Enslaved By The Alpha
Epilogue

~KANE~

I'm staring at Maya. My mate. She looks like her, smells like her, acts like her; there are no spells, nothing separating us anymore. She's in front of me and there are no barriers. I don't have to worry about Anna or Giselle, Morgan, or anyone else that threatened our love in the past. They're all gone. Our love had won the many battles it was faced with. It wasn't an easy fight but I was glad that neither one of us gave up. If we did, we wouldn't have gotten the chance to experience this kind of happiness that only happens once in a lifetime. She looks beautiful, just like she always has since the first time I was lucky enough to set my eyes on her. The most beautiful woman in the world. She looked attractive to me even when she had another woman's face. I love her. I loved her, and it didn't matter what she looked like. I would always love her.

I still couldn't believe that she was Giselle's maid all this time. But I was happy that she was. I was happy that I fell in love all over again with the same woman. I never wanted to love anyone else but her. It was always her since the start, and I wouldn't have wanted it to be any other way. No one could ever hold a place in my heart the way Maya does.

There is no other person I can ever see myself being with. Now I knew that even if she looked like someone else, even if she had another woman's face, it would not change anything for us. I would fall for her just as hard as I did at the start of our relationship. I almost lost my life today, and in those last few seconds, before I closed my eyes, all I could think about was never getting to see her beautiful face again or seeing my babies faces for the first time-my twins. I was dying to see them. I wish there were a way we could have them in our arms right this second. Maya always gave me more than I deserved. I should have known it was her when I found out she was pregnant with twins. I should have known because her blessings were always tremendous. She always outdid herself in ways that left me in pleasurable shock.

I was a f*****g lucky man, and I would remind myself of that every single second of every day. I will wake up praising her and giving her everything she will ever hope and dream for. I will not let our children ever suffer either; they will be the happiest babies in this world; I will make sure of it. I will live to see them smile, live each breath, giving them the best lives because, damn it, they deserved it.

I look at Maya again, and the look on her face makes me want her so f*****g much. I want her more than anything else in this world. If I had a chance to get anything, I would always choose to spend the rest of my life with her. She is my happiness; she took my dull, pathetic life and turned it into something I could have only dreamed of. I didn't know anyone could ever be this happy, but she made that possible; she gave me a reason to live again.

I hate that she's not alone right now. I hate that she's surrounded by so many people that also want to be near her. I know that I'm not the only one that missed her this entire time. I know that I was the lucky one to have her by my side, even though I didn't think it was her for a long time. But damn it, I can't help but be greedy when it comes to that woman. She is my reason to breathe, and I want her to myself.

I listen carefully when she tells Lucy she's going to her room to change for the party tonight. Everything was already being set up downstairs even before we arrived. This wasn't going to be a simple get-together. It was about to be huge. I understood why; Maya's family was thrilled to have her back, and they wanted to show it in whatever way they could.

I watch her leave, and I swear my heart skips a f*****g beat when she gives me a look that tells me to come after her.

This was my chance. I've been waiting for the opportunity to be alone with her since I found out that she was my Maya.

I'm about to follow her when Austin stops me. I'm irritated by the disruption, but I try to remain calm. This is her brother, and she wants us to have a better relationship. I would have to do that for her since I promised myself to do everything in my power to make her happy from now on.

"I wanted to talk to you for just a second," Austin says to me. "I know you want to spend some alone time with Maya; this wouldn't take long."

I was positive that he was about to tell me never to hurt his sister again or he would kick my a*s. I was okay with that because I knew that breaking Maya was the last thing I would ever do again. We were long past that. Austin scratches the back of his head, and it looks like he is nervous. It is weird to see him act this way when I've never seen that side of him before. He was always angry around me.

"I wanted to apologize for trying to kill you more than once," he says. "I know I accused you of having something to do with my sister's disappearance. I should have had solid evidence before assuming that you were the one behind it. I should have trusted Maya when she believed in you. I should have never gone against her wishes. She's always wanted to protect you. And we both know there were times you didn't deserve it. But there were also times that you did. I would also like to apologize for the past and for killing the people that meant the world to you. But I hope you understand that it was the only option for us. They betrayed me; it would have never ended that way if they had been honest with me from the start and didn't have bad intentions toward my family." I'm stunned by his words. Not once did I ever think that Austin would ever try to apologize to me for the things he's done in the past. He didn't have to apologize for killing the people I thought were my family.

"If you didn't kill them, they would have hurt Maya. In the end, you did me a favor. I know the entire story. They were wrong. I'm sorry for hurting Maya so many times. I was blinded by rage, and I couldn't see that I was destroying my own life by pushing her away. I've learned from my mistakes, and I promise never to hurt her again. She is my life. She is the only woman I will ever love like this. I swear that I will do everything in my power to make her happy."

