Epilogue

SUNDAY

"Your souls will be reconnected as one," the priestess announced, her voice sounding faint to my ears. She extended her hands towards the sky, mouthing prayers and well-wishes.

To be honest, though, I had hardly registered a single word she said. Throughout the entire ceremony, all I could focus on was my mate. My beautiful, happy, smart, and lovely mate, who could light up everyone's lives with his energy.

I was so lucky to be blessed with someone like him. My best friend, who had been right by my side ever since we were young pups. He was mine, and I was his. We belonged to each other.

"Let us extend a congratulations to the newly mated couple, future Alpha Dylan Marshall, and his future Luna, Liam Marshall."

A thunderous, standing applause arose from everyone in attendance, and the two of us tightly embraced as everyone watched. It felt so right, having him in my arms like this, as I kissed him with all the passion in the world.

I don't ever want to let go. Make this moment last forever.

In my peripheral vision, I could see Liam's parents tearing up as they watched their son get bonded to his soulmate. My own family was just as emotional, dabbing their eyes with tissues and sobbing violently as we turned around to walk back up the aisle together.

"Thank you," I mouthed to my parents as I walked past them, which practically sent my mother over the edge, and she began bawling. My dad wrapped his mate in his arms, and flashed me a big smile, mouthing 'We're so proud of you' back to me.

The spiritual ceremony was officially complete. The next few hours would be filled with festivities to celebrate our union - food, drinking, dancing, toasts, games, and a whole lot of fun for everyone.

But the best time would be after all the festivities died down, when we stepped into our personalized cottage located deep in the middle of the woods. Its magical werewolf enchantments would conceal its location from everyone else, aside from us two.

There, we would have all the privacy in the world, and I could show him how much I truly loved him.

-

We took our time to thank all of the people for coming. Our ceremony had been relatively small, consisting of only our pack, and a couple of close friends, Zach and Janie included.

"So, Mr. and Mr. Marshall," Mikaela said. She looked absolutely stunning in her sparkly and silver gown. "How lovely to see the new couple. How does it feel to be mated for ten minutes?"

"Overwhelming," Liam laughed. "Thank you so much, Mikaela, for being a part of my mating ceremony party. You looked absolutely beautiful up there."

"Not as dashing as the mating couple," she said. "And it was my pleasure, Liam, being a ceremony attendant to one of my best friends."

She and Liam hugged for a few seconds, and I tried not to yank them apart. My Alpha hormones had been jumping all over since the priestess announced us as officially mated, which made me rather, ah, irrational when it came to Liam.

"Alright, you two, ten seconds have already passed," I said rigidly.

She raised her hands in a surrendering motion. "Whoa, there, Dylan. I promise I wasn't trying to steal your man. He's all yours."

"Damn right, he is," I said, but my tone was light.

"Look, my parents are just over there! I wanna say hi to them." Liam dashed off, leaving me with Mikaela for a brief moment.

"I'm glad you got your happily ever after," she said. "You both deserve it."

I softened. "Thanks, Mik. I really appreciate having you as a friend."

"Same here, Dylan. You're an incredible friend, and I can't wait to see what the future has in store for all of us."

She glanced over to where Naomi, Riley, and Justin were standing. Naomi was deep in conversation with another wolf, and Riley and Justin appeared to be arguing over something.

"I should probably go and check on them," she sighed. "Treat Liam well, okay? I'll see you in a bit."

Liam was still hugging his parents by the time I arrived.

"We're going to miss you, Liam," his dad said, ruffling his son's hair.

"I know," Liam said, his voice muffled against his dad's shirt. "But, I am only living a few minutes away."

"Mr. and Mrs. Tully, you will always be welcome in our home in case you ever want to visit," I told his parents as soon as I got near to them.

"Oh, Alpha Dylan!" His mom pulled me into a hug. "I'm so glad that out of everyone our Liam could've been mated to, it turned out to be you."

"I know. It's crazy. I'm so blessed that your son is my mate. He's my best friend, and I wouldn't have had it any other way."

"You were always such an amazing friend to him."

