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"I...I do..."
"Do you want to be his mate?"
"I...I'm still figuring that out," Kale admits. "I hadn't thought that far ahead."
"Then tell him that." I give Kale a little shove toward the bridge. "Just be honest with him. You'll be okay. I promise."
Kale nods to himself, takes a deep breath, shakes out his arms, and then jogs back across the bridge toward the poor confused alpha that he left standing in the woods.
I chuckle to myself as I return to the students who had watched the exchange from a distance. I hadn't exactly felt up to the task when Jordan told me that the elders had offered us both more leadership responsibilities. I'd only agreed to go along with his appointment as elder because I wanted to support him. Not because I thought the other omegas actually looked to me as any sort of leader.
But now...I'm starting to realize that maybe I was wrong.
Maybe I'm a bigger part of this pack than I thought I was. I've only been here for a year, but they've opened their hearts and their homes to me in ways I never expected.
This is my pack.
This is my home.
EPILOGUE
JORDAN
As I walk back home for dinner, a chorus of frogs and crickets fills the air with their songs. The rest of the pack has gone home for the day. My mom peeked into the office about an hour ago to say goodbye as she walked back home.
Life has become a strangely rhythmic routine for me. I never thought I'd be one to revel in the mundane humdrum of everyday life, but here I am.
Content.
As I enter the cabin, Caleb greets me with a loving kiss and a bright smile.
"What's that for?" I ask as I slide my arms around him and give him a warm hug.
"Do I need a reason to kiss my mate?" Caleb pouts.
"No, of course not." I kiss him again. "I just wasn't expecting to get ambushed as soon as I entered the house. Not that I'm complaining, of course."
"Of course." Caleb winks playfully before untangling himself from my arms and returning to the kitchen. It looks like he's just finished preparing dinner. "Anyway, I guess I'm just feeling a little flirtatious today. Love is in the air, apparently."
"It is?" I ask, kicking off my boots and setting them beside the door. "How so?"
"Kale and Dustin are courting," he says with a grin. "There's nothing official yet, but I won't be surprised if there's a bonding ceremony before the leaves change."
"Now that's a pair I wasn't expecting," I admit. "But you know Kale better than I do."
"I do," Caleb agrees with a nod. "And I think they're perfect for each other. Almost as perfect as you are for me. If my prediction is correct, they may have some pups of their own by next summer."
"Speaking of pups, how are my lovelies?" I ask as I pace across the room to the bassinets where my children are sleeping soundly.
"They're good. Your mother thinks they were trying to talk already. She spent the entire afternoon trying to teach them to say 'grandma.'" Caleb rolls his eyes and laughs.
"No, your first word will be 'papa,' won't it?" I grin as I lean down and gently kiss each of their heads.
"Don't wake them up," Caleb begs. "I need a few minutes of peace and quiet where I can just sit and enjoy my mate's company."
"That's fine with me," I assure him as I slip back across the room and join him at the dinner table. "I'm happy to oblige."
Caleb reaches across the table, and I take his hand. I meet his eyes, and my heart feels like it's about to burst.
