-Epilogue-

20 years later-

I stood in the moonlight dancing with my imprint, who leaned in to kiss me deeply as if it were still the very first time. The magic between Embry and I still had yet to fade a single bit, even twenty years later.

"Mom! Dad! Do you really have to make out at my wedding?!" Our son asked from across the dance floor. Embry and I just bust out laughing, knowing it was embarrassing to our son.

We'd had our son, Camden Ash (who we called 'Cam') a year after Lily had been born, and we were currently attending his wedding to Kateri Lahote, Paul and Rachel's daughter that'd been born only 7 months after Lily.

"Quiet, Cam! You know Mom and Dad did the same thing at my wedding two years ago. In fact, they do it all the time. I don't think they'll ever stop!" I heard my daughter say from behind us. I turned to see her, standing there looking beautiful, with her own husband and small daughter.

Our Lily had married Seth only two months after she'd turned 18. She'd been desperately in love with him since she was 16, but he'd waited until she was 18 to make any moves, just as he'd promised us, even though his feelings had started to change when she'd been around 17.

They'd had our first grandchild, Amelia Renee Clearwater, exactly 9 months after their wedding, and Lily was now 25 weeks pregnant with our second grandchild, a boy.

Embry had stopped phasing after we had Cam, wanting to focus on our family, and being able to grow old the same time as me. We were still as close as ever to the entire pack, who all had children of varying ages.

Sam and Emily had a son, Levi, just before I'd given birth to Cam, and they were best friends.

Jacob didn't ever imprint, but fell in love with a girl named Charity from the Makah tribe, who he married a few years later. They had twin boys, William and Alexander (both 16 years old).

Jared and Kim had three kids, two boys and a girl named Daniel, Adam, and Kezia (16, 14, and 10 years old).

Quil had finally married Claire only a few short months before Seth and Lily got married. Claire was currently pregnant with their first child.

Seth had been the last of the pack to finally stop phasing after his daughter Amelia was born. There hadn't been any vampires in the area since Lily's birth, which in turn didn't activate any of the wolf genes in the newest generation.

Paul was still my closest friend, my confidant, my neighbor, and now my in-law. We'd known that even if Cam and Kateri hadn't had an imprint, their bond was nearly as close. Paul and Rachel had originally only decided on one child, but Paul had confided in me that they'd just found out she was pregnant again and I could feel the excitement rolling off him in waves.

"Mama, can you watch Amelia tomorrow? Lils and I want to run up to Port A to get a few things." Seth asked me. He still called me mama, though now it was my full-time name. He even came around to calling Embry 'Dad' after he'd married Lily, which Embry accepted with pride.

"Of course, just walk her over when you're about to leave." I told him happily. In truth, I missed having small children in the house. Embry said it was the 'empty nest' syndrome, but I knew he felt it, too.

The song changed and Embry went to go get us more drinks, leaving me to dance with Paul. "So, we're finally in-laws." He said, having made the joke for years that it would happen.

"Just another title to add to our strange relationship..." I said dramatically, laughing. "You know you'll always be my best friend, Paulie." I told him, smiling up at him.

Even though they'd all stopped phasing, Paul and Seth's protector imprints on me had stayed exactly the same. They always knew when something was wrong, and no matter what, they always came to help.

Seth had built a house on his mom's property once he was old enough (where he now lived with Lily and their daughter), and Paul and Rachel lived on the other side of us.

After Lily's birth, I was afraid to be alone for a long time, and it had amplified again when I'd been pregnant with Cam. I still flinch at cold touches, but I was finally able to be on my own without that crippling fear anymore. Embry still didn't like it when I left the res by myself, so no matter what I always had some kind of escort.

I looked over and saw my dad laughing with his wife as they danced along. Charlie had married Sue right after Cam was born, which I was happy about. She brought life back into him and took care of him after I had my own family to care for.

Renee and Phil had passed away from a car accident when Lily was about 8 years old. The loss had hit me hard, and Embry and I had gone to Florida for a week to settle their affairs while Paul and Rachel kept our children.

I watched as Embry brought me my drink and wrapped his arm around my waist while we stood off to the side, watching everyone dance. I was so happy seeing the smiles on my children's faces. My little boy, who wasn't so little anymore, looked nearly identical to his dad, with long black hair tied in a braid down his back.

"Can you believe all of this started with one look?" I asked Embry as we watched our children dancing happily.

"Mhmm, and I wouldn't change it for the world. Even with everything we've been through, especially in the beginning, I love you more now than I ever have. You are my whole world, and you will continue to be forever, even after our spirits join the ancestors. You've given me two beautiful children, two honorary children, and a wonderful life to be thankful for." Embry said as he kissed me again, much to the chagrin of our children. "What do you say we go back to the house? We'll have it completely to ourselves tonight…"

The thought still sent shivers up my spine. "And leave our son's wedding early? We can't miss our last child's wedding bonfire." I told him as he wound his hands around me from behind, kissing up my neck as I laughed.

"It doesn't have to be our last child… We're both still plenty young enough, you know." He whispered in my ear, sending a rush of heat to my core. I had to admit, I'd thought about the same thing before, and with Rachel and Paul having another...

"I guess there wouldn't be any harm in trying…" I mentioned quietly. Embry had been dropping hints about the possibility of having another since Lily and Seth had gotten married, but I'd still had Cam at home, and then Lily had Amelia and the idea had all but escaped me. I looked up at my husband and smiled, then winked at him.

We made promises to make an appearance at the bonfire (in an hour) and we said our goodbyes and left, holding each other's hand.

Fin


A/N- You all have been such wonderful readers and I truly appreciate all of the favorites and reviews you've given to me. You've stuck with me through this story for two years, through sickness and health, and I am so grateful to all of you who've come this far! I'm so excited and sad at the same time that this story is finished, but it was a goal of mine to complete it, and I have. I hope you enjoyed the epilogue and the whole story itself. Please review and let me know your thoughts. What were your favorite parts of the story? What do you wish I'd done differently?

I love you all,

Bex