Unmarked Mates

Epilogue: The longest way around is the shortest way home

Terry POV

I finish putting wallpapers in Pearl's bedroom, wondering when all the furniture will be here; I'm sure the shop sent me an email with today's date.

The house's downfloor is already finished; we have a kitchen and a big living room with a fireplace, although Danny looks at it with quite a strange face, and I wonder why.

I go downstairs to sit in the kitchen, and Pearl gives me a cup of tea. I hear giggles from upstairs where Trist, Ivory, and Julius finish walls in Ivory's bedroom.

At first, I wasn't a big fan of this idea. I decided to stay because I just couldn't run away from them. I thought I was tough, but nothing has prepared me for them wanting so much to stay with me; nothing prepared me for loving them so much.

So I decided to stay and thought we would return to the bar, but Natasha convinced me otherwise. She knew I didn't want to live in the pack, so she offered to help me renovate the old abandoned house on the outskirts of her pack. Technically, we are on the pack territory, so we should be safe from rogues or other unwelcomed visitors, but we are so far away from the packhouse that I don't have to see any werewolves if I don't have to.

The idea is good, the house isn't big, but every one of us will have a separate bedroom. Aunty Mae will stay in the apartment over the bar, but I will work there anyway and be able to look after her.

Ivory and Pearl are now officially members of Howl Pack as orphans born rouge and taken by the pack, which means they can go to school, be protected, train alongside their own, and have an everyday life. About me? Well, officially, nothing changed for me; officially, I don't exist. Natasha made an Alpha Command to her wolves that my presence is to be ignored and never mentioned to anyone. The pack members don't have to like me, but can't touch me. I guess I have to trust both her and Alexa that they will honor their word and let me leave here in peace with my Jewels.

Terry Nightingales, under the protection of werewolves and raising two of them, my grandfather and Jordan must turn over in their graves. But my parents? My dad hated werewolves, but I'm sure he would be proud of me.

And yet, when Pearl smiles at me and runs upstairs to help her sister, I don't regret anything. I would still make the same choices again, and maybe here is finally what I can call home. I look around, admiring the walls and floors I renovated with Julius, Danny, Jason, and Chen, and I feel proud. It's the first time in my life I built a house instead of burning it to the ground.

"Terry, are you in here?" I hear Danny's voice; he is standing in the corridor.

"Yes, what's up?"

Danny smiles at me very brightly and asks me to go with him to the porch, and that's when I feel my knees buckle and my heart starts beating like crazy.

Celia is standing in front of me; my baby sister is standing in front of me, smiling, although she has some tears in her eyes. A quick voice in my brain tells me that she shouldn't be here, that I have no right to see her again, and that I have no right to be so happy.

And yet I open my arms, and she jumps in it, holding me firm. I hug her back, and although there are no tears in me and my eyes stay dry, I'm so fucking happy right now. My baby sister is with me; my baby sister is finally with me.

"I missed you so much," she whispers.

"I missed you too," I say.

After some time, I see that we are not alone. Jason and Danny are here, but also Celia's mate Hank is standing not far from us. He hasn't changed much and gives a stern but peaceful look, and next to him is Kathy; it must be Kathy. Thank God my niece looks more like Celia than him, but still, I can't utter the word. It's the first time I see her, the first time.

"Kathy, this is your uncle Terry," Celia says, and Kathy comes to hug me.

Hugging her is a bit difficult; I feel shy, and I have no idea what and how I should say. Thankfully, she hugs me and steps away, saying she is happy he can finally meet me.

I know I should say something, fuck, I should, but I can't utter a word.

"Daddy!"

Pearl and Ivory run down the stairs and to me but stop when they see the bunch of unknown people.

"Hello, girls," says Celia, and Hank comes closer to her and Kathy. "And you are...?"

"These are Pearl and Ivory," I finally get my voice back," and they are my daughters."

THE END OF BOOK THREE

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