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Epilogue
Cerine
Christmas felt like a long time ago. And it was. Everyone in the pack had been busy through the spring and early summer, and I was kept hopping with minor injuries and such. My mates were both working with the animals now, theirs and the larger flocks, but I missed the winter days of having them with me all the time. Resting a palm on my belly, I was kicked by the fruits of that time together.
As soon as the snow melted, the alphas had sent parties up into the mountains to see what might have happened to poison the Ludy Lake pack, and, sure enough, they found the answer. A dam had eroded over the decades at a pond of toxic sludge from an old mine. There was no sign of anyone setting up there or anything, so at least we didn’t have to deal with incompetent and inexperienced miners who might cause more troubles. The alphas believed it was just bad luck or maybe poor dam building that led to the deaths of so many. Or maybe the storm. Either way, they managed to contain what remained so no further contamination would take place. They also filed a claim on the mine—just to keep someone else from doing it and making mischief.
As long as we didn’t drink the water—or touch it—we should be fine visiting Trace and Finton’s old pack lands. Square miles of forest and meadow—beautiful and peaceful. I worried about wildlife drinking from the lake, but Trace said that he saw no signs of them coming close at all, no tracks or spoor…animals knew to avoid the poison.
They brought me here to show me their home. The only building they didn’t burn.
The little house stood all alone with a note on the door warning off all comers. It looked so sad, surrounded by dark smudges and ash of all the other buildings of the village, but inside, it looked as if they’d walked away six hours rather than six months ago. We couldn’t take everything, but we could and did take some things with us like the quilts and some of the furnishings. The land it self would not be suitable for people to live on for a number of years, not with the only nearby water source still contaminated.
One day it would be clean again, and maybe this baby or another child of ours would be able to make their home on their father’s ancestral lands. Occupy this little house or build another. It would mean so much to Trace and Finton, and I prayed it would be so. But, for now, our family would stay on Triple L lands. I had my job there and my mates had both ended up working with the livestock, so we had a good life.
And even though I still dwelled in a cabin away from the village, I did not live alone. I lived in a family of three, soon to be a family of four. I lived with Trace and Finton who loved me as much as they loved each other. They had plans to expand our home to make room for our growing family.
I cared for the sick and injured among the pack. I was the healer. A mated healer with a pair of loving mates who still made sure I didn’t get enough sleep, but only for the best of reasons. They stood now looking over the lake, and I joined them, slipping an arm around each of them. “We will be back,” I assured them. I hated seeing the pain in their eyes. It reminded me of how they were when they first came.
Trace agreed with me though. “We will visit every year and get samples from the lake to send to that lab the alphas found.”
“And, one day, when the results are good, some of our children or our children’s children will be able to start Ludy Lake pack again.” Finton’s voice was strong as he looked out across the lake. “But, for now, we have so much to look forward to, and I think we should head back to our campsite.”
“You just want to get me in the tent,” I teased.
“Right,” they said at the same time. I couldn’t argue. Camping sex was pretty awesome…when you loved your mates as much as I did. And when they loved me back as much as they loved each other. All my worried had been for nothing—I did belong to them. But they belonged to me, too. We belonged to each other.
