Chapter Twenty-Three

My mates were my world. Along with my wolf, of course, and my bestie. It was quick and easy to move to the new way of life, and my confidence grew by leaps and bounds. Moving into our new rooms was on the schedule, but even though we were all adults, the dean required a signature from my parents indicating they knew their little girl would be sharing her living accommodations with her mates.

It was less about permission and more about awareness. If we had been part of a pack, they'd have needed the alpha's okay instead. But Mom and Dad had separated from their packs long ago. I was sure they would approve, or that I'd at least be able to talk them into it, but it would require a call.

"Minx!" Mom sounded delighted to hear from me. I hoped she would be once the conversation got going. "How are you, baby? Enjoying school?"

"So much more than I'd have ever dreamed."

"How are your classes?" Rather than being busy and distracted, Mom was giving me her full attention, and I needed to take advantage of the rarity. "Getting good marks?"

"Passing for sure. You know I was behind everyone, not just for coming in late to the semester but because I just didn't seem to have the basic knowledge that everyone else did."

Mom didn't reply, but I hadn't exactly asked a question. Yet. "Mom, why didn't I have the knowledge? It was almost as if you didn't want me to know what being a wolf meant. As if not knowing would keep me from ever becoming one?"

"Minx! We would never have done that. We truly didn't see any sign that you were going to shift. Most kids are talking to their wolves way in advance, and you didn't even have an invisible friend, much less a wolf."

"I don't know, Mom." Something was off. "You're both wolves. I mean, it's not like I had one human parent, like my roommate. She hasn't shifted either, and her latency is pretty well accepted. But I don't have a disadvantage like that…"

"Oh, Minx, I—"

"Little girl, it's Daddy."

"Hi, Dad." Sometimes he still saw me as his little girl. Heck, all the time. "We were just discussing how you two didn't think I'd ever shift."

"Yeah, about that." He cleared his throat. "Are you still setting things on fire?"

"I've only had one incident since arriving here," I informed them. "But I am doing some research in the library, and I don't think it's a discipline problem or whatever. It seems to be a power that is genetically passed on, but there's not a lot of knowledge about it. Can you tell me if it's from your side or Mom's?"

I heard them conferring in muffled tones before Dad spoke again. "I don't know. We've never heard of it. What's important is that you learn to control it so you can move forward and maybe even shift one day."

"Oh, that's what I needed to tell you. I already did."

"You what?" Mom's shriek lifted the hair on the back of my neck. "Oh, Minx, we've waited so long. Tell us all about it. Was it frightening?"

"Far more than it needed to be." No matter how excited they were for me, they needed to take responsibility for what they'd done. I was sitting alone in the boys' room, cross-legged on Bodhi's bed while we talked, and I really wanted to get to the reason for the call, getting their okay on us all moving in together, but now that the dam had broken, they were going to hear it.

I spilled everything from the time I did get in trouble for fire to when I shifted and how terrifying it was. They needed to know, or maybe I needed them to know what happened so if they ended up taking in a foster, as many in the pack did, they would do better. Or if they had another cub. Anything was possible.

"And that's why I called. The school requires me to get your okay to move in with my mates. They have emailed you a form to sign, and the sooner you do, the sooner I can get on with my life." I was already spending every night with them and that was not going to change, but I wanted to make our little home, even if it was a dorm room. I wanted to make it official.

"Mates?" Dad's voice was strangled. "As in plural?"

"Yeah. As in three. And I'd like you to meet them, but for now, I just need your approval to move in with them. They've already gotten their parents' signatures on the forms. Would you just do it?"

"Do you think this is a good idea?" Mom asked. "With the fire, and all?"

"My wolf is helping me with that. I have only had one incident since I got here and none since I connected with her. My mates are helping too. Mom, Dad, I'm happy."

"Then that's all that matters."

They agreed to sign, and we chatted about this and that before hanging up. I thought they were proud of me. At least I hoped.