Okay guys, here's the epilogue!
It's going to be in 3rd person POV for reasons that will make sense when you read it lol.
Also, thank you all so much for reading and for the awesome reviews! They've been great motivation!
Well...here it is :)
Six years later. (Past)
"Elena has left us."
The Alpha's voice rang as a quiet tenor through the study where the Pack was gathered.
There was no surprise in the expressions of the males around him.
They'd all known this was coming.
Damon stepped forward, "She's left before...she always comes back after a few days."
Alaric shook his head and reached down to his desk, where a folded piece of paper brushed his fingers.
His name was written on the front in Elena's neat script.
"Read it," he handed it over to Damon with gravity in his eyes.
The male tore the page from his fingers and unfolded it.
As his gaze scanned over the words, the room remained silent.
He read it several times before looking back up to Alaric, "New York? She wouldn't...she wouldn't just leave without saying…"
The Alpha walked over to him, slowly, as if he were a skittish animal who'd been wounded, "I'm sorry, son."
He moved as if to place his hand on Damon's shoulder, and the younger male shrugged away from the contact.
Then he began pacing the room, the note becoming a twisted mess in his grip, "Order her back."
"I won't do that," Alaric told him calmly, as the others watched their exchange, "She needs time, Damon. Time to figure out who she is now, away from the Pack."
"How much time?" he demanded, "A month? Two? How is she going to last that long in a city? And what happens if she decides not to come back at all, huh? What then?"
Alaric set his jaw, "Then I'll deal with it."
"You mean you'll expect me to deal with it," Damon spat, "Do you understand what that means?"
"I do," Alaric assured him, but Damon continued anyway.
"If she goes rogue, then she's a Mutt," he hissed the word, "And like all Mutts, she won't be able to settle in one spot. It'll be my job to make her life miserable until she moves on. To make sure she can never have a home. I won't be able to do that."
The Alpha moved forward, catching his shoulder and pulling him to a stop, "It won't come to that. Damon, look at me."
When his eyes met Alaric's, the older male sighed, "I wouldn't ask that of you...just give her some time, okay?"
Damon's gaze was icy, but he gave a stiff nod.
"Good. And I don't want you hunting her down either, so don't go getting ideas about dragging her back."
"But-"
"The distance might be good for her," Alaric insisted, "She killed a human for our protection. She's going to have to come to terms with that. Alone, if that's what she wants."
Damon's teeth flashed, but he nodded once more, "Whatever you say, Alpha."
He stormed from the room then, and it wasn't long before they all heard the back door slam as he took off for the woods.
"Well that was smooth," Enzo muttered.
Alaric shot him a look of reprimand, but then Mason was asking, "Elena's really gone, huh?"
"So it seems."
Stefan stepped forward, "Damon's right, though. She's left before. She could come back in a week or so."
"This time is different," Alaric told them, "She has blood on her hands now and the death of that human isn't going to settle anytime soon."
"Is it safe for her?" George cut in from his place against the wall, "Out there alone?"
It was a fair question, and since Damon was no longer in the room, Alaric felt comfortable offering a viable solution, "She should be, but I'm going to have her checked in on occasionally. I won't interfere, but we will make sure she's protected."
"I have a place up there," Enzo said, "I can scout her while I'm in the city."
Alaric nodded, "When the time comes. For now, we will honor her request and give her some space. I'll have the Toronto Pack do a follow up of her location in a few days."
They all gave their approval before being dismissed, and Alaric sighed.
The note was still on the ground and he walked over to pick it up, smoothing it out carefully.
Elena had become like a daughter to him, and letting her go was painful.
But it was the best thing for her right now.
He just had to believe that eventually, she would come home.
In the meantime, he'd find some Mutt runs for Damon to make.
It would be best to keep that male occupied until she did.
Elena stared out the window of her cab with a stunned awe.
There didn't seem to be a word within her vocabulary that was big enough to encompass the sheer size of Manhattan.
Buildings that touched the sky, lines of cars, and crowds of people...not a cluster of trees in sight.
It was exactly what she needed to forget what she had done...to forget what she was, and what she'd left behind.
Who she'd left behind.
She shook her head, refusing to think of anything except the possibilities that awaited her.
This was her life.
There were things that she had wanted, and things that she could still attain, despite what she had been through.
Over the past few years, she'd managed to finish her Associate's in Journaling through a series of online classes, and she'd searched the internet for weeks for an out.
She'd found it in a startup company that was launching a new magazine and was offering an internship.
She'd sent in a sample of her work, they had emailed her back, and here she was now.
In New York.
Miles away from Mystic Falls, the Pack, and…
She closed her eyes as her hand trailed up to her neck.
Damon's last mark was fading, and soon there would be nothing left of his claim on her.
And with him being several states away, she could finally just belong to herself.
No temptations, no instinctual urges...nothing.
For the first time in years, she was free.
Free, and alone.
Which was exactly what she needed.
Present Day
Hushed voices circled around the dim room, as figures formed a line around their altar.
The eldest; the leader of the coven, lowered the black hood of her satin cloak, so that her face was illuminated by the fire before them.
"What news is there?" one of the others asked, her quiet voice drifting across the darkness.
The eldest held her head high, "As you all know, I have been keeping a veiled connection with Sheila Bennett, and her young granddaughter."
"The witch who married the wolf," a cloaked figure cackled.
A burst of mocking laughter spread through the group and a smirk teased the side of the elder's lips, "Yes...but keep in mind that a connection so closely aligned to the werewolves has proven beneficial to us. It is a direct line to the children."
Silence fell at the reminder, and the older woman nodded, "That's right. As lowly as her actions might be, it has allowed us to see the progression of the twins...we have been able to watch as their powers evolved into something greater than we could have ever anticipated."
"They are still part dog," came a protest from the circle, "How can we expect cooperation when they are curse-tainted?"
A dark smile came from the leader, "Let me worry about that."
"Does this mean you have a solution?" Another questioned.
"Of course I do," she nodded, "There's a spell that will give us exactly what we want...but the amount of magic it requires, we do not yet possess. However, as the Salvatore twins age, their power manifests. It is truly unique...they can end the curse."
A few gasps responded, "The moon's curse?"
"Indeed," she nodded, feeling excited, "Without it, the Pack will cease to exist. They will be mortal...and without the savagery of their inner beasts, the twins' power will be ours to control. It's everything we've been working toward for the past thirteen years, sisters. We must only wait a little while longer, for the children to fully mature. Then we will make our move."
Cheers of agreement and satisfaction rang out and the leader grinned, "Too long we have waited in the shadows...but it will all be worth it soon. I have a plan."
She thought of the secret weapon that she'd kept hidden, even from the others, which would soon be ready.
"And by the time the Pack figures that out...it'll be too late."
So, there it is :)
I hope you guys enjoyed, and again, thanks for reading!
Also, I will be posting the first chapter of "Anthem of the Young" soon.
Which will pick up after the present day scenes of this story!
Anthem will be the last installment of the Werewolf DE stories, so be sure to check it out!
Thanks again!
(And a special thanks to Kim for all the help! You are my sound board and this wouldn't have been possible without you :))