Epilogue: Part Two

Do you... do you want to speak with him? Luka looked like he had eaten something sour and surprisingly I did. I felt like I would get some closure from a small talk with him.

That would be lovely. I smiled at him before reaching up and grasping the back of his neck, tugging him down so I could press my lips to his. I have a happy sigh as he moved his lips over mine before pulling back.

"Michael and Ezekiel stay right beside you." The concern was an evident thread in his voice and I nodded firmly. I wouldn't go anywhere in the mad house of a Gathering without them anyways.

"They will be where you won't, as always." I reached out and Michael pushed his head into my hand. They were my protectors when Luka wasn't at my side and they would not leave their spots.

"If there are any problems do not hesitate to come and get me. I will be heading to the meeting room." He gestured towards the door and I knew if I so much as peeped at him he would be at my side instantly. I liked the thought.

"Oh, I'm heading there too. I can walk her there if you like." He smiled at Luka and Luka gave him a small strained smile out of civility.

"I'm not Shey's keeper. If you wish to walk her there, you ask her and not me." Luka glanced at me, it was my choice and I looked through the crowd, the meeting room door wasn't entirely far away.

Allan looked at me in surprise and I gave him a polite smile. "That would be lovely." I turned back to Luka and he pressed a quick kiss to my lips and then my forehead.

He inhaled deeply as if taking in my sent before he turned to Allan. "You upset her in anyway, you answer to me and them." He pointed at the two wilds standing by my sides and Allan eyed them warily as they bared their teeth, their chest rumbling with silent growls.

"I understand." He gave an affirmative nod in Luka's direction as he shifted away from the menace that was leaking off of Mike and Ezekiel.

"I'll see you in a few minutes, right?" Luka was worried, it was apparent in his eyes and how he unconsciously leaned towards me as if he could wrap himself around me to protect me.

"Just a few. I promise. I have the boys, I'll be okay." I reached out and grabbed his bicep, squeezing it gently as I gave him a comforting smile.

"Okay." He turned and walked away. His shoulders were held stiffly and I could see how much he didn't like leaving me with Allan but I appreciated that he did. This would be good lesson for me to learn how to truly forgive someone and help me in the future. This would be good progress for me in healing emotionally.

"Well, I'm not sure what to say." Allan clasped his hands behind his back and I started walking towards the meeting room.

"Most people usually comment on how fat I'm getting and then attempt to touch my belly." I smirked as he choked slightly. He coughed loudly and I glanced over at him and his face was red.

"I think I won't even attempt to approach you." He looked at the wilds and Michael snapped at him in warning causing Allan to jump away.

I grabbed Mike's ear and pinched, he yelped and tucked his tail between his legs. "That was rude." I let the disappointment seep into my voice and he lowered himself close to the ground, thoroughly chastised. "I'm sorry." Allan waved the apology off but kept the space between us regardless. I watched as the large hall started to empty, the various Alphas moving to their assigned meeting rooms.

"You look really good." He gave me a tense smile and I scrunched my nose up slightly.

"Well the last time you saw me I was crying my eyes out so anything is better that that, I think." I watched as he winced at my words and I grimaced at my lack of tact.

"Shey, I am really sor-"

"I forgive you, Allan." The words came out in a rush and I was surprised at how light I felt when I realized I meant them. "I forgave you a while ago." I looked at him and he looked almost pained.

"You should have. I deserve your hate." He hung his head, shame filling the air around him.

"No, holding onto hate doesn't do me any favours. I'm trying to cleanse the air. My girls deserve as much." I rubbed my belly gently, smiling at it as I did so. They deserved a world free from my burdens and I would do my best to release them so they couldn't affect the twins.

"Girls? Are these your first?" He gestured at my belly and his expression curious.

"Yah and I'm terrified." At first I had been terrified because of the changes my body was going through and the fact I had children growing inside of me but now the thought of the delivery was enough to make me want to hyperventilate.

"It gets easier. My mate, Raena just had our fourth. That's why she decided to stay home this year." He smiled as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a wallet. "I have three males. Nash, Ricky, and Dean." He pulled a picture out of his wallet and held it out for me. I took it and looked at the three boys in the picture. They looked just like their dad, the same blonde hair, green eyes and mischievous smile.

"I bet they are trouble makers just like you were." I held the photo back out for him and he nodded, a broad fatherly grin on his face.

"They drive Raena crazy. Although she is happy we had a female this time." His smile softened slightly as if thinking about her.

