Page 76 of Shadow of Fury
“Then that’s what we’ll do.” Logan kissed her forehead and then took her hand, leading her to the backdoor and ushering her out into the backyard.
Wren blinked, still hardly believing her eyes, but the pool was gone.
The patio had been extended out into the yard. A large pergola stood to one side with the very beginnings of rose bushes growing at its base. New sod had been put down along with gardens of flowers and bushes. A firepit sat in the center of it all surrounded by large, comfortable looking wicker outdoor furniture. Further down there was an outdoor dining area with room enough to fit twenty people at least. The pool house still stood but even it looked different with its fresh coat of paint and a cheery, welcoming flag that dubbed it the guest house.
All of those things were amazing but it was the large playground that had stopped Wren in her tracks. There was a sandbox and a trampoline area built right into the ground. There was a swing set and a labyrinth of multi-colored tube tunnels, a jungle gym and a climbing wall. There were slides and monkey bars and more.
Vivian hadn’t just gotten rid of the past by demolishing the swimming pool, she had given them a future to look forward to by building a playground paradise for their children.
“Look at this.” Logan touched a small piece of wood hammered into the ground next to a newly planted tree that seemed to mark the beginning of a path that led out through the backyard and disappeared into the woods at the back of the property.
“Hmm?” Wren tore her gaze off the baby-sized swings.
Her breath caught as she read the inscription carved there and tears blurred her vision all over again.
In memory of Lark Culvert. May you always fly free, knowing you have roots to come home to.
Logan pulled her into his arms again and she heard his own sniffle this time, “I can’t believe Viv did all of this.”
“She thought of everything.”
“It’s too much though, right?” He released her to wipe at his cheek and Wren did the same. “It’s all changed but it’s still the same place and it holds the same memories.”
Wren touched the marker with her sister's name on it. The sentiment was perfect. She had no idea how Vivian had managed all of this, but she did know how she’d captured Lark’s spirit so completely in one statement.
She felt guilty for not realizing sooner that she and Logan weren’t the only ones who had lost Lark. Vivian had been Lark’s friend. They’d grown up together, the same age, in the same class, and though they’d run in different circles, she remembered now that Vivian had once tutored Lark in Spanish. That was how Lark had met Logan in the first place.
For so long, the only thing that Wren had been able to focus on was her sister’s death. She had clung to that one moment in time, unable to move on or let go. She had felt Lark’s loss as though a limb had been taken from her and she’d been selfish in her grief. She’d ignored everything and everyone else in her mission to destroy the people she felt were responsible for her loss but she’d never given much thought to what her life would look like once her quest for justice was complete.
If she had imagined it, she was certain it wouldn’t have looked like this. She never could have imagined Logan coming back into her life as her fated mate. She’d never seen herself taking on a position of power in the pack or helping to rebuild it into what it always should have been. She had absolutely never pictured herself as a mother but as she stood there, in a backyard built for laughing children and large family gatherings, she knew that this was the life that fate had always meant for her.
She was Logan’s mate. Soon, she would officially be his wife and then the Queen of the Shadow Pines Pack. And, likely sooner than she imagined she was ready for, she would be the mother of his children.
They would build a family together. They would make a life together. It would be full of joy and happiness and all of the unconditional love that they had yearned for all their lives. It would have its ups and its down. There would be good days and bad. But they would have each other and the love between them would keep them going no matter what fate threw at them next.
Wren could see it now. She could see her future as if it was laid out in front of her. She could see the kids playing on the slides. She could see Logan cooking at the grill as he laughed with his friends. She could see herself curled up by the firepit, talking well into the night with Raven and Vivian. She could see their life together, here.
“Wren?” Logan pulled her out of her thoughts and she blinked.
“Hmm?”
“I said, it’s nice of Vivian to do all this but, it doesn’t change anything. Right?”
She bit her bottom lip, “I don’t know. I kind of feel like everything’s changed and maybe, it’s time we change with it.”
Logan raised an eyebrow, “Are you serious?”
She smiled softly and slid her arms around him, “Are you? I mean, are you serious about us rebuilding the pack together? Making a life together? Being Alpha and Queen, equals, who can depend on one another not just because we’re mates, but because we love one another?”
He wrapped his arms around her as well and smiled, “Absolutely, to all of that and more.”
“Then I think…” She tiptoed up just enough to brush her lips against his, “That if we’re going to start rebuilding and making things better for this pack, then Vivian is right. We may as well start right here.”
“You mean that? You want to live here?”
“I want to make a home with you and your sister is right. You’re the Pack Alpha now and this is the Pack Alpha’s home. It’s ours. We just have to claim it the same way we claimed one another.”
“God, you’re incredible.” Logan rested his forehead against hers. “Just when I think I’ve got you figured out, you go and surprise me.”