Chapter 231

Epilogue

Aiden’s POV

“She still won’t come out of her room?” Fiona asked, staring at the closed suite door with a frown. “It’s been a week since she killed her sister…”

“She’s scared,” I told her, cradling Caleb in my arms. “Raelyn’s darkness is inside of her and she’s worried that she’s going to do something regretful…”

“She’s Carol… she could never do anything to hurt us,” Fiona pouted, wrapping her arms around her body. Oliver stood beside her and wrapped an arm around her shoulders, pulling her into him.

After Carol inherited Raelyn’s powers, she passed out and she wouldn’t wake up for days. The Queen, now powerless, tried to make an escape, but the guards wouldn’t let her go that easily. Initially, they were only going to arrest her and bring her to prison with her daughter, but she put up a fight with the guards and it ended up costing her life.

It took a few days for Carol to finally wake up, but once she did, she freaked out because she could feel the darkness swirling inside of her. I could even see it in her eyes just like we could with Raelyn. Not wanting to cause harm to her friends and family, she locked herself in her suite, begging us to take care of Caleb. She had been locked in there for a few days and we were all worried about her.

“I still think you should try bringing Caleb to her,” Mrs. Miller said as she peeked down at the small baby boy in my arms. “No mother can resist their baby.”

“She won’t see him,” I said softly.

“Well make her,” she said firmly, folding her arms across her chest. “That’s her son and she needs to see him. A baby needs their mother.”

I knew she was right; she also needed to own up to her sudden change of power. Now that both the King and Queen were dead, the empire was starting to turn to Carol for guidance and leadership, but because she hadn’t been around, I’ve been the one answering their questions and taking care of pack needs.

I never thought I would wake up and be a King, but that’s exactly what seems to be happening. I took a deep breath and nodded.

“Okay,” I finally said after a beat of silence. ‘I’m going in.”

I cradled Caleb in my arms, and I brought him into the suite. It was dark, just as it’s been this past week. I walked over to the bedroom door, trying to ignore the darkness under the doorframe and I knocked on the door.

“Carol, I need to speak with you,” I told her through the door.

“Please…” she whispered in return. “Go away, Aiden.”

“We need to talk,” I told her firmly, not willing to back down.

Hearing her voice, at that moment, Caleb decided it was the best time to make himself known and he started to coo, wanting his mama. I heard her sharp intake of breath and the darkness that leaked under the door, began to dim, being replaced with a light that made me feel at ease.

A smile tipped my lips.

Carol’s mother was right; this was going to work.

“We both want to see you,” I added. “We miss you.”

Caleb cooed again as if proving my point and agreeing with me. After a long pause, I didn’t think she would open the door, but then to my surprise, the door swung open, and Carol stood before me. Tears were clear in her eyes; there was darkness swirling around her and it still remained in her eyes, but she was staring at the baby with such love that my heart swelled at the sight of it.

“He misses you,” I told her, stepping towards her.

She flinched away for a moment, afraid that the darkness might hurt him, but I had faith that it wouldn’t because it was under her control now and the light in her wouldn’t be dim for the darkness.

“It’s okay,” I assured her, bringing Caleb even closer into her view. She stared at him with admiration and then a small smile formed on her lips as she reached for her arms out and took him from me. She cradled him in her arms, and she took a deep breath, committing his scent ot memory.

Caleb reached his little hand up to her face and touched her cheek gently; a bust of light came out of his fingertips and spread across her face, casting the darkness that was once surrounding her away completely, leaving Carol breathless and me speechless.

We both met one another’s eyes, and I could see that there were no more dark swirls in her eyes, she was just Carol. Then, she burst into tears.

Carol’s POV

1 year later

“We are so late!” I said as we rushed out of the car. “You just had to stay late at the hockey rink today?” I scooped Caleb out of the car seat and held him against my chest as he babbled away about the duckies we drove by a few minutes ago. “Yeah, sweet boy. They were so cool,” I said mindlessly as I grabbed the diaper bag from the backseat.

“The team has their first game next week against the Statford Freeze. We need all the practice we can get. It’s not easy being a brand-new league. We have to make a name for ourselves,” Aiden told me, walking around the car with a calm smile on his face. “Just relax, Carol. It’s not like they can start his thing without us. It’s fine to be a little late once in a while.”

I rolled my eyes playfully, trying to fight my own smile.

“True, but what kind of person am I to be late for her own best friend’s wedding and Luna ceremony??” I asked.

“A busy person,” he told me gently. “And pregnant. You need to take it easy.”

