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“Why?” I wanted to get it over with, honestly.
“The remaining dens are much further from our current pack’s land. It’s a thirty minute run to the nearest one, and it isn’t likely to have what we need,” he explained.
“How far is it to find one that will definitely have what we need?”
“An hour or so. Two hours, if that one has been visited more recently than I can remember. We used to keep dens much further apart for privacy’s sake.”
“Before you needed to fight immis?” I asked.
“Yes.” He dipped his head, his forehead still creased as he considered the distances.
“Are there any rules against sleeping in a den that isn’t ours, if it doesn’t currently belong to anyone?” I checked.
He shot me a surprised look. “Technically, no. It’ll make our fur itch a bit, though.”
I blinked.
He had mentioned that earlier, but I’d assumed it was a figure of speech, not an actual thing. “What’s itching fur?”
“Shifters get uncomfortable in some situations. When we haven’t shifted in a while, or when we don’t feel safe. Sleeping in a den that isn’t ours will set it off.”
“How do we fix it?” After a pause, I added, “And I don’t have fur, do I?”
“Not that I’m aware of, but it’s likely that you’ll develop it. Serae said you will take in the power of other types of magical beings while you’re around us. Over enough time, it’ll make you one of us even if you remain unmated. With a mate bond connecting you to me directly, the process will move much faster.”
Shit.
I bit my lip.
I didn’t want to admit what I’d been feeling, but we were trying to be more honest. So…
“There’s a chance I’m itching already,” I admitted.
Ivaylo’s eyebrows lifted.
“I wasn’t sure what the feeling was. And I could be wrong, but I feel itchy. Like I need to run.”
“That’s entirely normal for a shifter.” He took my hand and squeezed it lightly. “Do you feel capable of shifting?”
“I have no idea.”
“It feels similar to a need to stretch, or move hair out of your eyes. It’s natural.”
I shrugged helplessly. “I don’t know how I would do that.”
“If the itch gets too strong, it will force a shift. Give it time.” Ivaylo didn’t seem nearly as worried as I was. In fact, he seemed almostexcited.
“You do not seem concerned enough about this,” I warned.
He wrapped his arms around me and pulled me in for a soft, if slightly uncertain, hug. I didn’t hug him back, still feeling ill at ease.
“You’ll enjoy being a shifter, Ez. It’s simple. There’s no complex magic to understand; just the desire for family and freedom, and the love of feeling the wind in your fur.”
The desire for family and freedom?
I supposed that wasn’t entirely different than what I’d wanted back on Earth.
“What happens if I bite you? Are you going to start trying to convince me to have babies? Or are you going to want to move to the pack in the Peaks? Or… what? What are the rules for that?”
