41

S he is the single most magnificent creature I have ever seen, but I'm in such a state of shock that I can't even properly convey that to her. Now she seems upset with me as I all but drag Andrei across the clearing so we can privately discuss what the fuck just happened.

Leera has her tail tucked between her legs like she's done something wrong. “Leera, baby, it's not you. You're fucking perfect, but”—I pull my t-shirt off over my head as I move her towards the tree—"I need you to shift back for me for just a minute. We need to have a very important discussion. Then you can shift back and spend as much time with your wolf as you'd like.”

She tilts her head at me, which I interpret to mean, “And exactly how the fuck am I supposed to do that? No one told me.”

“You focus on your body and will yourself back into your human form. You can tell your wolf to, and she'll help.”

She plants her front paws in preparation and narrows her eyes in concentration. She shifts flawlessly, but she wasn't prepared, so she falls to the forest floor.

I immediately pull my shirt over her head, placing her arms in the holes, and scoop her into my arms. “I'm so fucking proud of you. You don't even know how breathtaking you are. The most beautiful wolf I've ever seen,” I tell her as I pepper her with kisses.

She wraps her arms around my neck and kisses me hard. “It was so incredible. Did you see my fur?! It was silver like my hair!”

“We saw, my little miracle. We saw everything. Which is what we need to talk about.” I set her down on a log and kneel in front of her, taking her hands in mine. “Leera, that gust that released when you shifted. That wasn't part of a normal werewolf's first shift,” I tell her seriously.

Her eyes widen. “Did I–did I do something wrong?”

“No, baby, not at all. You didn't have any control over it. You see, when a wolf with royal blood shifts for the first time, it sends out basically a message to all werewolves to let them know that the royal heir has their wolf. We don't know why the Goddess does this, but the last time I felt it, we assumed the lost princess was still alive out there somewhere. Since you had never shifted before, I didn't even consider…” The words leave me as I hang my head.

All she wanted was a normal life, but now so many things are beginning to line up.

“No.”

“Fucking.”

“Way.”

Benny and the twins chime off.

“Ha! W-what?! N-n-no. Nope. I think I know what you're saying, and, yeah, just nope. We are NOT going there,” Leera demands, crossing her arms in front of her to make a giant X.

“Andrei, what part do you play in this?” I growl at him, but he's looking at Leera with tears in his eyes.

“Leera.” He kneels next to her. “Do you feel it?”

Her eyes widen, then dart to meet mine before she sniffles and nods her head.

I'm whipping my head back and forth, trying to understand. “Feel what?” I snarl.

“I'm so sorry, I didn't tell you, Roman. We've had so much going on, and I kept forgetting. I swear, I wasn't keeping it f-from you,” she whimpers.

I rear back in shock. “Sweetheart, don't cry. I'm not mad at you, him maybe, but just tell me what's going on.”

She nods to herself. “I get the same small tugging from Andrei that I get around Khaos.”

My eyes narrow, and I look at Andrei hard.

They're the same age.

He's been on some kind of mission for vengeance he couldn't talk about.

His visceral reactions when we met her, or when she was in pain or kidnapped.

The longer I look, the more they look alike.

But none of this makes sense.

“Roman, I can explain,” Andrei says, breaking me from my spiraling thoughts.

“You damn well better.”

“You all might want to sit down for this one.”