Epilogue
Three months later.
"Hey my gorgeous kitty. I'm home!" The condo door swung open and Molly danced into their living room, humming a salsa tune that she shook her hips to.
After the ordeal they'd gone through, it didn't seem possible that they'd settle so quickly into a routine. Rafael had gone to work at Animus Security—after a well deserved week that he and Molly spent locked in their bedroom. The Senior Center ran a fundraiser and scrounged up enough money to repair the studio's window and cracked mirrors. Mickey even redid Donnell's painted letters in the window. It didn't look as professional or flourished as it had before, but Molly loved it all the same.
The prosecution worked hard on the case against Coogan, and it looked like he'd be behind bars permanently this time. Crawford had been released as part of his agreement to testify, though he'd lost his position with the Bureau. He and Maria were back together, though none of them had heard from them outside of a courthouse.
Molly didn't think she and Marc would ever be as close as they were when they were kids, but at least they were friends again. Molly texted him every meme about wolves that she could find and they met for coffee about once a week.
After digging through the archives, the Chief found the reported theft of a jeweled brooch. The jewelry item itself was still considered evidence and would be until the case resolved. The original owner was thrilled to know her family's heirloom had been found. She turned up at the studio to meet Molly and was so taken by her charm and the wild ordeal that the woman had offered Molly the reward her parents had promised to anyone who found or returned the brooch. It was enough for Molly to pay off the studio's debt and hire a part-time assistant. It gave her more time to spend with her students doing the work she loved.
Rafael took to private security easier than he thought he would. The work challenged him and he fell into an easy camaraderie with his coworkers. His new pack.
Between his new paycheck and Molly's windfall at the studio, they found a nice condo to buy close enough to the city for their jobs and easy enough to get out to the wilderness when his panther needed to roam.
Molly caught sight of him in the kitchen and came to a stop so fast her skirt swirled around her shapely calves. Rafael gave her a wicked smirk, running a hand through his hair, flexing his bicep as he did.
"You're home earlier than I expected," he said, leaning against the warm oven. "I'd meant to have all the cookies done by now."
Rafael stood in their homey kitchen—on which every available surface was covered in cooling racks full of cookies. What had Molly gaping was that he wore nothing except for a frilly red apron around his waist that barely kept him decent. Relatively.
Molly's eyes dropped to the apron and a slow smile bloomed on her face. "You better be careful or a girl could get used to this."
Rafael picked up a warm cookie and brought it over her. His cock stirred in anticipation making the apron flutter. Molly giggled.
"Don't worry," he said, bringing the cookie to her lips. "I plan to keep you guessing."