Trashed & Treasured

Epilogue

"He went over to the table and the lady said 'oh you are sooooo cute' and he smiled at her then she kissed him and gave him two cookies." All that came out in one breath even as she raised her voice to mock the woman working the cookie table.

"She had some too!" Evan added with an adorable scowl.

"Nuh-uh!"

"Uh-huh! I gave you a piece!"

"A small piece!" Holding in my laughter was no longer an option. They are as thick as thieves but and fight like cats and dogs.

"You turned them against each other again, didn't you?" I stopped mid-laugh and straightened my back. Turning to face my mate I made sure there wasn't a bit of amusement left on my face.

"No, just getting to the bottom of things. Your son is charming women out of cookies that he knows he shouldn't have before lunch."

Dominic shrugged his shoulders, "At least it was cookies and not their panties—ouch!" A sharp pinch on his arm successfully cut him off before he could complete that statement.

"You forget that our son is a parrot."

"No Momma, I'm a wolf." He frowned as if I had insulted him and even went as far as to fold his arms over his chest.

"And you're going to be eaten alive by the tickle monster if you don't run along and play!"

"The tickle monster?! Come on Nikki! We gotta get outta here!" Hand in hand they ran off toward the other kids screaming their heads off while I watched after them shaking my head. My mate's chuckles behind me were the reminder I needed to address what he was about to say. "And as for you King Alpha," closing the gap between us I looked up to meet his gaze, "can we not say things like that around him until he's a bit older. He was entirely too proud to show me that he'd been kissed. What five-year-old enjoys that?"

Dominic chuckled again slipping his arms around my waist, "My pup. Don't look at it as a bad thing. Him liking girls early just means I can mold him into the perfect gentleman. Teach him to open doors, pull out chairs, and—"

"—ensure that when he finds his mate no matter who she is, he'll love her unconditionally?"

Dominic was quiet for a moment just looking into my eyes. It has been years since we had to discuss Cameron or anything involving him. Not to avoid it, but because we decided that certain parts of the past needed to follow him to the grave. While I have more than I ever could've dreamed of, I still think about who I was before all this because it made me who I am today.

Lifting my chin with his thumb and forefinger, my mate pressed his lips against mine, "You mean as I love you?" He kissed me again, this time with a little more passion. We had to be mindful of where we were and limit the amount of time we stayed that way. Apparently Trent showed extreme determination in trying to get me help when they found me in that field and for that, he now has a friendship with my mate and my brother. Each pack gathering he has, we get special invites and always make it a point to be there. This one just so happens to be his birthday party.

"Get a room!" Jaxon shouted from behind us causing Dominic and I to both laugh. All these years, a new mate of his own, and he still isn't used to our displays of affection. "Come on Baby, let's go before their clothes come off and burn our eyes." Kayla and Dominic seemed pretty amused by that, showing it through deep laughter while I scowled.

"Do I say things like that about you and Kayla? No, I don't, and you know why?" My balled fists rest against my hips.

"Because," he smirked, "you—" Jaxon was cut off by a child's cries. Being parents now, all of our instincts are to react first. The four of us pretty much ran toward the pitiful sobs which led us to a little girl around the same age as Evan. We got there just as Ella picked her up and cradled the back of her head.

"Calm down, Skye. Stop crying and tell Mommy what happened." Mommy? I looked over the little girl again noting the similar features and identical hair. Instead of it having an orange hue it was a deep strawberry red. The only difference was their eyes and the child's unusually dark brows and lashes. Still, I'm kind of confused. The last time I checked, Ella was unmated. Not to say that an unmated female can't have pups, but it's very rare to see.

She rubbed comforting circles into the little girl's back then slowly eased her around to face her. The tears had slowed but were still brimming her lower lashes. She turned slightly in Ella's arms and point her little finger at my pup who was now hiding behind his father.

"He bit me!" She sobbed again burying her face in the crook of Ella's neck.

Dominic immediately grabbed hold of Evan before he could run, pulled him to a quiet corner of the yard, knelt down to his height, and held him by his shoulders. Before he had the chance to say anything, Evan was in tears and looking my way for help. "You know fighting and being mean to girls isn't nice, Evan. You're going to go over there and say you're sorry, but first I want to know why you did that."

His lips jutted forward into the saddest pout I've ever seen and huge tears poured from his eyes. Using his fist he wiped them away now looking down at the ground in shame. "Because," he breathed in twice trying to calm himself, "because my wolf told me to."

Glaring at each other with the exact expression of disbelief, I tapped into my mate's mind to find that we were thinking the same thing. If our suspicions are correct, our five-year-old has just chosen and attempted to claim his future mate.