| Epilogue |

This is it everyone :,) I can't believe it! Please don't forget to comment, follow, and vote! And please read the author's note at the end!

•••

Months had passed, and things have gone rather nicely for everyone. Angie finally had the chance to grieve her husband and process everything that has happened. Thankfully she has her two incredible sons to grieve with so she never felt alone.

Sophie's parents remained safe, completely oblivious to Sophie and Cillian's double life- and they wished to keep it that way as long as they can. Her parents were happy that they were happy and promised to visit soon. That meant the entire pack would have to act human for that time, but surely they could figure something out.

Unfortunately for Carlos, he has to spend a bit of time behind bars for his crimes, but he gets visitors often. He knows now what he did was wrong and will surely get released early for good behavior. Well... as "good" as Carlos can be.

Sully and Darcy are together and very happy together. It's nice seeing the big ol' stoic Sully melt at the sight of his human. It's also hilarious how he allows her to boss him around. She had him wrapped completely around her finger- and she knew it too.

As for Cillian and Sophie... well...

"Oh my gosh." Sophie gasped, her hand shakily covering her own mouth.

The pregnancy test clattered to the tiles on the bathroom floor, landing next to the other two she took just minutes ago. All three said the same thing: positive.

Her hands fisted her hair, tugging at the roots. Her chest rose and fell as quick, sharp breaths escaped her. She had always wanted kids, and Cillian said he wanted some too. However, they never officially talked about when they wanted some. The last time they had spoken about kids was when they were at her parents' house and they were only pretend dating.

Cillian was doing much, much better than he was a few months ago, but he still had some difficult days dealing with the trauma and guilt. Would he feel ready and prepared enough to take on the challenge of fatherhood?

She hastily picked up all the tests, rushed to the bedroom, and called out, "Cillian!?"

In mere seconds he was there, eager to help in anyway he could.

Before he could even get a word out, Sophie blurted, "I'm pregnant!"

"You-You're what?" He exasperated.

That was the first time she had ever heard him stutter, and it worried her it was because he was upset with her.

Her stomach was in knots at this point. Completely ashamed as if it were her fault, her posture deflated and she hid her face in her hands as she turned her body away from him. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean-"

The words died in her mouth as big, delicate hands rested on her shoulders. Carefully, he spun her around so she would face him, but even then she didn't meet his gaze.

With a thick digit hooked under her chin, he tilted her head up. Her eyes remained closed, but she felt as he rounded his shoulders in and ducked his head to pepper her face with kisses, moving across her forehead, cheeks, and jaw before he began to gently guide her backwards. She didn't know where he was backing her to, nor did she protest.

She gasped at the feeling of their bed bump against her legs and nearly let out a squeal when he carefully lifted her on it, landing flat on her back, her legs dangling off the edge. She rose to her elbows, but didn't sit up completely due to her husband crawling on top of her, his large form looming over her. His knees were on the ground, his forearms rested on the mattress on either side of her hips, and his torso was between her legs.

He wasted no time lifting her shirt, making her shakily try to force it back down, but stopped when he persisted, just enough to expose her flat tummy that would be swollen with his child in a few mere months. He placed a single kiss to her belly, his large hands encasing it. Butterflies fluttered on her insides, everywhere his touch roamed.

She laid there, completely overwhelmed as she watched one of the world's most feared men completely melt into a puddle before her.

His eyes found hers, as did his hand with her own. He brought it to his lips to press a kiss to her knuckles and asked, "why are you upset?"

"I was nervous." She explained, unsure.

His eyebrows furrowed and he crawled up to be more on top of her, but not enough to crush her. Just enough to be face to face. "About?"

"I wasn't sure if you wanted any children still." She responded rather meekly. "Or when you wanted to have any."

"Children are a blessing." He stated confidently.

She seemed to relax at his eagerness, relieved he was thrilled with the news. "We've never even had a serious conversation about having kids."

"We can talk about them now." He told her and sat up in bed beside her, coaxing her up with him. Once she was up, he was quick to pull her onto his crisscrossed lap.

She chuckled at his enthusiasm. "How many do you want?"

