Chapter Twenty-Four

"I'm scared."

Sloane eased her eyes open to find Ruger standing by the bed in Captain's single-wide trailer.

She pushed up on her elbow and ran her fingers through his hair, mussing it. "What are you afraid of? Me being Turned?" That would make sense, because today was the day.

"No. I had a bad dream," he said, crawling over her to place himself directly in between her and Captain, who had eased his eyes open in the early dawn light filtering through the window.

"What was the dream about?"

"I was swimming, and a big salmon tried to bite off my toes."

Captain chuckled, and buried his face in the pillow to hide it.

"It's not funny," Ruger groused.

"Boy, you always tell us you had that dream when you want me to take you fishing," Captain said, scooping him up and carrying him out of bed. "Come on, let's go make your mom some coffee."

"Coffee is gross."

"Hey," Sloane called. "Did you let him try coffee?"

"Probably not," Captain called over his shoulder, hefting Ruger over his shoulder and carrying him like a sack of potatoes.

"After today I'll be able to hear a lie!" she teased.

Sloane relaxed back in bed to the sound of her boys' conversation about whether Ruger wanted chocolate milk or regular milk with breakfast.

This.

This was the thing she'd always wished for but hadn't really known existed.

The last few weeks, Captain had stepped up and stepped in, and was now a full-time assistant coach for Ruger's baseball team. He even had a jersey and everything. He distracted her when they didn't have custody days with Ruger, and was completely involved when they got Ruger back.

And Ruger was happy. She could tell.

His favorite thing was staying over at the trailer park. The Fastlanders loved him and were like aunts and uncles to her boy, and this was the family she'd always wished for.

Today would be huge.

She pushed up and sat on the edge of the bed. She grinned as Ruger moved carefully down the hallway with an iced coffee with caramel creamer, just for her. It was filled to the top, and he sloshed a little, but he did pretty well.

"Thank you," she said as he climbed up on the bed next to her.

"Captain said he is going to register you for a card, and then you will be able to sign autographs."

She took a sip and hid her smile. No one would want an autograph from her, but she loved that he was excited to add his mother to his card collection. "Are you nervous?" she asked him.

"No. I'm excited. Silver said she will just bite you once, or maybe twice if it doesn't take."

Captain came in to lean against the doorframe, and he smiled sleepily at her. They had discussed at great length whether to wait until Ruger was with Ryan to have Silver Turn her, but here was the thing. Captain was adamant about Ruger not being Turned until he was an adult and mature enough to understand the process, and all the pros and cons. But…he also thought Ruger should see what it was like, because Sloane's new lioness would be a part of their life now. She would be a part of their family.

Sloane trusted Captain to shield Ruger from anything traumatizing. If she was Changing too much in the beginning, or anything like that. He would take him on an adventure and get him distracted. He would make good memories while the girls got her back on track.

Captain, Silver, and Corey had all taken the week off work to focus on her Turn and transition, and even Hallie had trained a new hire to take some of her shifts at Moosey's so she could be here more.

The Fastlanders were circling the wagons, so to speak. They had all made plans to be in the trailer park the majority of this week to support Sloane and whatever her new lioness would require.

She adored each and every one of them for that.

Captain pushed off the door, locked his arms on either side of her, kissed her neck, and murmured, "Get ready. Something is happening outside."

As she giggled at the tickle his facial scruff created on the sensitive part of her neck, he pushed back and gestured to Ruger. "Brush your teeth and put on the clothes you picked out. You're going to meet a dragon today."

Ruger gasped. "Damon? Or Diem? Or Vyr? Or Rowan? Or Dark Kane? Or Harper?"

Captain winked at Sloane before he said, "Maybe bring all of their cards just in case."

Another gasp escaped Ruger, and then he bolted up and ran for his room across the trailer. Captain and Ruger had fixed it all up just like Ruger wanted. It was race-cars and bear themed.

"Brush your teeth first," she called, and hid her laugh as he veered off into the bathroom.

Captain made sure Ruger was all the way in the bathroom before he leaned down again and kissed her deeply, and then he sank down onto the mattress and hugged her close. "Are you sure?"

"Sure about what?"

"Taking on the lion?"

"Lucia saw it."

"I don't care about the visions, Sloane. I care about you. I want you to be happy."

She ran her nails gently down his facial scruff and locked her eyes on his so he could see the truth on her face as she said, "I'm ridiculously happy."

"Are you nervous?"

She swallowed before she answered. "Nervous about the pain, but I know in a month I'll look back and be happy with my choice. I was nervous to have Ruger, but now I look back and I wouldn't change a moment of it."

"I'll take care of him, you know," he murmured, drawing her hand to his lips. "I'll take care of you both."

