24. Anders

"Are you excited, Choccie?"

Our dog looked up at me with his melty brown eyes and wagged his tail while standing in front of the door.

Brett had Andri in a carrier nestled on his chest. Getting both a baby and puppy out the door with all their stuff and going to a dog park just for an hour was a major undertaking.

My mate sat in the back seat with our son and Choccie. During the short ride, the baby cried, and the dog howled. I caught Brett's eye in the rearview mirror, and we laughed.

Life was messy, and I was loving every minute of it.

We were a little apprehensive about the dog park. Though Choccie had been around our friends' dogs, he hadn't mixed with a group of unknown dogs. And while he responded to the come command, we decided to keep him on the leash, at least initially.

When we arrived, Choccie wagged his tail. We stood outside for a few minutes, checking the number and types of dogs. Though it was Sunday when we expected the park to be full, it was early and there were only a handful of dogs and owners here.

I gripped the leash and gave Choccie a pep talk, explaining I'd be with him the whole time. He was still a puppy and small enough that I could pick him up if necessary.

Brett stayed outside the enclosure with Andri, and I led Choccie in. One small yippy, happy dog ran up to us, and Choccie froze, but the little guy gave him a sniff and took off.

Choccie stayed by my side as we wandered around the park perimeter. As this was our first time, he might not interact with anyone else, and that was fine. Slowly, slowly.

Brett's shout got my attention. He and the baby were walking around the fence toward us, and he was pointing to the middle of the park. I picked up Choccie, thinking a huge dog was headed our way.

But a little girl, who looked almost identical to Choccie, raced up to us.

"Cocoa." A man, presumably her owner, was behind her, a leash dangling from his pocket.

The man paused as he took in Choccie. His scent announced him as human, but Choccie wriggled to get down, and Cocoa jumped up, resting her paws on my legs and yelped, trying to reach him.

"Sorry," the man said as he picked up Cocoa. "She's never done that before."

"They could be siblings." As both dogs were being held, they leaned toward one another and sniffed, their wagging tails slapping against us.

"Shall we put them down?" the guy asked.

I nodded, and the dogs greeted one another as though they were long lost friends.

I was curious about Cocoa and asked how old she was but discovered, like Choccie, she had been abandoned as a puppy. The vet had estimated her age, which was the same as our dog.

"Did you get her from the shelter?" They were so similar, and the way they reacted to one another suggested maybe they were siblings. But how likely was that?

"No, we found her on the street."

When he gave the address, I turned to Brett who was on the other side of the fence. "That's around the corner from your old place."

"Are they brother and sister?" Cocoa's owner asked.

"I think so."

I introduced myself and Brett and the baby. The guy said his name was Archer and his mate would be here soon.

"Mate?" I said under my breath. He was human, but there was a hint of shifter on his clothes. But he could've been referring to a friend.

He leaned in close. "I've been around shifters long enough to scent them. And there are a lot in Snowford."

Brett squeaked behind me, and I swirled around, thinking of Andri. But my mate was focused on a man walking toward him and pushing a stroller.

"That's my mate and daughter," Archer whispered. "He's a?—"

"Unicorn," Brett yelled a little too loudly. He clarified, when heads swiveled in his direction by saying, "My son reminds me of a little unicorn." That wasn't much better, but people went back to chatting and taking care of their dogs.

I hurried over to him and leaned on the fence, with Choccie reluctantly following as he was on the lead.

"This is Sirius and our daughter, Betsy." Brett's slack-jawed expression told me he wasn't expecting to meet one of his kind at the dog park—or maybe anywhere.

There was a doggie café across the road, and I suggested we go there. I picked Choccie up, as he was pulling at the leash and whining, wanting to be near Cocoa.

"She's coming with us, little boy. Don't worry."

We sat outside and ordered coffees and puppuccinos for the dogs.

"I didn't know there was another unicorn in Snowford. How did I not scent you?" Brett said.

Sirius explained they'd been renting in another area of Oakheart and had only just moved to Snowford.

The dogs were curled up under the table until their puppuccinos arrived. Archer and I held the paper cups, and the dogs lapped at their treats in unison. Anyone observing them couldn't mistake them for anything but siblings. They were adorable.

