Epilogue
Kyra finished her first semester at the University of Kentucky at the end of May. Derek was there as she submitted her last paper.
It had almost been one year since they’d met, and it had been six months since Derek started staying in Kentucky. At first, she thought he’d only visit, but he’d actually rented an apartment not far from hers. But most of the time, he was with her.
He’d taken over all the small maintenance jobs around the house, and he often cooked too. He took her out on a date once a week like clockwork, and they made love every single day.
On the last day of May, he was extra fidgety. She got a sick feeling in the pit of her stomach.
He obviously had something to tell her, and it didn’t seem like it was good news. She imagined that he’d tell her that he’d given it a valiant effort, but he just couldn’t be her mate. Or that he had to go back to Anchorage, and she wasn’t invited – ever. Or that he was done coming to Kentucky for the foreseeable future.
Each scenario that she imagined was dire, and she began to spiral, letting her mind take over.
She forgot every calming technique she’d learned from her therapist and ended up panicking.
By the time Derek found her, she was nearly hyperventilating in the kitchen, trying to make a glass of iced tea.
“Kyra, what’s wrong?” he asked. “What happened?”
“Nothing,” she said, trying to suck in air. There was no way in hell she was going to tell him what she was thinking. She didn’t want to make him feel guilty. But her therapist also said she shouldn’t ignore her own needs either.
She was going to just have to ask, so she could put herself out of her own misery. She wrapped her arms around his waist. “What’s up? I can feel your tension.”
“Oh.” He went very still. “You can tell?”
“Of course.” That wasn’t surprising. They had a very strong bond with a telepathic link during times of stress.
“Well.” He took her hand and led her to the living room, where he pulled her down to the couch. “I wanted to ask you something.”
Already this seemed better than she had been expecting. He did not seem guilty. Only nervous.
"Would you like to move back up to Anchorage with me?”
“To the pack?” Did that question mean what she thought it did? Was he really asking her if she wanted to join the pack?
"Yes. I have permission for you to join, from Roman. And I would like for you to join the pack. I would like for you to move back to Anchorage if you are interested. However, if you are not, I will continue to live here seventy-five percent of the time.”
This she had not seen coming. There had been days when she thought Derek might offer to move to Kentucky permanently. Or he might invite her back to Anchorage. She had never expected an invitation back to the pack.
“And everyone else is okay with that?” She didn't know how that was possible, even though he had assured her over the months that everyone had more than forgiven her.
“Yes. The only factor is what you want to do.”
This was a no-brainer decision for her. She really liked Lexington, Kentucky. But it wasn't home. Derek was her mate. He was her home. And if they had managed to get past what happened with the vampires, then she was all in. She would hold nothing back. And moving back to Anchorage to pack land was a sign of her commitment.
“Yes. Absolutely. I would love to move back.”
“Really? You mean that?”
She opened the bond link and let all of her surging emotions flow through. The giddy happiness, the nervous tension, and the absolute overjoyed elation. “Do you feel that?” she asked.
He grinned. He picked her up and spun her around. He let his own emotions flow back through the bond, and she felt his relief and his giddy excitement.
He kissed her on the forehead. “Start packing.”
* * *
There wasn't reallyan adjective that could describe how nervous Kyra was about her return. She stood in front of the pack gate, holding Derek's hand. It had been one year since she left in disgrace. And now she was back. This time to join them for real.