Austin nods, "I'm glad we had this conversation. Do me a favor and mention it to Maya so she gets off my back about it. And if you know my sister, you know she always gets her way."

I chuckle and shake his hand. "Will do."

~MAYA~

I expected Kane to come running after me, but I was disappointed when a few minutes passed, and he didn't show up. I'm sure that he noticed that I wanted him to follow me. I didn't hide that I needed him. I showed him my genuine emotions. He should be here by now. I sigh and remove my clothes. I should get on with the shower. I also had to replace a dress for tonight.

I hear the door open while I'm seated in the bathtub. I look up and replace my mate staring at me with so much love in his eyes that I almost sink in the bloody water.

He picks me up from the bathtub without saying anything and puts us both under the shower. I watch as the water begins to fall on his hair and travel down his clothes.

We're both staring into each other's eyes; there are so many unspoken words between us. There were so many things I wanted to say to him after learning that I was Maya, and now that I had the chance, I didn't know how to replace the correct words.

His hand gently cups my cheek, and I close my eyes at the contact. This is how I've always wanted to be touched by him, with nothing but love between us. There wasn't a need for either one of us to hold back anymore. Nothing was separating us. I've never felt this alive before. This must be what every girl dreams of when she hopes for a love that rocks her world and sweeps her off her feet. I finally had it. And it was terrific. I wouldn't trade this for anything else in this world.

"Maya," he whispers, and I feel goosebumps on my skin at the tone he uses. I can hear the love in his voice alone. Nothing is hiding it anymore. These are his raw emotions towards me.

Before I know it, Kane is on me. His lips are on my hair, my cheeks, my nose, my jaw, my neck. He's kissing me for all the times he's spent hurting and missing me. He's doing what he's wanted since the day I went missing.

I let him kiss me. I want to enjoy this. I allow him to savor me because I want to do the same to him.

I gasp when his hand rests on my belly, "mine?" He whispers with tears in his eyes. "My babies?"

I smile, I know he knows it's his, but he's in so much shock after thinking he'd lost them. He thought they were dead because of the witch, but now he knows they are alive and well.

I watch as he leans down in front of me and kisses my tummy, "you make me the happiest man alive, Maya. I felt like a big part of me went missing when I lost you. And after learning that you were pregnant, I couldn't forgive myself for not treating you better. And then I met you as Giselle's maid. I didn't know that this entire time you were by my side. I was craving your presence, and all along, you hadn't left me. I hate myself for not recognizing you sooner. All of the signs were already there. I should have known it was you." I place a hand on his hand, still touching my belly, "there was no way for you to know it, Kane. Please don't blame yourself for it. If I couldn't remember who I was, how can you expect yourself to know it? My brothers, who love me so much, couldn't recognize me. You are not to blame."

He shakes his head at me, "I should have known Maya. I'm your mate. My heart beats for you. From the beginning, when I thought I hated you, my heart still beat for you. There are no excuses. I could smell you, taste you, hear you, and each time I knew that it had to be you. I knew it. But I let myself stray from the truth in front of my eyes.

And for that, I'm incredibly sorry, sweetheart. It should have never ended up the way that it did. You shouldn't have remembered who you were before I could recognize you. I'm so sorry, Maya. For hurting you in the beginning, for being dumb and foolish. I'm sorry for not telling you I loved you sooner. Because baby, I love you more than anything in this f*****g world, and no one can change my mind about it. Loving you was the best thing I've ever experienced. Thank you for showing me, true love. Thank you for saving my life over and over again. Thank you for giving me so many chances when we both know I didn't deserve it."

I wipe the tears from his cheeks with my fingers before leaning down and kissing them away, with the water still falling on the both of us. "I love you, Kane. I love you so much. When I didn't know you were my mate, when I didn't know who you were to me, I recognized my feelings for you. It never went away with my memories. I loved you even then. I'm sure that you could tell. I didn't hide my feelings well while being Giselle's maid. I couldn't hide it. I wanted you to be mine, and all along, you were. I was so jealous of myself. And now I realize how stupid I was all this time for praying that you would be mine because you belonged to me already. I hoped that my babies, by some miracle, would be yours; I hoped that you would be their father, and it turns out that you truly were. And that makes me so happy. I can't think of a better man than you to start my family with."

He turns his head so that his ear is pressed against my tummy, "I promise to love you," he whispers to them. "I promise to give my life for you if I have to. When I thought something had happened to you, I felt like a piece of my heart went missing; knowing that I have you now; I intend to show you how much you mean to me. You have the world's most amazing mother. You must already know this, but I will remind myself and you every day of how lucky we are to have her. I can't wait to hold you both in my arms. To kiss you. To stifle you with love. So come quickly; your father can't wait to see you."

Kane lifts himself off the ground and kisses me in a possessive kiss filled with love. I held onto him, enjoying the way his mouth moved against mine.

