"Ooh, you're gonna bite it off, huh? Good for you, you little rascal," Lupa teased. "By the way, Hazel, this is my twin brother, Leveret. Lev, this is my fated mate, Hazel."
"Pleased to meet you," I said.
"You too!" Hazel said with a shy smile. "Lupa's told me all about you and your... um, pack? Is that right?"
"That's right."
"It's been wild learning all about shifters. I'mstilllearning," Hazel admitted.
"It's fine, baby. I'm learning about humans, too," Lupa pointed out. "They're way crazier than I thought. But they're pretty cool most of the time."
Nova grunted and waved his little hand at Lupa, like he wanted something from her.
"What is it, little man?" she asked.
Nova stared at her, waiting for his wish to come true. When it clearly didn't, he pouted.
"It's just a guess, but he might want you to shift again," I suggested.
"Oh! Sure."
In a flash, Lupa shifted into her wolf form. Nova reached out to touch her cold, wet nose, then he laughed ecstatically. My heart felt like it was melting into a warm puddle. More than anything, I loved seeing my son happy.
"Wow," Hazel breathed, her eyes wide as she gazed at Lupa. "I'll never get tired of seeing that."
"Yeah, shifting's pretty cool," Lupa agreed.
From the corner of my eye, I saw Animus grin. Lupa still didn't know that Animus was the reason we could even shift at all. I'd have to tell her later. But for now, I let her focus remain on my son.
"Speaking of which, has Nova shifted yet?" Lupa asked.
"Not yet. Who knows what he'll become?" Animus grinned knowingly. "We're letting it happen on his own time. He's gotplentyof it."
* * *
It wasevening by the time Lupa and Hazel left. When we were alone, Animus invited me to the rooftop of the cabin. It was a cool, clear night and the air smelled crisp with fallen leaves. Stars twinkled above, lighting up the deep blue sky.
Animus stood on the rooftop gazing up at the moon. In his arms, Nova did the same. Seeing the pair of them together made my heart thump with love.
When Animus noticed me climbing onto the roof, he smiled. "Look, Nova, your dad finally decided to join us."
Nova already knew the wordsdadanddaddy. He excitedly looked in my direction and smiled.
I strode over and gave them both a kiss on the forehead.
"What are you doing? Moon-gazing?" I asked.
"Basically. But we wanted to get a closer look."
Since giving birth to Nova, Animus hadn't shifted into his phoenix form or even unfurled his fiery wings. I'd wondered if giving away his magic to the pack made him unable to shift, but was too nervous to ask because I didn't want to make him feel bad.
I tilted my head. "How are you going to do that?"
Animus snorted. "You didn't know aboutthesealready, did you?"
As Animus spoke, two flaming wings burst out of his back. Nova gasped. The light from the fire reflected in his wide, curious eyes.
I sighed in relief. He could still shift after all.