Timber Pack Chronicles - 30. Epilogue

One month later…

Parker woke and looked over at the clock on his nightstand. It was just after midnight. Even though he hated leaving the warmth of their bed, he needed to pee. He slid from underneath Colton’s arm, got up and used the bathroom.

After he washed his hands, he decided that he was hungry. He went to the kitchenette and opened the small fridge. Nothing caught his eye. Knowing that the kitchen in the common building was stocked, he decided to run over there.

“Colton,” he whispered. “I’m gonna go to the mess hall and make us some sandwiches.”

Colton grunted. “‘Kay.”

Parker gave Colton a peck on the lips, and gave the fur in the middle of his chest a quick rub. He pulled on a T-shirt and a pair shorts, slid into a pair of flip-flops, and quietly left the cabin.

As he stood at the big stove making grilled cheese sandwiches on the griddle plate, he thought back on the past few months and smiled.

They had graduated from high school two weeks ago. Everyone was now living in the cabins, except for Buck and Stan. They still lived in town.

The graduation ceremony was the first time Parker had seen his father since moving out. After the ceremony, Parker gave both of his parents a hug and his mother slipped him a card in an envelope, no doubt filled with cash. Parker had told her that he was happy, and she seemed to be happy for him. His father had trouble looking him in the eye.

It was Saturday night and everyone was off doing their own thing. That seemed to be happening a lot lately. It was inevitable, Parker supposed. They were adults now, on their own, making their own way.

“Hey,” Colton muttered as he shuffled into the kitchen. He was wearing only a pair of low-slung sweatpants, which accentuated his hefty package. His hairy chest was on display, showing off the hard muscles of his pecs and abs. A thick head of hair stuck up all over the place, and he needed a shave something fierce.

He was perfection.

Colton leaned down and gave Parker a kiss, then looked down at the griddle. “Smells good. My favorite.”

The outside door opened, and Parker and Colton leaned through the window that peeked out into the dining hall.

“Boy, quit fussing over me,” Shell groused as Curtis helped her sit down at the table.

She was undeniably pregnant now. Parker now knew what they meant by a pregnant glow. Even though her hair was kind of a mess right now, Shell was beautiful.

Curtis wore only a pair of shorts, openly displaying a smooth, mocha-colored body. The hunky stud bent over and kissed the top of Shell’s head before he walked into the kitchen.

“Ice cream craving,” he said with a smile as he opened the freezer.

“You want some sandwiches?” Parker asked, pointing towards the grilled cheese with his spatula.

“Yeah, I’d love some.”

Curtis scooped a hefty helping of cookies and cream into a bowl and brought it out to Shell. He sat down next to her and the two of them snuggled close while Shell ate.

“It’s going to be weird having a baby around here in just a few months,” Parker said to Colton as he went to the fridge and pulled out the package of cheese slices.

“Pups are good for the pack. They strengthen the bonds between the pack-mates.”

Parker buttered some more bread slices and set them on the grill. He placed the cheese, and then topped them with another slice of bread. “Do you want pups some day?”

“I would love to raise kids with you some day. We could adopt an orphaned shifter, or use a surrogate. In the meantime we’ll just keep trying naturally.” Colton slipped his hand down the back of Parker’s shorts, his finger seeking Parker’s ass.

Parker squirmed away, and swatted at Colton with the spatula. “Go sit down, perv.”

He handed Colton a stack of plates and a platter of sandwiches. Colton went into the dining room, and sat down with Shell and Curtis.

A loud bark of laughter signaled the arrival of Jed.

Jed walked into the kitchen. “Hey, little dude,” he said to Parker as he grabbed a soda from the fridge.

“I’m making sandwiches if you want one.”

“God, I’d love one. Or two.”

“Or four.”

Jed snickered and patted his hard belly. “You know me too well.”

He pulled open the fridge again, grabbed a jar of pickles, and a container of potato salad. Juggling the items with some plates, he returned to the dining room.

Parker grabbed a couple of bags of chips, carried a big platter of sandwiches into the dining room, and sat down with his pack-mates.

The outer door opened, and everyone turned to see Buck and Stan stumble through the door.

Stan’s face went red as he quickly finished buttoning up his shirt. He yanked up the shirt collar in a futile effort to hide the multitude of hickeys and teeth impressions on his neck and collar. His hair was messed up and sticking up all over, and there was a leaf and a twig poking out of it. Everything about Stan screamed that he’d just been fucked to within an inch of his life.

With a smug grin on his face, Buck chuckled as he pulled a T-shirt on over his bulky, hirsute frame.

“We, uh, went for a, uh, run,” Stan stammered, his gaze nervously bouncing around the room. “Uh, we didn’t think anyone would be up.”

“A run, huh?” Colton asked.

“Yes, Alpha,” Stan mumbled. He ran his hand across his hair and snagged the leaf. He dropped it on the floor, and the blush traveled up his ears and down his neck.

“C’mon, cub,” Buck prodded. “Let’s grab some grub.”

“There’s plenty here,” Parker said. “Come sit.”

The two of them sat down at the table and dug in.

“Hey, you’re all here,” Trey said as he walked in. He sat down at the table and grabbed a sandwich.

“You’re back early from your date,” Jed said with his mouth full of chips.

“Yeah, it was kind of a bust.”

Jed frowned. “Hm. I wouldn’t know. I don’t really do busts.”

“That was really lame, man.”

“Sorry. I’m operating on low fuel.”

Everyone chuckled at Jed and Trey’s conversation.

Parker looked around the table.

Curtis was snuggled against Shell, one hand resting on the swell of her abdomen, while the other fed her ice cream.

Jed and Trey continued their back and forth of bad puns, pushing each other with their shoulders.

Stan doted over Buck, getting his big mate another sandwich and cutting it on a diagonal, then brushing the crumbs off the front of the bear’s shirt.

Parker finally looked at Colton, who had been watching him.

Colton took Parker’s hand and gave the back of it a kiss, then leaned down and kissed Parker on the lips.

“I love you, pup.”

Parker realized he would never be alone again. He had his mate and his pack-mates, and their bond was stronger than any family could ever hope to be. This was the life that he wanted. One where he mattered, where he made a difference.

This was just the beginning of a life-long journey with Colton, who started out as a crush, and ended up his soul-mate and the love of his life.

Long live the Timber Pack.

End of Book I