeful, if she was being honest.

In the past year, they’d only managed to recruit three or four new members. But it was enough to make the packhouse feel a bit more crowded.

Their little one wasn’t the only newcomer on the way, which meant they had to expand the children’s area, taking up some of the spare rooms. And that didn’t even include the medical area they were working on.

She was just trying to stay ahead of things.

The new expansion wouldn’t be finished for a few weeks and they needed to plan for that. Plus, there would come a time when she’d have to step back. And then there would be the sleepless nights…

No, it was better to get everything sorted now.

Olivia had already started to delegate some of her duties.

Despite Alex’s objections, she’d been the one leading the scouting missions, always with a team, of course.

It had taken weeks to persuade him. Apparently, when he’d agreed to her plan, he hadn’t realized she’d wanted to be the one in charge.

She understood his initial reluctance, but she needed him to realize that he couldn’t keep her wrapped in cotton wool forever.

The first few times, he’d accompanied her, overseeing everything—or rather, making all the decisions.

But after a few nights of persuasion, he’d agreed to step back. Jason usually came along, though.

Since Jason wasn’t as controlling and his presence helped Alex relax, she’d allowed it.

“Unless you want me to go out there again.”

His eyes narrowed, even though she was sure he knew she was joking.

“I’ll drag your ass back to the room if I have to, Livy.”

She didn’t want to take the risk. She was more agile in her wolf form and she’d gained confidence, but accidents could happen so easily.

She knew wolves carried their young all the time and her body was probably strong enough, but Olivia remembered the loss of the child that never was. She didn’t want to imagine what it would do to her to lose a child.

So, not because of what Alex wanted, but because of her own feelings, she decided she wouldn’t be leading the search parties anymore.

It meant giving up some of her freedom, but it was a sacrifice she was willing to make for the life growing inside her.

She had her whole life to become the person she wanted to be.

She had nine months with this little one safely inside her. She wouldn’t do anything to jeopardize that.

She did, however, draw the line at complete bed rest. This wasn’t a high-risk pregnancy at the moment, and there was no reason for her to become a bedridden invalid.

Exercise, fresh air—these things would be good for her.

And she wasn’t going to have this discussion with him again.

They’d talked it out, they’d reached an understanding, and he didn’t get to change his mind. He might be the alpha of the pack, but she was his mate.

“Then, smile and let me do this at least. If I do nothing for the next few months, I’ll go crazy, and you don’t want me to go crazy,” she said, snapping her teeth at him playfully.

~Bad move~. Alex was a bit too fond of bites and nibbles.

“Maybe I do.”

And there it was.

“Do you have to turn everything into a sexual innuendo?”

“Maybe.”

She rolled her eyes and playfully swatted his arm, but she didn’t try to move away from him.

Instead, she leaned further into his warmth, enjoying the feel of his hands on her growing belly.

Alex nuzzled his nose against her cheek, tickling her and making her shoulders rise in a protective gesture.

He laughed softly in her ear, sending shivers down her spine.

“Jason’s going to lead the next scouting party?”

“No. I think there’s going to be a change of plan.”

“Oh?” he asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Yeah, I—uh, I was thinking of asking Maya to take over for me.”

He barely managed to suppress a laugh. “Maya? Maya who wouldn’t hesitate to slit a stranger’s throat without knowing who they were? Maya who acts first and asks questions later?”

“~Yes~. That Maya.”

She knew that taking over her role wasn’t exactly Maya’s dream. She was aware of that; she wasn’t oblivious. But Maya had been somewhat aimless over the past year.

According to what Alex had told her, that was typical for Maya. She’d do one thing for a while, then move on to something else.

Being restless and not committed to one thing did seem to fit her.

Olivia found herself pondering if Maya was on a quest to find herself, her true calling. Perhaps her constant dabbling was a sign of her uncertainty about her life's direction.

Maybe her true passion was something she hadn't yet discovered. If Maya took over her duties during her pregnancy, it would be the longest commitment she'd made.

Perhaps that could be beneficial.

Of course, Maya could walk away anytime, but Olivia held onto the hope that she would stick it out. Maya was still young, she had time. But Olivia cared about her, they were friends after all.

Maya had been the first to extend a helping hand to her. It was only fair that she returned the favor.

“I can see this going two ways. She either quits or she ends up killing Jason.”

Olivia gave a nonchalant shrug. “I bet ten bucks she kills Jason,” she retorted, a laugh escaping her lips.

“I give it a week.”

“Is that your subtle way of giving your approval?”

“I’ll take pleasure in being right, so sure, go ahead.”

Olivia shook her head, allowing him to pull her closer once more. “We’ll just have to wait and see, I guess.”

She was aware that Alex had known her longer and probably understood her better, but she was willing to give it time.

Maya had a unique perspective on life.

She didn’t overthink things. She meandered through life, without a clear goal or destination. Her life had been relatively peaceful.

Was it because she consciously steered clear of complications, or was she simply waiting for life to unfold?

In contrast, Olivia often felt cornered, as if her autonomy had been stripped away.

Unpredictable heat cycles, loss of control over her life, her choices… But she had managed to reclaim some aspects of her life. She had discovered a sense of control she hadn’t experienced before.

While not everything, certain things could be controlled, influenced, or altered.

But destiny? ~That~ was beyond control.

And that turned out to be a ~good~ thing.

Perhaps Maya could benefit from a touch of unpredictable destiny. But that was for Maya to decide.

Olivia would be content with her life, her pack, and her family.

—End of Book One—