His smile stretched from ear to ear as the idea of a family between the two of them emerged. "As many as you will let me put in you."

She blushed at the comment. "Cillian." She softly scolded, but there was no real threat to her tone, more so embarrassment.

"What? That's how we make them." He continued to tease.

He smiled even bigger as her hands drew up to hide her face, turning redder by the second. He had none of that and gently moved her hands away from her face and pressed them onto his own instead, silently encouraging her to hold his face. She did so with an affectionate roll of her eyes and his hands slid over hers, kissing her palm, hoping she'd leave her hands there.

"How about... two? One more after this so this baby won't be lonely."

He seemed to ponder on that, when in reality, he already knew what he was going to say. "What if we double that?"

"Four kids?" She exasperated through a grin.

"Maybe five."

"But then one will be left out. It's an odd number." She pointed out.

"You're right. We can have six."

"I will turn into a wrinkly fat whale if we have that many!" She exclaimed in a laugh as she slid her hands down from his face to his muscular arms wrapped around her.

His arms tightened around her, always wanting to be as close as possible to his mate. "You want to have less?" He questioned, feeling out exactly how many babies she wanted him putting in her. He wanted a large family, as large as she would allow and God would bless.

She shook her head with a laugh and said, "I'm really not sure, baby. We will have to see how we do with the first and go from there."

He nodded as if he accepted her answer, but the cheeky grin on his lips told her otherwise. "Let's plan for six for now though until the first comes."

A warmth spread throughout him at the sound of her delighted laugh. That was always his goal, after all- to have her always happy and laughing. "Cillian, that's not what I said!"

His hands squeezed her hips, slyly grinning as he thought of the acts it would require to populate his dream-sized family. "I think it is what you meant."

"Is it?" She mused with a raised brow. At his nod, she teased, "you'll have to prove yourself to me with the first one."

A chuckle rumbled in his chest as he pressed a hand across her stomach. "You'll see, I will be the best father, and you will want to have all my babies." His sincere words made her blush further, but a deeper part of her lit up with desire.

His soft lips had once again claimed hers, the same as the hundreds and thousands of times before, washing away any questions and worries with a single sweep. She gasped into the kiss, letting her slender hands roam over his strong arms, tracing along his well-defined back where her fingertips pressed into his delicate skin.

"You're going to be an amazing mother," he mumbled in between hot kisses, while their lips almost refused to part for even a second.

"For the record, I already know that I'll want to have all your babies." She admitted, shyly- something absolutely endearing to him. She sighed into the next kiss, a longer, and more passionate one.

His kisses only left her lips to trail to her cheeks and jaw. "Want to try to make twins?"

"I don't think that's how it works." She sighed through a soft chuckle.

His kisses trailed from her jaw, and down her neck. "Is that a no?" He teased, his hot breath tickling her skin.

It certainly was not a no.

•••

"Don't give your mommy too much trouble." Cillian teased in a hushed tone, smiling down at their son, Andrew Jr.,in his mother's arms, only one week old.

"And you don't give your daddy too much trouble." Sophie said to their daughter, Gracie, who was desperately trying not to nod off in her father's arms. At three years old now, she was quite the handful.

"I'm not even-" Gracie cut herself off with a yawn. "Tired."

Sophie chuckled and played along as if she believed her. "Then why don't you just try to sleep, hmm?" She suggested and gave her a peck on the cheek.

Cillian bent down and placed a gentle kiss to his son's forehead and then on Sophie's. Gracie made a noise in protest so he lowered her enough so she could give her baby brother a kiss as well.

"Goodnight." Sophie whispered to her daughter before telling her husband, "I'll be back."

They both went their separate ways, Cillian laying Gracie down to sleep and Sophie laying Andrew down to sleep. It didn't take her very long for the baby to get settled. It was only around nine at night, but he had the habit of waking every couple of hours or so still. Cillian and Sophie would relax in their bedroom, go to sleep an hour later, and take turns checking on Andrew when he woke throughout the night. Thankfully most nights, Gracie slept like a rock.

Sophie sleepily padded back into their bathroom. Her husband was already in there, brushing his teeth. They made eye contact through the mirror and couldn't help but smile. She joined him, lazily resting her head against his thick arm as they brushed their teeth.

