“I’m whole,” she whispered back. “And I need you too.”
In a faraway meadow, under a yellow moon, his wolf chased hers.
Epilogue
“What are the names the parents have chosen?” the High Priest intoned, raising the baby higher. The boy was six months old and quite heavy, forcing the High Priest to sweat.
A crowd of hundreds of people filled the Goddess Chamber in the Vestal House. The thousands who couldn’t fit inside the chamber spilled outside of the Vestal House and into the square, watching the ceremony on large mirror screens hung on the temple’s walls. They had come from every corner of Lupine to witness the Naming Ceremony. The first on the planet, since Valentine had been born on Sidera Prime and named on the space station.
For weeks, people had been filling Adris and its boroughs; the festive atmosphere led to impromptu fairs, concerts, and dances. Every building in the city sported a birth garland, while florists worked until the wee hours of the night to fulfill all the requests for wild lavender bouquets. At the rumor that the Blessed Bride preferred uncultivated flowers, the mansion had been submerged with those tokens of devotion from Mirella’s growing list of fans. Chefs created new dishes for the occasion, then distributed sweet and savory treats among the crowd that had not found accommodations and camped outside the Vestal House. Valentine had sent an army of his mechanical workers to keep the streets clean, and he also provided for the visitors’ necessities, anything from tents to potable water. Adris had never seen such sea of people swelling with newcomers as the day of the ceremony approached. Everyone wanted to take a look at the werewolf baby who kept the whole of House Lobo enthralled. Even the Brotherhood of the Wolf was present. All the members woke for the event and viewed the ceremony on a mirror placed on the side of the dais.
Mirella smiled at her family and Mama Bee sitting in the front row. Crea and Martali sat behind them, suspiciously close to each other. Mirella winked at her lady’s maid, who blushed. One soft squeeze from Valentine’s hand holding hers, and Mirella focused back on the ceremony. She and Valentine stood a step behind the High Priest on the dais. Dragon and Gabriel, godfathers to their son, were at their side.
At the High Priest’s question, the godfathers had stepped forward.
“His werewolf father has chosen for him Valemir,” Gabriel said his line.
After a moment, Dragon recited, “His werewolf mother has chosen for him Tristan.”
The Solarian’s statement was followed by a moment of awed silence. Never in the history of Lupine had a she-werewolf ever existed. Never in the history of the exiled werewolves had a baby received two names. Hope and joy were palpable emotions sweeping through the crowd, and filling the parents’ hearts with bursting happiness.
“Valemir Tristan, Twelfth Master of House Lobo, Lupine salutes you.” The High Priest raised the baby higher, slowly turning from left to right, then from right to left, presenting the new master to the crowd that erupted in a long applause.
Valentine squeezed Mirella’s hand again. “How do you feel?” he asked, his eyes darting toward her growing belly hidden by the voluminous gown Genevieve Lafrette had made for her at the last moment.
“Never better,” Mirella answered. “Our daughter is sleeping peacefully.”
The High Priest deposited the recalcitrant boy in his godfathers’ hands, then turned toward the crowd once again. “Let the Naming Day celebrations begin!”
The crowd emptied the chamber and poured outside, mixing with the rest of Lupine. Valentine, Mirella, and their family and friends followed them to the terrace overlooking the square.
Fireworks bloomed in the sky as a parade of draglets flew low over the crowd, executing aerial maneuvers à la Solarian.
Once their son was reestablished to their care, Valentine balanced Valemir on his shoulders—the way the boy, who was already as big as a child double his age, loved—then pulled Mirella closer to him.
“I never thought I could find such happiness,” he said, brushing Mirella’s temple with his mouth. “I love you, kitten. Forever.”
She turned and tilted her chin up to meet his lips. “As I will love you, my werewolf, forever and ever.”
The End
Dear reader,
I'm glad that you've made it to the end of this trilogy. Valentine and Mirella's story is concluded, and I must confess that I'll miss these two characters. Writing this series was a rollercoaster of emotions, and, more than once, I found myself laughing or crying when I reread a scene. As a proud mama, I love how both Valentine and Mirella have grown and evolved from book to book, becoming the best possible hero and heroine they could be. About a year ago, their love story came to me as a full sketched outline as I was driving, and I had to take a break from The Immortals to write this steampunk/shifter/space odyssey trilogy. As soon as my publishing schedule allows it, I'll go back to the Fifth Moon universe for some more stories. In the meantime, I'll leave you with a fun fact about The Fifth Moon's Lovers. The Prince's Day Out, the story baby Lobo loves to listen to while in Mirella's womb, is a children's book I wrote and illustrated a few years ago. If you have read and reviewed all three books, contact me with the review links, and I'll send you a digital copy of The Prince's Day Out for your kids.
If you liked this book, please consider writing a review. As an indie author, I rely solely on word of mouth to promote my stories. Just a few words from you will ensure my work is discovered by other readers.
Thank you very much,
Monica
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Acknowledgments
As usual, I must thank my kids and my dad for just being the wonderful people they are.
Ava K. Michaels, for being an incredibly supportive author and friend.
Katie, Kory, and Angela from my critique group, for their keen eyes in catching typos and their insightful comments. Valentine Lobo's story is way better thanks to you, magnificent ladies.
All my friends, who are always very supportive and don't complain when I disappear for days.
Roberto, because he is the true inspiration behind my heroes.
Bio
Monica La Porta is an Italian who landed in Seattle several years ago. Despite popular feelings about the Northwest weather, she finds the mist and the rain the perfect conditions to write. Being a strong advocate of universal acceptance and against violence in any form and shape, she is also glad to have landed precisely in Washington State. She is the author of The Ginecean Chronicles, a dystopian/science fiction series set on the planet Ginecea where women rule over a race of enslaved men and heterosexual love is considered a sin. She has published the first four books in the series, The Priest, Pax in the Land of Women, Prince at War, and Marie’s Journey. She just released two new NA paranormal romances, Gaia, and Elios. She also wrote and illustrated a children’s book about the power of imagination, The Prince’s Day Out. Her published short, Linda of the Night, is a fairytale love story celebrating inner beauty. The Lost Centurion, the first title in The Immortals, a paranormal saga set in modern Rome, has just come out. Stop by her blog to read about her miniatures, sculptures, paintings, and her beloved beagle, Nero. Sometimes, she also posts about her writing.
Monica La Porta’s blog: www.monicalaporta.com
Monica La Porta’s author page of Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/monicalaportaauthor
Goodreads Author page: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5757332.Monica_La_Porta
Twitter: https://twitter.com/momilp
Table of Contents
Title
Copyrights and More Information
Dedication
First Part Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter F
ive
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Second Part Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Chapter Thirty
Chapter Thirty-One
Chapter Thirty-Two
Epilogue
Acknowledgments
Bio
The Fifth Moon's Lovers (The Fifth Moon's Tales Book 3) Page 18