"It feels so good to kiss you," he whispers, "it feels so good to hold you and know that it's you. I never want to lose you again, Maya. I wouldn't be able to survive losing you again. So please, for my sake, don't ever leave me again. I need you. I need you, Maya." I smile against his kisses, "I promise I'm not going anywhere again. You'll see so much of me that you'll beg me to leave you alone."

"Never," he growls. "I am desperate for any time with you. I'll never get tired of having you next to me. That I can promise you."

I gasp when his fingers grip my n****e and gently twist it, "I want you. I want to feel what it's like to be inside you again. I'm dying for it. I'm dying for you. I can never be close enough."

I pull away from him and walk back into the room. I climbed onto the bed and spread my legs wide open. Kane's eyes darken into a dangerous shade as he sees what I'm offering to him. He rips his clothes off his body and comes to me with incredible speed. I gasp when he pushes his way inside me without warning, "Kane!" I cry out when he begins to move.

"I'm sorry I couldn't wait, my love," he apologizes as he pounds into me. "I lost control. If you want me to stop, tell me."

I dig into his shoulders with my nails, "never. Never stop."

Kane growls as he moves faster. I close my eyes and let him bring me to great waves of pleasure.

I don't know how long we stay like that-making love. It's late when we finally stop and get dressed.

Thankfully, no one interrupted us. I think they understood that we needed that time for each other.

Now it was finally time to meet the others again. I wanted to spend the entire night with Kane, but I knew my family also needed me. And it was confirmed that I had the rest of my life to make up for lost time with my mate.

Kane holds my hand as we walk into the ballroom, where everyone is already waiting for me. There are loud cheers as soon as their eyes land on me. Lucy kisses my cheek. "It's so good to have you back, Maya. We all love you so much."

I smile and hug her, "I'm happy to be back. I've missed this so much. Having a family, having the people I love more than anything else in the world close to me where I can hug them how many times I wish to, it's the greatest blessing ever. I'll never take these little moments for granted ever again." Roman grabs my finger, and I laugh, "how is he such an angel? He's won over my heart in less than a second."

"He is a miracle, baby," Kane says as he holds him up in the air; Roman giggles with happiness, "thank you for saving me. You've allowed me to be with my mate and my unborn babies. I will protect you with my life from today onwards."

It brings joy to my heart to see Kane with Roman like this. He told me that Austin had apologized, and things were good between them now. I knew that it was not long before James accepted him. And Lucas, he was my sweet brother; he would readily accept Kane seeing how happy he makes me.

I lean into Kane as he kisses my forehead. "I don't know what I ever did to deserve someone like you, Maya, but I promise to cherish you for the rest of my life."

I smile up at him, but before I can respond, I notice Atticus and Autumn arguing a short distance away.

Kane sees it too. And so do Lucy and Gabriella.

"Should we go help them?" I ask Gabriella.

She nods, "it might be serious. Maybe it's something we can help them with."

We're close enough now to listen to what they were saying.

"Anya needs me, Autumn," Atticus growls. "I'm leaving now with or without you."

Autumn looks distraught at his words. She folds her arms stubbornly and glares at him, "then go. I'm staying here for the party. Since I'm not the one you care about, I'll replace my way back home on my own." Atticus narrows his eyes, "okay, if that's what you want. So be it."

We watch as he leaves; Autumn turns and sees us.

"I'm so sorry you had to see that." She apologizes.

"Are you okay?" I ask her. "We're here for you if you need anything. I'm still grateful that you came to help us today."

She sighs, "I'm fine. This is something I'll have to get used to; Atticus running to Anya even though he's married to me. I'm not surprised. She is his mate. After all."

I can feel her pain. I know that couldn't possibly be easy. He is her husband, after all.

"You don't need him," Gabriella tells her. "Come with us; we can show you how to party the right way. And we will replace a way to get you home afterward."

Autumn smiles and agrees.

I watch them walk away, and then my eyes are drawn to Kane and Roman. He's still playing with him. Now he's rocking him back and forth in his arms. Very soon, he will be doing the same with our babies.

I rub my stomach and feel my eyes water with the rush of happiness that flows into my body. This is the happiest I've ever been, and I owe it all to the people inside this room.

I'm one lucky woman. To be loved like this. These people are my life, and I love them so much.

I knew that life wouldn't be easy for us, not with our many enemies, but I would be okay. How could I not be when I'm surrounded by the best people in the entire world?

Kane looks at me and smiles. He mouths, 'I love you, and I blow him a kiss.

I love you, Kane. I can't wait to spend the rest of my life with you by my side. I smile as I think of the many memories we will make together. I couldn't wait for them. I couldn't wait for us to build our family and home together. Life was perfect with him by my side. Perfect.

-THE END-