"Oh, that must be a relief for her." I couldn't even imagine having four little boys running around. Luka told me stories about his brothers and even himself that made me wonder how Lily hadn't lost her mind.

"She's a beauty, looks just like her mother. My little Shayla." He gave me a rather sheepish smile and I stopped to stare at him. "I know its weird but Raena picked it out."

"Does she-"

He nodded, cutting me off. "She knows."

"And she chose that name?" That was indeed weird for me. I didn't know Raena but he seemed to be strange. I didn't want to judge but not many female would name their only daughter after a previous mate bond.

"She said that remembering those we loved wasn't a bad thing. You were a big part of my life, Shey. I honestly thought I was going to run off with you, that you would be mine forever." His expression pinched slightly, as if he were slightly pained by the remembrance and I gave a small shake of my head.

"My grandfather put a stop to that though." I waved my hand flippantly and sighed. Sulo Lazera was a menace and cruel. The world would be better off without him.

"Your grandfather?" He looked confused and bewildered at the mention and he shook his head. "No, your mother was the one that demanded I reject you. I never talked to your grandfather."

The words jolted me. "Wait, you never talked to my grandfather?" My heart felt like it was in my throat and Mike and Ezekiel leaned towards me, lending me their strength as I felt like I wanted to stagger.

"No. The day I rejected you, your mother beat me pretty badly after I told her I was planning on taking you to meet my father so we could arrange a date for a claiming ceremony." He grimaced and my heart dropped into my stomach as I remember his broken nose and split lip. It had been my mother. "Funny thing is she mentioned your grandfather too. She told me to just get it over with and to stop leading you on and to tell Sulo to go to hell. I think she thought she was protecting you." His voice trailed off and I tried to process the information. Allan had been my mother's doing. It had been her that had made Allan reject me, not my grandfather. I blinked slowly. Even if she had been trying to protect me she had literally sent me down the path I had been on. My life would have turned out very different if she hadn't interfered.

"I really did love you, Shey. I never wanted to hurt you." Allan said it softly and I gave a weak nod before inhaling.

"My mother was kind of a bitch." I exhaled and gave him a tight smile. My mother had made him reject me, had done something cruel to me that I hadn't thought she was capable of but I understood why. With Sulo Lazera sending males of Alpha Blood she hadn't known but it didn't excuse her behaviour. My mother loved me but that did not make her a good person and just because she made a lot of mistakes it didn't make her a bad one either. "But seriously, Shayla?" The name seemed like a good diversion and I started walking again, trying my hardest to ignore the ache in my feet and hips.

"You need to understand that when Raena found me I was halfway to drinking myself to death. I didn't take the rejection well. I had lost what I thought was the love of my life. Raena showed me what it was like to love again." He ran his hand through his hair, sweeping it off to one side but some how still keeping it in the elegant style he had it in. "She said Shayla because it would give me a bit of you and a lot of her. She was letting me know that she accepted you as a part of my past and she wanted to give 'Shey one more chance to be in my life'." It still didn't make much sense to me and I frowned slightly.

"First of all, your mate is really... strange. And secondly, let's hope your daughter doesn't turn out like me." I looked over at him and he laughed loudly, a throaty sound that showed pure amusement.

"Raena's fucking weird but I love every bit of her." He grinned so wide that I wondered how he hadn't hurt his cheeks but it was easy to see the depths of his love he had for her.

"Wish I could say the same. Luka and I have a few problems." My eyes went wide and I covered my mouth with my hand. "I didn't mean to say that." No other Alphas needed to know about our problems. It was personal and private and I felt horrified I had blurted it out.

"No worries. I heard nothing." He winked at me almost conspiratorially and I sighed in relief at his reaction to my little slip. "And here we are. I'm several down from here." He gestured to the door and I nodded at him. Michael and Ezekiel nudged at me slightly and I waved them off.

"It was good seeing you again, Allan." I held out my hand and he gave it a small shake as he nodded his head.

He let my hand go of my hand slowly and then smiled at me. "It was nice, wasn't it?" He turned and started down the hall. I took in a deep breath to calm my nerves as I grabbed the door handle. "Oh, Shey?" I looked over at him and there was a faint look of mischief in his eyes that made me narrow mine slightly. "Your problems with Luka must not be that bad." A smile tugged at his mouth and I stared at him warily but his frame suggested seriousness.

"Why do you say that?" I gripped the door handle a touch tighter.

"Because you look at him how you used to look at me." He smiled at me once more before turning around and sauntering back down the hall. I blinked after him, his words rolling around in my head as I twisted the handle and pushed the door open.