When they finished, they headed into their bedroom. Cillian stripped of his clothes and climbed into bed. Sophie did the same, but stole one of his shirts before cuddling up to him in bed.

She pushed her head in the crook of his neck, and he cradled her in his arms, warm and safe. "How are you feeling?" He mumbled, his breath hitting the top of her head.

She shrugged with a yawn and replied, "sore... tired... and gross and fat."

He tightened his hold ever so slightly. "You are no such thing." He gently scolded.

"I'm not sore and tired?" She retaliated, innocently.

"Sophia."

She huffed and cuddled closer. "I just don't feel like myself, babe. That's all."

She nearly complained when he pulled away from her, but it was only for him to roll on top of her. He was extra careful not to put much weight on her, especially at her sore and weakened state. She could tell by the look in his golden eyes, she was about to get a lecture.

She sighed and lolled her head to the side to avoid his gaze. "Cillian, it was a dumb comment. I didn't mean it."

He gently nudged her head back so she was looking at him. "It was not. That's how you feel about yourself and I won't have it." Trapped between his arms, he told her, "your body was our son's home for nine months. For nine months, your body was providing for two. You provided our son with the nutrients he needed to grow, the environment he needed to be safe, and the love he needed from his mother that extended outside of the womb too. You did that and so, so much more."

She sighed as tears gathered in her eyes. "I just feel so..." she drawled and sucked in a breath. "I feel so ugly. My stomach is so flabby, I have so many stretch marks, and I just feel like I don't even recognize myself." She admitted with a sniffle.

He rested his forehead against hers, fingers combed through her hair. "While pregnancy and birth is a beautiful thing, it causes so much pain. I can only imagine the pain it caused you physically, but I will not let this cause you pain mentally and emotionally." He pulled back just enough to look at her once more. "You are not fat and you are certainly far from ugly. Everyday, I wake up and ask myself what I did to deserve someone as amazing and beautiful as you. You're still healing, love. Though some things may not go back to the way they were, let it be a reminder to you of the beautiful lives you brought into this world."

Her watery eyes flickered across his face, studying him. She brought her hand up to comb through his hair. "What did I do to deserve you?"

She sighed at the sound of Andrew crying. Cillian kissed the inside of her palm and stopped her before she could crawl out of bed. "I got him," he whispered.

She fell back against the pillows and watched as he left, but not before sending her a sleepy grin. Though he was kind enough to tend to their son so his wife could sleep, she was wide awake. Sophie got out of bed and made a beeline for the kitchen.

A few minutes passed and she felt his presence before she heard him. His front pressed against her back, his hand settled on her hip. "You don't want to sleep?" Cillian asked quietly.

The warmth radiating off his body was far to welcoming, she couldn't help but lean into it. "No," she whispered, her eyes scanning over some of the fruits they had laid out. "Want to split an apple?"

He silently reached past her and grabbed the best looking one for her. He effortlessly sliced the fruit up with his claws and handed it to her. Then he released her to reach into their pantry and pull out a container of caramel dipping sauce.

She couldn't help but smile at the gesture. He knew it was one of her favorite snacks so he always had it stocked. She thanked him as he presented the open container to her and she didn't waste any time dipping the fruit into the sweet sauce, and then slid a piece to him.

With an arm hooked around her waist, he guided her to the couch and gently tugged her into his lap. Only then he took a slice. "Andrew went down easier for me this time." He said, quietly. "He always prefers his mom."

A breathy laugh escaped past her lips. "That's because of these." She said and gestured to her chest. She was still nursing him.

"I don't blame him." His tone was amused, and he popped another slice into his mouth. When her eyes widened at the bold statement, as if they hadn't been married for years, he chuckled, "Relax, sweetheart. I'm not going to jump on you."

Her eyes narrowed. She knew there was another comment coming.

"Not unless you ask me to, anyway." He mumbled under his breath.

She let out a breathy laugh and playfully nudged his shoulder. She knew he was only kidding and respected the "6 week" rule. Or longer, if need be. Being a mother is difficult, especially while recovering. He just always did little things to make her smile or remind her how much he still loves her.

