Everything was peaceful again.

Logan stood at the border that separated his pack from bare land. He slowly looked around, taking in the scene of the battle that had happened so many months ago now. The sight was still as vivid as though it had happened just yesterday. He could still see the Rogue King and all his numbers standing mere meters from where he stood, the sounds of clashing metal and yelling men, so familiar and never forgotten, the scent too, of blood and fear and adrenaline. Everything still looked and smelled and sounded the same, yet so much had changed since then.

He sighed and looked up into the sky, raking his hand through his ponytail. It was almost springtime already; the whole forest reminded him of the change in season. The tree trunks dappled in the morning light and the shadow of the leaves on his face. 

Some of the trees were already bringing out leaves and flowers. The air smelled of over-ripe berries, fading blossoms, and a thousand or more flowers dazing his senses. The attacks and the battle that had taken almost a year in total had weakened him emotionally, he realized. He had spent months after months worrying about his pack members getting killed, in those same months the Goddess had tortured him into finally accepting his mate. But now he was young again, just a little wolf among the trees, not much older than the flowers growing among their roots, nor much taller than the thistles and mushrooms. He smiled, one of the few genuine smiles he had shown since the whole battle started.

He felt a surge of emotion as he thought of all the past events leading up to this. Tears came to his eyes and he wiped them away with the back of his hand. He understood and appreciated the emotion now, more than ever.

He was happy.

Remember, Logan? His wolf said. This is what it feels like. Happiness.

He hadn't been this happy for a long time. It felt alien, the emotion. Alien but welcome. 

He turned, then walked the perimeter of the border, about a few metres from where he had originally stood. It wasn't far from where he had first met Aella and imprinted on her. The place held so much sentimental value to him now. He'd imprinted on one of the greatest and rarest breeds of wolves, a White Wolf, and he had never felt this lucky.

Among a grove of trees, a tombstone stood, white, and eerily regal. Vines and thistles were already creeping up the tombstone. Logan walked forward and crouched before the tombstone, then pushed aside the vines on it. 

This was his father's final resting place. Shortly after the Battle of The Rogue Wolves, the former alpha finally lets go of his fragile life. Logan remembered that day as vividly as ever. After all the victory celebrations that had run into the night, Logan had excused himself from the festivities and had gone to his father's wing to tell him about the good news, in the hopes that the happy news would make his father bounce back.

He had stepped into the gloomy room and had seen his father sitting up on the couch and reading. He had been slightly taken aback. His father looked normal, almost serene as he read in the dim glow of a lamp. Then the old man had looked up and smiled at his son. 

"You don't have to tell me the good news, son. Your mother already did." The former alpha had said quietly, still smiling. Then without another word, he had gone back to his book. Then the next morning, a maid had come to Logan's study in tears, bearing the news that his father lay dead on the couch.

The former alpha had been buried close to the border, in the exact spot where Jessica his mate had been killed ten years ago. That had been his wish before he'd died.

Logan sighed heavily as he remembered the event. His father's life had been the last taken because of the Rogue Attacks. He had cried at his father's demise, but now he felt nothing but peace. He knew that his father would never really live on this earth without his mate, and for him to be whole, he'd had to be in the same place with her. And so he had let go, to be with his mate.

"This is for you, dad." He whispered, smiling. "I hope you're proud of me."

He got up and slowly walked back in the direction of the pack house. How light he felt, light as one of the flower petals that rained down from the trees like gold. Light and happy.

He was with his mate and his family. What more could he ask for?

He got to the pack house lawn and saw Louve and Casper sitting on a blanket that was laid on the grass. They had a whole picnic in front of them and were digging into the food and laughing, each one aglow with love and happiness.

He turned quietly to walk into the house, not wanting to disturb their private moments. But Casper had noticed him. "Hey, Logan!" the beta yelled and waved him over. Logan sighed and walked over to where they sat.

"Well, you guys seem to be having the time of your lives," Logan said as he reached them.

"We sure are," Casper replied, grinning. "Have you seen your mate today?"

"Uh...no. Why do you ask?" Logan asked his beta, wondering why Casper asked him that.

"I have a feeling there's something she would like to tell you," Louve replied, slowly putting a grape in her mouth. "You should go and find her."

"Uh...okay?" The Alpha replied and walked away from the giggling couple, wondering what they were up to this time.

He entered the pack house foyer and crossed it. The maids who were cleaning the foyer stopped their work to bow as he walked past and he felt a sense of satisfaction. In the days following their victory on the battlefield, Elias the usurper had been cursed and banished from the pack for treason. He would forever wander the earth as a rogue wolf with no pack to call his own.

A befitting end for an obnoxious man.

Logan climbed the stairs and walked to the room he shared with Aella. He opened the door slowly and saw her seated on the couch by the window, reading.

She looked up as he walked in and smiled. The sun that filtered through the window illuminated her face. She looked angelic in her white dress and lush black hair that flowed around her shoulders just the way he liked it.

He remembered how he had fought with his inner wolf and the desires of the Goddess when Aella had been given to him as a mate. He remembered his strong resolve to stay away from love or any semblance of it ever since he saw what it had done to his father. But now he knew that he would never really have felt fulfilled if he had wandered the earth, mateless. 

Aella was a blessing to him from the Goddess, a blessing he would never even think of trading for anything. She was his and he was hers.

He crossed the room to her and she smiled and stood up to meet him, her hands outstretched. He settled comfortably into her embrace and wrapped his arms around her. He could feel a very obvious bump between them. He stepped back, his arms still loosely around her and scrutinized her body, then smiled an uncertain smile. "Aella, is there something you're not telling me?"

She giggled and scrunched her nose. "Take a wild guess."

"You had a very big lunch?" He ventured.

"That's not it." She answered.

"You swallowed a beach ball?"

"Shut up, silly." She slapped his shoulder playfully, then rubbed her hand around the small bump that was her belly. His eyes slowly widened as he realized what she meant. A flutter of fear came alive in his heart, which was promptly squashed by happiness. No amount of fear could kill the joy he was feeling right now.

"You're pregnant." He said, the statement more of an affirmation than a question. She nodded with enthusiasm and laughed, the sound like the soft tinkle of bells.

Then he drew her into the circle of his arms and hugged her to his chest. 

What should we name her?

And who says it's a her?

Her wolf laughed. Gut instinct, dear alpha.

All right, White Wolf. Let's name her—Jessica.

It's perfect. She'll be as brave as her grandmother.

And Logan nodded in affirmation as he held his mate close. All was well with his world again.

Everything was peaceful again.