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I pack everything up neatly in the box, making sure it’s still easily accessible for whoever had it pulled out this way. His journal is missing. I go through the contents again, in case I’ve misplaced it, but I can’t see the stupid thing anywhere. It makes no sense, unless one of my brothers has taken it upstairs to continue going over things.
Oh, well.
Not my circus, not my monkey.
Although, if we were in a circus, we’d be amazing at it. Alex would be the clown, of course, and Topher would be the man getting tied up onto a dart board so that knives could be thrown at him. I think some people would pay double just to have their own turn to try and hurt him. Seb might be a mime. Or at least, he would on day one, before getting fired for not being expressive enough.
“We’d be the ringmaster,” Fluffy says. “And I’m sure we could find something for Seb.”
“We’d have no choice,” I say, carrying Maia’s plate upstairs. “We can’t leave our family behind.”
“Hey,” Maia murmurs. There’s a tired quality to her voice, and the exhaustion lines are clear to see in her face.
“Hi, little mate,” I say, closing the door behind me. “I brought you some cake.”
“Cake?” She sighs. “I’m sorry, Ben, but it’s after one. I’m exhausted. I want to get her fed and then go back to sleep.”
I pout. “What if we shared it? It’s Phoebe’s birthday cake.”
Maia cracks a small smile before yawning. “Will you feed it to me?”
“Really?” I can’t tell who whispered this—Fluffy or me. “Yes. I can. Take your meds first.”
She nods and takes a gulp of the smoothie and tosses the tablets in before washing them down. I sit opposite her and spoon off a small bite of the cake. It looks delicious. I eat it and moan.
Maia’s eyes open. “You sneaky thief.”
“What? I was just… testing it wasn’t poisoned.”
“I’m sure you were,” she says with a laugh. Phoebe starts to cry, having let go of Maia’s perky nipple, and Maia sighs. She tries to get Phoebe to take it back in her mouth, but the tiny baby resists just before she shifts into her wolf.
Maia, to her credit, doesn’t scream like last time or rush away. She stills, and her breath comes out in small pants, but her reaction is notably more controlled.
“She’s still Phoebe,” I murmur. “But I’m going to let Fluffy take over again. He’ll be able to connect with her in this form better than I can.”
“Why don’t you…” Maia bites her bottom lip, and I patiently wait her out. Phoebe takes a few steps forward before laying down. She’s close to both Maia and I, recognising the connection we both share with her, and now the little wolf is content. “I thought the mother would shift.”
“She would.”
“So why haven’t any of you?” she whispers.
“Phoebe is still very, very young, and?—”
“No!” Fluffy yells. “Don’t blame her again.”
“Then what the fuck am I meant to say?” I demand.
“Fluffy prefers to be in human form to look at his pretty mate,” Fluffy says, shoving me out of the way.
“Then why hasn’t Seb ever shifted into his wolf?” Maia asks, raising an eyebrow. “I might be ignorant to the comings and goings of your world, but I’m not completely stupid.”
“I’d love you even if you were.”
“Who is talking about love?” Her breathing speeds up, and her eyes dart to the baby wolf before she looks down at her hands.
“Maia,” my wolf coos, lifting her chin up. “You are my soulmate. Love is just one expression of that. We’ll be the best of friends, the strongest of confidants, and the most passionate of partners. Our bond transcends normality, it goes beyond understanding. It’s soul-deep.”
