Page 94 of Bad Blood Alpha

Epilogue

Three Months Later

“Look out below!”

A pile of scrap lumber dropped out of the oak tree and crashed to the ground. It was followed by a cloud of wood shavings, as Xander swept off the porch of the tree house.

“Jesus fuck, Xander!” Flynn growled from the top deck. “Are you trying to kill someone?”

“Killing them with construction materials is a change from killing them with my claws.” He called down to the crew playing frisbee in front of the main house. “Lissa! Cue up the music! The tree house is officially…done!”

Lissa pulled out her phone and tapped the interface for the cabin’s wireless music system. “Celebration” by Kool & the Gang blared through the outdoor speakers.

It was a warm, sunny Thanksgiving morning—the official one-year anniversary of the formation of the Bad Blood Crew. Jasmin was in the outdoor kitchen next to the firepit, checking on the turkeys, which she was cooking on the grill. Brody boogied up behind her, sliding his arms around her waist.

There were no enemies anywhere in sight.

Kira was kicked back in a chair by the firepit, drinking a beer and soaking up the warmth. Lissa, Sloan and Jenny abandoned frisbee and started dancing on the lawn, trying to do synchronized moves and failing epically.

Xander jumped down off the tree house porch into their midst and went straight into a break-dancing move, almost kicking Sloan in the face.

Flynn and Tank followed him down. Flynn landed on the other side of the tree to avoid the dancing debacle, but Tank got pulled in by Lissa. Watching the giant bear shifter trying to shake his booty never failed to amuse Kira.

Flynn jumped down off the half-wall into the firepit, and Kira moved her feet off the cooler so he could grab a beer.

“Not dancing?” She smirked at him.

“Not with those lunatics.” He popped the top off his beer and took a deep swallow, sighing in satisfaction.

“What about with me?” She deliberately eyed him up and down. “You’re not really my type, but I’m willing to make an exception, even though you live in your mom’s basement and you’re not wearing skinny jeans.”

“Sweetheart, you’re lucky I’m wearing any pants at all.”

His jeans were full of rips, and barely covered his ass. She slid her fingers inside the biggest rip and tickled his ass cheek. “I usually feel luckier when you’re not wearing pants.”

“That could be arranged.” He grabbed her other hand and hauled her to her feet, right up against his chest. He smelled of sawdust and hard work, and she planted a kiss on the side of his neck.

Warmth spread through Kira, and she leaned her head on Flynn’s shoulder. She still got blindsided by the rush of love she felt every time she touched him.

There was a rustling sound overhead. Kira glanced up to see Brandon crouched on a branch just above Flynn’s head, in panther form, his little backside wiggling as he prepared to pounce. She bit back a grin and said nothing.

Brandon launched himself at the back of Flynn’s head.

Without even looking, Flynn let go of Kira, swung around and plucked the little panther out of the air. “Nice try,” he said. He added in a movie-villain voice, “But you cannot defeat the alpha, bwah ha ha.” He tucked Brandon under one arm and gave him a panther noogie.

Xander looked across at them. “Try knives next time, Bran,” he said.

Jenny said, “He is not getting knives until he’s at least ten.”

“Come on,” Xander said. “Five.”

“Eight.”

Flynn set Brandon on the ground, and he immediately skittered behind an Adirondack chair and began stalking Brody.

“Hey Sloan!” Kira called. “Where’s Caitlyn?”

Sloan shrugged. “In the shower, I guess. She felt like sleeping in this morning. She was tired.”