Beneath the Alpha's Moon
Chapter 253: Our Happily-Ever-After

Chapter 253: Our Happily-Ever-After

Mai’s P.O.V.

If someone had told me years ago that this would be my reality—wrapped in Liam’s arms, limbs tangled like ivy, sunlight pouring through lace curtains in our house—I would’ve laughed in their face and probably flashed a bit of fang. Not because I didn’t crave it, but because it felt like some fairytale I wasn’t meant to star in. Back then, love felt like a language I wasn’t allowed to speak, especially not with the boy I’d once burned—literally and figuratively.

But here we were. Not broken. Not dreaming. Just... real. Whole. Unapologetically happy.

A year since our mating ceremony, and somehow, I was living the dream—with the boy who once ran from my shadow and now runs his fingers through my hair like I’m the safest place he’s ever known.

"Did we die?" Liam murmured beside me, his voice thick with sleep and something sweeter—peace.

I smiled, running my fingers through his messy blond hair, brushing it away from the burn scars that no longer made him flinch when I touched them. "If we’re dead, then this is the best afterlife I could ask for."

He looked up at me, those impossibly blue eyes shining. "Then I hope we never wake up."

My heart did a little dance in my chest. I kissed his forehead. "You’re so dramatic, Rivers."

"Pot meet kettle, Blackwood."

We both laughed.

Our laughter barely settled when the door to our room burst open.

"Ollie," we both groaned at the same time.

There he was. Our perpetual house guest, standing in his flannel pajama pants and socks with little wolves on them, holding two plates stacked with waffles. "Good morning, my favorite mated couple! Hope you’re decent, because I’m not leaving."

"Why would we be decent? This is our house," Liam deadpanned, pulling the sheet higher over us.

"Correction," Ollie said, dropping the plates onto our dresser, "It was your house. Now it’s the Ollie BnB. Get used to it."

I rolled my eyes, sitting up and stretching, letting the blanket drop just enough to send him scrambling to cover his eyes. "Mai!"

I smirked. "You barged in."

He groaned, marching toward the door. "I’m getting Eldur. At least he respects boundaries."

Liam and I exchanged a knowing glance before bursting out laughing.

Later that morning, we sat outside. Our house—thanks to my parents—was nestled in a clearing surrounded by wildflowers and tall trees that whispered with the wind. It was beautiful. Peaceful. The kind of place fairytales ended in.

Dad and mom had insisted on giving it to us after the ceremony. I’d cried. Ugly cried. My father even pulled me into one of those rare, strong-bear hugs that made me forget for a moment that we used to fight all the time and never saw eye to eye. Now he was just my dad. And mom? She braided my hair that morning and told me she was proud of me. We cried again.

My whole life, I’d been a storm. But now... I was someone’s safe harbor. And that someone was everything.

"Hey," Eldur said, walking toward us from the tree line. He wore black jeans, a black shirt, and somehow still looked like a haunted fairy tale. Liam and I were outside our house enjoying the beautiful scenery while having breakfast seated at our outdoor dining table. "Nova wore pink today," he added casually as he plopped down beside Liam.

Liam gave him a tired look. "That’s the third time you’ve led a conversation like that."

Eldur shrugged. "I’m documenting her colors. It might mean something."

I snorted. "She still doesn’t know you’re a wizard-wolf hybrid with emotional instability and a thing for chaos?"

"Nope," he said proudly.

"She thinks I’m a barista," he added after a beat.

Ollie dropped beside me with a loud sigh. "You don’t even know how to make coffee."

"I watched two YouTube videos."

"You made the coffee boil, Eldur. You set off the fire alarm."

"I like it strong," he said innocently.

We all groaned.

After the sun began to shine too brightly, we moved inside. The house wasn’t huge, but it felt perfect. The living room had mismatched pillows Liam picked out, soft rugs, and windows that looked out to the woods. Eldur conjured a fire in the hearth and bragged about it until Ollie literally tried to sew his mouth shut.

"I swear," Liam muttered, "if I didn’t know better, I’ll think you two were homeless and that’s why you’re here all the time."

Eldur smirked, tossing his feet up on the coffee table. "Admit it, Liam. Life without me is dull and depressing. I’m basically your emotional support menace."

