Epilogue
It was one of those rare winter mornings when the sky was bright blue and the air crisp and light. There was an almost ethereal, serene beauty to Greenlawn Cemetery, and the gravestones dotting the landscape didn’t mar its loveliness, but rather, enhanced it. The drive there was long, but Adrianna knew it was worth it. Despite the fact that it would be a three-hour drive back to Barnsville, she gladly made the trip.
“We are here,” Darius declared as they stopped in front of four gravestones grouped together. The markers were simple etched only with names, but obviously well-cared for. Adrianna stepped around carefully and with Darius’ help, placed the four bouquets they had been carrying on top of each grave. She also placed a teddy bear on the smallest one.
They stood side-by-side, hands linked together. The silence between them was comfortable, but she knew this couldn’t be easy for him. Last night, he had confessed that although he paid someone to maintain the graves, he hadn’t been here in years. “What were they like?” she asked with a gentle squeeze of his hand.
The corner of his lips turned up slightly. “To be honest, the memories of my father are unclear, as I hadn’t spent a lot of time with him since he had left us. But from his letters that my mother would read to us every night, I knew he loved us very much. Thomsin was a troublemaker, always getting into things he wasn’t supposed to. Elena, she …” He paused. “Elena was a sweet girl. Always smiling and running to me when I came into a room. I would ruffle her hair and pick her up.”
“And your mother?”
Now she saw something she rarely saw—a genuine smile. “My mother was very beautiful and strong. She was very traditional, but fierce. She would have loved you.”
“Me?” she asked. “I’m hardly traditional.”
“She wouldn’t think of tanning our hides if we were in the wrong, but if anyone threatened us, she would rain hell on them.” He looked at her with those soulful blue eyes. “She fought hard and loved harder.”
“Darius …” She didn’t know what to say, so she embraced him, wrapping her arms around his torso and pulling him close. “I’m sorry,” she managed to croak through the burning tears in her throat.
“Do not cry, Adrianna,” he soothed. “It’s all right. I have made peace with their deaths. And now, I’m so proud to have you here to meet them. You have avenged them, my mate. Thank you.”
“I never thought I would be able to take a life. I’m still not okay with what I did.” She took a deep breath, wiping the wetness on her cheeks on his shirt. “But I would do it over and over again to save you.”
They stood there for a few more minutes, not saying anything, just allowing the serenity and peace to blanket them. Finally, Darius pulled away. “Let’s go, my mate. You do not want to be late to your own ascension ceremony.”
“And we still have to stop by the compound,” she reminded him.
“Of course,” he said. “We have business to take care of.”
Upon Anatoli’s death, all his interests in Corvinus Construction and Corvinus Trucking automatically went to his closest living relative—Darius. He declared that he didn’t have a head for business and was considering selling everything when Adrianna told him to think about it. After all, both companies had grown so much, plus employed many of the Lycans they had brought over from Romania. When she told him that an unscrupulous buyer could strip everything and lay off people, he reconsidered. Plus, there was the matter of turning everything legitimate and undoing and unraveling all of Anatoli’s complicated business dealings. He hated the business part of, well, the business, but Adrianna offered her expertise and he accepted.
The drive to the compound wasn’t too long, and soon they were pulling into the gates. The men who were standing guard at the main entrance immediately stood at attention, then bowed their heads as they passed. Surprisingly, none of Anatoli’s men left when Darius took over. It seemed everyone hated how the old man had kept everyone in line with terror and violence, and they were only too glad to be under someone who they at least respected.
They made their way to the main office—Anatoli’s old office—and knocked on the door.
“I swear to God, Alexandru, if you’re coming here to tell me how to do my job, I’m going to—” Mila’s eyes went wide when she saw Darius and Adrianna walk in. She cursed under her breath. “Sorry, I thought you were—” She stood up and smoothed her hair down. “Darius. Primul,” she said, with a respectful bow of her head.
“Not yet,” Adrianna laughed. “I’m not Alpha yet.”
“Tonight, she will be,” Darius said. “And how is everything coming along?”
“Good,” she said, then frowned. “But I’d get more things done in a day if that … brute would stay out of my way.”
Darius looked like he was suppressing a smile. “I’ll speak with Alexandru.”
“Thank you,” she said. “Now, let me pull up that report for you.”
Adrianna had thought for sure Mila would be the one of the first to leave, but to her surprise, the other Lycan not only stayed, but volunteered to help them legitimize The Family’s interests.
It turns out, Anatoli had been asking her to do the books these past few years and not only was she organized, but also brilliant with numbers. Adrianna was ashamed that she underestimated the other woman, probably because of the way she acted and dressed, and how she flirted with any attractive young man in her vicinity. Darius also told her how Mila had helped warn him about the men in D.C. Anatoli sent after
