Crescent Wolves Trilogy, page 34
Epilogue
Kayla
Nine Months Later
I could not believe that it was finally time for us to leave Midclaire, I had lived here my entire life, and was excited to see life held for me outside the town, and a little apprehensive about moving to a larger town, because I worried about keeping our secret. I was so glad that we were all going to the same college. Even Hunter got in!
I felt a little guilty about leaving Masie so close to her due date, but I was certain that Max had everything under control. Besides, we would all be home for winter break in a couple of months, and we could watch the baby while they got a break from sleepless nights and dirty diapers.
It had been such a tough year that I was relieved when Max agreed to let Jackson and me taking a gap year. I don’t know how I would have got through all of this without his support. He was the closest thing I had to a dad, which was kind of weird because of mine and Jacksons’ relationship.
My parents and I still do not speak. They sold our house and disappeared from my life. The only good thing that came out of our relationship was that I got a large deposit in my bank account from the sale of the family home. In fact, it was so substantial that I had brought a four-bedroom house close to campus, where we were all going to live. Because it was in a more rural location, we would be able to shift in the nearby woods without drawing any attention.
Over the summer Max and Masie got married, they had the most stunning wedding in the woods near the Taylor family home. It was truly magical, with all of the supernatural beings that they knew coming from far and wide to celebrate their love. Because Max was a part of the council now, they were also at the wedding, only now they were not as intimidating as they once were.
When I thought back over the last eighteen months, I could truly say that it had been a whirlwind. There had been so many low points in the first six months, but they had helped me truly grow as a person. This last year had been amazing! Because Jackson and I had a year off from school, we had spent a lot of time traveling. We visited my grandparents, who were thankfully okay. None of us could understand why my parents had lied about my grandparents being sick. It was yet another way for them to control my life, and an opportunity for them to disappear for good.
While we were away we visited Lani for a few days, and I was so relieved to see how happy she was now that she was back home with her family. She was like a totally different person from the timid girl I had met. She even had a boyfriend, who worshipped Lani, and it was so obvious how much he loved her.
We loaded the last of our bags into Jacksons’ jeep while the twins pilled all of their things into Hunter’s truck. I was so glad they did not have to come in the car with us! A four-hour drive with the twins was my idea of torture. Because we had some time to kill, we decided to stop off halfway, and we were going to spend the night at a log cabin. I could not wait to get there. It was going to be so much fun. I had never been camping, and this was probably the closest that I was going to get. There was a hot tub at the cabin, and I was going to sit in it until I turned into a wrinkly prune. It was the perfect way to spend the night before we headed off into the world of college and impending adulthood. Well, at least for some of us, the twins still had some growing up to do before they reached the same level that the rest of us were on.
Despite their pleas, there was no way that I was going to be doing their laundry and picking up after them. They would need to get independent quickly because I could not cope in a house where their dirty underwear was buried under the sofa cushions. I was certain that Hunter and Jackson would help me whip the boys into shape because I knew they did not like a mess. I could not see Hunter bringing girls back to a house that resembled a rubbish dump.
The best part, though, was that Lani was going to the same college. I had never had a real friend before. Lani was it, though. I knew that she would always have my back, and I would always have hers. It was just a shame that she was staying in one of the college dorms. It would have been nice if she could have stayed with us, but there was not enough room, besides, it would be hard to keep our secret if she had been living with us.
When the twins finally finished filling Hunter’s car up to a point there was barely any room for them to sit in, it was finally time to say goodbye to Max and Masie. This was the part that I had been dreading for at least six months. I knew that we would video call every day, and it was not that far to come if we got a flight home. It was just that Masie had always been there to put me back together when I was broken. What if something else went wrong, and Masie was not there. I was so scared of becoming a broken mess that I had latched on to her like a comfort blanket.
It was so difficult to hug Masie with her gigantic bump between us. As I held her, the tears I had fought so hard to keep hidden the last few days flowed freely. She had been my rock when I was trying to process everything that had happened to me. I knew if I needed her, she would always be there for me.
“You are going to be the most amazing mother.” I whispered through my tears.
“And you always will be my daughter, just because you are not mine by blood, I will always think of you as my own.”
Now it was time to say goodbye to Max. He pulled me in a bear hug.
“Keep my boys in line.”
“I’ll try my best.” I laughed.
The Taylors all hugged it out, and we all got into our cars. Even though I was sad to be leaving Masie and Max behind, I was more than ready to begin the next chapter of my life with Jackson, and I could not wait to see what the future had in store for us. I knew one thing, though, there would never be a dull moment!
Also by Cate Maroon
Crescent Wolves Series
Luminescent - Crescent Wolves Book 1
Incandescent - Crescent Wolves Book 2
Iridescent - Crescent Wolves Book 3
Vanessa Helsing Series
Vanessa Helsing - The Battle Of Coldhaven
Vanessa Helsing - Parched
Vanessa Helsing - Becoming The Hunter
Coming 2021
Coldhaven Academy
Cate Maroon, Crescent Wolves Trilogy