I looked at Luka how I used to look at him.

I frowned slightly before shaking my head and stepping into the room. I could feel Luka's gaze on me almost immediately and the two wilds stayed glued to my side, staring at the various Alphas with their lips curled over their teeth. I kept my head held high as I moved towards Luka.

"Are we simply allowing every female that walks by in here?" The voice was snarky and almost sneering. I rolled my eyes at the blatant disrespect from one of the no doubt Alpha Males. I ignored it and looked over the square table and my eyes were drawn to the black haired Alpha of Veritas.

She stood up, placing her hands palm down on the table. "Come over here and say that to my face." Her eyes spoke offered a challenge and the table fell silent with anticipation. The room had a rather oppressive aura of power and dominance swirling around it but to be honest one needed to be lower on the totem pole for it to really affect. I didn't care, I was more than likely the strongest shifter in the room. I had the Lazera Alpha Claim by birthright and I had killed my mother, taking all of her power of her claim, not to mention the numerous submissions I had forced out of others as a lone rogue.

Shey, come here. I need you out of the open. Luka had turned his attention back to the interaction and I moved over as quickly as I could. Michael and Ezekiel stayed behind me, making sure no one would take advantage of my blind spots. I grabbed Luka's shoulder and he nodded slightly, his tense muscles relaxing.

"None of us would lower ourselves to fight with a mere female." My eyes snapped to the voice and a growl rose up in my throat as I caught sight of my uncle. My canines lengthened when I saw my grandfather sitting beside him. This was just fucking great.

"That's because you're terrified you would lose." I couldn't stop the words from escaping and Luka immediately tensed. "Isn't that right, uncle." I spat the familial term out, everyone's eyes landing on me and Luka grabbed the hand I had on his shoulder. He wasn't happy but he would support me.

My grandfather's eyes narrowed slightly. "You will keep your mouth-"

"You don't speak to my Alpha Female like that." Luka's tone was calm but there was an edge to it that showed intent and the emphasis on my title of Alpha let everyone know that Luka expected me to be treated as his equal.

"She's my granddaughter." He didn't look like I thought he would. He had broad shoulders but I could see his muscles had gone soft from lack of use.

"Not by my fucking choice." I would have thought Alpha's Vanity would have made him keep up appearances but from how his jowls dropped I had a feeling Alpha's Gluttony had a hand in his appearance.

"You will treat me with respect." His power, although faded, still carried a bit of weight but it was paltry to the power I kept reigned in for the sake of the lower powered Alphas.

"You've done nothing to earn my respect. In fact, I think I respect pieces of shit more than you." I gave him a saccharine smile and his eyes narrowed to slits.

"Your mother-"

"Is dead, Sulo. Let's not speak ill of the dead now." I gave him a look as if he were a misbehaving child, letting my utter lack of respect show. My anger and hatred was boundless for the male that sat down the table from us. I wanted him dead. I wanted him annihilated. The need for his blood ran deep.

"You are in need of-"

"I wouldn't finish that if I were you." Luka's voice cut in calmly but coldly.

"You need to take her in hand before I pull out a belt and do it myself." His voice was getting a touch growled and I felt a bit smug that I had made him lose his temper. My uncle looked between Luka and Sulo but avoided looking for me completely.

"Shey is twenty-six years old. She's an adult and will be treated with respect that begets her station." Luka was keeping his tone civil despite how his voice tone had hardened and the anger that surged through our bond from him.

"I refuse to respect a whore." He spat the word out and I looked at him with a faint smile of satisfaction that my refusal for keeping myself 'pure' for his backwards ideologies had indeed upset him.

Luka's anger flared to a raging inferno and I squeezed his shoulder gently. It's fine. It was. I didn't care because my grandfather could call me whatever he wanted. It didn't mean I had to listen or believe him.

You aren't a whore. He sounded at the edge of his his control and I bit the side of my lip slightly.

You're right. They get paid to have sex with people. I'm simply gave it to you for free. I got the reaction I wanted when Luka had to stifle a laugh. He was still angry but he relaxed slightly, just like I had wanted.

"A whore to you is simply a female to the rest of us, Lazera." The voice was cold as ice and my eyes were drawn to a larger Mountain Alpha. I wondered how his chair held his considerable bulk before Luka gently urged me around the side of his chair.

I gave him a confused look as he pushed out from the table before standing up. "You look tired." He moved behind the chair and gestured to the seat. I took it with a smile and a thank you as he gently pushed the chair towards the table. I placed my hand on my belly, tapping my fingers along the bump lightly. I knew why he had did it. It allowed him to protect me better. I didn't mind, I could feel my grandfather glaring at me from down the table.