I stared down at my protruding belly and frowned.

“I can’t wait to have my body back,” I murmured.

Aiden laughed and wrapped an arm around me while taking the diaper bag.

“Come on,” he said, pulling me along with him.

We walked into the packhouse only to be greeted by all our old packmates. Most of them ran up to hug me, but some of the newer packmates, along with the workers, all bowed in respect.

“It’s about time you got here,” Aiden’s mother, Miranda, said rushing through the crowd. “Just because you are royalty now, doesn’t mean you can neglect your duties.”

“Sorry, Mom,” Aiden said, kissing her cheek gently.

She smiled.

“I’ll forgive you, but only if you give me my grandbaby,” she said, pulling Caleb out of his arms. He cooed excitedly and hugged his grandmother, making me chuckle.

Aiden and I went up the stairs to our former bedroom, the Alpha suite, and he knocked on the door. Moments later, Alison opened the door and smiled at us. I beamed down at Alison, loving that she was thriving in this pack. She had taken it upon herself to work as the future Luna’s handmaiden.

“Your majesty,” Alison said, bowing her head at us. “It’s an honor for you to be here.”

“Alison, you know you don’t need to bow to us,” I told her sweetly. “Is the Luna here?”

She smiled and stepped back, revealing a gorgeous bride and Luna-to-be.

Fiona gushed when she saw me, and I couldn’t help but run towards her and wrap her in my arms.

“Careful! It took a while to do her hair,” Alison said, wincing.

I chuckled as I held back tears.

“Sorry,” I murmured, trying to pull back, but she held me tighter.

“I’ve missed you like crazy,” she breathed. “How’s life in the empire? I’ve been keeping tabs on you in the media. Seems you are kicking ass as the queen.”

Since the inauguration ceremony last year, I haven’t really had the chance to catch Fiona up on everything that has happened. We’ve both been so busy that our friendship was kind of put on hold until this moment.

Since Aiden became the King and I became the Queen, he made Oliver the new Alpha of the Capitol and his Gamma became the new Beta. Even though Fiona had been acting the part of the Luna, she and Oliver hadn’t gotten married yet, so she wasn’t technically the Luna. Today was the day all of that changed and I couldn’t be anymore happier for her. Of course, there was some backlash about having a human as a Luna, but eventually, everyone got over it once Fiona proved herself capable.

“I’ll give you girls some privacy,” Aiden said as he kissed me gently on the lips.

“I think Oliver is in his office,” Fiona shouted after him. “He’s eager to hear about your new hockey team.”

Aiden gave her a wave as he left the room. Fiona and I spent several minutes talking and catching up on everything, including the fact that she found out this morning she was expecting a baby!

“In a few years, when Caleb is old enough, Aiden is planning on making a junior hockey team. Maybe our kids will be on the same team,” I chuckled.

She threw her head back and laughed.

“Wouldn’t that be something?”

After a while, there was a knock on the door and Alison was quick to answer it.

“Oh, hey dad,” she said to her father who smiled down at his daughter.

“Hey, sweetheart,” he said thoughtfully, and then he looked up to smile at Fiona. “Luna, the ceremony is about to begin. I was told to escort you.”

She nodded.

“Thank you, Gamma,” she beamed.

Alison was originally from the King’s Empire before she got banished, but Aiden opened the Capitol up for her and her family. Alison went to the Capitol right away, but it took a few months for her family to follow her. Once they did, they never looked back. Rick, her father, became the head Gamma, and her mother gave birth to a beautiful set of twin boys. Even her sister, who is in school and made a ton of new friends, seems to love the Capitol.

I went with Fiona to the ceremony which was held in the gardens outside. As the Alpha King, Aiden was the one who married them and as the Luna Queen, I was the one who gave her away.

My heart swelled when Oliver first saw Fiona as she walked down the aisle, he was so happy and in love with her that it brought tears to my eyes.

I sat with my mother and my mother-in-law, my father and father-in-law sat on either side of them with arms wrapped around their shoulders. Caleb cooed excitedly in the arms of Miranda, he had spotted me and wanted me to take him. I grabbed my little boy and cradled him in my arms, kissing his cheek lovingly.

He was my everything… he was my light.

The words of Aiden brought my attention back to the ceremony.

“I now pronounce you, Husband and Wife! Luna and Alpha of the Capitol!”

I used Caleb’s hands to clap.

“That’s your auntie and uncle,” I said into his little ear. “And this…” I said, motioning to the entire room. “Is our family.”

The End