Fourth Hope by Clare Atling

Colt. I can’t say goodbye.’
    ‘ Hope…’ said Sarah gently.
    ‘ Please, just give me a minute alone with him.’ Hope sniffed and wiped her eyes with her hands. ‘I’ll meet you out front.’
    ‘ Okay. We’re just outside, all right?’ Seth kissed her head and took his mate’s hand. Hope watched each of her brothers as they took their mates and led them outside.
    ‘ You did it, baby.’ She brushed the hair away from Colt’s head. ‘You beat your father. Now you can go and we can run their pack together, the way it should have been from the start. We can start afresh and teach them all about what a real pack and family should be like. Okay?’ She kissed his still lips once and then placed her head back on his heart. ‘I love you so much,’ she whispered and she let the tears run free, sobbing, onto his chest.

 
    Epilogue
    One Year Later
     
    Sarah was cradling baby Zak on her hip , trying desperately to keep his hands away from her hair, which she had just pinned up.
    ‘ Where is your daddy? He and your uncles should have been here half an hour ago.’ Sarah tickled the baby’s chin, making him giggle.
    ‘ Well,’ said Maggie, ‘you said no one was to wear black, as we had too much upset the last year, so they had to change their suits.’ Maggie was as huge as a whale, but no one would dare tell her. Hope laughed as she watched her try to get up.
    ‘ You laughing at me, Hope?’ Maggie barely made it up. Since they’d found out her and Brandon were expecting twins, Logan and Seth had been on catch-up, trying to get their mates pregnant again. They weren’t going to let Brandon ‘win’ this baby race.
    ‘ No way,’ said Hope. ‘I wouldn’t dream of it.’ She smiled at her family. She loved them so much and was grateful for all their support over the last year. Her mother came in, carrying baby Daniel, and immediately passed him over to Callie, his mom.
    ‘ The boys are just outside,’ said Hope. ‘I’m going to take the babies out to them so they can get seated for the ceremony.’ She gathered up Zak and took him outside, then came back for Daniel. Her little nephews were just the most special things she had ever seen; but, after taking them for a few hours, she was glad to give them back. Mary returned with Christopher right behind her.
    ‘ Baby girl, you look beautiful,’ said her father. ‘I’m so proud of you and all you’re doing.’ He kissed her and wrapped her up in a firm hug, covering her with warmth like only a father could.
    ‘ Thank you, Daddy. I miss you so much, but I wouldn’t change anything for the world.’ Well, there was one thing she would change, but she would never voice her concern to her parents, not on a day like today.
    ‘ I love you, baby girl. Let’s get you out there. Your groom is waiting and not very patiently, I might add.’ He smiled and took her arm in his as she followed her bridesmaids out the door.
    Callie, Maggie and Sarah all looked stunning in their pale pink dresses , but everything fell into place when she spotted the one man she couldn’t live without. Colt was standing at the end of the white carpet waiting for her; it took everything she had not to run to him. Her father must have sensed this and whispered to her.
    ‘ He’ll still be there in ten more seconds.’ That made her smile.
    The last year had been hard work. Colt suffered massive injuries from his father’s attack and, although he was covered in battle scars, she still thought he was the handsomest man she had ever seen and he was soon to be all hers, legally. After the attack, her brothers had carried him to the car and taken him to a local hospital, where the doctors gave him blood and sewed up what bite marks they could. They explained he’d been attacked by a bear and the doctors seemed to believe them. Although Colt couldn’t change into his wolf for a few months after, he recovered patiently at their home. Hope loved playing nurse to her patient. As soon as