"First order of business." The large Mountain Alpha stood up as he looked around. "I want to congratulate Alpha Sorrel on her new position as Alpha for the Veritas pack, formally known as Tacita." I watched as she nodded, keeping her head high.

"Do you have any words, Alpha Sorrel?" He looked at her and she nodded before she stood up.

"Old Way Alpha Males are pricks and how far along are you? Because I'm terrified you are going to pop a baby out at any minute and the fact I'm the only other female in this sausage fest means I will be chosen to catch it. I'm terrible at sports, I'm warning you now." She looked at me with wide eyes that were slightly panicked and I laughed loudly, along with several of the other Alphas. I liked her.

"You're fine. I'm at just over seven months. So still a ways to go yet." I laughed again as she slumped in relief.

"Oh thank Mene. I was worried for a moment. Babies freak me out." She made a face as she said it and there were a few amused smiles around the table, mine included. She sat back in her chair, throwing me an almost sheepish grin.

"You're fairly big for being at seven months." The large Alpha looked at me carefully, as if trying to see my belly over the table.

"I'm having twins." I gave him a small smile and his eyes widened slightly before he gave me a broad grin.

"Congratulations. Male, female, both?" He looked genuinely excited but mountain shifters adored pregnancies and children. Any pregnancy for them was a good thing.

"We are having two little females." Luka reached around me and placed a hand on my belly, smoothing it over the bump.

"So an infestation? Alpha Sterling, let me know if you want to get rid of it." At the insult and subtle threat my power ripped free and I snarled deeply. No one insulted my pups and no one threatened my girls. I was so angry my vision tinted red.

"What did you just say?" My voice was low as I turned to look at him. The Alphas sitting beside me were clearly trying their hardest not to show submission under the sheer weight of my dominance. I was faintly aware of Michael and Ezekiel snarling behind me.

"You heard me. You have an infestation and someone should take care of it." His words made my hand shake and my nails turn into claws. I vibrated with barely controlled rage, the only thought keeping me in my seat was that I needed to protect my girls.

Shey, I'll handle this. Luka's voice was so calm that I was almost shocked. I looked at him and his eyes were nearly black but he wasn't showing any emotion on his face.

He slowly moved away from me and towards my grandfather. "There is this rule that I have learned over the years and this rule is that you should never threaten a wild's pack." He spoke clearly and carefully, enunciating each word properly. I shivered under his voice, my power retreating slightly, Luka was almost... scary. "They do not care who you are, where you are from, or what blood runs through your veins." As Luka reached Sulo's chair, my grandfather got out and stood up, puffing his chest out. There was a tense moment before Luka's fist snapped out, catching Sulo in the throat before he grabbed the back of his neck and threw him violently away from the table.

"They don't care, Sulo Lazera." Luka stood over the male that had threatened our children and his face was cold and nearly blank. Sulo choked and struggled to inhale as he grabbed where Luka's fist had landed. "Because to them, all throats bleed the same." Luka snapped his fingers and my eyes went wide as Michael and Ezekiel attacked.

They were vicious and cruel as they tore into him. They tore off chunks of flesh and I could hear bones breaking under their powerful jaws and Sulo's screams seemed almost endless as they drew out his torment for the threat towards their pack's future. Blood sprayed over tile and smears of it were getting all over the hardwood, almost making swirling patterns. Sulo's screaming gurgles bounced around the room as Michael and Ezekiel defended me and my girls. His pained sounds were ended abruptly as Ezekiel bit down on his skull, crushing it alarmingly easy. I felt a bit nauseous at the sound it made.

"Is no one going to do anything?" Anto's voice was hysterical as he got to his feet, his legs trembling. Luka was on him immediately, an intimidating and deadly growl as he slammed him against the table top, his hand on his throat.

"I never leave a job half finished, Anto. I will protect my future at all costs." Luka gave Anto no chance to speak before tore out his throat. He grabbed the squirming, flailing male by the head and with a few quick motions he had the head severed from the body, which he threw to the floor for Michael and Ezekiel. "Is there anyone else wanting to threaten my future? Anyone else wanting to threaten my mate? If there are, let this serve as a reminder to keep your mouth shut." He threw the head to the center of the table and with the action, the new power he had savagely taken rolled down his frame and into the air around him.

