A year later

Ember

"Okay, fess up. What's got you stressed out?" Ian demanded.

"Hm?" I replied, feigning ignorance as I examined the interior of the cave we were in. We'd spent hours climbing the mountain where the cave was nestled among gigantic rocks and thick trees, battling bugs and branches that whacked you in the face as soon as you lowered your guard. The bright side was that the climb had provided some much needed fresh air, the grueling ascent not as grueling with Ian chattering about the recent jobs he'd completed with his mom and how well my comics were selling now compared to the beginning. We ate the sandwiches Jett had packed for us that morning, drank a few bottles of water and jokingly fought over the snack bars.

Overall, it had been a great day and things were about to get even more interesting now that we were in the ogre's cave.

But Ian was ruining things by bringing up the very subject I was trying to forget.

"What do you need from this ogre anyway?" I asked, redirecting him towards the reason he was here in the first place. "I don't see any possible hiding spots for treasure."

The cave was big but not enormous enough that it stretched beyond my line of sight, and it wasn't exactly dark so I could see very clearly that there were no hidden chests, no large doors leading to an interior chamber decked with gold or a trap door where this ogre could be sleeping on a pile of diamonds. Other than me, there was just a stubborn, nosy wizard who was presently giving me a look that said he wasn't going anywhere unless I started talking. "Is it Tyra and Jett's wedding planning? Is that why you've been so jittery?"

I prodded a pebble with my foot, sighing internally. "No, Jett won't let me help out with the heavy work." Not to mention the knowing look he gave me each time I offered to help, not condescending but expectant. It always turned to disappointment when I kept my silence, hugging my apparently not-so secret close to myself.

Momentarily silent, Ian reached back to tie his hair into a small knot at the nape of his neck. His hair had grown longer than its usual floppy style and although the golden strands were straight, they still reminded me of Arius' own hair. The two of them were spending more time together and I sincerely hoped Ian wasn't picking up any other similarities from the Autumn Lord.

"How's Arius by the way?" I asked in a last attempt to thwart his interrogation.

It didn't work. "Are you worried Arius will have a negative influence on me?" Ian asked, stubbornly staying on track.

I shook my head even though that was partly what I'd been thinking about. "You aren't stupid enough to let him get you into danger."

He looked insulted. "Haven't you considered that I might be the one getting him into trouble instead?"

I started at that. Aside from that one time Arius had gotten me into trouble with Light, he's been peaceful ever since, sending me invitations to his huge castle and showing up during my classes or at work when I ignored the invites. (Unlike Aster he had no sense of timing.) We normally drank tea and chatted about random things, he didn't try to drag me along with him to strange places- like an ogre's cave for instance. It made me wonder what Ian actually did when he and Arius hung out. Arius who was a fae king now, with the power and authority to do whatever he wanted within his territory...

Ian grabbed both sides of my face, shaking his own head back and forth. "Stop, don't even board that train of thought. I'm trying to figure out what's got you upset, not make you even more worried- quick, tell me how bad things have been between your parents."

I sighed, trying to blow away all the scary scenarios featuring Ian and Arius and weird creatures with the action. "There's nothing wrong with my parents, my mom's really nice when he's around. His absence was part of what caused a rift between us but now he's the only thing holding us together."

"Is it Bluebell and Tom dating then?"

I shook my head. "I think there's hope in their relationship. They're both happy." Helen wasn't, but that wasn't Tom's concern.

"That leaves only one problematic person," Ian said, moving away from me to the mouth of the cave. "Kane, you may enter my cave of truth."

I closed my eyes, biting my lip to keep back the curse that tried to leap out. "This isn't your cave."

"It is until the ogre comes back home," he replied.

I didn't open my eyes. "Please tell me you didn't really bring Kane here."

"Please don't tell me this is really an ogre's cave," Kane said.

I covered my face with my hands, crouching down in resignation.

"Welcome, good sir. And yes, this is certainly an ogre's cave but as you can see he's gone out. Please make yourself at home before spilling the beans on what you did to Ember this time."

"It's not Kane's fault," I said, giving up and sitting right there on the rocky ground since there wasn't any other furniture around.

"It isn't?" they both asked, wearing twin expressions of bafflement.

"No," I said truthfully.

"Well then, what's wrong with you?" Ian demanded, irked at being wrong for once I guess.

"Do we have to have this conversation here of all places?" Kane interrupted.

Ian shrugged. "Ember tends to be more open about her feelings when she's distracted by danger."

I squinted at him. "I thought you brought me here because you wanted something from the ogre?"

"I'm here for you. Poking fun at the ogre is a bonus activity."

Kane knelt down in front of me, reached out to tug gently at one of the braids Tyra had carefully braided last night. "If you don't want to talk with me around, I'll leave. But please tell me you two are prepared for this ogre?"

"We are," Ian replied before I could. "But since you're here and don't have any other use, why don't you take care of him for us?"

Kane glared at Ian.

Before the argument could begin, a deep guttural voice echoed into the cave from outside. "I smell the flesh of an alpha male," it sang, the grotesque statement sending shivers down my spine.

There was our missing host.

