Imperfect Mate

<>Epilogue<>

I take a seat on the tree stump in our yard and look outwards at what became of Rang and I's camp. Children were running around cabins, chasing each other and snarling as they practiced on forming into their wolf form.

I never wanted to create a new clone of CottonWood with educational classes on how to hunt and defend oneself.

Most especially, I never wanted to have classes of how to simply form into ones true form. I've been damaged too much by CottonWood to ever want to create my own hellhole with Ceremonies and classes that never helped me. Rang agreed fully that I shouldn't suffer in the past due from having our own CottonWood made here-

"Es, you know I don't always need to do that with you," Rangel tells me from the cabin's wooden deck,"we just never get a break from the kids."

I turn to look at him.

"It's not that," I tell him,"I've just been stressed lately. I guess that's the age showing in me."

Rang walks closer to me and takes my hand to help me to my feet.

"What's there to stress about, Es?" he questions, rubbing my shoulders and kissing my neck.

"You and Tate-" I start.

"Me and Tate are fine," he says,"same as it's been for years."

"That's not all," I respond,"it's the camp as a whole. The pups aren't learning how to properly defend and transform themselves, this whole camp is a mess and probably a failure to become-"

"Es, sure we have our faults here, but I see great potential as I've always told you," he tells me,"I think it's coming along greatly here and I'm very proud of the two of us."

I look at him and smile slightly before sitting back down.

He walks away towards the pups, talking to them before he growls and forms into his wolf form gracefully. It's always been so simple for him to turn, I think it's a true gift.

I've always thought he was good with children, the way he smiles and swings them around and plays... I wouldn't want any other wolf other than him as the father of my pups-

"Mom!" I hear a shout, arms tightly squeezing me surprisingly,"you know your the bestest mother ever?"

"Bestest?" I raise an eyebrow.

"The bestest!" Jay smiles, seeming in a good mood suddenly... something was coming my way, clearly she was sucking up to me.

"You mean 'the best mother ever'," I correct her grammar,"you hungry yet?"

"No, I actually want to go to Caine's house tonight for dinner," she tells me,"he told me his mama makes the greatest-"

"Jay, no boys," I sternly say,"go to Selena's tonight."

"But mom-" she whines.

"C'mere," I tell her, motioning her.

She walks over to me and sits next to me on the stump. I wrap an arm around my daughter and look out towards Rang.

"Boys are like stars, Jay. They are beautiful, but complex in ways that hurts your mind. They're bright and mysterious, sometimes hard to look at since they're so warming to your eyes," I say to her,"but, there's so many, like a little spec out of a sea, my daughter-"