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My car pulledup behind Kai’s truck after the sun went down. Lucas’s little belly was growling, and Celia had gone back to the canopy and shifted to her human form an hour or two earlier, but the little guy wouldn’t stop for anything.
And I was letting him take the lead, because he deserved it. Because I’d missed so much of his life already, and I wanted him to know that I was here. That I would always be here.
Kai came strolling up, and he was grinning broadly, holding two massive bowls of what had to be food. His dad climbed out of the passenger seat, with a metal baking sheet in his arms that was loaded with grilled meat. Lucas barely glanced at both of them, which made the men rumble with laughter.
The neighborhood was packed full of old people—Celia’s words, not mine—so the park was almost always empty. Those werewolves would stick to the forest, not the playground, when they shifted.
Kai jogged over to us, and I could’ve drooled over all that inked-up skin and muscle.
I nudged Lucas, and he snapped at me playfully. When Kai approached, the little man whined and ducked under my belly, hiding.
My chest rumbled with humor.
“Hey, Spitfire. Have you seen Lucas?” Kai asked me playfully, squatting down and digging his fingers into my fur as he scratched my head and ears.
Ohhh…
That felt good. Really good.
I shook my head, and Lucas rumbled happily.
“That’s too bad. Grampa grilled up his favorite kind of chicken—and my wolf was itching to run around with both of you after we eat. Maybe another day.”
Lucas yelped from beneath me, and barreled right out into Kai’s arms. The man laughed, scooping his son up off the ground and grinning down at me. “Let’s get you both shifted back for dinner. Maybe Iris will give you her food again.”
When Lucas wiggled wildly, Kai set him down, and we watched him take off like a damn rocket. His grandparents laughed when he ran around their legs, then grabbed his clothes in his mouth and ducked behind the shifting-wall.
“I love seeing you two hanging out like that,” he told me, scratching my head. “My wolf is dying to shift with you. He hasn’t fought me like this in years.”
I rubbed up against his side, enjoying the feel of his hand in my fur.
He sat down with Lucas and his parents while I shifted back quickly, tugging my clothes on as fast as vampirely-possible. Even in my wolf form, I was a hell of a lot quicker than either of the werewolves I’d been running with. My speed worked in both forms, I supposed.
It felt kind of surreal to sit down next to Kai and Lucas, and share a meal with his parents. Even though I wasn’t eating, I still counted it as sharing a meal.
We all chatted, and laughed about Lucas wolfing down food. He had shifted back to his human form without complaint or hesitation, which still seemed to surprise Kai and his parents.
As strange as it all was for me, it was nice.
Really, really nice.
It almost felt like I had a family.
And, looking around the table, it occurred to me that thanks to my mate, I really did.
After dinner,Kai’s parents hugged all of us and left us to the park. Lucas was already shifted and back out there, howling for me and Kai to come and join him. We exchanged grins before ducking behind the wall to strip and shift. He squeezed my boob before my body changed, and watched me rush off to join Lucas.
Kai’s wolf joined us out there a few minutes later, brushing up against me and nuzzling my body every few seconds. Even when Lucas got him to leave my side, he’d return after a minute or two, snuggling up against me.
It was the polar opposite of how he’d been when we first met—when he just stared at me, like he wasn’t sure what to expect or whether he was even interested in being with me. And I absolutely loved it.
Eventually,we made it back to our vehicles. Lucas insisted on riding with me, but when I shot Kai an apologetic look, he just grinned at me.
He looked happy.
Sodamnhappy.
It made me feel better than I’d even known I could feel.
