Chapter nine

Carlos

Oh. My. Fucking. Gods.

"Mom? Dad?"

I stare down into the familiar faces of my parents, my grip tightening around the object in my hand, clinging to the only thing I have at the moment. My shirt clings to my chest uncomfortably, the burn of the coffee slowly fading. I can ignore that though, too enthralled by the sight of my parents before me.

"Carlos?" My mom's voice breaks me out of my frozen state. My eyes dart between the two of them before I nod slowly.

My dad quickly stands up, pulling me into his arms. The contact is a surprise but not unwelcome. I wrap my arms around his back, squeezing just as hard. "Son? Is that really you?"

"It's me," I whisper back, overwhelmed. When my dad pulls away it's only so my mom can replace him, hugging me tight around my waist. She's shorter than me now. The realization strikes me right in the chest, pain lancing through me. Gods, why the fuck did I stay away for so long? I was so naive to think they would be upset with me. It turns out Jude was right.

Speaking of Jude. I can smell that he's beside me, making sure that I'm alright. I pull away, looking between my mom and dad. They have tears in their eyes and I can feel I have some as well. I clear my throat, trying to get my composure back but know I'm failing miserably.

"I have someone for you both to meet," I say softly, smiling so wide my cheeks hurt. My mom and dad sit down in the booth on the same side, gesturing for me to sit across from them. I pull Jude close by his waist. "This is Jude. He's my mate."

"Oh my gods," my mom says, putting her hands in front of her mouth, her eyes sparkling with even more unshed tears than before. "I can't believe you're old enough to have a mate." That sentence lances through me. Gods, I have so much time to make up for. "This feels so unreal. Like I'm going to wake up from a dream at any moment."

"It's real," I tell her. "I'm really here. And I'm sorry it's taken me this long to come home."

"Hey," my dad murmurs and I look at him, waiting for a reprimand but instead all I get are soft eyes and gentle words. "The only thing that matters is that you're here now. Okay, Carlos?"

"Okay," I whisper back. Jude and I sit down and as I go to slide down into the booth to make room for Jude, my knee bumps the table. My mom gasps as her coffee splashes over the edge of her cup, covering the table in hot coffee. I grab a napkin, beginning to clean up the mess only to fully bump the cup completely off the table. I watch with wide eyes as it shatters against the carpet.

"Carlos?" Jude says slowly. "What's in your hand?"

I look over at my mate, putting my hand in front of him and opening it. To my horror, a small rabbit's foot is there, sitting in my palm.

"Fuck," I hiss out, looking over at my parents. "This is actually the reason I'm here," I explain, letting them see the rabbit's foot.

"That thing has been a thorn in this town's side," my dad says, shaking his head.

"It's cursed," Jude tells them. "Also hi, I'm Jude and it's really nice to meet you both. This silly goose was scared to come here but I knew you'd both be really happy to see him."

"You never had anything to worry about," my mom says softly, reaching across the table and touching my wrist. "We were so worried about you, but we knew there must have been a reason you ran that day."

"It was a hunter," I tell them, my chest constricting as I think about that night. "You both know how much I loved to hunt. I loved running through the woods and catching prey. I was so careless."

My dad jumps in, reaching across the table and holding my free hand. "You were a kid, Carlos. We should have taught you better. Made sure you knew how to shift in places that were safer."

"It's not your fault," I tell them, shaking my head. "I caught wind of a hunter sniffing around town. I was so sure he would catch my trail and come for all three of us. So I led him away from town. He was on my tail for months after that. I never wanted you two to be in harm's way so I just," I pause, looking away. "I don't know, I just figured staying away would be the best way to keep you both safe."

"You did a brave and selfless thing, Carlos," my mom says, and I can feel Jude reach under the table, laying a hand on my thigh, no doubt agreeing with her. I feel so at peace right now, with my mate beside me and my parents across from me. I've been longing for this for a very, very long time despite how hard I fought against it.

"I'm glad you're here, though," my dad tells me with a smile. "What do you do now? Obviously something important that you're tracking down cursed items."

"Believe it or not, Lady Fate guided me to a different group of hunters. I save people now. Keep them safe from things they shouldn't know about."

"She's also led you to your mate," my dad says, smiling over at Jude. "Are you a hunter as well?"

Jude shakes his head. "Well, I guess I kind of am? I don't know, we're newly mated so I'm not sure where I fit in quite yet. I'm actually a familiar and my spark is part of Carlos' crew."

"That's fascinating. I'd love to meet your crew, Carlos. Could you all come over for dinner tomorrow night? Now that you're here I want to make up for lost years."

"I'd really like that, Mom."

We spend the morning catching up and having breakfast. My parents are absolutely charmed by my mate. They love him and my heart feels so full it might literally burst. I can even ignore the way they try to embarrass me by telling Jude stories of when I was a pup. The only problem? My inner animal is clawing at the walls I have around him. He wants out.

I say goodbye to my mom and dad, giving them both tight hugs with promises to see them tomorrow night for dinner.

"I think I need to run," I tell Jude, tugging at my shirt collar. "Something doesn't feel right."

Jude's brows wrinkle and he looks over my face. "Is it the rabbit's foot?"

"I don't know. Maybe? Can bad luck fuck with my shifter side?"

Jude tilts his head, thinking. Normally I would find the gesture adorable but right now I can only think with my shifter brain and all he sees is Jude's exposed throat. Fuck.

"Well, if you've been holding him back for a long time, the rabbit's foot could turn that self-control off. It would be really bad luck to shift when you don't mean to."

"Fuck. That's what I was afraid of."

I can feel him wanting to get out and the longer I hold him back, the more desperate he becomes. Fuck. I hold onto my grip as tightly as I can, praying I get somewhere safe before he tears his way out.

"Run," Jude tells me. The rest of the guys left long before us, wanting to give me time with my parents after Jude let them know. I'm so glad Jude was here with me for all of this. "I'm going to shift. I want you to chase me, okay? Chase me into the woods and once we're past the tree line, I want you to shift. Can you do that?"

I nod, sweat dotting my brow. I grit my teeth, just barely keeping a growl stuck within in my chest.

Before my very eyes, I watch as green magic seems to engulf Jude starting at the top of his head and slowly moving down to his feet before it's disappearing. Where once stood my mate, now stands a raven. He flaps his wings and takes off into the air. My feet are moving before my brain can even register what's going on and I'm chasing him. Instinct completely takes over.

My heart is racing against my ribs, my eyes never leaving my prey. Adrenaline surges through me, practically making me giddy. I've missed this. I've tried so hard to push these feelings away, push these desires into the back of my mind and locked away within a box never to be touched again. I should have known I couldn't hold this back forever.

A growl rumbles within my chest, pushing its way out. I can feel my eyes shift, my sight getting clearer. Crisper.

Everything around me comes to life in a familiar, animalistic way.

My steps continue forward until the land beneath my feet changes from pavement to grass. I turn around, making sure I'm away from the road enough before ripping my clothes off and tossing them into a pile.

My inner alpha is panting with excitement at finally being set free. I reach within myself, tugging on the cord I share with him, finally letting him go. The shift ripples across my skin. It's less fluid than I used to be able to do, like a muscle that's out of practice but after a moment I'm standing on four legs instead of two. I dig my claws into the ground, licking across my muzzle as I remember what it's like to be in this form.

It's exhilarating.

Jude swoops down in front of me, flapping his strong, black wings and dashing forward once more. A howl leaves my throat, sounding around us before I'm once again off, chasing after my mate.