Liam's dad grinned at us. "I trust Liam will be well cared for when he moves in with you."

"Oh, he'll be treated like the gem he is," I assured them both.

"Mom, we'll be okay. We've got each other. We've always had each other's backs, ever since day one."

"I know," she said, pulling out one of her tissues. "Anyway, I think I'll let you two go around and interact with the rest of your guests. You're basically a Luna now."

We took a look around the venue. Man, it really was difficult to catch up with everyone. Over a 1000 people had come to celebrate our mating ceremony - including werewolves from ally packs, supernatural beings, and humans.

I could see Gisa and Coach Richthofen having an intense discussion by the dessert table. Mme. Yates' had brought her family, and her young kids were playing at the park with the pack pups. Simon was singing karaoke with a young, female wolf from his class.

For our next stop, we decided to pop on over to see our good friends, Zach and Janie.

"Why, it's Dylan and Liam, the newly-mated!" Janie exclaimed, turning to us. "Congratulations on your ceremony!"

"It's been a little while since we last saw each other," Zach said. "Happy to see that you're both shining and healthy."

Janie gently placed a hand on her stomach for a brief moment, an action that didn't go unnoticed by either of us. As I peered closer, I noticed the slight roundness of her belly that hadn't been there the last time we saw her.

"Are you...are you...?" Liam piped up, his eyes widening to the size of saucers.

She looked over to us. "Yep! I'm 4 months along. I didn't want to tell you until after your ceremony, though. I wanted to give you two some time to enjoy your special day."

"Are you kidding?" Liam squeaked. "This is incredible news that just made my day even better. You're...you're going to become a parent. Congratulations, Janie!"

Well, that explained why Zach had been hovering around her protectively throughout the ceremony. As a fellow dominant wolf, I could understand the strong drive to protect your loved ones. Especially the ones who were carrying your pups.

"Congratulations, Zach," I told the Beta, giving him a firm handshake. "For the both of you. How's fatherhood preparation coming along for you?"

"Thanks, Dyl," he grinned. "There's a lot we're going to have to think about over the next few months. It's going to be crazy, but amazing."

"I can only imagine," I nodded. Dylan was only a couple of years older than me, having only turned 20 last winter, but was already due to be a father by the end of this year. I wondered where Liam and I would be within a couple of years. Would we have children by then, too?

"Do you know the gender?" Liam asked.

"Not yet," Zach said, placing his hand on top of Janie's. "We're heading to the doctor's in a couple of weeks to find out."

"Do any of you have predictions on what it will be?" Liam inquired.

"Hm...for some reason, I feel as though we're having a little girl," Janie said, smiling and looking over at her mate. "How about you, Zach?"

"All I want is a healthy, beautiful pup," he said, and planted a quick kiss on her lips. "Anyway, congratulations again on your mating ceremony. We're so happy for you."

"We want to wish you the best of luck," Janie told us warmly. "This is only the beginning of the rest of your lives."

-

We were nearing the end of the reception. It was nearing sundown, and the sky had transformed into a miraculous gradient of pink, purple, and dark blue tones.

"So, Luna Liam," I said, pulling my mate into my arms. I enjoyed the warmth of his body in my grip, and I sighed in contentment. Hugging him was one of the best feelings in the world, and I vowed to spoil him with physical affection from this day forward.

"I'm a Luna," he repeated to himself. "I'm actually a Luna."

"Does the idea scare you?"

"No." He smiled up at me. "I've got my friends, my family, the Moon Goddess, and my mate supporting me through this. We can do this."

"Of course we can," I said, taking one of his hands in my own. "We can."

I pressed my lips firmly against his, exploring his body with one hand, while the other gripped at his hair. I could feel his hands running up and down my arms, feeling my muscles and tugging gently at my hair.

When we pulled back, he was breathless and his hair was tousled, but he looked ready for more when he grinned at me mischievously.

"Sloppy," was the only thing he said.

"Excuse me?" I said in mock offence. "You think my kissing skills are sloppy? I'm pretty sure I heard a moan coming out of you. I wouldn't consider that sloppy at all."