A few hours went by and the tired parents fell asleep on the couch, some of their snack forgotten. Little pitter padder of feet was what woke Cillian, being the light sleeper he was.

He kept his arm that kept his wife secure in his lap still and used his other hand to rub his eyes. Sophie slept like a rock, so he knew if he spoke quietly, she'd stay asleep. "Gracie?" He whispered as she drew closer. "What are you doing up so late, hmm?"

She sighed and climbed up the couch to slouch against her father. "I woke up and can't go back to sleep."

He ran a hand affectionately through her hair. "How about I put your mom to bed and I'll be with you in a minute, yeah?"

She nodded and watched as he carried Sophie to their bedroom. She couldn't help but giggle quietly at the thought of her daddy putting her mommy to bed the same way he did with herself.

When he was sure Sophie was still asleep, he headed back to the kitchen. He knew he couldn't be too long. While his mate was a heavy sleeper, it was only when Cillian was there. In her unconscious state, she sensed when he was or wasn't there.

He found Gracie still on the couch, happily munching away on their left over snack. She smiled innocently at him, some caramel sauce on the corners of her lips. With an amused chuckle, he scooped her off the couch, taking the fruit with them.

Once they made it to her bedroom, he flopped down on her little bed, making Gracie giggle into his neck. With nearly half his body hanging off the end of the bed, he presented her with the fruit once again.

She giggled as she sat up, staring down at him. "Isn't it too late for a snack, daddy?" She wondered, but took the offered fruit anyway.

He smiled at the feeling of one of her hands in his hair. She often played with his hair to sleep. He lolled his head to the side to look at her and said, "it's never too late for a snack."

Nearly half an hour later, Sophie noticed the lack of body heat from her husband's side of the bed. In a sleepy mission to find him, she shuffled out of their bedroom and searched all the rooms.

Quietly, she checked in on Gracie's room to find the most adorable sight. Though his legs and nearly his hips were hanging off the end of the bed, he slept soundly in the small bed. Gracie had his head cradled in her lap, his arm that was nearly as big as her was secured over her waist.

She chuckled softly and knelt by his side to see one of his golden eyes already open, gazing at her. She smiled and stood back so he could carefully crawl out of their daughter's hold.

Hand in hand, they made it back to their bedroom where they slept for the rest of the night.

•••

We're nearly at 200,000 reads! I can't believe it's over :,) I'm so happy but also so sad this journey is over! Thank you to everyone who read this book! I know it's not the stereotypical werewolf book, so if you read it all the way through, you definitely were taking a chance on it. For that, I couldn't be more thankful!

I'm considering writing some bonus chapters, but I need ideas! If you have any, let me know what you think!

Also, if you wouldn't mind leaving a review, I'd love to hear it! 🩷

Now onto some important news... I've been thinking and praying about this for a while and I think I've come to a decision. I think I have decided to "retire" from Wattpad. I've had this app for around ten years now and I've been writing on here at least 8 of those. I've written at least 7 books (many were taken down bc they're cringe lol), but all of them were successful thanks to all of you.

I didn't realize it at the time, but I got this app during one of the darkest periods of my life. Writing on here became my escape from reality- because at the time, my reality sucked. That's sort of putting it lightly lol.

God has gotten me through so much and after many years, I don't feel the need to escape reality anymore. I still love writing and I will miss it, and possibly come back to it or do it in my free time. However, right now I want to live in the moment in my reality.

This unfortunately means I probably won't release my other werewolf and alien book I was going to publish. Both of them are not finished, but maybe someday if I do finish them, I'll post them. So definitely keep following me if you are so you can keep an eye out!

I'll still be around, reading and replying to comments and whatnot. My books will stay up too. I worked too hard on those to not have anyone read them anymore lol.

This moment is so bittersweet. A huge chapter of my life coming to an end in the last chapter of my favorite book I've ever written.

I am so so thankful for each and everyone of you. Your comments literally make my day. I thank God for the time I had on here and for the countless kind hearted readers I've gotten to know on here.

Thank you for everything! I'll still be around for now. God bless you all 🩷