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“I know you said you understood what it means to be a mate, but I want to make sure you truly understand.”

She sits up and looks into my eyes.

I’m lost in their depths before her voice pulls me back.

“It means that I’m yours and you're mine. That we’re bonded,” she says, touching her chest above her heart. “That I love you and you love me. And it’s forever.”

“Forever,” I whisper, choking back emotion.

Her smile falters a fraction. “But it’s going to take time for me to get used to. For so long, I’ve lived my life knowing everything was temporary. That I would always have to move on, always have to look over my shoulder. Because if I didn’t, people would get hurt.”

My heart breaks for her. For what she lost. For the fear she lived in. For building walls not only to protect herself but anyone who came into her life, no matter how short the time.

I pull her back down, kissing her gently before tucking her head against my chest.

“I’m not going anywhere, Moonlight.”

She eventually drifts off, settling onto my chest. As my eyes begin to close, my mind fills with all the possibilities the future holds.

I can’t wait for our new beginning.

Epilogue

AUGUSTUS

Six Months Later

Iwatch from the front porch as Cordelya loads the trunk of the car with the last of the outdoor decorations. The trunk barely closes over the stuffed patio furniture cushions and throw pillows she’s piled in there like a Double Stuffed Oreo. I half expect the trunk to pop and everything in it to explode out.

It’s hard to believe that six months have passed since Chad kidnapped her and tried to take her away from me. Cordelya still has the occasional nightmare about it, whimpering in her sleep as she relives her personal nightmare. But I’m right there, arms wrapped around her, whispering reassurances to bring her back to me.

She still checks all the locks on the doors and windows and looks in dark corners when we walk Minna at night. Some traumas take longer to recover from than others. She’s put in a lot of hard work and therapy time, and I couldn’t be more proud of the progress she makes every single day.

Most recently, she’s reached out to her mom and the friends she left behind when she fled. I could see how relieved she was when every one of them told her they understood why she ran. Her mom is even planning to visit when the weather gets cooler. Reconnecting with her past has been hard, but with each phone call, text, or video chat, I can see her joy grow.

And today is a special day.

Today, the first house she’s done the interior design work for here in Ravens Hollow is being shown. It took Ember some time, but she slowly convinced Cordelya to get back into interior design.

When the dust settled after Chad’s arrest, we had several long conversations about what we wanted.

One thing was clear: we wanted to be with each other.

“We’re mates, of course I want to be with you. But a mate bond isn’t a magical band-aid.” I had told her a few days after the kidnapping. That opened up a new series of conversations about therapy, not just for Cordelya, but for me as well. The realization that I was literally wasting away and had simply resigned myself to my fate was something Cordelya had stunned me with by pointing it out.

Now we both attend individual sessions with Dr. Astor, as well as one joint couples session a month. I want to be able to give Cordelya whatever support she needs, and she wants to do the same for me.

“Auggie?” Cordelya calls from the side of the car. She’s looking at the backseat like she’s playing a game of Tetris. “ Do you think the lanterns will be okay in the backseat, or should I hold the box? I don’t want the glass to break or get scratched.”

I smile, stepping off the porch to walk down the drive and stand beside her.

“That would depend on how many lanterns you decided to bring, Moonlight.”

She makes a face at me and lightly shoves at my chest. I grab her wrist and pull her to me, wrapping my arms around her. Her laughter is nothing short of magical.

“Hey,” she squeaks when I lift her up to sit on the trunk of the car.

Her legs wrap around my waist as she winds her arms around my neck.