"I know," she whispered. The girls had explained the mating bond he had formed with her. He and his animal were both devoted, and she understood. She would do a silly amount to make him happy, too.

That was love, right? Caring so much about someone outside of yourself that you feel happiness and joy if they feel happiness and joy? The fuel was different when you were in love. In actual, healthy love. The fuel was watching your person smile and feeling that smile in your heart.

Truth be told, she was nervous about the pain of being Turned, but more than that, she was excited about their budding life together. And her growing friendships with the women of the Fastlanders. She was excited about the animal, and meeting her, and figuring her out. Would she be submissive? Dominant? Would she be a brawler, or only fight when she needed to? Would she be a natural hunter? No matter what, she knew she would be accepted by the Fastlanders. By the end of today, she would begin to figure all of that out.

Captain left to get ready, and she had a few minutes to get up, get dressed, and make her way into his master bathroom to fix her hair and makeup. She didn't know why, but she wanted to be all done up for when she met her animal.

"How do I look?" she asked as she did a little twirl for Captain when he made his way into the bathroom.

"Like a million bucks. Do you need anything?" he asked softly.

She frowned at the seriousness in his voice. "I'm okay. Are you okay?"

"Worried a little."

She pursed her lips against a smile as she slid into his embrace and hugged him up tight. "I wouldn't want to do this with anyone else."

He clenched her hair gently in the back and kissed the top of her head, and she looked up at him. "Today, I'm going to be a badass."

A handsome smile consumed his face. "You're always a badass. And here in a few hours, you'll be able to hear the sincerity in my voice when I say stuff like that."

"Are you sure?" she asked suddenly. "About me, I mean? And Ruger?"

He hung his head to the side and gave her a grin. "Are you serious?"

"Yes. I want to hear it before I do this."

The smile faded from his lips and he straightened up, then nodded. "You and Ruger are mine."

The butterflies pounded their wings through her chest.

"No more running?"

He leaned down and kissed her lips, then eased back and searched her eyes as he uttered his promise. "No more running."

"I have two Harper cards," Ruger announced. "Should I bring the hologram one? Or both?"

Captain offered her a wink, then turned and scooped up the boy and carried him, giggling, into the living room and toward the front door.

She took a last look in the mirror and pulled up her phone, took one last picture of her reflection as a human. She reviewed the picture, and God, she looked happy. Sloane couldn't help her smile as she thought about the difference in her now, and the shell of herself she'd been a couple months ago.

Everything happens for a reason.

She was supposed to see Captain Change into his bear all those years ago. She was supposed to be hurt by the boy he was to understand the man he'd become. He was supposed to misunderstand the girl she was to appreciate the woman she'd become.

And now?

She shoved her phone into her back pocket and made her way to the front door to see what she'd had a feeling she would see.

Anyone associated with Damon's Mountains who had been able to travel and get off work was gathering in the Fastlander's trailer park. She'd had a feeling they would do this, because the shifters here were just good people in general.

They were her found family.

She'd had a feeling they would gather, but it still didn't stop the emotional tears that rimmed her eyes. She'd been so afraid that she was hurting Ruger's life with the divorce, but look at him.

He was sitting on Captain's shoulders, giving a fist-bump to the blue dragon himself, Damon Daye, as they stood in line for the breakfast burrito bar Ace and Owen were serving at.

The woods were alive with good people.

Captain had given this to her and Ruger. Never again would it be her and Ruger against the world.

They had a team.

They had friends.

They had a family.

"Ready for today?" Silver asked as she came up to stand near the porch.

Sloane scanned the clearing, and recognized shifters from the Ashe Crew, from the Boarlanders, and from the Gray Backs. Some of the Fire Bears were here, and some of the shifters from Harper's Mountains and Kane's Mountains.

She was going to be a part of this, and her son was going to have a destiny she could only guess at. So much was uncertain, but she was confident in one thing—she was supposed to be a part of this moment right here.

So was Ruger.

He was so damn happy, surrounded by all of the people he'd looked up to.

Captain was watching her with a soft smile on his masculine lips. She gave him a little wave, and he mouthed, I love you .

And she knew he did. He didn't say the words frivolously. The man only said that when he was feeling it deep in his soul.

She pressed the palm of her hand to her chest and smiled at the man who had pulled her up and reminded her that she was valuable. He'd brought her back to life.

"Ready?" Silver asked again.

Sloane inhaled deeply, her eyes on Captain, and then nodded.

"I think I was born ready for this."

And then she waited for Silver to climb the stairs and go inside.

Captain nodded once, and on his shoulders, Ruger waved and grinned so big.

And it was good.

Life was good.

No matter what would come for them, she and Captain would tackle it together and make a life for her boy. For her. For him.

She'd moved here thinking her life was over, but she'd been wrong.

Her life was just beginning.