“Is it really over? The Council knows about Blake now, right?”
“Yes. But what’s worse? Lying to everyone about your gender because you wanted to prevent four power-thirsty foxes from taking the lead of the most influential fox-shifter clan in the world and threaten the peace treaty, or a murder attempt? I think the Council is willing to listen to Blake’s side of the story.”
“That would be perfect… so perfect…”
Amelia could barely wrap her mind around the unexpected turn of events. She knew she could trust Max Blackmane and the Council to shed light on the fox-shifters’ conspiracy, but she still doubted it would be that easy. Until they found out what they decided, the future of her family was uncertain. The baby moved in her arms, and the small sound his tiny arm made snapped Amelia out of her thoughts. A second, similar sound sent a chill right to her heart. Her body froze in fear.
Seth jumped to his feet, his eyes fixed on Marcus.
“Seth… Nurse… Nurse, what’s wrong with him?”
The nurse leaned over the baby, but didn’t dare touch him. “Oh my…”
Amelia watched in terror how the baby’s small body turned before her eyes. Bones snapped, white fur sprung out of his skin, and his cute, little face elongated into a delicate snout. Ears appeared on his head, then his hands turned into paws, and Amelia found herself holding a white fox. It took all her strength and courage not to faint. While the shift happened, Marcus didn’t make a sound.
Seth covered his mouth with both hands. He couldn’t believe that his son had just shifted, only a couple of hours after he was born. Usually, baby shifters started turning into their animal form around the time they learned how to walk. Also, the first few transformations could be uncomfortable, if not painful.
“This isn’t possible,” whispered Amelia. She removed the blanket, which had already fallen off the upper half of the little fox’s body.
Seth’s eyes grew as wide as saucers when he saw the baby didn’t have just one tail, as all baby fox-shifters had when they were born.
“Give him to me…”
He took him from Amelia’s arms and lifted him up in the warm light of the morning. Marcus whined and moved all his small, nine tails, almost giving the nurse a heart attack. The woman pulled herself together and ran out of the room. In less than fifteen minutes, all the members of Clan Sylfur knew a Kyubi was born. Damon’s arrest, the interrogation of the other three brothers, the fact that Blake had lied to them all along… none of that mattered anymore. They dropped whatever they were doing and ran to the mansion, demanding to see their nine-tailed miracle. Clan Sylfur was about to be reborn from its own ashes.
EPILOGUE
Amelia closed her book and set it on the armrest. She snuggled in the comfy armchair and grabbed the cup of hot chocolate the maid had just brought her. She watched the flames dance in the fireplace for a while, then her attention was drawn to Marcus, who had just finished his puzzle and was looking at her expectantly, hoping she would give him a new one. It was beyond her how her little boy could finish the most complicated puzzles. And he always asked for more. She would get bored after the second.
“I’ll ask daddy to bring you a new one when he comes home later,” she said.
The boy sighed, but didn’t complain. He looked through the toys scattered on the floor around him and decided on a wooden fox Seth had carved for him a couple of days before.
“Come here,” Amelia beckoned, setting the cup down and spreading her arms.
Marcus stood up on wobbly feet and walked towards her, his arms spread wide at his sides for balance. He was only three months old, but he was growing at a rate that sometimes scared Amelia. Seth
and Blake had tried to calm her down, telling her it was normal. Baby shifters grew up really fast, especially in the first years. And Marcus was nothing like the other baby fox-shifters. He was a Kyubi, and it showed. He learned everything very quickly, he could already walk, and his toys bored him if they weren’t challenging. He understood everyone perfectly, although he hadn’t started to say much yet. It didn’t mean he couldn’t talk. He just chose to listen, observe, and take in as much as possible.
Amelia wrapped him in her arms. Marcus giggled and let her cuddle him. She and Seth were the only ones who were allowed to touch him like that. Sometimes, he let Blake pick him up, but he didn’t have the patience to sit on her lap. Elena and Aaron were out of the question. He loved teasing them by running around the room when they tried to catch him. It was one of the few silly games he enjoyed. Another three months, and Amelia would have to take out the chess board and give him a real challenge.
“Ready for our daily walk?”
