"Well..." Alpha King Rylan sunk down on the sofa, staring down at the pair of them as they lazed about in the living room that was currently full of Alphas. "That sounds like one hell of a trip..."

"I think my nerves are still frayed after that scare you gave me, Pookie." Black mumbled, absently stroking her hair as she lay with her head on his chest. "I keep feeling like I have to touch you to check you're still alive..."

"You did more than enough of that last night."

"Yeah." An all too familiar blonde-haired Alpha waltzed into view. "I think we all heard – even over the amount of soundproofing that's gone into this castle..."

"Well, I think the window was open..." Black said, replying without a thought, staring up at the ceiling in a daze.

"I suppose we ought to close them tonight..." Juniper mumbled airily. "Yeah..."

Black rolled onto his side, eyebrows raised as he stared intently at her. "So you're up for round two?"

"Duh."

***

"This isn't good..." Rylan's shoulders sunk as he sat behind his desk later that evening. "All the Four Horsemen have ridden their horses at least once..."

"The Seven Signs of the Apocalypse have been released then..." A certain purple-haired assassin sat on the sofa, his gaze fixed on one of the many bookshelves lining the walls. "And if the Seven Trumpets are sounded, then that seal the Gods put in place will come undone."

"I wish I was retired." Rylan grumbled. "There's too much happening in our reign..."

"I know." Arrow, the Alpha Assassin, sighed. "The worst part of it is that we won't know who the Seven Signs are until they sound their trumpets... and by then it'll be too late..."

"Is there any chance you or Blaine will be able to sense them if you're nearby...?" Pale blue eyes met his, hope glinting faintly.

"Nope." Arrow shook his head. "We just have to catch them just before they try to sound their trumpets. That's the only way we can go about this."

"Tch."

"We can worry about it when it happens." He said, perching on the Alpha King's desk. "Right now we're celebrating Black and Juniper... After all... seems like it's the time for us to find our mates... unless one of us ends up like Elder Blythe."

"Who do you reckon will be next...?" Rylan smiled faintly.

"Maybe me?" Arrow shrugged. "But I don't mind if I don't find my mate for another few years... after all, my work is dangerous..."

"You'll be on holiday for a while – just like I was."

"I just can't picture myself raising a family." He said, staring up at the ceiling.

"Well, with any luck, you won't have to worry about that for another few years."

"I suppose."

The door suddenly burst open, Juniper stomping into the room. "What are you two doing moping around up here...?" She slurred, glaring between the two. "There's a party going on downstairs."

"Juniper..." Black hurried into the room after her. "Rylan is having an important-"

"Shuddup!"

"She's completely intoxicated..." Arrow muttered, shaking his head.

"And yet you haven't had a sip, have you, Black?" The Alpha King smiled at the blonde Alpha. "Glad to see you've straightened out."

A hint of red appeared in Black's cheeks. "And...?"

"We'll be down in a minute." He said, putting the files on his desk back into the cabinet.

"At the rate Juniper's going, I don't know whether she'll last another minute..." The blonde muttered, casting a sidelong glance at his mate. "Come here, Pookie..." He sighed, rolling his eyes as she staggered around. "I guess I'm coming to you, then."

"Lyra isn't drunk, is she...?" Rylan looked at the two of them, worry written across his face.

"She's nearly as straight-laced as you, Ry." Black laughed, gathering Juniper up in his arms. "She hasn't even had a sip..." He smiled suddenly. "You might want to go and rescue her, though... because I'm fairly sure Blaze put some vodka in whatever she was drinking..."

"Why didn't you stop him?!" Rylan swore, storming past the pair in a flash. "I'll kill that blonde-haired-!"

The door cut off the rest of his sentence.

"You coming too, Arrow?" Black turned back to face the assassin.

"Nah." He shook his head. "I'm not great with public displays of affection."

"And you're not even the one doing it..." Black shook his head. "I feel sorry for your mate..."

"Fine, I'll come to this party thing you're throwing." He grumbled, trudging somewhat reluctantly to the door. "You coming?"

"In the words of my mate..." Black smirked, carrying Juniper out into the hall. "Duh."

-----

ILLENIS HERE

Heya,

Another book done and dusted, and just so you know, Arrow's book isn't scheduled for some time. Book Ten, I believe.

So. Juniper and Black's saga has come to a close, though you will be seeing these characters again in later books, but the story won't be focusing as much on them - like with Lyra and Rylan in this book.

Hope you enjoyed the story, and it wasn't too cringey or cliche.