Ollie threw a dramatic hand to his chest. "You’re welcome, by the way. My existence is like bottled sunlight—you’re lucky I grace this place with my glow."

Liam and I looked at each other and shook our heads.

"I still can’t believe you two are friends," I said. "Last year, you nearly murdered each other over who would sit beside me."

Eldur looked at Liam with a mock-serious expression. "Remember that time when we were first bounded by Elizabeth’s magic, I cursed your shoes in class so every step you took made a duck noise?"

Liam smirked. "Remember when I replaced your spellbook with a Barbie Fairytopia coloring book?"

We all cracked up.

"No, but really," Eldur added, quieter this time, "I’m... glad we’re friends now."

Liam nudged him. "Yeah, me too. Took long enough, freak."

"You’re one to talk, queen bee."

I snorted so hard I nearly dropped my hot cocoa.

The conversation drifted to school. We were officially done. Graduated. The ceremony had been loud, full of applause, wolf howls, and me accidentally ripping my robe when I tackled Liam in front of everyone.

Eldur had talked about Nova the entire time, wishing she was there for his graduation. We all made fun at how whipped he was.

"I’m applying to a human college," Eldur announced suddenly, poking the fire with a stick.

We all suddenly went silent.

"Wait, what?" Ollie blinked.

Eldur looked up, nonchalant. "Nova’s going there. I want to... observe."

"Observe?" I repeated.

"Yeah. Like... romantically stalk. But in a legal way."

Liam choked on his drink. "Eldur, that’s not—"

"Okay, okay," he held up his hands, "I’m joking. Kind of. I like her, alright? I want to understand her world before I bring her into mine. That’s fair, right?"

I nodded slowly. "Yeah. That’s actually... very mature."

Ollie narrowed his eyes. "Who are you, and what have you done with Eldur Daegon?"

We all laughed again, the sound echoing in the walls of our little haven.

Later that night, after everyone had gone home—or in Ollie’s case, crashed in the guest room with his socks still on—I lay beside Liam in our room, the moonlight painting silver streaks on his face.

He looked at me with such softness, it undid me.

"I still remember," he whispered, "when I first woke up with no memory, and Becky found me. She named me Noah. Said I looked like I needed something new, like a name could protect me."

"She was right," I said gently. "She gave you a new beginning. One that brought you back to me."

Liam touched my cheek, brushing a curl behind my ear. "She gave you a home, too."

My throat tightened. "Yeah. And we never even got to say a proper goodbye."

"I miss her."

"Me too."

We didn’t talk for a while. The silence wasn’t heavy. It was full of memories. Gratitude.

"I’ll write her," I said suddenly. "She deserves to know we’re okay. Happy. And also, that we’ll live to visit."

Liam smiled. "She’d like that."

We held hands under the blanket.

"Do you think we’re done with the darkness?" I asked.

Liam shook his head slowly. "No. But I think we’ve learned how to walk through it. Together."

I kissed him, slow and deep. "I love you, Liam Rivers."

"And I love you, Mai Blackwood."

Our bond pulsed between us. Warm. Steady. Infinite.

A few days later, Dad, Mom, and even Elizabeth came to visit. Elizabeth actually hugged me. Voluntarily. And without a single sarcastic comment.

Okay, well. Maybe one.

"I see you’ve finally tamed the beast," she said to Liam as she handed him a housewarming plant. "Congratulations on surviving."

I snorted. "Jealousy is a disease, Lizzie."

"I’m the cure," she replied sweetly.

Mom laughed so hard she snorted. "Girls, please."

Even Dad cracked a smile.

My dad pulled Liam aside, and I watched from a distance, heart in my throat. They spoke in hushed tones, then my father clapped a hand on Liam’s shoulder. Approval. Respect.

When they left, I sat on the porch with Liam, legs tangled, arms wrapped around each other.

"We’re going to be okay," I whispered.

"We already are," he replied.

And we were. For the first time, we truly were.

No more secrets. No more running. No more broken pieces.

Just love. Laughter. Friendship.

And a house full of waffles, fire magic, awkward flirting, and wolf socks.

The end.

(For now.)

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