Chapter Nine

In Which Everyone’s Real Self Is on Display

“ Z ander.”

“Zander.”

A foot pokes at my hip, and I open my eyes to see Zach and Darla standing over me.

“You sleep out here all night?” Zach asks, looking down at me, worry etched between his brows as I blink against the morning sun. Darla’s eyes are looking past me. I roll over to see what she’s focused on and suck in a breath.

The mushroom village has grown exponentially overnight. Where six mushroom houses once stood, thirty or so more have joined them, each more colorful than the last. They remain crowded inside the original area protected by the force field. Darla squats down near my feet and stares into the little town of mushrooms .

“This deal you made is generational,” she says ominously. “Your great-grandchildren will be held to it.”

“If she really is pregnant, my great-grandchild will be living inside there with them,” I respond, unable to take my eyes off the little town.

“This is serious,” she says, shaking her head. “Your future Alphas will be held to this as well. There are dire consequences for changing the deal.”

Zach just shrugs. “If Zander’s mate is pregnant, then she and the kid are already part of our pack. It doesn’t matter if they’re fae or aliens or the Loch Ness Monster. No member of the Lamar pack is considered a burden. We’ll keep them safe as long as our pack exists.” He puts a hand on my shoulder and squeezes. We aren’t an emotional family. Hell, I only ever saw Mama cry once and that was at Dad’s funeral, but hearing Zach stand behind me like that, even in this stupid situation I’ve gotten us all into, chokes me up a bit. I swallow and turn to Darla.

“We aren’t changing the deal, and our pack won’t either.”

Darla nods. “Good. They can be a pain in the ass, but they can also be a blessing, too. Especially if you stay on their good side.”

Thursday night I lay my sleeping bag out by the mushroom town one last time. As the sun sets, the pig family returns to help me keep guard. Tonight’s the full moon, if she doesn’t return—I cut off that thought immediately and find a spot near a tree to lean against and wait for the moon to rise.

Frigg shuffles to my side and stretches out, her body pressed against my leg. My sleep the past few days has been crap, and I find myself drifting off as the piglet snores at my side. I’ve closed my eyes for what feels like seconds when something startles me wide awake.

“Zander?” calls out a voice. I jump up from my spot, not quite believing and praying at the same time my hearing isn’t playing tricks on me.

“Nollaig?”

She emerges from the forest in the same green skirt and top. I don’t give her time to speak. I simply pull her to me and kiss her, relieved above all else that she’s actually returned. She responds just as she did three nights ago, her tongue finding mine as she pulls me as close as she can.

When she pulls away at last, I say the only thing I can think to say. “You’re pregnant?”

She nods. “Aye, I am.”

“We should get married, or if marriage isn’t your thing, at least move in together. You’ll need help with the baby, and I want to be there for both of you.”

She sighs and squeezes my hands. “Zander, my people live for a very long time compared to yours, our daughter–”

“It’s a girl? You already know?” I lay my hands on her belly, and she rests hers on top of mine.

She chuckles. “Firstborn children are always girls among my people.”

“So is that a no?”

Her eyes fall back on the corner of the yard. “Is this really what you want? A woman who can only muster up enough energy to be with you only a few nights a month? A child who will outlive your entire pack?”

“I want to get to know you. I want to be a father to our child, for as long as I am living.”

“It’s not an easy path, Zander.” She meets my eyes. I can see the indecision there. Silence seems to stretch out forever between us. Instead of giving me an answer, she looks up as the moon rises. “Can I see you in your wolf?”

I nod, gathering her hands in mine and kissing her knuckles before stepping away from her. I kick off my shoes, pulling off my shirt as I step into the yard. This part is always the itchiest. I strip down to nothing and kneel on all fours in the grass, letting the pull of the moon do what it does naturally. It’s easy under the moonlight. I stretch as the fur begins to cover every visible surface, my face elongating as I rise on paws instead of hands and knees.

I realize too late that I don’t have a way to communicate with her in this state. As soon as the transformation is complete, she walks toward me, her long skirt blowing in the breeze.

She kneels so we are face to face just as she did with Porshetta and takes my jaw in her hand. Her eyes look sad as she whispers, “Your wolf is beautiful.” She closes her eyes and after a long moment, sighs. “I guess it’s my turn.”

Her transformation isn’t at all what I expect. The physical change I undergo is visible to everyone, but with Nollaig, it’s as if the air around her is blurred for a long moment. I blink, trying to clear the haze, only to find a small figure on the ground.

It’s Nollaig, but smaller, brighter. She has a pair of iridescent wings that flutter like a hummingbird’s on her back. She rises in the air until she’s at my eye level.

We can speak like this, says her voice inside my head. You wouldn’t be able to hear me anyway.

I don’t know about that. I have pretty big ears.

She chuckles. The sound is like music. Her tiny hands reach out and touch the tip of my snout.

This isn’t normally done, you know. The sidhe, we take your kind to our world, but we don’t live between. We don’t have relationships.

I’m not sure if she’s trying to talk herself into or out of it. But she’s here, and her village is set up in my yard. They could stay forever. They could disappear tomorrow. All I can guarantee is right now. All I can do is spend every minute she’s here convincing her that being by my side is better than anywhere else she could be.

Would you like a ride? I ask her.

I can fly as fast as you can run .

I laugh, but it comes out more as a bark, and she laughs at that.

You told me the other night you wished you could run like a wolf. A ride will be more fun. And running in the woods is my favorite part of the full moon.

Truly your favorite part? she teases back. Just because I’d never met a wolf before you doesn’t mean I don’t know what goes on under the full moon, Zander Lamar.

I chuckle. I’ll be more than happy to show you my favorite part later tonight if you have the energy to shift.

She kisses my nose. I might be convinced to muster up a little bit of energy for you. She flies over to my back and digs her tiny hands into the fur at the scruff of my neck. Hold on tight , I tell her.

Of course.

I step through the high grass, past her village, and out to the animal trail just beyond the clearing.

You ready to fly?

Her musical laughter fills my ears.

Always.

Together we bound through the clearing and into the night.

The End