Page 24 of Auditing the Alpha

Epilogue

“You’re hovering again,” I said without looking up from my computer screen, where I was finalizing the Edwards’ tax return.

Klaus, who had indeed been hovering behind my chair for the past five minutes, dropped a kiss on the top of my head. “You’ve been working for hours. Pack dinner’s in thirty minutes.”

I sighed and saved my work. April 15th was just two days away, and my small accounting practice had been swamped with last-minute tax filings from both pack members and townspeople. Our cabin, which now featured a proper office addition, had seen a steady stream of clients for weeks.

“Just let me finish the Edwards’, then I’ll get ready,” I promised, leaning back to look up at my husband of four months.

Klaus frowned, his nose twitching slightly. “You’re exhausted. I can smell it.”

I rolled my eyes fondly. “The nose thing is still creepy, you know.”

“Useful, though,” he countered, strong hands beginning to massage my shoulders. “Tells me when my mate is working too hard.”

I groaned as his thumbs found a particularly tight knot. “Tax season is always crazy. You know that.”

“Mmm,” he agreed, not stopping his ministrations. “But I don’t have to like it.”

I saved my work again and swiveled my chair to face him. “Two more days, then we can have that weekend away you’ve been promising. Just you, me, and a cabin by the lake with no internet access.”

His eyes lit up at the reminder. “Three full days. No pack, no town, no tax forms.”

“Just us,” I confirmed, standing to wrap my arms around his waist. “And maybe some of that interesting rope you ordered online and think I don’t know about.”

Klaus had the grace to look slightly abashed. “Was going to be a surprise.”

I laughed and stretched up to kiss him. “I’m married to a werewolf. There are very few successful surprises in this relationship.”

He growled playfully, nipping at my lower lip. “I can still surprise you in other ways.”

“Later,” I promised, reluctantly extracting myself from his embrace. “Let me finish this return, or the Edwards will be filing late.”

Klaus sighed dramatically but retreated to the kitchen, where I could hear him preparing for our trip to the pack dinner. Full moon was two days away, coinciding with the end of tax season—a combination that meant heightened emotions all around, as the pack grew more wolf-like in the days leading up to their shift.

I turned back to my computer, smiling to myself. A year ago, I would never have imagined this life—married to an Alpha werewolf, part of a supernatural community, actually enjoying small-town living. Yet here I was, happier than I’d ever been in Chicago.

The claiming bite was still in our future—a step we’d decided to take on our one-year anniversary of meeting. But even without it, our connection had deepened over the months, mysensitivity to Klaus’s moods and presence growing stronger with time.

I finished the Edwards’ return and was shutting down my computer when a familiar sensation washed over me—a wave of love and contentment that wasn’t entirely my own. I smiled, feeling Klaus’s emotions flow through our developing bond.

“Ready?” he called from the front door.

“Coming,” I replied, grabbing my coat—a proper winter coat now, suitable for Pine Peak’s climate.

* * *

The main house was warm and chaotic when we arrived, full of pack members in various states of pre-full-moon energy. Children raced through the rooms with slightly too much speed, teenagers wrestled with slightly too much strength, and the adults engaged in conversations with slightly too much intensity.

Lucy greeted us at the door, hugging me with her usual enthusiasm. “Jordan! You look tired. Is my son not taking care of you properly?”

“Tax season,” I explained, returning her embrace. “I’m fine, just busy.”

She shook her head disapprovingly. “He should make you rest more.”

“I’ve tried,” Klaus said, hanging up our coats. “He’s stubborn.”

“Pot, kettle,” I muttered, making Lucy laugh.