There was a thick silence as Luka moved to stand behind me, I could smell blood on him and I shuddered slightly, heat moving through me at the thought of how effectively he handled the threat to our children. There was something very sexy to how he handled it. To how he took charge and destroyed not only the main threat but a future threat as well. I won't hurt you. He sounded almost hurt and I squirmed in my seat slightly, a blush crawling up my face as the heat grew worse. I hadn't had anyone to give me release other than myself in seven months. The craving to have Luka touch me was bad.

You misinterpreted that shudder. I swallowed nervously as I realized he would now be able to smell it. By a long shot. I looked at my belly and tried to calm my sudden libido before giving up.

Who cared?

He had just showed eighteen Alphas that me and our children would be protected no matter what. I was allowed to find that attractive, I was allowed to find my mate attractive when he was coated in the blood of our enemies. I was allowed to feel attraction to Luka. I slowly stood up and gave a polite smile to the pale faced Alphas in the room. The only ones who looked appreciative of Luka's rather barbaric methods were the Mountain Alphas.

"I take it you will be leaving?" The large Alpha gave me a knowing smile and I felt my face flush and there was a surge of confusion from Luka.

"Yes. I can't have Luka walking around covered in blood." The image of Luka in the shower flashed through my mind and I internally groaned.

"We understand." He gave a small nod before gesturing to the severed head leaking blood on the table. "Don't worry about the mess. People die at the Gatherings all the time. They should really know better than to pester the wilds. They can be... unpredictable." His message was received, he would cover for us as best as he could and clean up the mess. I nodded before turning and grabbing Luka by the arm. I pulled him towards the door and shoved him out of it before closing it behind me.

"What are you doing?" Luka sounded almost concerned and I let out a heavy exhale. What I was doing was getting out of there and getting Luka back to our room so he could help me settle the ache he had inadvertently started.

"Going back to our room." I grabbed his hand and started tugging him down the hall. I needed to get out of the public eye before I did something embarrassing.

"Why?"

"Because I'm a little bit twisted." That was putting it mildly. Normal people didn't get off on the thought of their mate drawing blood on their behalf.

"You're fine." He chuckled, squeezing my hand before his entire demeanour went a bit somber. "Are you okay with what happened in there?" His voice showed his concern and I looked over my shoulder at him.

"Oh you mean the dismembering of the rest of my distant family? Yah, I'm fine." I was. I was truly fine with it. I didn't have a relationship with either of the males and my grandfather had been an utter prick to me and my mother. So their loss wasn't even a blip on my radar. They were just a part of a bloodline that had threatened my children.

"Are you sure?" He didn't seem convinced and I stopped and rolled my eyes before looking at him.

"They deserved it, Luka. I'm fine, really." I smiled at him before opening my arms. He stepped closer and wrapped me in his arms, my belly pressed into him but he didn't seem to care. My desire was slowly fading to a soft appreciation for him.

"Now why do we really need to go to the room?" He let me go and raised an eyebrow at me. I smiled at him, a soft emotions rolling through me as I did so.

"Because I-" It hit me, the meaning of Allan's words. I looked at Luka how I used to look at him. I loved Luka. Happiness surged through me. I was finally moving forward, letting go. With love came forgiveness. We would reach that point. We would be okay.

"Shey?" Luka grasped my face and I blinked rapidly, the realization stunned me almost.

"Because I think I love you." The words came out in a rush and he gave me a wide eyed look.

"Pardon?" He sounded floored and I thought on my feeling and I realized

"Because I love you." They were easier to say the second time and without warning Luka kissed me hungrily. I leaned into him, closing my eyes as he slanted his lips over mine. Heat flowed through me sharp and biting and I was left breathless when he pulled back. "I want to celebrate." I looked at him and he smiled brightly before it fell off almost instantly.

"Doc said we could-"

"Doc said nothing against fingers and tongues." I gave him a wicked smile before I was suddenly scooped up into his arms. I wrapped my arms around his neck, breathing in his scent and nipping at his skin. I enjoyed his embrace, the strength he had in his body that made me feel like I and our girls were protected.

I was happy.

I was happy because it an old love showed me my new love and that even though we weren't there yet, Luka and I were getting better. Our relationship had a chance because he wasn't holding it up alone. I was taking the burden as well. I loved Luka and I wanted to be with him. There was nothing to be scared of anymore. Something in my chest loosened and I felt it letting go. I tightened my arms around him, tears flooding my eyes.

"I forgive you, can you forgive me?" My voice was shaky and Luka didn't break his stride as he pressed his lips to mine softly.

"I already did."