The boy nodded, but Amelia wasn’t ready to stand up just yet. She liked holding her son like this. Seth was at the docks and Blake was in London. She had the entire house to herself, and it was one of those few quiet days when she didn’t have to deal with Sebastian, Julian, or Charles. She would leave the comfy armchair, eventually, dress Marcus up and go out, but for now, she just wanted to enjoy the peace.
Since Clan Sylfur had chosen her as their Alpha, Amelia had been busier than she had ever thought a person could be. She couldn’t refuse the position, however. She was, after all, the woman who had given birth to the only nine-tailed fox-shifter in the world, and the entire fox-faction had agreed that she had to act as the main Inari of the clan until her son was of age. She and Seth got married shortly after Sebastian, Julian, and Charles were released. The union made Seth her Alpha husband, which was perfect. She had said she would choose a Beta at some point, but she was still considering the options. Even though all the members of the clan were ecstatic about Marcus, she wanted to wait until she knew them better and could vouch for their loyalty. The Yako she chose now would most certainly become her son’s Yako when he became Inari, and Amelia had to be sure she made the right choice. The perfect choice, even.
The Council hadn’t found anything to prove that the three Sylfur brothers had been directly involved in the assassination attempt, so they released them. Damon and Jonathan Redfur, however, would be gone for a long, long time. Sebastian, Julian, and Charles had no choice but to accept Amelia as their main Inari. The Council had listened carefully to Blake’s side of the story and decided that, given the circumstances, Roman had done the right thing. They couldn’t care less whether she was a woman or a man. She was a good councilor, so the position was still hers if she wanted to keep it. She did, of course, and she asked Jane to replace Jonathan Redfur as her second adviser. Amelia was still her first.
Amelia released a heavy sigh and stood up. Marcus wrapped his tiny arms around her neck and waited patiently until his mother reached his room at the first floor, then wiggled until she placed him on the bed. She started looking for some clean, warm clothes, her mind wandering to her husband.
Seth was still obsessed with the Tricksters and hated the fact that they had slipped through their fingers once again. They had been unable to track them down after the attack, as they fled the scene before he could do anything about it. It was clear that Damon had helped them escape and take the fox-shifter Seth had injured with them. But after Marcus was born, he became even more obsessed with Amelia’s mother and the book or document she had stolen and destroyed. He couldn’t know for sure, but he had a theory. Amelia had dismissed it, but Blake had promised she’d use her new contacts to check his hypotheses. Basically, he believed that Milla had, indeed, discovered how nine-tailed fox-shifters were born and she didn’t want that information to become public. The fact that she was a pure blood vixen but had managed to have a child with a human had to mean something. So, Seth theorized that a Kyubi could only be born of a hybrid and a fox-shifter. Milla gave birth to Amelia, who was a hybrid although that didn’t help her much, and Amelia gave birth to Marcus, a nine-tailed fox. The odds were extremely limited. No one could remember when it was the last time a female shape-shifter had remained pregnant. There was a fair chance that the book Milla destroyed had also taught her what to do to have a baby. But none of that could be verified. That didn’t mean Seth would stop looking for answers. This was about his family, and he wanted to know what to expect. Amelia was a hybrid, but no one seemed to know what that meant in the long term. His son was a Kyubi, yet no one could tell what abilities he might have in a couple of years or how they could be enhanced. Would they affect him? There were too many questions, and they sometimes kept him awake for nights on end.
Amelia and Marcus were finally dressed and ready to leave the house. She had to take him for a walk every day, otherwise she risked having all the clan flood the mansion because they wanted to see the boy. They were all crazy about him, and Marcus was a sweetheart. While remaining all cool and dignified, he did offer them a smile or two from time to time, a cute nod, or even let them shake his little hand. It was clear he was a born leader, and the fox-shifters could feel it.
They found Seth arguing with Julian, and Amelia’s first instinct was to keep her distance. She was not in the mood to get involved in whatever they were discussing. She had attended a meeting with Blake’s uncles the day before, and she didn’t feel like reliving the experience. To her surprise, Julian ended the conversation when he saw her and Marcus, greeted them both, then told Seth they would talk about it later. Seth sighed and went to kiss his wife and pick his son up.
“What did he want now?”