Sacrifice (Ritual Sins #2)

Epilogue

Sebastian

One year later

Two years had passed since my beautiful wife last set eyes on the track leading to Alderwood. I could tell it was affecting her to see it now, from the way her hands had tightened on the edge of her seat and the way her breathing was a little too controlled, betraying the anxiety brewing inside her.

“Are you okay?” I asked gently, reaching over to rub her arm.

She took another deep breath and nodded. “Yes. It’s time,” she said. “I’ve waited far too long.”

We stepped out of the car and crossed the road. Rose’s brows dipped in a frown as she noticed the sign on the left side of the track. “Wait, what’s this? It wasn’t here before,” she said, squinting to read it. “Private land. This area is under video surveillance. Trespassers will be prosecuted.”

“Yup. That’s right.”

Her frown deepened. “But the government took over the land after we all left. They gave me a check, remember?” she said. “So, isn’t this public land now? For hikers and campers?”

What she’d said was true... mostly.

The Covenant had legally owned their wilderness land—all twenty thousand acres of it—but when all the shit went down two years ago, and the Covenant technically ceased to exist, the government decided to step in and turn most of it into a national park, much like the rest of the High Peaks Wilderness, with the exception of the mushroom cave, which would be studied by scientists to determine possible medical or pharmaceutical applications for the ‘magical’ red fungi.

The government couldn’t just swoop in and take the land that easily, though, so they’d come to an arrangement with the old Covenant members. All of them received payments for their ‘share’ of the land; around a hundred thousand dollars each.

“Sort of. Remember that society I was a member of back in college?” I asked, raising a brow.

Rose tilted her head. “The secret society, you mean?”

“Yeah. One of my society brothers has a pretty high-level government job now, so he was able to do a little favor for me.”

Her eyes widened. “What sort of favor?”

“He arranged things so I could buy a portion of the land before the rest was turned into a public nature reserve. It includes everything from the road up to Alderwood, along with the village itself. It’s around seven hundred acres… and it’s all yours.”

Rose’s eyes were like saucers now. “Mine?”

“Yeah. I put it in your name. I also put up this sign, along with the surveillance stuff, to stop all the true crime enthusiasts from coming here and trampling all over the place,” I said. “Oh, and the cathedral will eventually be heritage-listed. We’re just waiting on the official paperwork for that. It takes a while. Lots of red tape.”

Her mouth opened and closed like a fish out of water as she registered my words. “You… you really bought Alderwood for me?” she finally said, shaking her head with disbelief.

I took her hands and squeezed them in mine. “I wasn’t sure if you’d ever want to come back here after everything that happened, but I wanted to make sure you could if you wanted to. Properly. Not just as a visitor,” I said softly. “This was your home for so long. Everything you had was here. That’s important.”

She swallowed audibly and nodded. “Thank you,” she murmured, eyes shimmering with tears. “I can’t believe I ended up with such a thoughtful, generous husband. I’m so lucky.”

“Nah, I’m the lucky one,” I replied with a grin. “Anyway, happy birthday, baby. I would’ve given it to you last year, but we were so busy with all the wedding stuff. I thought it might be a bit much.”

“I understand. But honestly, this is the best present ever. Really.” She smiled through her tears of joy, shaking her head with disbelief again. “If I knew about it, I probably would’ve psyched myself up to come back sooner.”

I leaned down to kiss the top of her head. “I’m really glad you like it,” I said, heart soaring with joy at the sight of her happiness. “Are you ready for the hike?”

She nodded. Her nerves seemed to have vanished, replaced by palpable excitement. “Yes. Let’s go.”

An hour later, we arrived at Alderwood’s gate. The documentary film team had left it ajar when they finished filming eighteen months ago, revealing the village beyond. It looked exactly as it had two years ago, frozen in time. The cobblestone streets, the ivy-clad stone cottages, the tavern where villagers once gathered… all of it remained untouched.

The gardens in front of the houses were still neatly tended too, with colorful flowers blooming in orderly rows. Even the painted wooden shutters hadn’t faded.

As we trudged down the main street, Rose's eyes flicked back and forth, face etched with confusion. “I thought it would’ve started to look a bit overgrown by now,” she said. “But everything looks perfect.”

“I’ve got a maintenance team on the books,” I said. “They come up here every month and work on it.”

She turned to me, eyes widening all over again. “I don’t mean to look a gift horse in the mouth, but how can you possibly afford to do all of this? Not just buying it, but also maintaining it,” she said. “I know whenever we’ve discussed finances, you’ve always said you have enough to take care of us, but this is… it’s so much . And with everything that’s happened with your family over the last couple of years…”

She trailed off, letting the words hang in the air.

I grinned. “Don’t worry,” I said, shaking my head. “My family did lose most of their fortune once everything came to light, but I was never part of their schemes, so everything that legally belonged to me before all the shit happened still legally belongs to me now. That includes everything I inherited back when I turned twenty-five. It’s… enough. More than enough.”

“Oh. Right. I think I remember your lawyer saying something about that now.” She nodded slowly. “By the way, speaking of lawyers, have you heard anything new about the sentencing yet?”

