“That’s bullsh—”
Sally started toward them. “Titus!”
Jen opened her mouth to snap back at her friend, but only managed to gasp because the teeth embedded in her leg suddenly sank deeper. She looked back down, and her eyes widened. “Mother of pearl.” She stopped shaking her leg and stared down at the small wolf pup, whose sharp fangs were much more painful than the teeth of the human boy he’d replaced. Jen squinted. She’d never had problems with her eyesight before, but she couldn’t believe what she was seeing. “Am I high, or is anyone else seeing this?”
“Are we seeing you getting your butt handed to you by a wolf puppy?” Bethany’s voice came from behind her. “Yes, we are.”
“No, you sheet-wearing hussy.” Jen hopped in place, again attempting to dislodge the wolf pup. “It’s Titus. He’s gone all furry.”
“That’s Titus?” Bethany practically shrieked.
“Who did you think it was?” Jen asked. “Some random wolf puppy we stole from the forest?”
“It wouldn’t be the craziest thing you’ve ever done.” Jen looked over to see Sally approaching. The healer kneeled down and put her hand on the pup. She wore a smile that nearly split her face in half.
“Titus.” Sally tapped her hand on the pup’s side. “Let go of the mean blonde lady and let me look at your beautiful fur.”
The little mongrel growled and shook his head back and forth as if he was killing a bunny. “Dude, that is my freaking leg you’re trying to kill.” Jen reached down and grabbed the scruff of his neck and gave it a good, hard shake. “Let. Go.” She bared her teeth at him and felt her own wolf push forward. The pup immediately released her. Then she kneeled, her hand still gripping the scruff of his neck. She looked him in the eyes, and Titus dropped his bright hazel eyes to the floor. “You’re a hell of a lot cuter as a wolf, Titan.” She smiled.
Titus whined and then jumped up and licked her across her face. Jen released him and backed up. “I am not okay with that.” She pointed at him and wiped off her face. “You have puppy breath. Ugh!” Jen wasn’t about to admit that she was practically jumping out of her skin because their first child in the pack had phased. She thought about when Thia might have her first phase and how amazing it would be to see her daughter in her wolf form. Jen found she had to swallow a lump in her throat. She wanted to reach out to Dec, but she knew he was in the middle of fighting off some bloodsuckers and didn’t want to distract him.
“You’re beautiful,” Sally cooed. She fanned her fingers through his grey fur, which was randomly dotted with white patches. Titus apparently didn’t appreciate being called beautiful. He barked at her and narrowed his eyes.
Gavril stepped forward, nudged him with his large muzzle, then nipped his neck. A more dominant male correcting a juvenile pup. Everyone knew it was not okay to bark at your mom.
Titus tucked his tail and sat down.
“It’s okay, Gavril,” Sally started, but the large male wolf’s head whipped around to look at her.
“Or not,” Sally said slowly.
“He’s your son.” Jen raised her eyebrows at Sally. “But he’s also a male member of this pack, and Gavril is dominant to him. He has to learn his place, Sally.”
“He’s so young.” She reached out and ran her fingers through his fur.
“Yes, but he could still rip out your jugular if he went feral on you,” Jen pointed out.
Gavril nudged Titus again and then, to her surprise, the large male lowered himself to his front paws with his tail in the air. A universal sign of play among the canine species. Titus jumped up and started running around, lunging at Gavril and darting back out of the larger wolf’s reach.
“Well”—Jen stretched out her arms over her head and bent at the waist from side to side—“I think my work here is done.”
“What did you do exactly?”
“She taught him to duck and roll, Bethany.” Sally watched her son play with Gavril.
Jen scoffed. “Umm, he started out as a dormant-wolf child that couldn’t phase. I worked with him for an hour and boom.” She clapped her hands. “He’s now phasing. I’d say my teaching has been pretty damn effective.”
“Oh, my bad. I didn’t realize that is what you had been brought here to do. Here.” Bethany held out Hope. “Make her phase.”
“She can’t even walk yet.” Jen frowned. “Or eat solid foods. Or go without a diaper. What the heck is she supposed to do as a wolf? Lay there and slobber?”
Bethany shrugged. “Don’t come crying to me when you realize your dreams of being the most awesome Canis lupus trainer crash and burn because you can’t get any more pups to phase.”
“I think I liked you better when you were shy. What happened to that girl?”
“She mated a werewolf, had a baby, and became friends with a borderline, narcissistic psychopath.”
Sally nodded and pointed at Bethany. “That. Totally explains all of her.”