"Are you sure you didn't hear incorrectly?" he joked. "Why don't we try that again?"

This time, he was the one that pressed his lips up to mine to initiate the kiss. Again, we experienced the magic of the mate bond, as we let the energy consume us and flow through our veins. If I had known the mate bond was flowing between us all this time, I would've been kissing him much, much sooner.

"Alpha Dylan and Luna Liam," a man said cordially. "Your limo has arrived."

Liam's eyes bulged out of its sockets. "A limo?"

The sleek, black stretch limousine had pulled up next to us. The man opened the door, revealing the luxurious insides - the soft seats, the television screen, and the fancy lighting. On the mini table, there were fancy glasses and several cans of iced tea.

"I was unaware that our ceremonial budget included limousine service," Liam said, looking around in awe.

"Surprise, babe," I grinned. "And seriously, don't worry about it. It's my treat to the best and most awesome mate in the world."

"Dylan, you do too much for me. I don't know how I can thank you."

"A kiss is an acceptable form of payment."

Liam grinned and attacked my lips again. Oh, boy, I could get used to these.

The man, whose presence I had nearly forgotten, coughed awkwardly from right next to us. "Er, when you are no longer preoccupied, feel free to step into the vehicle. The driver will take you to your desired destination."

"We can continue this in the car," I said quietly, and he nodded.

We headed in, thanking the slightly-flustered man for his help, and settled into the back seat of the limo. For the next little while, we continued our passionate makeout schedule, not even caring if we were giving our driver a show.

I took control of the kiss, flipping him onto his back, and pinning his arms above his head. I leaned over Liam, enjoying the view from this angle.

"You look so delicious," I murmured.

"We're only at the first course. Dessert later."

I leaned down and kissed him again, directing his hands towards a particular location.

"What's this?" He frowned as he pulled out a stack of papers tucked into the seat. I watched him squint as he tried to make out the wording.

Liam's jaw dropped, and he looked at me in disbelief. "Say what now?"

"What do the papers say?" I asked him innocently.

"Are these...are these actually plane tickets?"

"Are they?" I raised my eyebrows at him.

He looked back at the papers, then back at me, then back at the papers. "So is it true, then? We're going on a European tour for our honeymoon?"

"Yes, it is. And of course, we'll be stopping by Norway so we can check out some Scandinavian history."

He could only gape at me. "I...I don't know what to say."

"Don't say, then. Show."

He leaned forward and wrapped his arms around me tightly. "You really are just full of surprises, Dylan."

"What can I say?" I shrugged. "I'm a spontaneous person."

"I swear, you always keep me on my toes whenever I'm with you. I can never predict what you'll do."

"I don't see that as a bad thing."

"Hm, I guess not," he frowned. "But you always make me look bad. You know, I want to spoil you too. I want to show you how much I love you."

"Fluff, you could never look bad, even if you tried. Even when you were a limp, slimy, newborn furball, you were always a bombshell, I promise." The smile he gave me could cure wolfsbane.

"We've arrived at our destination, Mr. and Mr. Marshall," I heard the driver say gruffly.

"Thanks for the ride," we both thanked the driver and began to step out of the vehicle.

"Have a good day, you two. And save your tonsil hockey for your cottage thing." Before we could say any more, the limo sped off, leaving the two of us standing in front of the vast forest.

"Liam, was that..." my voice faltered. "Did the driver sound familiar to you?"

"Huh? Oh, I don't know. I wasn't really paying attention."

The thought unsettled me for a moment, but I shook the idea out of my head. I didn't have any time to think about our chauffeur, not when I had a whole 12 hours with this boy in an isolated cottage. It would be just the two of us, alone, with no pack members in sight, and no chances of visitors. We turned our attention back to the forest.

"Now, Liam, I believe we have a private, enchanted cottage all to ourselves to enjoy for the night."

His eyes gleamed. "Well, let's not leave it unoccupied, then."

"Oh, we definitely won't." I held out my hand to him. "We won't be wasting any more time."

END