Chapter <b>528 </b>


    I felt his hand on my shoulder and turned. He was looking down at me with that expression he got sometimes. The one that made me feel like I was the only person in the world.


    <b>“</b>Come with me,” he said quietly.


    “Where?”


    “You’ll see.”


    He took my hand and led me away from the party. We walked through the yard, past the kids and the adults and the food, until we reached the edge of the property. There was a path there, one I hadn’t walked in a long time.


    I knew where we were going.


    The cemetery was quiet. Peaceful. The afternoon sun filtered through the trees overhead, casting dappled shadows across the ground. We walked in silence until we reached the two graves at the far end.


    The first one was mine. Or rather, it was the grave for my first body. The one that had died in childbirth. The headstone was simple, with my name and dates carved into the stone.


    The second grave was slightly newer, but not by much. My mother’s.


    I knelt down in front of them, brushing away a few stray leaves. Alexander stood behind me, leaning against the trunk of a nearby tree to give me some space.


    “Hey, Mom,” I said quietly. My voice cracked a little, but I went on, “Lucien’s six now. Can you believe it? He’s getting so big. And the twins… They’re wild. You’d love them. They remind me of you sometimes. Too often, actually.<b>” </b>


    I paused, swallowing down the lump in my throat.


    “Stormhollow is stable. The pack trusts me. Alexander and I are happy. The kids are healthy.” I pressed my hand to the cool stone. “I wish you could see all of it. I wish you could be here.”


    Alexander slowly moved closer.


    “I miss you,” I whispered. “Every day. But I’m okay. We’re all okay.”


    I stood up, dusting off my knees. Alexander wrapped his arms around me from behind, and I leaned back against him. We stood there for a while, just breathing in the cool air. Just.., being.


    The cherry tree beside the graves was in full bloom. I’d nted it shortly after my mother’s death on a whim Ordered a sapling one day without warning and Alexander came home to find me standing near the cemetery, barking orders at two very disgruntled workers who didn’t seem to understand why it needed to be perfectly


    centered.


    It had grown nicely over the years. It was still a lot smaller than the one in the garden, but it was getting bigger each year. Right now, the pink petals were drifting down around us,nding in my hair and on my shoulders. I closed my eyes and tilted my head back, resting it against Alexander’s chest.


    <b>“</b><b>You </b>know,” I said after a moment, “I never thought <b>I’d </b>get here.”


    <b>“</b>Where?”


    <b>“</b>Here. This. <b>Peace</b><b>.</b>” <b>I </b>gestured vaguely at the graves, at the blossoms, at the world around us. “Five years <b>ago</b><b>, </b><b>I </b>was fighting <b>just </b>to survive. And now…” I shrugged, smiling. “<b>I </b>feel like I’ve finally lived. For the first time in my


    <i>172 </i>


    <b>+25 </b>Bonus


    life, I can look back and feel… Happy.”


    Alexander didn’t speak at first. He turned me around so I was facing him. His hands cupped my face, and he smoothed his thumbs across my cheekbones.


    “I’m proud of you,” he said softly. “You’vee so far, E. You’ve built something incredible. You’ve be the Alpha you were always meant to be.”


    Tears pricked at my eyes, but I blinked them away. “I couldn’t have done it without you.”


    “Yes, you could have.” He pressed a kiss to my forehead. “But I’m d you didn’t have to.”


    We stood there beneath the cherry tree, petals falling around us like snow. The sounds of the party drifted over from the house. Laughter, music, the distant shouts of children ying.


    My family. My pack. My life.


    It wasn’t perfect. There would always be challenges, always battles to fight. But right now, in this moment, I had everything I’d ever wanted.


    I had survived the curse. I had reimed my identity. I had built a family and a pack and a future worth fighting for.


    Alexander took my hand,cing his fingers through mine. The bond between us hummed softly, a constant reminder that we were connected. That we always would be, whether from an invisible string or a crystal shard.


    “Ready to go back?” he asked.


    I looked at the graves one more time. At the cherry blossoms. At the peaceful stillness of this ce.


    “Yeah,” I said, smiling. “I’m-‘


    >>


    “Mooom!” a small voice cried out. “Daaaad! CAKE!”


    Alexander grinned and turned, crouching down. I flushed. “Hop on.”


    “Alexander, I’m wearing a skirt.”


    “So?” He didn’t give me a choice. He grabbed me, hiking me onto his back, and began to run. The wind whipped through my hair, freeing it from its bun.


    And Iughed. Free. Wild. And so, so happy.


    THE END.


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    <strong>Sara Lili</strong> is a daring romance writer who turns icyndscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of d’s breathtaking cold.


    The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and


    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!