Epilogue
One year later
Rohan watched as Briar led the group of small children up the hillside, pointing out different herbs as they went, stopping here and there to allow his eager pupils to sniff and taste edible plants. Danas struggled in Rohan’s arms, trying to break free so he could run and play too.
“Easy, wild one.” Rohan nuzzled his son’s cheek. “Your dada’s giving an important lesson.”
“Dada!” Danas stuck out his lower lip. “Dada, dada, dada!”
“If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you like him better than me.”
Danas’s pout only deepened, and Rohan let out a laugh. “Looks like I’ll have to win you over with my secret weapon.” He took out a small pouch from his pocket and watched the baby’s eyes go wide as he was presented with a handful of blueberries.
“Who do you like better?” Rohan teased, holding the berries just out of reach of the child’s chubby little fingers.
“Apha!” Danas squealed.
Rohan laughed at his son’s name for him. He’d always expected he would be called something like daddy, but Danas must have heard others in the pack calling Rohan “alpha” and as soon as he could speak, he’d started calling Rohan “Apha”. Briar seemed to think that Rohan should find it embarrassing, but hearing that word on his son’s tongue was the sweetest thing Rohan had ever known. Sometimes he couldn’t believe how much love he had in his life.
In the year they’d spent building their home in the mountains, the entire pack had created an amazing bond. Rohan had spent that morning helping to construct new homes while Edrik watched baby Danas and other omegas brought food to those who were working. Never in his life had Rohan experienced such a sense of community. He loved waking up in the morning and working hard to help their little village grow.
Of course there was always the threat of raiding alphas to look out for, but the few alpha scouts who’d come sniffing around had been sent home battered by falling rocks and sick from wolfsbane darts. Rohan chuckled, thinking of the message that would have sent to the rest of the alphas. They must have been so terrified to learn the true power of the omegas they’d bullied for years.
Rohan looked down at Danas, whose face was now smeared with blueberries. He was so grateful that his son would grow up to be an alpha who respected others. Danas would never know how lucky he’d been to be raised in a community full of so much love and kindness.
“More!” Danas opened and closed his chubby little fists. “More berry.”
“You cleaned me out, kid.” Rohan laughed. “Maybe dada can find you more.”
“Dada, dada!” He shrieked excitedly.
Rohan smiled, unable to blame Danas for preferring his mate over him. Even though Rohan tried his best, Briar was such a kind, attentive parent that it was hard to compete with him for their son’s affection. Maybe their next child would prefer apha over dada.
Rohan tried to not to think about that too much. As much as he wanted a big family, he was hesitant to try after the difficult pregnancy Briar had undergone with Danas. The last thing he wanted was to put his mate’s health in jeopardy again. He was already more blessed than he could ever have hoped for. If the moon never saw fit to bless them with another child, he would still be the happiest wolf to ever walk under the moon.
Briar finished up his lesson and sent the children scurrying back to their parents with armfuls of fresh food. His blond hair caught in the sunlight as he turned, and Rohan’s heart skipped a beat. Briar seemed to grow even more stunning every day, but right now, he absolutely glowed with radiant beauty. Danas cooed with delight, struggling against Rohan’s hold as Briar approached them.
“Hey wild one,” Briar said, taking Danas from Rohan’s arms. “I got something for you.” His grin widened as he opened his foraging bag to reveal a collection of mixed berries. Danas began flapping his little arms with excitement and opened his mouth wide for Briar to feed him.
“That’s not fair.” Rohan pouted. “No wonder he likes you better than me.”
“What do you mean?” Brair popped a berry into the baby’s greedy little mouth. “You’re the one he likes best. Whenever I’m with him, he just asks for you.”
Rohan laughed, cocking his head and pinching a berry stained cheek. “Have you been playing us against each other this whole time?”
Danas just cooed around a full mouth.
Briar’s face spread into the widest grin Rohan had ever seen. “Well, it’ll be hard for him to demand so much attention going forward.”
“I don’t see how that’s possible.”
“I mean, seeing as he’ll have to share us with his new sibling.”
It took Rohan a moment to comprehend what Briar was saying, and when he did, his heart stopped in his chest. “You don’t mean…”
Briar chuckled pressing a hand to his belly. “You’re going to be a father of two soon.”
Was Rohan dreaming? His life seemed suddenly too perfect to be real. “But your health—”
“The healer said it should go smoothly as long as I get plenty of rest” He gave Rohan a wink. “That means you’ll have to pick up the slack.”
“Are you kidding me?” Rohan pulled Briar into his arms and buried his face in his hair. “I would wait on you hand and foot if it meant having another child with you.”
“I’m going to hold you to that.” Briar placed a kiss on Rohan’s lips.
Rohan pressed his hands to Briar’s belly. They’d fought so hard to get to where they were, but they had so much to look forward to. Rohan took their son in his arms as they walked back to their comfortable little home together. Soon, their humble wooden hut would be filled with even more laughter, more love, and more happy memories.