"How old is Betsy?" Brett asked as I helped him take Andri out of the carrier, as he was fussing and ready for a feed.

"She's four weeks old today." Archer kissed his daughter's head.

Brett and I stared at the couple, our mouths gaping.

"So is Andri."

"I hope you don't mind me saying this or think I'm being too forward, but I think we're destined to be best friends." Sirius took his mate's hand.

I almost blurted out, "Yes, I think so too," but this had to be a joint decision between Brett and myself. And his beast hadn't been around many unicorns, so if they didn't get along, it was no.

"My unicorn is excited but a little wary." My mate pulled a muslin cloth off his shoulder and fed our son.

"Mine too. Our kind are rare, not like wolves and bears. He doesn't know how to be around someone like himself.

We agreed the two unicorn shifters would meet the following night, just the two of them, hoping they would bond. The two dogs wailed when we parted, but I got one of Choccie's toys from the car and exchanged it for one of Cocoa's. Both toys were infused with their puppy owner's scent, so I hoped that would pacify Choccie until they met again.

We exchanged phone numbers and said our goodbyes.

At home, Choccie ran to her bed and fell asleep, resting her chin on Cocoa's toy.

"What if the unicorns don't like one another?" Brett nibbled his bottom lip and dragged his fingers through his already tousled hair. I'd never seen him so nervous.

"Maybe it will take time. Look how long it took your beast to be around my snow leopard and me." It would be sad for the dogs if the two families couldn't be friends.

The following evening, Archer, Sirius, and family came to our house. The babies were asleep, the puppies were in Choccie's bed destroying a new toy, and my mate and Sirius left the house.

Archer and I sat in the kitchen and drank tea and more tea as we waited. I was surrounded by snow leopard shifters in Snowford, and while Brett had made friends in our community, it would be nice to know someone of his own kind.

"How long before they return? If they return?" Archer asked.

Maybe he thought the beasts would take off, not allowing their human side to take their skin.

A shimmering in the back garden had me up and moving closer to the window. I beckoned Archer to my side. Under a clear sky, the two unicorns stood in the back garden, bathed in the moonlight. While we didn't have human neighbors on either side of us, I worried someone, not a shifter, would see them.

The two beasts pawed the ground before the men took their skin and raced into the house, their clothes remaining wherever they had shifted.

Dressed in our bathrobes, the pair joined us at the table.

Brett was bouncing up and down, his cheeks pink, his eyes blazing with excitement. He kissed me and kissed me again, and I wished we were alone so we could get naked.

"That was amazing. Who knew coming to Oakheart would change my life. A mate, a puppy, a baby, and now a unicorn friend."

After Sirius and family left, promising to meet for dinner, Brett and I climbed into bed.

"What a contrast my life has been. Growing up, I never fit in, was teased and regarded as other, and now?—"

Taking him in my arms, I finished his sentence. "Now you are loved."

Other books in this universe…

Aspen didn't know you could accidentally become Alpha of a Den, but that's exactly what he just did.

Alpha bear shifter Aspen was ready to begin his new life in the big city. He has a job lined up, a lease signed, and his truck packed. All he has left is to get there. Too bad that's easier said than done, because his truck picked the middle of nowhere to break down—alongside a bear den's land of all places. When Aspen seeks permission to spend the night, he plans to keep his head down and just mind his own business and he does, until he hears the scream that changes everything.

Omega bear shifter Lucian hates his den. No, that isn't fair. It isn't the den he hates as much as the leadership. When the Alpha he had most of his life died, he crossed his fingers the new one would bring their den into this century. He didn't—the new Alpha is not only old-school, but also cruel. When rumors of an alpha bear seeking refuge until his truck is repaired reach him, Lucien forms a plan. If he can convince the shifter to take him when he leaves, he can escape this horrible life.

Sneaking out to find the new bear sounded like a great idea, until Lucian gets caught. His den Alpha is a strike first kind of guy, and strike he does. Lucien knows better than to scream, as it only makes the punishments worse, but scream he does, the pain too much to hold inside. A flurry of fur and teeth, a dead Alpha, and the scenting of his fated mate leaves the visiting shifter as their new Alpha.

So much for best laid plans.