Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. No copyright infringement is intended.

Thanks to Amanda2505 for beta help and the moral support to finish this chapter!

August 2026

Epilogue

I rolled over and looked at my gorgeous wife of almost five years lying next to me on the bed. Today would be the first birthday of Claire's since she was seven that we wouldn't start the day with a wolf ride. I had to admit to myself that I was feeling conflicted. On the one hand, I really missed certain aspects of being a werewolf. On the other hand, Claire had told me she was ready for me to stop phasing and, we were definitely reaping the benefits of living a "regular" life. I moved my hand to rub Claire's barely swollen belly and smiled to myself.

We wouldn't be riding the horses or motorcycles that the resort offered, but Claire wasn't pregnant at the time when I had planned our week long trip to the Zion Ponderosa Ranch Resort in southern Utah. I looked around the small suite cabin which was just the perfect size for a getaway. In some ways it reminded me of the tent we had for our first getaway, but with a log cabin theme instead of the princess of Arabia theme Alice had created for our honeymoon.

"Good morning," Claire whispered startling me from my wandering thoughts.

I leaned over and kissed her, "Happy birthday, Claire," I said wishing I could offer her more than a trip to the dining hall for breakfast.

"Good morning," Claire returned and kissed me back with more passion than I had put forth. "Quil, why do you look guilty?" she queried.

I took a deep breath and let out a sigh. I gently moved her bangs off her forehead and was startled by the heat I felt. Without my own heat overwhelming our touches, I had been constantly fearful that Claire was running a fever. She had to keep reassuring me that she was the exact temperature as she had always been, and she just felt warmer to me since I had cooled. I finally answered her question, "If I look guilty, it's probably just because I'm feeling bad about not being able to continue our birthday ritual of an adventurous early morning ride." I hung my head wishing that I wasn't disappointing Claire.

Claire took my chin in her little hand and turned my face towards hers. "Quil, you listen to me," she said rather firmly. "We had great fun on those early morning birthday rides, but I wouldn't give up the chance to grow old together for all the wolf rides in the world!" Claire gave me another impassioned kiss and then touched my hand that was still rubbing over her lower abdomen. "I also don't know why it took until you stopped phasing for me to get pregnant, when it didn't seem to be an issue for anyone else, but I finally have everything I ever wanted. Please don't ruin it for me by being grumpy on my birthday."

I had to laugh at her assessment of the situation. It had been over four years of trying to get pregnant with no results. The stress and the grief had taken its toll on the pack as well as on Claire and me. Finally Jacob couldn't take it any longer and had discussed it with Carlisle. We had gone to see him, and his only suggestion was that my body heat was somehow interfering with my production of potent swimmers. The only suggestion he had was for me to stop phasing. His theory was that if I no longer had the extra heat, maybe things would proceed normally for us. Claire and I struggled with the implications for months, and I tried to come to terms with a life that didn't include patrols and shape shifting.

The biggest issue was how lonely I felt without the pack connection. Embry was supportive, and Ariel was even more supportive. Embry and I decided to both stop phasing together. Ariel had begun to get a little embarrassed by the looks she was getting when they went out in public. Since she was still aging, and so much older than Claire, she looked a few noticeable years older than Embry. It took some getting used to, and I definitely had to update my wardrobe with warmer clothes, but it was all worth it when we found out Claire was pregnant.

I thought back on that day, and the excitement we felt as we waited for the results of the home pregnancy test. Nothing in all of our years together had compared to the elation we felt when we read that digital display that said Claire was pregnant. I had immediately scooped her up into my arms and swung her around kissing her neck and face and everything else I could reach. We must have laughed for hours, and I think it took about a week for our smiles to get back to normal. My thoughts were interrupted by a hand waving in front of my face.

"Hey, where did you go?" Claire teased me.

I smiled back at her. "Sorry, I was just thinking about the day we found out you were pregnant," I answered.

Claire's return smile was brilliant. "Three weeks after I graduated with my bachelor's degree. Ironic, I didn't even want to wait to finish high school before having children, and I end up not only completing high school but finishing college as well." She shook her head, "Funny how things worked out that way."

"Yeah," I agreed, "the best made plans…" I thought again about her birthday and my smile faded. "You know, since this was going to be your first birthday in years without a wolf ride, I specifically planned this trip so we could ride horses or motorcycles. I feel like I let you down by not being able to provide you with a great ride for your birthday."

"Quil, you didn't let me down, trust me. Besides, you can still give me an adventurous ride for my birthday," she said seductively, "and believe me when I tell you I will never ask you to stop giving me these kinds of rides."

I was confused for a moment until her hands roaming my chest left me with no doubt as to what she meant. The thought crossed my mind that we finally could be alone without the embarrassment of the pack mind the following day. I turned to Claire, and with a very human sounding growl, started kissing her with abandon. I was suddenly looking very forward to creating a new birthday tradition, one that I knew would continue for years without an end in sight, one that we would both most definitely enjoy.