Return of The Alpha
Epilogue

The following month gave Payton many changes. First, Payton accepted Esmeralda's offer to be a business partner. Her position in the pack slowly metamorphosed. Through the day, the people in the community would come up to greet her, ask for advice, or give a greeting.

Some people brought her desserts like pies or muffins. Others stopped by just to chat. At first, the attention was a bit overwhelming.

She'd gone from being invisible to being Prom Queen.

"Don't mind them," Esmeralda said as another person brought cookies into the diner, waved, and wished Payton a good day.

"Why are they doing this?" Payton asked. She looked at the plate of baked goods and picked one up. She nibbled on one end. "Oh, these are yummy. I'm afraid I'm going to get fat." Esmeralda grinned. "They're welcoming and honoring their Luna, the Alpha's mate."

"Oh! I ... well, I never thought of myself like that."

The older woman patted her hand before stealing a cookie. "Oh, these are good. You're right, you'll get fat. Might as well let me help you by taking these off your hands."

She took the plate away from Payton and waved as she headed to the office. Payton laughed and straightened her apron before starting her shift. The night was busy, and she found herself smiling more than she ever had before.

The corpses of Bennett Warren and his omegas had been burned. She and Jericho had not attended, deciding not to give the traitors any more of their time. Jericho worked until late at night, going over all of the books, trying to undo all the greed Bennett had seemed to rack up.

He had embezzled money from the pack, had forged signatures, and conned a lot of people out of their savings. How the man had stayed in power was a mystery to all. It made Jericho determined that one man should not have all the power. Payton approved of all he was trying to accomplish.

An hour before closing, her parents came in and sat at a booth. Payton was surprised to see them since her mother cooked dinner every night. She figured they had to be there for a reason, so she squared her shoulders and walked over.

"What are you doing here?" she asked. Her parents had never visited the diner before.

"We wanted to see you," her father said.

"We want to apologize," her mother added.

Payton looked between them. "It's fine-"

Her mother reached up and covered her hand with her own. "No, it's not fine. We didn't know, which isn't an excuse, but we never meant to make you feel like a disappointment. Or that we didn't love you. Payton, we only wanted to protect from any bullying or from being cut out of the pack."

"We didn't want to lose you," her father said. "We didn't want you to become a disperser."

Payton sighed. "I was going to leave that night. I had decided to go solitary."

Her mother blanched. "I know it's going to take time, but we're here whenever you want to talk. We love you, Payton."

Her father nodded.

Payton wiped her eyes free from the tears that had gathered. It was a grand gesture on their part, and while she would take baby steps with them, she knew it was the right path to take. "Okay. Thanks for coming in. Now, what can I get you two to eat?" That night, she snuggled with Jericho and told him about her parents.

"I'm still mad at them," he said.

"I know. But I love them. They're my parents."

He sighed. "I'll support whatever decision you make about them, but they say one thing out of line, and they won't see their grandcubs for a year."

She rose up on an elbow and looked down at him. "Grandcubs? Hold it, mister, we're still getting to know one another. I'm not ready to be a mother."

"I know, but one day soon, my love, I'm going to knock you up." With a grin, he tumbled her back and fit himself between her thighs. "The fun part is making them."

The End