Hopelessly Devoted | Hale- TO/TW [6]

Epilogue

"What happens if I don't follow your rules, oh mighty queen?" Marcel asks.

"I will hunt you down." The chilling words send a shiver up his back. "I will destroy you from the inside out. I will tear down your kingdom, brick by brick, until you are begging for mercy. Mercy that you did not grant my family. They are dead because of you. I will never see them again."

"You don't have the power—"

Lexi tuts, shutting him up instantly. "You took them away from me, Marcel. You left me alone. You took away my constants, the few people who have never really left me. One is off who knows where, either eating as many humans as she can find or dead in a ditch from the hex. Two are dead from your bite, another from poison. And the last one is at your feet."

Marcel glances down at Klaus only to realize that Klaus is awake. His blue eyes shine with pain as he stares straight up into Marcel's eyes.

"You, Marcel, are the creator of my insanity," Lexi states. "You have left me with nothing, seeing as the Hales don't trust me anymore, and Hayley and Hope are running from you. I have nothing to lose. If you disregard this deal, nothing will stop me from destroying you. Is that clear?"

Marcel gapes at her. Then, he nods.

"Never disturb me again. Enjoy your kingdom."

—|—|—|—

"Explain it to me one last time," Hayley demands as she jumps down from the truck. Before her stands Lexi, Derek, and Cora.

"Freya and I, we put all of them into a chambre de chasse," Lexi explains, snuggling further into Derek's embrace. "All of them are asleep like Freya was with Dahlia. It's the same spell, just with an added heaven for them. The chambre is connected to me, so as long as I live, they will be at peace. Their naps depend on Niklaus—as long as he lives, they do too."

"And the deal with Marcel?" Cora asks.

"Lexi made him promise not to come after any of us," Derek smirks. "She lied about how she was alone, making herself seem more dangerous. He won't hunt any of us. That says nothing about his vampires, though, so we all have to be careful."

Hayley nods, crossing her arms. Then, she meets Derek's eyes.

"Cora, come over here with me," Hayley says as nonchalantly as she can, already tugging the beta away.

"What? Hayley?" Cora questions as she is dragged to the front of the truck.

Lexi watches them, sadness in her eyes. "Don't worry," Derek murmurs. "Hayley and Hope will be fine."

"They're all gone," Lexi whispers. "We might not find cures in time."

"You have to have hope, Lexi."

Something in his voice makes her look up at him. "Are you ok?" She asks bluntly.

"Lexi—" Derek pauses, pursing his lips. "Hear me out."

"Oh no, what did you do?" Lexi demands, her eyes wide. "If you're a wanted criminal, I don't know if I can handle that and my family practically dying in front of us in slow motion—"

"What? No, just listen," Derek laughs.

"Fine." Lexi rolls her eyes, staring at him.

"I know this isn't the best timing, but I made a promise to Elijah," Derek says, watching her expression drop. "He made me promise to take care of you, make sure you never fall into your pit of guilt and grief."

"Ok..." Lexi is thoroughly confused.

"I would have done it anyway, but there is really only one way to make it official," Derek states, shifting his weight awkwardly.

"Official?"

"Oh, crap," Derek mutters, shaking his head and taking a deep breath. "I'm starting over. Lexi—"

"Derek," Lexi breathes, cupping his face. "What are you trying to say?"

When Derek looks into her eyes, he feels complete. All of his nerves wash away in the sea of her eyes. His shoulders relax as he pushes his lips into hers, bringing her body closer to his. She lets out a surprised gasp but melts into it. When he pulls away, he finds the right words.

"You have taken care of me since the moment I was born," he begins, his face so close to hers, they are breathing the same air. "You have protected me. You have trained me. You have scolded me." Lexi lets out a small laugh. "And you have made me a better person. You broke through all of my masks. You taught me how to not punch Stiles—"

"Did I really?" Lexi ponders, tilting her head to the side.

"Well, you tried," Derek smiles as she laughs. "You have made me a better werewolf, a better person, and a better man for you. We have been through literal hell, both of us. We are each scarred by the horrors of our past. Every moment I spend away from you, I feel like the world is crashing in on itself, and then I see you, and everything is better."

"Derek," she whispers, her eyes searching his. "What are you asking?"

"I don't want to be apart from you, Lexi. Not now, not ever." Derek shakes his head, a smile blooming on his lips once more. "I want to share more than just an apartment with you, I want to share my entire life with you."

He glances down, fumbling for the box in his jacket pocket. When he brings it out, he reluctantly moves to a kneel. Lexi just stares at him, tears in her eyes.

"Lexi Adams Mikaelson," he begins. "Will you marry me?"

And with her answer, all the sadness in the world, every loss they had suffered, every pain they had survived, could not break the happiness Derek felt in that moment.

"Yes."

IT'S DONE!!! I have loved this book so much! But don't worry-- I have another book in the works! Keep an eye out for it! 

This is the perfect way to start off the New Year! Happy 2018! Hope you enjoyed!