“Not yet. My uncle’s lawyers are still successfully delaying everything. But they’re on house arrest, at least, while they wait for the trial to start.”

“Good.” Her lips tightened. “They don’t deserve to be free. Not after everything they did to help your father cover up the things he did. Not to mention all the other stuff, too.”

I grimaced. “No shit. They can rot, as far as I’m concerned.”

She waved a hand. “Sorry, I shouldn’t have brought it up. It’s not exactly a happy birthday subject, is it?”

“It’s fine. We can always talk about anything.” I smiled and slung an arm around her shoulder. “You know that.”

She returned my smile, but it faded a moment later as she stopped short outside her old house. For a long moment, she just stood there, her gaze locked on the front door. I could see the conflict swirling in her eyes—reluctance, excitement, and something else, something deeper that she hadn’t voiced. This place had been her home once, a happy refuge, but it had also been the place where her world had fallen apart.

She swallowed hard, her breath shallow. “It looks exactly the same.”

“It is,” I said, stepping beside her. "I made sure of it."

She didn’t respond, but her fingers brushed the edge of the doorframe, hesitating as if touching it would break the illusion that time hadn’t passed. “I miss him,” she said softly.

I didn’t need to ask who she was talking about. I knew.

“I didn’t know your dad for that long, but honestly, I miss him too,” I said, squeezing her arm. “He made mistakes, for sure. But never out of malice. He really believed in the doctrines, and every decision he made was for his community.”

Rose nodded, smiling through the tears shimmering in her eyes. “It’s really nice to be able to come back here,” she said, tracing her finger over the door again. “It makes me feel close to him again. Like he’s just out somewhere—at the cathedral, perhaps—and he’ll be back any moment.”

“I know what you mean. I feel the same way when I’m at the vacation house. Like my mother will come back any minute with ice cream for me, even though it’s been twenty-two years.”

“That’s exactly it.” She shifted and opened the door, revealing the familiar old interior. “Maybe I should get some of my old art. Compare it with the new stuff that I paint now that I actually know what the outside world looks like.”

“Your artwork was always beautiful, Rose. Absolutely stunning. It honestly didn’t matter that you hadn’t seen the outside world.”

She smiled again and cast her gaze around the house. “There’s something I need to tell you,” she said, turning her attention back to me.

I cocked my head. “Yeah?”

“I was going to wait for your birthday to tell you this. But I can’t hold it in any longer,” she said, shaking her head. She cleared her throat and lifted her chin, a small smile quirking her lips. “I’m pregnant.”

My eyes widened. “What? Really?”

“Yes. I found out the other day.”

My heart seemed to stop for a second, then raced forward at full speed, hammering in my chest. “Oh my god. We’re going to have a baby?”

The words barely made it past my lips as disbelief and joy collided, overwhelming me.

Rose nodded, her smile widening now, eyes sparkling. “Yes, Sebastian. We’re going to have a baby.”

Before I could stop myself, I swept her up in my arms, twirling her around. “This is incredible, Rose,” I said, voice coming out husky. “Fucking incredible.”

I couldn’t stop smiling as I processed the news. A baby. Our baby. I set Rose back on her feet and cupped her face gently, staring at her like she was the most miraculous thing I had ever seen.

“I can’t believe this,” I murmured, brushing a kiss against her forehead. “You just made me the happiest man alive.”

Rose’s smile softened, her hand resting over mine. “It’s still too early to know if it’s a girl or boy. But I was thinking… if it’s a girl, we could name her Miranda?”

“That would be amazing,” I said, my voice thick with emotion.

The name hung in the air between us . Miranda. It wasn’t just a name. It was a tribute; a way of keeping a part of my mother with us. The wonderful promise of a new life intertwined with the memory of one lost.

Rose’s eyes shimmered as she nodded, her fingers tightening around mine. “I thought maybe it would bring some peace. To honor her like that.”

I swallowed hard. “I bet she’d love it,” I murmured. “And if the baby is a boy… how about Augustus? Maybe August or Augie for short.”

“Yes.” Her smile widened. “I would love that.”

For a moment, we stood there staring at each other with blissful grins on our faces. Then I leaned in and pressed a soft kiss to her lips. “Whatever we name the baby, it’s going to be perfect. Just like you.”

“And you,” she whispered, standing on her tiptoes to kiss me.

I wrapped her up in my arms again, and we clung to each other in the center of the house, a comfortable silence stretching between us.

Rose finally pulled back and smiled up at me. “I love you so much.”

My hand found hers, squeezing gently. “I love you too.”

She looked around one last time, then at me. “Should we walk down to the cathedral now?” she asked. “I’ve missed that place. It’s such a beautiful building.”

“Sure, baby. Let’s go.”

As we turned toward the door, I took a deep breath, feeling the weight of the past lift off my shoulders. It wasn’t entirely gone, but it was bearable, and with Rose by my side, it always would be.

We’d both sacrificed so much and survived everything together—terrible secrets, blood, and betrayal—but with our love, we’d made it through to the other side unscathed.

In the end, I knew one thing for certain. It was worth the sacrifice.

THE END