Her Redeemed Destiny

• Epilogue •

For the days after, there was no heavy atmosphere, no one mourned any longer, and it was because that their fallen brothers had made the ultimate sacrifice for a peace that would last for many years to come. Possibly decades later, if the right Alpha were to govern. 

They rejoiced in the reward that followed the war and she opened her eyes to gaze down at the tombstones once again. She was proud of her brothers bravery and she took every day to honor their deaths. One day, she would see them again.

She let out a small sigh, her breath becoming smoky in the cool air, and she stood from her spot beside the last tombstone. She had spent many years in mourning and grief of her first family, and although she lost a fair amount of her second family, she knew that their deaths were not for nothing, and that's what gave her comfort. They had bravely went into war beside her and they didn't regret it, so she didn't either. 

She read their names one last time, memorizing them.

Leon would always be the man with the golden soul to her. Asher was the greatest bigger brother she ever had and she sometimes liked to think that he had a prankster side deep inside. Elijah, her mentor in the final days before the war, she learned soon after his death that he had been a father, and someday she hoped to meet his son. 

She smiled at Ralf. Although they had never gotten along, he was still the mightiest warrior who wielded silence as his weapon. Lucas had been becoming one of her third favorite brothers, the advisor could act like he didn't care but he was a teddy bear on the inside. 

And Beau, oh how she missed Beau. She was told that they'd found Beau's body with another and they appeared to be locked in a deadly dual that had killed them both close to the same time, she had no doubt that it was Simon. Beau was so misunderstood in her book, she wished he could have lived to prove that to everyone. 

Finally, her eyes settled upon the tombstone closest to the tree. 

Joel M. Laehn.

She never knew Joel that well aside from the small encounters they had before the war but something about him spoke to her. He was essentially the one who pushed her to be greater and somehow, as he did, she got the hunch that he just knew. He'd known all along something that she didn't, and it wasn't until after his death that she received his goodwill. Somehow, he chose her for the honor of his pack.

She considered them friends, at least, and she saw the likeliness of him in his pack members every single day. They were rogues that had no place else to go and Joel had gave them a home. Surprisingly, she found out that even after the pack was formed, Joel kept trying to hand the Alpha title away, but everyone refused because he was simply one of the best Alpha's. 

The King of Alpha's. 

She read the rest of the names, some of which she didn't recognize, but still, her gratitude would never cease. Sometimes she'd hear stories about them and she wished she'd gotten to know the pack better before everything went down. They were all great men and they gave their lives for something that changed their world. 

She gazed upon the peaceful resting place once more before she said her goodbye and ventured back from whence she came. The sun had fallen from the sky behind her, the shadows of the night reaching through the forest in hopes of ruling for another night. 

She made it back to the pack house at dusk and the warm glow of lights welcomed her in. She softly closed the door behind her. The hum of voices echoed from the living room and her feet unconsciously carried her there. It felt so much like home, she almost missed the old days where she would run the house with Cassius without a care in the world.