Kane stood up but didn't turn to face the ogre, who was now singing about how tasty Kane's bones would be when he added them to his famous tomato soup. "I'm not beating up that creature to entertain you," Kane told Ian.

Ian's hazel eyes twinkled with humor. "If you don't beat it up it'll beat you up instead, which I'll still find entertaining."

"An entertaining dinner is what this alpha will make," the ogre said, suddenly blocking the cave's entrance.

The troll had looked entirely mundane before he saw Ian making off with one of his treasures and lost his shit, the ogre on the other hand actually looked the part of the magical creature he was supposed to be. He had blue skin with a lizard-like texture, wore a shirt and pants ragged at the ends that may or may not have been made from an old rice sack. Despite being short, he made up for the lack in height with width- and everything about him was wide: his thick lips, nose, head, his arms and legs- the only thing that wasn't were his snake-like eyes. He was definitely creepier than the troll who had wanted to squash us all with cars. This guy was studying us as if we were meat he was pondering over frying or turning into a stew.

Unpleasant.

"You are one ugly thing," Ian observed dryly, then held up his phone, no doubt already taking pictures. Or recording. "Kane, if you mess up his face any further, he won't be able to set foot outside again."

"I'm not beating him up for you," Kane replied coldly.

The ogre's nostrils flared, releasing two lines of steam. "The three of you are the ones who aren't going to be setting foot outside ever again." His cold eyes landed on me, drifting lower to my stomach. "Or should I say the four of you? It isn't properly grown but an alpha's baby will still make a good appetizer. I think I'll enjoy it raw."

Ian dropped his phone. Heart pounding in my ears, I glanced over at Kane but he wasn't standing in the same place as before. When the ogre released a sound caught between a growl and scream, I wasn't all that surprised to find Kane standing before the now kneeling creature, Kane's claws deep in the meaty blue neck.

When Kane spoke, it was in a voice that was more animal than human. "Want to repeat that?"

I blew out a breath. The cat was out of the bag.

***

"I was going to beat up the flesh-eating ogre," I complained when we got back home.

"Why? Because you needed to share some of the despair you're feeling?" Kane demanded, using a towel to scrub at his face with more force than it required. He'd just taken a shower to wash off the ogre's blood and he smelled like the clean soap I'd grown used to since we started living together. I took comfort in the familiar scent even though he was obviously angry and probably already making false assumptions I'd have to clear up fast.

So much for having more time to myself.

"Calm down," I said, patting the space on the bed beside me. "Let me explain."

"When were you planning on telling me?" Kane asked. He sat down but left some space between us.

It wasn't like him. He was giving me space, but I sensed he was simply too jarred to try and attempt to move closer to me right now even if he wanted to.

I closed the gap instead and cupped his hands, staring at the way they overflowed in mine, large and slightly bruised at the knuckles where he hadn't fully healed yet. "I wanted to beat up the ogre because I'm stressed. I'm stressed because I don't want to screw things up the way my own parents did- not you," I added when he started to frown. "Me. I don't want to pass on any lingering bad habits, I don't want to seem weak or flawed. The thought scares the shit out of me. I know, I'm being paranoid and you guys will all be there for me so I can at least live with that."

Kane shook his head. "I still don't understand why you kept it a secret."

Okay, time to go straight for the jugular.

I placed my palm on the back of his neck and leaned in close, all the better to observe him if he tried to lie. He raised a brow at me but didn't move away. "If you knew weeks ago," I began, "would you guys have let me come along to deal with the gang of vampires harassing Rina?"

Blue eyes shifting away from mine, Kane tried to crane his neck away but I held on tight, shifting so I was half-way on his lap and he had nowhere else to go. "Would the pack have let me come along?" I pressed.

"Yes," he finally replied. "But they would've insisted you stay close beside them."

I snorted. "Behind them you mean."

"Only behind at least six of them," Kane replied, apparently fed up with the darting around. It wasn't in an alpha's nature to be evasive about protecting their wolves. "Jett might've suggested carrying you."

"This is exactly what I was nervous about." I moved off the bed, shaking my head. "I'm going downstairs."

Kane sprung to his feet and took my hand. "Great idea. Most of them should be downstairs too, we'll discuss things we can and cannot do so you don't get annoyed enough to go looking for an ogre to punch."

I pressed my lips together to keep from laughing, but it proved futile anyway when he reached out and tickled my side. His hand rested on my stomach, eyes the softest I've seen them before. "We won't mess this up," he promised.

"We won't," I agreed, patting his hand. Then, "How about a spring wedding?"

He grinned. "I thought you'd never ask." 

A/N I have absolutely no words to express how grateful I am to all of you guys for adding, reading, commenting and voting for this story. I wouldn't have finished writing this without your encouragement and kindness, I hope I was able to wrap up loose ends and give you readers the happy ending you wanted. Thank you isn't enough, but it's all I can say XD THANK YOU LOVELY PEOPLE FOR READING MY BOOK! Love you guys lots, thank you so much.

 I'll be taking a break from writing online but you can follow me for notices on future stories and activities. Stay safe, healthy and happy <3